![Berkeley arms](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Berkeley_arms.svg)
William de Berkeley, 1st Marquess of Berkeley (1426 – 14 February 1492) was an English
peer, given the epithet "The Waste-All" by the family biographer and steward John Smyth of
Nibley. He was buried at "St. Augustine's Friars, London" according to one source,
[ cites .] but most likely in the Berkeley family foundation of
St Augustine's Abbey
St Augustine's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Canterbury, Kent, England. The abbey was founded in 598 and functioned as a monastery until its dissolution in 1538 during the English Reformation. After the abbey's dissolution, it underwent ...
, Bristol.
Descent and Marriages
William of Berkley was born to
James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley
James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (c. 1394 – 22 OctoberBurke, Bernard. ''A Genealogical History of the Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire.'' London: Harrison, 1866. (p. 44googlebooks.comAccessed 7 July 20 ...
, and Lady Isabel Mowbray at
Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle ( ; historically sometimes spelled as ''Berkley Castle'' or ''Barkley Castle'') is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. The castle's origins date back to the 11th century, and it has been desi ...
in
Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Berkeley ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, parish in the Stroud (district), Stroud District in Gloucestershire, England. It lies in the Vale of Berkeley between the east bank of the River Severn and the M5 motorway. The town is ...
, in 1426.
[ cites .] His first marriage was in 1466 to Elizabeth West, daughter of
Reginald West, 6th Baron De La Warr
Reginald West, 6th Baron De La Warr and 3rd Baron West (5 or 7 September 1395 – 27 August 1450) was an English nobleman and politician.
Life
Reginald was the second son of Thomas West, 1st Baron West (d. 19 April 1405) and Joan La Warre (d. 2 ...
, but he obtained a divorce on 20 November 1467.
[ cites .] In November 1468, he married Joan Strangeways, daughter of Sir Thomas Strangeways and
Lady Katherine Neville
Katherine Neville (c. 1397 – late summer 1483) was a medieval English noblewoman, the eldest daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, and his second wife Joan Beaufort. Through her mother, she was a granddaughter of John of Gaunt.
...
. After the death of his second wife, he married Anne Fiennes, sister of
Thomas Fiennes, 8th Baron Dacre
Thomas Fiennes, 8th Baron Dacre (1472 – 9 September 1534) was an English peer and soldier, the son of Sir John Fiennes.
Career
He was born in 1472, the son of Sir John Fiennes (born c.1447, son of Richard Fiennes, 7th Baron Dacre born 1415) ...
, in .
Titles
William was invested as a knight .
William assumed the title of
Baron Berkeley
The title Baron Berkeley originated as a feudal title and was subsequently created twice in the Peerage of England by writ. It was first granted by writ to Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (1245–1321), 6th feudal Baron Berkeley, in 12 ...
by writ after the death of his father
James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley
James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (c. 1394 – 22 OctoberBurke, Bernard. ''A Genealogical History of the Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire.'' London: Harrison, 1866. (p. 44googlebooks.comAccessed 7 July 20 ...
on 22 October 1463.
He was invested as a
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...
on 18 April 1475.
He was styled as
Viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
of Catherlough (now known as
County Carlow
County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...
, Ireland) between 1481 and 10 February 1485.
William was created
Viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
Berkeley on 21 April 1481, as a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...
(PC) on 5 March 1482/83, and as
Earl of Nottingham
:''See also Earl of Winchilsea''
Earl of Nottingham is a title that has been created seven times in the Peerage of England. It was first created for John de Mowbray in 1377, at the coronation of Richard II. As this creation could only pass to ...
on 28 June 1483.
He assumed the life office of
Earl Marshal and Great Marshal of England on 19 February 1485/86. Finally, he was created
Marquess
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...
of Berkeley on 28 January 1488/89.
Disinherits brother
He had no surviving male issue, thus the marquessate and his other non-inherited titles became extinct on his death, but he had a younger brother,
Maurice Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley
Maurice Berkeley, ''de jure'' 3rd Baron Berkeley (1435 – September 1506), of Thornbury in Gloucestershire, ''Maurice the Lawyer'', was an English nobleman.
Origins
He was born at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, the younger son of Jame ...
. He disinherited Maurice, as having brought shame on the noble House of Berkeley by marrying, beneath his status, to Isabel Mead, daughter of Philip Mead of
Wraxall, an alderman and mayor of Bristol in 1459, 1462 and 1469.
In order to achieve this, the castle, lands and lordships composing the Barony of Berkeley he settled on King Henry VII and his heirs male, failing which to descend to his own rightful heirs. Thus, in 1553 on the death of King Edward VI, the unmarried grandson of Henry VII, the Berkeley inheritance returned to the family. Therefore, on the death of the 1st Marquis, only the ''de jure''
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
y title was passed on to his younger brother Maurice, that is to say, he was Baron Berkeley ''by right'', if not actually in possession of the baronial property. The 4th, 5th and 6th barons were also ''de jure'' only, with Henry (d. 1613) becoming ''de facto'' 7th Baron in 1553.
[Debrett's Peerage 1968, p. 139, Berkeley, Baroness, Predecessors]
Accomplishments
On 20 March 1469/70, he was challenged by
Thomas Talbot, 2nd Viscount Lisle
Thomas Talbot, 2nd Baron Lisle and 2nd Viscount Lisle (''c''. 1449 – 20 March 1470), English nobleman, was the son of John Talbot, 1st Viscount Lisle and Joan Cheddar.
He married Margaret Herbert, the daughter of William Herbert, 1st Earl of P ...
, to settle the claims to his great-uncle Thomas's estates by combat. Thomas was killed in the combat.
The battle, known as the
Battle of Nibley Green
The Battle of Nibley Green was fought near North Nibley in Gloucestershire on 20 March 1470, between the troops of Thomas Talbot, 2nd Viscount Lisle and William Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley. It is notable for being the last battle fought in Englan ...
, is notable for being the last battle fought in England entirely between the private armies of
feudal
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...
magnate
The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...
s.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley, William de Berkeley, 1st Marquess of
1426 births
1492 deaths
M
41
Marquesses in the Peerage of England
Members of the Privy Council of England
Earls Marshal
People of the Tudor period
15th-century English people
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
People from Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Burials at Austin Friars, London
Knights Bachelor