John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford (23 November 1306 – 20 January 1336) was born in

St Clement's, Oxford St Clement's is a district in Oxford, England, on the east bank of the River Cherwell. "St Clement's" is usually taken to describe a small triangular area from The Plain (a roundabout) bounded by the River Cherwell to the North, Cowley Road to ...

to Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and

Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (7 August 1282 – 5 May 1316) was the eighth and youngest daughter of Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile. Of all of her siblings, she was closest to her younger brother Edward II, as they were only two years apar ...

, a daughter of

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

. After his father's death at the Battle of Boroughbridge, the family lands were forfeited. It was not until after the fall of the Despensers that John was permitted to succeed to his inherited position as Earl of Hereford and Essex, hereditary Constable of England, and Lord of Brecknock.

Marriages

He married firstly, in 1325, to Alice FitzAlan (died 1326), daughter of

Edmund FitzAlan, 2nd Earl of Arundel Edmund Fitzalan, 2nd Earl of Arundel (1 May 1285 – 17 November 1326) was an Kingdom of England, English nobleman prominent in the conflict between King Edward II and his barons. His father, Richard Fitzalan, 1st Earl of Arundel, died in 1302, ...

, and secondly to Margaret Basset (died 1355). After the marriage, it was discovered that the couple were related to the fourth degree of

consanguinity Consanguinity (from Latin '':wikt: consanguinitas, consanguinitas'' 'blood relationship') is the characteristic of having a kinship with a relative who is descended from a common ancestor. Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are ...

and they were forced to live apart. An appeal to

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...

resulted on 19 February 1331 in a papal commission to the bishops of Lichfield and London to hold an enquiry into the case. However, Roger Northburgh, the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, failed to act and the case was still pending when the Pope issued a further demand for an enquiry in 1334.

Death

He did not play much of a public role, despite his high titles and offices, most likely because he had some sort of incapacity. His younger brothers were often deputed to fulfil his duties as Constable. He died at Kirkby Thore,

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...

and was interred in

Stratford Langthorne Abbey Stratford Langthorne Abbey, or the Abbey of St Mary's, Stratford Langthorne was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1135 at Stratford Langthorne — then Essex but now Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. The Abbey, also known as West Ha ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Notes

1306 births 1336 deaths 04 03 People from Oxford 14th-century English nobility

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

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