On Sunday 12th May 2019 a host of interested locals and medieval historians from northern universities gathered at Cartmel Priory to celebrate the 800^th anniversary of the death of Sir William Marshal, the church’s founder. Cartmel, originally an Augustinian priory, was founded by the Marshal at the turning point of his career. Having been granted by Richard I the hand of Isabelle de Clare, heiress to large swathes of land in Ireland and the west country, he was transformed from a comparatively poor knight in to one of the greatest magnets of England. Later he was also granted the earldom of Pembroke by King John. Such power and wealth placed the Marshal within the political elite of England, and he was thus embroiled in the struggles of King John’s reign, struggles that ultimately led to Magna Carta. As one of the few barons that remained loyal to John, Marshal fought the combined forces of the rebel barons and Louis of France, whom they had invited to take the throne. It was such loyalty that led John to appoint him the regent for his young son, Henry, in 1216, leaving the Marshal to continue the war and ultimately defeat the French at the battles of Lincoln and Sandwich (1217). The Marshal died on 14^th May 1219, and was buried in Temple Church.

With their founder’s illustrious career in mind, the Priory, in partnership with Lancaster’s Department of History, held a commemorative evensong for the Marshal, surrounded by the Marshal colours of green, red, and gold. The attendees were then treated to a gripping talk from King’s College London’s Professor David Carpenter. David’s lifetime of research into the reigns of King John and Henry III made him the perfect choice to commemorate the Marshal’s anniversary, and his talk, which placed the foundation of Cartmel within the wider context of Marshal’s career, was very well received. The event marked the beginning of an emerging partnership between the Department of History and Cartmel Priory.