Guy de Bryan, 1st Baron Bryan, KG (born before 1319, died 17 August 1390) was an English military commander and Admiral.

Origins

He was the son of Sir Guy de Bryan (d.1349) (''alias'' de Briene), of Walwyn's Castle in Pembrokeshire and Torbryan in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

. He was born sometime before 1319.

Career

He served on the English side in the

Second War of Scottish Independence The Second War of Scottish Independence broke out in 1332 when Edward Balliol led an English-backed invasion of Scotland. Balliol, the son of a former Scottish king, was attempting to make good his claim to the Scottish throne. He was opposed b ...

and in France and Flanders during the Hundred Years' War. In 1341, he was made 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 ...

, in

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 ...

, and Governor of St Briavel's Castle, the seat of the Warden, which offices he held until his death. On 26 August 1346 he was named a Knights Bachelor. In 1349, he was temporarily Keeper of the

Great Seal of England The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom (known prior to the Treaty of Union of 1707 as the Great Seal of England; and from then until the Union of 1801 as the Great Seal of Great Britain) is a seal that is used to sym ...

, and in 1350 was granted an annuity of 200

mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * F ...

s for bearing the King's Standard against the French at Calais. From 25 November 1350, he was summoned to Parliament and may thereby be held to have been created Baron Bryan. On 1 March 1356 he was appointed

Admiral of the West The Admiral of the West, also known as Admiral of the Western Seas or Admiral of the Western Fleet, was formerly an English Navy appointment. The postholder was chiefly responsible for the command of the English navy's fleet based at Portsmouth, ...

a post he held till 18 July 1360 under

Edward III of England 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 ...

. In 1361, he was Ambassador to Pope Innocent VI. Following the death of Sir

John Chandos Sir John Chandos, Viscount of Saint-Sauveur in the Cotentin, Constable of Aquitaine, Seneschal of Poitou, (c. 1320 – 31 December 1369) was a medieval English knight who hailed from Radbourne Hall, Derbyshire. Chandos was a close friend of ...

on 31 December 1369, he was made a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

. On 3 May 1370, he was once again appointed

until 6 October 1372.

Marriages and children

He married twice and left children by his second wife only: *Firstly, before 1348, to Joan Carew, daughter of Sir John Carew of

Carew Castle Carew Castle ( cy, Castell Caeriw) is a castle in the civil parish of Carew in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The Carew family take their name from this site and have owned the castle for more than 900 years. It is leased to the Pembrokeshire Coast Nati ...

, Pembrokeshire; childless. *Secondly, before 10 July 1350, to Elizabeth Montagu (d. 31 May 1359), 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 ...

(by his wife Catherine Grandison), and widow of Hugh le Despencer, Baron le Despencer and of

Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere (18 October 1314 – 7 June 1338) was an English nobleman. Background and Biography The son and heir of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere and his wife Margaret de Clare, he was born at Ham ...

. By his second wife, he is known to have had at least five children, certainly three sons and a daughter, including:

Sons

* Sir Guy de Bryan (d.1386), who predeceased his father by four years and married a certain Alice (still living 20 May 1409) and had children: * Sir William de Bryan (d.22 September 1395), married Joan FitzAlan, died childless * Philip de Bryan (d. pre-14 February 1388), died childless

Daughter

* Margaret de Bryan, wife of

Hugh de Courtenay Sir Hugh de Courtenay (1251–1292) was the son and heir of John de Courtenay, feudal baron of Okehampton, Devon, by Isabel de Vere, daughter of Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford. His son inherited the earldom of Devon. Early years Sir Hugh de ...

(d.1374) (son of Sir Hugh Courtenay, KG, and grandson of

Hugh de Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon Sir Hugh de Courtenay, 2nd/10th Earl of Devon (12 July 1303 – 2 May 1377), 2nd Baron Courtenay, feudal baron of Okehampton and feudal baron of Plympton, played an important role in the Hundred Years War in the service of King Edward III. Hi ...

); childless

Death and burial

Bryan died on 17 August 1390. Although he had a tomb in

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 No ...

, Gloucestershire, he was buried at Slapton Parish Church, Devon.

Succession

His executrix was his daughter-in-law Alice and his co-heiresses were his granddaughters Phillipe (age 12) and Elizabeth (age 10). Any barony that may be held to have been created by the writ of 1350 fell (according to modern doctrine) into abeyance between these granddaughters.Complete Peerage, 2nd edition, Volume 2, PP 361-2
/ref>

Sir Thomas Bryan Sir Thomas Bryan KS KB (died 14 August 1500) was a British justice of obscure origin. It is suggested by J.H. Baker (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography) that he descended from a John Bryan, fishmonger of London, whose son, also John (d. 14 ...

assumed his arms at a later date.

Offices held

* Warden of the

, 1341. * Governor of St Briavel's Castle, 1341. * Keeper of the

, 1349. * Admiral of the West, 1 March 1356 – 18 July 1360. * Ambassador to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

, 1361. * Admiral of the West, 3 May 1370 - 6 October 1372.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, Guy de Bryan, 1st Baron 14th-century births 14th-century English Navy personnel 1390 deaths Barons in the Peerage of England English soldiers English admirals People of the Wars of Scottish Independence People of the Hundred Years' War Garter Knights appointed by Edward III Ambassadors of England to the Holy See Medieval English diplomats 14th-century English people 14th-century diplomats Peers created by Edward III