William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu (137428 May 1420), was an English knight created by King Henry V 1st

Count of Eu Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, in Normandy.

Origins

He was born in 1374, the son of Sir William Bourchier (d.1375), (the younger son of Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier (d.1349), of Halstead, Essex, Lord Chancellor) by his wife Eleanor de Louvain (27 March 1345 – 5 October 1397), daughter and heiress of Sir John de Louvain (d.1347) (''alias'' Lovayne etc.),

feudal baron A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...

of Little Easton in Essex. The arms of Louvain were: ''Gules billety or a fess of the last'', often shown with varying number of billets and on occasion with a ''fess argent'', for example in stained glass at Hengrave Hall, Suffolk: ''Gules, a fess argent, between fourteen billets or''. Eleanor was descended from Godfrey de Louvain (d.1226), feudal baron of Little Easton, son of Godfrey III, Count of Louvain (1142–1190), by his 2nd marriage, and half-brother of

Henry I, Duke of Brabant Henry I ( nl, Hendrik, french: Henri; c. 1165 – 5 September 1235), named "The Courageous", was a member of the House of Reginar and first duke of Brabant from 1183/84 until his death. Early life Henry was possibly born in Leuven (Louvain) ...

(1165–1235). His inheritance from his mother's Louvain lands included the Suffolk manors of

Bildeston Bildeston is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England. Located around north of Hadleigh, in 2005 it had a population of 960, increasing to 1,054 at the 2011 Census. History According to Eilert Ekwall the meaning o ...

, Hopton,

Shelland Shelland is a small village and civil parish located just off the A14, 4 miles west of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. Shelland consists of roughly 10 houses, a church and Shelland Green. At the 2001 census, the village had a population of 39. ...

and "Lovaynes" in

Drinkstone Drinkstone is a small settlement and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Its name is derived from Dremic's homestead. It was located in the hundred of Thedwastre. It is near the A14 road and is southeast of the town of Bury St Edmunds. It is ...

, and in Essex Little Easton, Broxted and Aythorpe Roding.

Career

He fought at the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...

in 1415. In 1417 he was in the retinue of King Henry V during his second expedition to France, and played a significant role in the capture of Normandy. In 1419 he was appointed Captain of Dieppe and was granted powers to receive the submission of the town and Comté of Eu. The French count of Eu had refused to pay homage to the conquering English king and thus had been held prisoner in England since Agincourt. In June 1419 King Henry V awarded six captured French comtés to certain of his more significant English supporters, and the Comté of Eu was granted to William Bourchier, thus making him 1st Count of Eu.

Marriage and children

BourchierImpaling_ThomasOfWoodstock_TawstockChurch

He married

Anne of Gloucester Anne of Gloucester, Countess of Stafford (30 April 1383 – 16 October 1438) was the eldest daughter and eventually sole heiress of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (the fifth surviving son and youngest child of King Edward III), by h ...

, Countess of Stafford, the daughter of the Plantagenet prince, Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (1355–1397) (youngest son of King

Edward III 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 r ...

) by his wife Eleanor de Bohun elder daughter and coheiress of Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford (1341–1373), Earl of Essex and Northampton. The Wrey baronets who were the heirs of the Bourchier Earls of Bath quartered the arms of Wrey with those of Bourchier, the Royal Arms of England and Bohun. They had the following children: * Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex (1404 – 4 April 1483), eldest son * William Bourchier, (25 October 1415 – 1474), ''

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title ''suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could becom ...

'' 9th Baron FitzWarin, 2nd son. * John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners (c. 1416 – 16 May 1474), 3rd son * Thomas Bourchier, (c. 1418 – 30 March 1486),

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

and a cardinal, 4th son * Eleanor Bourchier, (c. 1417 – November, 1474), wife of

John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk John Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal (12 September 14156 November 1461) was a fifteenth-century English magnate who, despite having a relatively short political career, played a significant role in the early years of the Wars of ...

Death and burial

He died at Troyes, France on 28 May 1420 and was buried at

Llanthony Secunda Priory Llanthony Secunda Priory was a house of Augustinian canons in the parish of Hempsted, Gloucestershire, England, situated about 1/2 a mile south-west of Gloucester Castle in the City of Gloucester. It was founded in 1136 by Miles de Gloucester, 1st ...

, Gloucester.

Douglas Richardson Douglas Charles Richardson (born April 16, 1951, Sacramento, California) is an American genealogist, historian, lecturer, and author based in Salt Lake City in Utah. He has researched cases involving all periods of American research from colonial ...

, Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families, 2nd Edition, p.35

The de Bohun family were patrons of Llanthony Secunda Priory, near Gloucester Castle, founded by their ancestor

Miles of Gloucester Miles FitzWalter of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford (died 24 December 1143) (''alias'' Miles of GloucesterSanders, I.J. English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960, p.7) was a great magnate based in the west of ...

in 1136 as a secondary house to Llanthony Priory in Monmouthshire.

Ancestry

{{ahnentafel , collapsed=yes , align=center , boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; , boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; , boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; , boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; , boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe; , 1= 1. William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu , 2= 2. Sir William Bourchier , 3= 3. Alianore de Lovayne , 4= 4. Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier , 5= 5. Margaret Prayers , 6= 6. Sir John de Louvaine , 7= 7. Margaret Weston , 8= 8. John de Bourchier , 9= 9. Helen Colchester , 10= 10. Thomas Prayers , 11= 11. Margaret de Essex , 12= 12. Thomas de Louvaine , 13= 13. Joan de Basing , 14= 14. Sir Thomas Weston , 15= 15. ?? , 18= 18. Walter of Colchester , 19= 19. Joan/Helen de Mountchensy , 22= 22. Hugh of Essex , 23= 23. ??

Sources

Woodger, L.S., biography of Sir William Bourchier, published in The History of Parliament: House of Commons 1386-1421, ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe, 1993

External links

References

Bourchier, William, Count of Eu Bourchier, William, Count of Eu Bourchier, William, Count of Eu Bourchier, William, Count of Eu Norman warriors William, Count of Eu Burials at Llanthony Secunda Priory, Gloucester 15th-century English people 15th-century French people Medieval French military personnel