Segrave |
Name:
Simon,
Squire to Sir Stephen Segrave
Profile:
Simon, squire to Sir Steven Segrave is an elusive character.
Only fleeting glimpses of him are seen in etchings made
during the period, a shadowy figure keeping out of public
limelight. Little is known of his background, though
he is believed to come from common stock, possibly born
in the village of Barclay, not far from the Segrave
estate. It was widely rumoured that Segrave was wont
to vent his frustrations on this poor unfortunate when
a decision at a tournament failed to go his way, there
are certainly well documented examples when he publicly
abused Simon within the tournament ring and Simon was
rarely seen in the alehouses for several nights after
Sir Steven suffered a heavy loss. |
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Simon disappears from our chronicles later in this period.
This coincided with a period in which Sir Steve suffered
a run of unfortunate defeats in contests in which he
was firm favourite to win, despite heavy, last minute
betting against him. Plagued by mysterious equipment
failures and struck down by malaises which afflicted
the knight at the start of several events, Sir Steven
retired for the remainder of the season to recuperate
- from this point on Simon was never seen again. Stories
abounded around the tournament circuit as to his possible
fate and many regarded Sir Steven with suspicion; certainly
he found the hiring and retention of retainers difficult
from that period on. The slow decline of this branch
of the Segrave family dates from around this period
and Sir Steven was never to throw off the suspicion
that he played a hand in the mysterious disappearance
of his squire - an accusation he was to bitterly deny
to the end of his days.
On an interesting historical note, the
term esquire entered common usage around this period.
It was a term used by one Simon de Barclay, often signing
himself Simon ex-squire, who became a powerful force
in the banking world from this date. Where this man
got his initial wealth from, or indeed any details of
his past prior to the date on which he founded his banking
house, are now lost in the mists of time but it is certain
that the banking house owes its name and move into the
premier league of banking establishments to this individual.
Simon was later to become a patron of the tournament
and a noted charitable benefactor, founding an almshouse
for the comfort of retired squires on land he purchased
from the near-bankrupt Sir Steven Segrave. The popular
saying “Revenge – a dish best eaten cold” is believed
to be derived from the motto he adopted following his
knighting by the king some years before his death.
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