The Elland Feud

The Elland Feud took place from 1317 to 1354 between the Lacy family, who were the Earls of Pontefract, and the Warren family, who were the Earls of Wakefield.

The story is told in a narrative entitled Revenge upon Revenge, which appears in The History of the town & parish of Halifax, and Watson gives an anonymous poem of 124 verses describing the History of Sir John Eland, of Eland, and his Antagonists.

The major events of the feud include:

• 1294: Alice de Laci (or Lacey) [aged 10] married Thomas Lacy [16]

• During the Scottish Wars, Edward II made Thomas Lacy, Earl of Lancaster, his commander-in-chief, but the king later resented Lacy's popularity

• John, the Eighth Earl was friendly with the king and a quarrel broke out between the earls of Warren and Lancaster

• Execution of Piers Gaveston – the favourite of Edward II – by a group of barons led by Thomas Lacy, Earl of Lancaster

• Lacy was beheaded after rebelling against the king

• 1317: At Canford, Dorset, Alice de Lacy, the wife of Thomas Lacy was kidnapped by the Earl of Warren's men and held at the Warren's castle at Reigate

• The Earl of Lancaster laid siege to the Warren's castle at Conisborough, Yorkshire

• During the siege, Exley of Exley Hall killed a half-nephew of Sir John Elland of Elland Hall

• A piece of land was given in compensation for the death, and Exley took refuge with a relative, Sir Robert Beaumont at Crosland Hall, Huddersfield

• Beaumont, John de Lockwood of Lockwood, and Hugh de Quarmby of Quarmby were loyal to the Laceys

• 1341: Sir John Elland – loyal to the Earls of Warren – raised a band of men who, en route to Crosland Hall to kill Sir Robert Beaumont, called at Quarmby Hall and ruthlessly killed Hugh of Quarmby and Lockwood of Lockwood, friends of Beaumont

• On reaching Crosland Hall, they waited until morning to gain entrance to the hall when a serving maid left the building and the drawbridge was lowered, then they rushed in, dragged Beaumont out of bed, and cut off his head. Exley was also killed by the gang

• They demanded a feast and Sir John Elland invited Beaumont's sons to eat with them. The young Adam Beaumont refused but was forced to watch them

• Lady Beaumont fled to Burnley with her two sons and the sons of Quarmby, Lockwood, and Lacy of Cromwellbottom Hall, and there they practised archery, fencing and other skills to take revenge on Sir John Elland

• 1353: Sir John Elland was on his way to the Sheriff's Tourn at Brighouse when he was ambushed and killed at Lane Head, Brighouse by a gang including Beaumont, Quarmby and Lockwood who had stayed with the Laceys at Cromwellbottom Hall the night before

• The gang fled and took refuge in Furness, but they returned the following year to kill the young Sir John Elland and his son

• Lying in wait at Elland mill on Palm Sunday, they took the miller and his wife hostage. When Sir John Elland – wearing armour underneath his clothes, because he had heard of the plot – and his party left for church, Beaumont and Lockwood shot arrows from the mill and killed Sir John, whilst his son – the last of the Elland family – was wounded and died later at Elland Hall

• Quarmby, Lacy, Lockwood and Beaumont fled. They were pursued and there was a fight in Ainley Wood. Quarmby was found hiding in a tree and was killed by their pursuers, Lacy fled to the north, Lockwood was betrayed by his sweetheart, and Beaumont went abroad to die later fighting with the Knights of Rhodes

See Thomas Eland, Other feuds and John Hanson's Household Book

This & associated entries use material contributed by Kai Roberts

Page Ref: KK_172

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