Hugh le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despenser (c. 1308/9 – 8 February 1349),

Lord of Glamorgan The Lordship of Glamorgan was one of the most powerful and wealthy of the Welsh Marcher Lordships. The seat was Cardiff Castle. It was established by the conquest of Glamorgan from its native Welsh ruler, by the Anglo-Norman nobleman Robert FitzHa ...

, was an English peer. Imprisoned as a consequence of his support for deposed king

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

, he would return to royal favour under

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

, being made Baron le Despenser in 1338. His title became extinct at his death without issue.

Origin

Hugh was the eldest son and heir of

Hugh Despenser the Younger Hugh le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despenser (c. 1287/1289 – 24 November 1326), also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester (the Elder Despenser), by his wife Isabella de Beauchamp, ...

and grandson of

Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester Hugh le Despenser (1 March 126127 October 1326), sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England. He was created a baron in 1295 and Earl of Winchester in 1322. One day after being c ...

. His father and grandfather were both executed and attainted in 1326, when the young Hugh was 18 years old. His mother,

Eleanor de Clare Eleanor de Clare, suo jure 6th Lady of Glamorgan (3 October 1292 – 30 June 1337) was a Anglo-Welsh noblewoman who married Hugh Despenser the Younger and was a granddaughter of Edward I of England.Lewis, M. E. (2008). A traitor's death? The id ...

, ''suo jure'' 6th Lady of Glamorgan, was daughter of

Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester (2 September 1243 – 7 December 1295) was a powerful English noble. He was also known as "Red" Gilbert de Clare or "The Red Earl", probably because of his hair colour or fiery temp ...

and

Joan of Acre Joan of Acre (April 1272 – 23 April 1307) was an English princess, a daughter of Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile. The name "Acre" derives from her birthplace in the Holy Land while her parents were on a crusade. She was married twi ...

, a sister of King Edward II.

Career

In 1326, Hugh was ordered by fugitive king Edward II to seize the properties of Henry, Earl of Lancaster. He also supported the king by a long defense of

Caerphilly Castle Caerphilly Castle ( cy, Castell Caerffili) is a medieval fortification in Caerphilly in South Wales. The castle was constructed by Gilbert de Clare in the 13th century as part of his campaign to maintain control of Glamorgan, and saw extensi ...

against the forces of the

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, which he only surrendered in 1327 after being promised his life and bodily integrity. He was imprisoned until 1331, including time at

Bristol Castle Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port. Built during the reign of William the Conqueror, and later owned by Rob ...

. He was named as a co-conspirator by Edmund, Earl of Kent, in the latter's 1330 confession. Following

reaching majority and overthrowing his mother's faction, Hugh was freed and the king granted him lands and rents worth 200 marks annually. Hugh made a pilgimage to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St ...

in 1332. He succeeded his mother's Glamorgan lordship in 1337, and fought in the Scottish Wars in 1337 and 1338. He was summoned to Royal Councils in 1338, and in the same year was summoned to Parliament, by modern usage making him

Baron le Despenser Baron le Despencer is a title that has been created several times by writ in the Peerage of England. Creation Sir Hugh le Despenser I was a large landowner in Leicestershire, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Rutland. He was appointed High S ...

by a new creation, since the attainder of his father and grandfather were still in force. He fought at

Sluys Sluis (; zea, label=Zeelandic, Sluus ; french: Écluse) is a town and municipality located in the west of Zeelandic Flanders, in the south-western Dutch province of Zeeland. The current incarnation of the municipality has existed since 1 January ...

in 1340 and at Brittany and

Morlaix Morlaix (; br, Montroulez) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Leisure and tourism The old quarter of the town has winding streets of cobbled stones and overhan ...

in 1342 as a

banneret A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a medieval knight ("a commoner of rank") who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner (which was square-shaped, in contrast to the tapering standard or the penn ...

. He accompanied the King Edward to France in 1346, and was in the royal retinue at Crecy, and the following year was summoned by the king to the siege of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

Family and death

Hugh had married by April 1341 to Elizabeth Montagu, daughter of

William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury William Montagu, alias de Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 3rd Baron Montagu, King of Man (1301 – 30 January 1344) was an English nobleman and loyal servant of King Edward III. The son of William Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu, he entered the r ...

and Catherine Grandison, and widow of Giles, Baron Badlesmere, but they had no children. Hugh died 8 February 1349 and was buried at

Tewkesbury Abbey The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, Tewkesbury–commonly known as Tewkesbury Abbey–is located in the English county of Gloucestershire. A former Benedictine monastery, it is now a parish church. Considered one of the finest examples of Nor ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, the Barony le Despenser created for him becoming extinct. He was succeeded in his lands by his nephew, Edward Despenser, who was created Baron le Despenser of a new creation in 1357. Hugh's widow, Elizabeth, would remarry to Sir Guy, Baron Briene, before dying in 1359, also being buried at Tewkesbury Abbey.

Ancestry

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Despenser, Hugh le, 3rd Baron Barons le Despencer 1308 births 1349 deaths 14th-century English nobility

Hugh Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...

Peers created by Edward III Lords of Glamorgan