Hugh Despenser, Earl of Winchester (*1 March 1261, † 27 October 1326) had already made a name for himself under Edward I as a soldier and diplomat. In the struggle between Edward II and the noble opposition, he loyally stood by the king. He took part in the Battle of Bannockburn, but left the court after Lancaster had temporarily taken over. In 1316 he returned and benefited from the rise of his son Hugh Despenser. In 1321 he accompanied him into temporary exile. After defeating the Marcher Lords and Lancaster, he and his son established a reign of terror that drove many nobles into exile. The Despensers had few supporters when Mortimer and Isabella landed in England in 1326. Mortimer had Despensers hanged, disembowelled and quartered for treason.
Edward II
Spencer Senior first appears in [Scene 11], where he supports Edward II with his soldiers against the opposing nobles. After that you don’t see him again until his arrest ([Scene 16]).
