De Birmingham family
They were stripped of most of their lands in England by the notorious John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, who held sway over the young King Edward VI (1547–1553).
[2][3] The historian Sir William Dugdale identified Ansculf (whom he confused with his son William) as a great man in the time of the Conquest as evidenced by the extent of the lands granted to him, namely twenty-five lordships in Staffordshire, twenty in Buckinghamshire, fourteen in Worcestershire, ten in Berkshire, seven in Surrey, seven in Warwickshire, four in Northamptonshire, one in Middlesex, one in Oxfordshire, one in Huntingdonshire, one in Cambridgeshire.
and thus their Paganell descendants inherited various Ansculph estates including Dudley castle[2][5] the manor of Birmingham[6] and Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.
[citation needed] Some sources suggest that the de Birminghams were descended from William Fitz Ausculph[6] whilst others disagree.
It is feasible that William would have been given a small part of the Paganell lands, e.g., Birmingham, while his elder brother Ralph received the rest.
He applied to hold a cattle and food market every Thursday in the grounds of his "castle" and was granted the right by King Henry II in 1154 (some say 1166).
[6] Outsiders were charged to come to the market, encouraging many merchants to live within Birmingham town and hence to pay Peter rents that far exceeded the land's agricultural value.
[13] In 1166 Peter is recorded to have owned a "castle" at Birmingham, to have been the Steward of Gervais Paganell and to have held nine Knight's fees by military service.
[15] [13] William was granted the right to hold a four-day fair starting on the eve of Ascension Day by Henry III in 1250.
In 1251 permission was also given to hold a two-day fair beginning on the eve of the Feast of St John the Baptist.
[13] William supported Simon de Montford in the Second Barons' War against Henry III and to have died at the Battle of Evesham in 1265.
Its historical accuracy cannot be verified but it mentions William's claim to de descended from Ausculph via marriage to the Paganells.
In 1283 he strengthened his claims to land in Stockton Worcester, Shetford (Shutford), Oxon, Maidencoat (Maidencourt) Berks, Hoggeston Bucks and Christleton Cheshire.
[19] As a military Knight William was obliged to join Edward I at Gascony where he was taken prisoner by the French at the Siege of Bellegarde in 1297 and was carried in triumph to Paris.
[17] Tried the right of tollage with the people of Bromsgrove and King's Norton[11] Knighted in 1325 by Edward II for whom he raised four hundred infantry.
[11] Abandoned the de Birmingham's traditional coat of arms and replaced it with:- partie per pale, indented, or, and gules.
[13] [17] Eldest son of Sir Fulk who served as Sheriff of Warwick in 1397 and as parliamentary representative for Warwickshire, Bedfordshire, and Buckinghamshire.
[3][14] He was cheated out of it by John Dudley, who would later try to place Lady Jane Grey, his own daughter-in-law, on the throne, an offence for which he was later found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.
Preferring poverty to death Edward did as Dudley demanded and in 1527[22] retired to obscurity, living on a token £40 a year offered as compensation.
