© 2004 by Oxford University Press
Simon de Montfort and his Followers, June 1263
1 Innerleithen
In the early Spring of 1263, it might have seemed that Henry III had defeated the aspirations of the reforming barons and that the rebellion was over. However, the return of Simon de Montfort to England in April 1263 proved to be the first step which led to royal defeat at Lewes in May 1264. Details of who among the barons supported de Montfort on his return are somewhat ambiguous and shadowy. An entry in a Forest Eyre roll of 1269 throws light on the presence of an unexpected adherent, Roger Mortimer, taking part in a hunting diversion during a strategic dash to the Cinque Ports to prevent aid to the king arriving from France. The record also offers insight into the administration of the forest law.