John Botetourt, 1st Baron Botetourt (died 1324) was an English military commander and admiral in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Personal

He married Matilda fitz Thomas, daughter of Sir Thomas fitz Otes and Beatrice de Beauchamp.

Career

He was the Governor of

St Briavels Castle St Briavels Castle is a moated Norman castle at St Briavels in the English county of Gloucestershire. The castle is noted for its huge Edwardian gatehouse that guards the entrance. St Briavels Castle was originally built between 1075 and 1129 a ...

in 1291, became the

Admiral of the North The Admiral of the North also known as Admiral of the Northern Seas and Admiral of the Northern Fleet was a senior English Navy appointment. The Admiral was chiefly responsible for the command of the navy's fleet that operated in the North Sea ...

between 1294 and 1297, burning

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

in 1295, and created 1st Lord Botetourt on 13 July 1305. In 1304 he received a commission under the great seal to hear and determine the causes of a violent quarrel between the mayor and burgesses of Bristol and Lord Thomas of Berkeley and his son Maurice. He was the warden of the

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to the n ...

. He fought in the expeditions of King

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...

, Scotland and during the

Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of ...

. He was summoned to parliament from 1305 to 1324. He joined Guy Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, in carrying off

Piers Gaveston Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall (c. 1284 – 19 June 1312) was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of Edward II of England. At a young age, Gaveston made a good impression on King Edward I, who assigned him to the househo ...

from the custody of the Earl of Pembroke, and, in common with the other nobles concerned in the death of the favourite, made his peace with the king in 1313. He was appointed the Governor of

Framlingham Castle Framlingham Castle is a castle in the market town of Framlingham in Suffolk in England. An early motte and bailey or ringwork Norman castle was built on the Framlingham site by 1148, but this was destroyed (Slighting, slighted) by Henry II of E ...

in 1314. He was again the Admiral for the Northern Seas in 1315. John participated in the

Battle of Boroughbridge The Battle of Boroughbridge was fought on 16 March 1322 in England between a group of rebellious barons and the forces of King Edward II, near Boroughbridge, north-west of York. The culmination of a long period of antagonism between the King a ...

on 16 March 1322, on the side of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster's rebels. He was then fined £1,000 and pardoned on 8 October 1322 for his part in the rebellion. He died on 25 November 1324, and his grandson John succeeded him as Baron Botetourt, as his son Thomas had predeceased him.

Issue

John and Matilda fitz Thomas had the following known issue: *Thomas de Botetourt d. 1322. *Elizabeth Botetourt, married William Latimer, 3rd Baron Latimer, had issue including: **

William Latimer, 4th Baron Latimer William Latimer, 4th Baron Latimer, KG (24 March 1330 – 28 May 1381) was an English noble, soldier and diplomat. After serving in France and for the household of Edward III, he was impeached during the Good Parliament of 1376, the earliest re ...

. *Ada Botetourt, married Sir John de St. Philibert d.1322, had 4 issues. Then married Richard Fitz-Simon, d. 1349.

References

Sources

* * * Houbraken, Jacobus. Thoyras, Paul de Rapin. Vertue, George. (1747). The History of England, A List of Admirals of England (1224-1745). England. Kanpton. P and J. {{DEFAULTSORT:de Botetourt, John, 1st Baron of 1324 deaths 13th-century English Navy personnel 14th-century English Navy personnel English rebels Year of birth uncertain English people of the Wars of Scottish Independence English admirals English knights