In 1378 he was appointed with others to treat with the King of Scotland,
[Footnote: Rymer IV, 51.] in 1379 to treat with the Duke of Brittany.
[Footnote: Rymer old. ed. VII, 223.] From 1381 on many pardons were
granted at his request. In 1381 he was appointed custodian of the Castle
of Brest. In 1383 he was on a commission to treat with Flanders and
France. [Footnote: idem, 412.] In 1386 he was sub-chamberlain in the
King's household (literally "south chamberlain"). [Footnote: idem, 675]
By 1392 he was chamberlain of the household. [Footnote: idem, 721.] In
1398 he was made Earl of Worcester [Footnote: Dugdale I, 285.] and
appointed with John of Gaunt on a commission for redressing violations
of the truce. In 1399 he was appointed executor of the Duchess of
Gloucester's will. He was beheaded in 1403 because of his connexion with
the rising of Hotspur. He was a Knight of the Garter.


SIR WILLIAM DE BEAUCHAMP


That Sir William de Beauchamp was a friend to Chaucer has been
recognized for some time. In May 1888 Mr. W. D. Selby called attention
to this connection with Chaucer in a short article in The Athenaeum. In
this article Mr. Selby gave a few facts about him, gathered professedly
from Dugdale, but omitted all mention of the curious connection Sir
William de Beauchamp had with the property of the Earl of Pembroke, for
his custodianship of which Chaucer was one of the sureties.

William de Beauchamp was a younger son of Thomas, Earl of Warwick.
[Footnote: Cf. Dugdale's Baronage I, 238 ff, Dugdale Antiquities of
Warwickshire II, 1029 ff.] In 40 Edward III he attended John of Gaunt in
his expedition into Spain. In 44 Edward III he served as a Knight in