Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder (1331–1399) was the Chamberlain to

Anne of Bohemia Anne of Bohemia (11 May 1366 – 7 June 1394), also known as Anne of Luxembourg, was Queen of England as the first wife of King Richard II. A member of the House of Luxembourg, she was the eldest daughter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and ...

, Queen to King

Richard II of England Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father die ...

. Richard was the son of Thomas Abberbury of Donnington in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

and

Steeple Aston Steeple Aston is a village and civil parish on the edge of the Cherwell Valley, in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire, England, about north of Oxford, west of Bicester, and south of Banbury. The 2011 Census recorded the parish populatio ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. and inherited the Donnington estate from him in 1353. He married Agnes, the daughter of Chief Justice Sir William Shareshull and was knighted in 1359 by the

Black Prince 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 heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, suc ...

. They had two sons, including Richard Abberbury the Younger. He was a justice of the peace in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire. He subsequently fought under the Prince in 1359 and then in Gascony in 1366 and 1368, remaining there until after 1371. He was at sea with his retinue of men-at-arms and archers in 1374 and in 1378 he sailed to France with Sir John Golafre to take up a post as Captain of Brest, undertaking the duties for a year. In 1382, he was appointed Chamberlain to Queen Anne of Bohemia. He was elected MP for

in 1373 and 1386.ADDERBURY (ABBERBURY), Sir Richard I (c.1331-1399), of Donnington, Berks. and Steeple Aston, Oxon.
/ref> In 1386 he was given permission by

King Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

to turn his manor at Donnington into a fortified castle, to become known as

Donnington Castle Donnington Castle is a ruined medieval castle, situated in the small village of Donnington, just north of the town of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder in 1386 and was bought by Thoma ...

. In 1393, Sir Richard founded the

Donnington Hospital Donnington Hospital is a series of almshouses at Donnington in the English county of Berkshire, run by the Donnington Hospital Trust. It was established in 1393 by Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder. The original site on the Oxford Road is now o ...

charity and built the

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

s on the site of the present 1602 ones in Donnington. He died in April 1399.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abberbury, Richard Elder 1331 births 1399 deaths 14th-century English politicians English MPs 1373 English MPs 1386 English justices of the peace People from Shaw-cum-Donnington Medieval English knights English soldiers Founders of charities