Royal Justiciar to Henry III.- Basset (Philip, justiciar and royalist nobleman, brother of Fulk Basset, bishop of London, d. 1271) Charter, agreement between Sir Philip Basset, Knt., and Lady Ela his wife (granddaughter of William Longespée, third earl of Salisbury, magnate, natural son of Henry II, b. in or before 1167, d. 1226), Countess of Warwick by a former marriage, on the one part and Sir Henry Longchamp, Knt., on the other part, whereby the said Henry gives to the said Sir Philip and Ela all his manor of Warnborough [South Warnborough, Hampshire] to be held of the said Henry and his heirs for the lives of the said Henry and Ela, witnesses: Walter de Irton, Robert Walerand, (administrator at the court of Henry III, d. 1273), Thomas le Blund, Geoffrey de Wengeham, Geoffrey de Wengeham, Richard Pig, Philip le Vezze and Ralph de Ho, manuscript in Latin, on vellum, 24 lines, in a cursive bookhand, in brown ink, chirograph indented at head, 2 green wax seals depicting shields including that of Philip Basset, Basset's seal damaged with some loss to edge (shield intact), medieval docket on dorse: "Suth Warnborn", folds, slightly browned, 205 x 229mm., 1268/9.

⁂ Basset came from a family with a long tradition of royal service. Despite this, Basset and his brothers joined the rebellion of 1233-4 against the Poitevans at the court of Henry III. However, after the rebellion died in 1234 Basset was pardoned and went on to serve king and court for the rest of his career. In 1240 he accompanied Richard Duke of Cornwall on crusade, afterwards a close associate. Basset attended court regularly and was witness to many charters, serving on the Council of Fifteen and being made justiciar, chief minister under the king. Basset fought at the Battle of Lewes, suffered several wounds and was imprisoned at Dover. He died in 1271 and was buried at Stanley in Wiltshire.

Henry de Longchamp, Lord Wilton (1210-64), son of Hugh de Longchamp, III and Georgia de Longchamp; married Joan de Longchamp; father of Maud de Grey.