Neil Loring
Sir Neil Loring ("Loryng", "Loringe" etc., Neel alias Nigel, Latin: Nigellus) (c. 1320 – 18 March 1386), KG, was a medieval English soldier and diplomat and a founding member of the Order of the Garter, established by King Edward III in 1348. The central character in two historical novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Nigel and The White Company, is loosely based on Neil Loring.
Origins
He was born in Chalgrave, Bedfordshire, the son of Roger Loring by his wife Cassandra Perrott.
Career
Loring fought at the Battle of Sluys in 1340, following which he was knighted for his bravery and awarded a pension of £20 a year. In 1347 he was with King Edward III during the Siege of Calais, and the following year was invested as one of the founding Knights of the Garter. By 1351 Loring was chamberlain to the Prince of Wales, and a member of his council. He accompanied the prince to Aquitaine in 1353, and distinguished himself in the Poitiers Campaign, during which he was "appointed to be in attendance on the prince's person". He was sent back to England after the Battle of Poitiers on 19 September 1356 to report news of the English victory. For his service to the prince he was given an annual pension of £83 6s 8d for life as well as lands in Wales.
