Edward le Despenser, 1st Baron Despenser (24 March 1336,

Essendine Essendine is a village and civil parish at the eastern end of the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, located 5 miles (7 km) north of Stamford and 6 miles (10 km) south of Bourne. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 c ...

– 11 November 1375) was the son of another

Edward le Despenser Edward le Despenser ( 1310 – 30 September 1342) was a son of Hugh le Despenser the Younger by his wife Eleanor de Clare. His father, a favourite of Edward II of England, was executed in 1326. Through his mother, he was a great-grandson of Edwar ...

and Anne Ferrers, sister of Henry, Lord Ferrers of Groby. He succeeded as

Lord of Glamorgan The Lordship of Glamorgan was one of the most powerful and wealthy of the Welsh Marcher Lordships. The seat was Cardiff Castle. It was established by the conquest of Glamorgan from its native Welsh ruler, by the Anglo-Norman nobleman Robert FitzH ...

in 1349. Le Despencer went with

Edward the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), known as the Black Prince, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Edward III of England. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, succeeded to the throne instead. Edward n ...

to France, and was present at the

Battle of Poitiers The Battle of Poitiers was fought on 19September 1356 between a Kingdom of France, French army commanded by King John II of France, King JohnII and an Kingdom of England, Anglo-Gascony, Gascon force under Edward the Black Prince, Edward, the ...

. In recognition of his conduct in the French wars, he was summoned to Parliament as a

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

in 1357. At the same time, he also became 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. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

. He was a friend and patron of

Jean Froissart Jean Froissart ( Old and Middle French: ''Jehan''; sometimes known as John Froissart in English; – ) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meli ...

William Caferro, ''John Hawkwood: An English Mercenary in Fourteenth-Century Italy'' (2006), p. 134. and the eldest brother of

Henry le Despenser Henry le Despenser ( 1341 – 23 August 1406) was an English nobleman and Bishop of Norwich whose reputation as the 'Fighting Bishop' was gained for his part in suppressing the Peasants' Revolt in East Anglia and in defeating the peasants at th ...

Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), ordinary of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Norwich, Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. Th ...

. There is a statue of him on the top of the Holy Trinity Chantry Chapel in

Tewkesbury Abbey The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, Tewkesbury, commonly known as Tewkesbury Abbey, is located in the town of Tewkesbury in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. A former Benedictine monastery, it is now a parish church. Conside ...

, renowned as the "KNEELING KNIGHT".

Family

Edward married Elizabeth de Burghersh, daughter of

Bartholomew de Burghersh, 2nd Baron Burghersh Bartholomew Burghersh, 2nd Baron Burghersh Order of the Garter, KG (bef. 1329 – 5 April 1369), called 'the younger', was an English nobleman and soldier. Life He was the son of Bartholomew Burghersh the elder, adopted his father's pro ...

. They had the following children: * Margaret le Despencer (died 3 November 1415), married Robert de Ferrers, 5th Baron Ferrers of Chartley. They were ancestors to Queen

Katherine Parr Catherine Parr ( – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until Henry's death on 28 January 1547. Catherine was the final queen consort o ...

through their daughter Philippa *

Elizabeth le Despenser Elizabeth Despenser (died 10 April/11 April 1408) was an English noblewoman of the late 14th century. She should not be confused with Elizabeth le Despenser, Baroness Berkeley, who was her great-aunt and who was the daughter of her great-gra ...

(died 10 or 11 April 1408)
married
(1)

John FitzAlan, 2nd Baron Arundel John FitzAlan, 2nd Baron Arundel, 2nd Baron Maltravers '' jure matris'', also called John de Arundel (30 November 1364 – 14 August 1390), of Buckland, Surrey, was the son and heir of John FitzAlan, 1st Baron Arundel by his wife Eleanor Mal ...

(30 November 1364 – 14 August 1390)
(2) William la Zouche, 3rd Baron Zouche *

Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester Thomas Despenser, 2nd Baron Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester (22 September 1373 – 13 January 1400) was the son of Edward le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despencer, whom he succeeded in 1375. Royal intrigues A supporter of King Richard II against ...

(22 September 1373 – 13 January 1400), married

Constance of York Constance of York, Countess of Gloucester ( 1375 – 28 November 1416) was the only daughter of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and his wife Isabella of Castile. Family Constance was born in about 1375, the only daughter of Edmund of Lan ...

. * Hugh Despencer * Cicely Despencer * Anne Despencer (died 30 October 1426) married (1) Hugh de Hastings and (2)

Thomas de Morley, 4th Baron Morley Thomas de Morley, 4th Baron Morley, KG (c. 1354 – 24 September 1416) was a baron in the Peerage of England, Lord of Morley, Hingham, Hockering, &c., in Norfolk, ''de jure'' Lord Marshall, hereditary Earl Marshal of Ireland, and a Privy ...

Notes

References

*Burke, Sir Bernard. "Despencer-Barons Despencer, Earl of Gloucester." ''A Genealogical History of the Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages, of the British Empire.'' London: Wm Clowes and Sons, Ltd., 1962. (p. 167). *Burke, John. ''A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland, and Scotland, Extinct, Dormant, and in Abeyance.'' London: H. Colburn and R. Bentley, 1831. (pp. 173–4
googlebooks
Retrieved May 26, 2008 *Weis, Frederick Lewis, Walter Lee Sheppard, David Faris, and Frederick Lewis Weis. ''Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700: The Lineage of Alfred the Great, Charlemagne, Malcolm of Scotland, Robert the Strong, and Some of Their Descendants.'' (7th Ed.) Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Pub. Co, 1992. (pp. 73–74, Lines: 70–35, 70–36, 74–34, 212–34.
googlebooks
Retrieved May 26, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Despenser, Edward Despenser, 1st Baron 1330s births 1375 deaths 14th-century English nobility Barons le Despencer Peers created by Edward III Garter Knights appointed by Edward III

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

Burials at Tewkesbury Abbey Lords of Glamorgan People of the Hundred Years' War