Nicholas de la Beche (died 1345), Seneschal of Gascony, was a 14th-century English noble.Burke, p. 38. Beche was appointed

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

of the Tower of London in October 1335 and was appointed as governor to

Edward of Woodstock Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the List of heirs to the English throne, heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his fat ...

, heir to King Edward III of England in 1336. During 1339, Beche married Margery Poynings, the widow of Edmund Bacon. The young princesses

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and Joanna, daughters of King Edward III and Queen Philippa of Hainault were left in the care of Beche in 1340; however, upon the unexpected return of the king, the living conditions and guarding of the princesses were found to be inadequate and Beche was arrested. During 1342, licenses were issued to Beche permitted him to castellate his houses at La Beche, Watlyington and Beaumys. In 1343, Beche was appointed

Seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

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 ...

and in 1344 he was appointed Governor of Montgomery Castle in Wales. Beche was sent in 1345 as one of the commissioners to treat the betrothal of the English princess Joanna with Peter of Castile, the eldest son of King

Alfonso XI of Castile Alfonso XI (13 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes en ...

and Maria of Portugal. Beche was employed in King Edward III's wars in Brittany and Gascony. Beche died in 1345, leaving no heirs, his wife surviving him.

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References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beche, Nicholas de la Year of birth unknown 1345 deaths 14th-century English people Medieval English knights Prisoners in the Tower of London Seneschals of Gascony