Hugh de Stafford

Notes:

Earl of Stafford. Privy councillor, 1377. Sheriff of Cheshire, 1385. He was summoned to Parliament 8 Jan 1371 and from 6 Oct 1372. He died on the Isle of Rhodes while returning home from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Hugh married Philippe de Beauchamp before 1 Mar 1351. Philippe (daughter of Thomas de Beauchamp and Katherine de Mortimer) died before 6 Apr 1386; was buried in Stone Priory, Staffordshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Margaret Stafford died on 9 Jun 1396; was buried in Brancepeth, Durham, England.
2. Katherine Stafford died on 8 Apr 1419; was buried in Wingfield, Suffolk, England.
3. Edmund Stafford was born on 2 Mar 1377; died on 22 Jul 1403.

Notes:

Earl of Stafford. Steward of the Royal Household, 6 Jan 1341 to 29 Mar 1345, when he assumed the position of Seneschal of Aquitaine. King's lieutenant in Gascony, 1350 and onward. One of the 26 founding members, and the fifth knight, of the Order of the Garter. As a young man he supported the plot to free the young Edward III from his mother's lover, Roger Mortimer; he was subsequently a close member of Edward III's retinue for the rest of his life. He was also a notably competent soldier and diplomat in the Hundred Year's War.

Fought at Crécy.

Summoned to Parliament by writ 29 Nov 1336 to 25 Nov 1350.

"He [...] sensationally abducted Margaret de Audley, 2nd Baroness Audley, daughter of Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester and Margaret de Clare, who was worth at least £2314 a year, more than ten times his own estates. Her parents filed a complaint with King Edward III of England, but the King supported Stafford's actions. In compensation, the King appeased Hugh and Margaret by creating Hugh the 1st Earl of Gloucester. [Wikipedia]

Ralph married Margaret de Audley before 6 Jul 1336. Margaret (daughter of Hugh de Audley and Margaret de Clare) was born about 1323; died after 28 Jan 1348; was buried in Tonbridge, Kent, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Between 1318 and 1322
• Alternate birth: Bef 1325
• Alternate death: 7 Sep 1349
• Alternate death: Bef 1 Mar 1351

Notes:

Summoned to Parliament by writs 6 Feb 1299 to 20 Aug 1307.

Edmund married Margaret Basset before 1299. Margaret (daughter of Ralph Basset and Hawise) died on 17 Mar 1337; was buried in Tysoe, Warwickshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: of Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England

Notes:

Earl of Gloucester.

King's bachelor; Sheriff of Rutland 1317-18; Chief Warden of the Ports and Coasts of Essex, Middlesex, and Hertford 1336; Joint Marshal of the Host (the English army in Flanders) 1339. Ambassador to France, 1341. Summoned to Parliament by writs 30 Nov 1317 to 15 May 1321. Fought on the side of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster at the battle of Boroughbridge. Taken prisoner; later escaped. After the execution of the Despensers and the overthrow of Edward II, he was again summoned to Parliament by writs 3 Dec 1326 to 24 Aug 1336.

"Hugh Audley or Aldithley (junior), 2nd son of Hugh A., who, afterwards,, (viz. in 1321), was also sum. to Parl., by Isolt, da. of Edmund de Mortimer, of Wigmore, was b. c. 1289. He was sum. v.p., to Parl. 20 Nov. (1317) II Edw. II to 15 May (1321) 14 Edw. II, by writs directed Hugoni Daudele juniori. He was with his father in the insurrection of 1321/2, but was pardoned. He was also sum. to Parl. 3 Dec. 1326 to 24 Aug. 1336, by writs directed Hugoni de Audele (only), his father having died in 1325, or early in 1326. In 1336 he was in the King's service in Scotland, and on 16 Mar. 1336/7 he was cr. Earl of Gloucester, his wife having, in 1313, become coh. to her br. Gilbert, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford. In 1341 he was Ambassador to France. He m., 28 Apr. 1317, at Windsor, Margaret, widow of Piers (Gavaston), Earl of Cornwall, 2nd da. of Gilbert (de Clare), Earl of Gloucester and Hertford, by Joan, da. of King Edward I. She, who was found to be aged 22 in her brother's Inq. p. m. of 12 Oct. (1314) 8 Edw. II, d. Apr. 1342, before Easter. Inq. p. m. 1342-3. He himself d. s.p.m., 10 Nov. 1347, and was bur. in the priory of Tunbridge, when, 'although the dignity [of the Earldom of Gloucester] was to him and his heirs, the title appears to have been considered as extinct.'" [Complete Peerage I:346]

Hugh married Margaret de Clare on 28 Apr 1317 in Windsor, Berkshire, England. Margaret (daughter of Gilbert de Clare and Joan of Acre) was born about 1292 in Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales; died on 9 Apr 1342; was buried in Queenhithe, London, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1293
• Alternate birth: Between Aug 1293 and Nov 1294
• Alternate death: 13 Apr 1342, France

Notes:

Died at the siege of Droslin Castle in Wales, crushed by a falling wall.

Nicholas married (Unknown) de Langley. (Unknown) (daughter of Geoffrey de Langley and Matilda de Brightwell) died before 1287. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

CP calls her "probably da. of Geoffrey de Langley" and notes that "In 1272 a Staffordshire jury stated that the King had given [Nicholas de Stafford] in marriage to a da. of Geoffrey de 'Langeley'."

Notes:

"Ralph Basset, s. and h. of the above, served in the French and Scottish wars. He suc. his father 4 Aug. 1265. He held lands of Ralph Basset of Weldon 1284/5; he was sum. to attend the King at Shrewsbury, 28 June (1283) 11 Edw. I, and was sum. to Parl. 23 June (1295) 23 Edw. I to 10 Apr. (1299) 27 Edw. I, by writs directed Radulfo Basset de Drayton whereby he is held to have become Basset of Drayton. He m. Hawise. He d. 31 Dec. 1299, and was bur. at Drayton." [Complete Peerage II:2]

Ralph married Hawise. Hawise died before 20 Mar 1317. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Bef 20 May 1317

Notes:

This post by John P. Ravilious, from 2005, conjectures based on good circumstantial evidence that she was a daughter of Hugh le Despenser (d. 1265) by his wife Aline Basset (1245-1281).

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 1 Apr 1325, Wallingford Castle, Oxfordshire, England
• Alternate death: Bef 12 Apr 1326

Notes:

Summoned to Parliament by writ, 1321. Joined the rebellion of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster in 1322, but surrendered before the battle of Boroughbridge. Died while a prisoner in Wallingford Castle.

"Hugh Audley, of Stratton Audley, Oxon, yst. s. of James Audley or Aldithley, of Heleigh, co. Stafford by Ela, da. of William Longespée (s. and h. ap. of Ela, suo jure Countess of Salisbury); was b. c. 1267, and obtained from his mother, soon after her husband's death, a reversionary grant, (1272-73) 1 Edw. I, of Stratton Audley, afsd., which had been her inheritance. He was in the French wars, 1294, &c.; a prisoner in France 2 Apr. 1299; in the Scottish wars, 1299-1302, and again 1313; he was in Gascony in 1304/5; Justice of North Wales 1306; and was Governor of Montgomery Castle, 1309. He was sum. to Parl. 15 May (1321) 14 Edw. II, the writ being directed Hugoni de Audele seniori, to distinguish him from his 2nd s., Hugh Audley, Junior, who had been so sum. in 1317. In 1321/2 he joined the insurrection of the Earl of Lancaster, but surrendered before the battle of Boroughbridge, 16 Mar. 1321/2, and was confined in Wallingford Castle. He m., before 7 Jan. 1293, and probably in 1288, Isolt, widow of Sir Walter de Balun, of Much Marcle, co. Hereford (who was living and m. to her in 1286/7), da. of Sir Edmund de Mortimer, 1st Lord Mortimer, of Wigmore, co. Hereford, by (____). She brought him the manors of Eastington, co. Gloucester, and of Thornbury, Co. Hereford. He d. between Nov. 1325, and Mar. 1325/6, probably while still a prisoner. No trace can be found of the pardon which he is sometimes said to have received, and any peerage which he may be held to have possessed, may be treated as having been forfeited by attainder. His widow was living 1336." [Complete Peerage I:347-48, as corrected in Volume XIV. See the entry on his wife for doubt she was was a daughter of Edmund de Mortimer.]

Hugh married Isolde le Rous before Jul 1291. Isolde (daughter of Roger le Rous and Eleanor de Avenbury) died before 4 Aug 1338. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Complete Peerage and Ancestral Roots give her as a daughter of Sir Edmund Mortimer, 7th Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, by an unidentified first wife, but various discussions on SGM and elsewere led to a consensus that this is chronologically improbable and that her parentage must be regarded as unknown. See also this page on Chris Phillips' site.

More recently, on 17 Dec 2017, Douglas Richardson posted to SGM evidence that she was a daughter of Roger le Rous and his wife Eleanor de Avenbury. Both pieces of evidence have to do with the known fact that her first husband was Walter de Balun, who died in 1287. In 1296 one Isolde sued Reynold de Balun in the Court of Common Pleas regarding the manor of Eastington, Gloucester, which she claimed as her right and which she was in fact holding at that time. Reynold de Balun was Walter de Balun's brother and heir. The record identifies Isolde, the plaintiff, as "daughter of Roger le Rus." The other document is a record of Walter de Balun and his wife, Isolde, being enfeoffed with the manor of Much Marcle, Herefordshire by Roger le Rous. Between these two it seems clear that the wife of Hugh de Audley, widow of Walter de Balun, was a daughter of Roger le Rous.

Complete Peerage and Ancestral Roots give her as a daughter of Sir Edmund Mortimer, 7th Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, by an unidentified first wife, but various discussions on SGM and elsewere led to a consensus that this is chronologically improbable and that her parentage must be regarded as unknown. See also this page on Chris Phillips' site.

More recently, on 17 Dec 2017, Douglas Richardson posted to SGM evidence that she was a daughter of Roger le Rous and his wife Eleanor de Avenbury. Both pieces of evidence have to do with the known fact that her first husband was Walter de Balun, who died in 1287. In 1296 one Isolde sued Reynold de Balun in the Court of Common Pleas regarding the manor of Eastington, Gloucester, which she claimed as her right and which she was in fact holding at that time. Reynold de Balun was Walter de Balun's nephew and heir. The record identifies Isolde, the plaintiff, as "daughter of Roger le Rus." The other document is a record of Walter de Balun and his wife, Isolde, being enfeoffed with the manor of Much Marcle, Herefordshire by Roger le Rous. Between these two it seems clear that the wife of Hugh de Audley, widow of Walter de Balun, was a daughter of Roger le Rous.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 1299

Notes:

Called "Red Gilbert" and "The Red Earl". Earl of Gloucester. Earl of Hertford. Steward of St. Edmund's Abbey. Held, among many other manors and lordships, the lordship of Glamorgan, one of the most wealthy holdings in the Welsh Marches. Built Caerphilly Castle.

A turbulent figure who fought on both sides of the Second Barons' War of 1263-64, first alongside Simon de Montfort at the battle of Lewes (where according to some accounts he personally took Henry III prisoner), and then on the side of the king, commanding one of the royal divisions at the decisive battle of Evesham where de Montfort was killed.

His subsequent relationships with Henry III and Edward I were complex and fraught. As one of the two or three most powerful non-royal individuals in the realm, he was both a desirable ally and also the very model of the kind of overweening subject that Edward was determined to tame -- and ultimately did.

As a side note, it is worth noting that while de Clare was still allied to the baronial party, he led the massacre of the Jews at Canterbury, which took place while other rebel leaders were conducting similar massacres in London. Ian Stone writes in "The Rebel Barons of 1264 and the Commune of London," quoted here: "The Dunstable annals report rumours that the Jews of London were preparing to betray the citizens: they had Greek fire to burn the city, copies of the keys to the city gates, and subterranean passages to each gate. Such tales were used to excuse an outbreak of looting and murder. One chronicler says that the Jews were suspected of betraying the barons and citizens, and almost all were killed. Another says that the Jewish quarter was pillaged, and any Jews who were caught were stripped, robbed and murdered. Estimates of the number killed range from 200 to 500, with the remainder forcibly converted or imprisoned (or, looking at it another way, the rest were saved by the justices and the mayor, who sent them to the Tower for protection). The chronicler Wykes, who tended to be less favourable to the baronial party, singled out the baronial leader John fitz John, who was said to have killed the leading Jew, Kok son of Abraham, with his own hands, and seized his treasure. Fitz John was then forced to share the proceeds with Simon de Montfort. It is possible that de Montfort was taking the Jewish treasure, not to enrich himself, but to finance his forces. At the same time, the cash of Italian and French merchants, deposited in religious houses around London, was also seized and taken to the city."

Gilbert married Joan of Acre in May 1290 in Westminster Abbey, Westminster, Middlesex, England. Joan (daughter of Edward I, King of England and Eleanor of Castile, Queen Consort of England) was born in 1272 in Acre, Palestine; died on 23 Apr 1307 in Clare, Suffolk, England; was buried in Austin Friars, Clare, Suffolk, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 7 Apr 1307
• Alternate death: 28 Apr 1307, Clare, Suffolk, England

Notes:

Also called Joan of England.

"The agreement for Joan's marriage to Gilbert de Clare, earl of Hertford and Gloucester, was made in 1283. Gilbert and his first wife, Alice de la Marche, had had only two daughters; this marriage was dissolved in 1285, and a papal dispensation for the marriage to Joan was obtained four years later. Gilbert surrendered all his lands to the king, and they were settled jointly on Gilbert and Joan for their lives, and were then to pass to their children; if however the marriage was childless, the lands were to pass to Joan's children by any later marriage. The wedding took place at Westminster in early May 1290." [Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]

Because of this agreement, Joan remained in control of the estates following Gilbert's death in 1295. Her father intended for her to marry Amadeus V of Savoy, but instead she secretly married Ralph de Monthermer, a squire of Earl Gilbert's household whom she had previously persuaded her father to knight. "She is reputed to have said 'It is not ignominious or shameful for a great and powerful earl to marry a poor and weak woman; in the reverse case it is neither reprehensible or difficult for a countess to promote a vigorous young man.'" [Oxford Dictionary of National Biography] Her enraged father slapped de Monthermer into prison and seized all of Joan's lands, but through the mediation of Anthony Bek, Bishop of Durham, father and daughter were reconciled and her estates restored to her. Subsequently the king "became much attached to his new son-in-law, who was summoned to Parliament as Earl of Gloucester and Hertford during the minority of his step-son Gilbert de Clare." [Royal Ancestry] De Monthermer went on to serve in a variety of offices and military roles.

Notes:

Royal Ancestry gives the date of their marriage as 23 April 1290; Complete Peerage as 30 April; the ODNB as "early May."