Hugh le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despenser (c. 1308/9 – 8 February 1349),

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 ...

, was an English peer. Imprisoned as a consequence of his support for deposed king

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

, he would return to royal favour under

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

, being made Baron le Despenser in 1338. His title became extinct at his death without issue.

Origin

Hugh was the eldest son and heir of

Hugh Despenser the Younger Hugh Despenser, 1st Baron Despenser (1287/1289 – 24 November 1326), also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh Despenser, Earl of Winchester (the Elder Despenser) and his wife Isabel Beauchamp, daughter of Wi ...

and grandson of

Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester Hugh le Despenser (1 March 126127 October 1326), sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England. He was created a baron in 1295 and Earl of Winchester in 1322. One day after being ...

. His father and grandfather were both executed and attainted in 1326, when the young Hugh was 18 years old. His mother,

Eleanor de Clare Eleanor de Clare, ''suo jure'' 6th Lady of Glamorgan (October 1292 – 30 June 1337) was a powerful Anglo-Welsh noblewoman who married Hugh Despenser the Younger, the future favourite of Edward II of England, and was a granddaughter of Edward I ...

, ''suo jure'' 6th Lady of Glamorgan, was daughter of

Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester (2 September 1243 – 7 December 1295) was a powerful English magnate. He was also known as "Red" Gilbert de Clare or "The Red Earl", probably because of his hair colour or fiery t ...

and

Joan of Acre Joan of Acre (April 1272 – 23 April 1307) was an English princess, a daughter of Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile. The name "Acre" derives from her birthplace in the Holy Land while her parents were on a crusade. She was married tw ...

, a sister of King Edward II.

Career

In 1326, Hugh was ordered by fugitive king Edward II to seize the properties of Henry, Earl of Lancaster. He also supported the king by a long defense of

Caerphilly Castle Caerphilly Castle () is a medieval castle, fortification in Caerphilly in South Wales. The castle was constructed by Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, Gilbert de Clare in the 13th century as part of his campaign to maintain control of ...

against the forces of the

queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

, which he only surrendered in 1327 after being promised his life and bodily integrity. He was imprisoned until 1331, including time at

Bristol Castle Bristol Castle was a Norman castle established in the late 11th century on the north bank of the River Avon in Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port. Built during the ...

. He was named as a co-conspirator by Edmund, Earl of Kent, in the latter's 1330 confession. Following

reaching majority and overthrowing his mother's faction, Hugh was freed and the king granted him lands and rents worth 200 marks annually. Hugh made a pilgrimage to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

in 1332. He succeeded his mother's Glamorgan lordship in 1337, and fought in the Scottish Wars in 1337 and 1338. He was summoned to Royal Councils in 1338, and in the same year was summoned to Parliament, by modern usage making him

Baron le Despenser Baron le Despencer is a title that has been created several times by writ in the Peerage of England. Creation Sir Hugh le Despenser I was a large landowner in Leicestershire, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Rutland. He was appointed High S ...

by a new creation, since the attainder of his father and grandfather were still in force. He fought at

Sluys Sluis (; ; ) is a city and municipality located in the west of Zeelandic Flanders, in the south-western Dutch province of Zeeland. The current incarnation of the municipality has existed since 1 January 2003. The former municipalities of Oostbur ...

in 1340 and at Brittany and

Morlaix Morlaix (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. History The Battle of Morlaix, part of the Hundred Years' War, was fought near the town on 30 Septembe ...

in 1342 as a

banneret A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a Middle Ages, medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner (which was square-shaped, in contrast to the tapering Heraldic flag#Standard, standar ...

. He accompanied the King Edward to France in 1346, and was in the royal retinue at Crecy, and the following year was summoned by the king to the siege of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

Family and death

Hugh had married by April 1341 to Elizabeth Montagu, 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. He was the first king of an independent Manx Kingdom. The so ...

and

Catherine Grandison Catherine Grandison, Countess of Salisbury ( 1304 – 23 November 1349) was an English noblewoman, remembered for being raped by King Edward III of England and possibly the woman in whose honour the Order of the Garter was originated. She was th ...

, and widow of Giles, Baron Badlesmere, but they had no children. Hugh died 8 February 1349 and was buried at

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 ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, the Barony le Despenser created for him becoming extinct. He was succeeded in his lands by his nephew, Edward Despenser, who was created Baron le Despenser of a new creation in 1357. Hugh's widow, Elizabeth, would remarry to Sir Guy, Baron Briene, before dying in 1359, also being buried at Tewkesbury Abbey.

Ancestry

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Despenser, Hugh le, 3rd Baron Barons le Despencer 1300s births 1349 deaths 14th-century English nobility

Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...

Peers created by Edward III Lords of Glamorgan