Supported by Robert Baldock and Walter Stapledon, Edward's chancellor and lord treasurer, the Despensers accumulated land and wealth, using their position in government to provide superficial cover for what historian Seymour Phillips describes as "the reality of fraud, threats of violence and abuse of legal procedure".
Co apoio de Robert Baldock e Walter de Stapledon, chanceler e tesoureiro, respectivamente, os Despenser acumularon terras e riqueza e utilizaron a súa posición no goberno para encubrir superficialmente o que o historiador Seymour Phillips describiu como «a realidade da fraude, as ameazas de violencia e o abuso do procedemento legal».