Everything about James Of St George totally explained
Master James of St George, also known as James of St. George d'Espéranche, (circa
1230-
1309) was an
architect from
Savoy responsible for designing many of
Edward I's castles, including
Conwy,
Harlech and
Caernarfon (all begun in 1283) and
Beaumaris in Anglesey (begun 1295).
Early records seem to indicate that his father, Master John, was a master mason who worked on castles in Savoy in the 1260s. The "St. George" is believed to be a reference to the castle of Saint-Georges d'Espéranche, located southeast of
Lyon. Edward I probably met Master James of St. George whilst visiting Savoy in 1273, but didn't employ him until the late 1270s.
The earliest references in the English records to James of St. George are found in 1278; he's referred to as an "ingeniator" (engineer) and "mazun" (mason). In 1278 he was recorded as travelling to Wales, at which time four new castles were being built:
Flint,
Rhuddlan,
Builth and
Aberystwyth. The records indicate that he was master mason at Flint and Rhuddlan between 1278 and 1282.
He was appointed Master of the Royal Works in Wales ("magister operacionum in Wallia") around 1285, drawing a wage of 3s a day.
Harlech Castle, begun in
1283, was effectively completed in 1289. On July 3, 1290, James of St. George was appointed Constable of Harlech Castle, succeeding Sir John de Bevillard who had died in August 1287. He held this position until December 14, 1293.
His final Welsh castle was Beaumaris, on which work started in April 1295.
James of St. George then joined Edward I in Scotland, probably around September 1298. In February 1302 James of St. George was appointed to see to the new defences at
Linlithgow. He also worked at
Stirling (during the
1304 siege).
There is no record of James's wife, Ambrosia, receiving a pension after his death, so it's probable she didn't survive him.
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