John Botetourt, 1st Baron Botetourt (died 1324) was an English military commander and admiral in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Personal life

He married Matilda fitz Thomas, daughter of Sir Thomas fitz Otes and Beatrice de Beauchamp.

Career

He was the Governor of St Briavels Castle in 1291, became the Admiral of the North between 1294 and 1297, burning

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

in 1295, and was created 1st Lord Botetourt on 13 July 1305. In 1304 he received a commission under the great seal to hear and determine the causes of a violent quarrel between the mayor and burgesses of Bristol and Lord Thomas of Berkeley and his son Maurice. He was the warden of the

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the Counties of England, county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangle, triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and no ...

. He fought in the expeditions of King

Edward I 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 125 ...

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, and Scotland during the

Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of Scotla ...

. He was summoned to parliament from 1305 to 1324. On 22 September 1306, a force led by Botetourt and Sir John de Menteith laid siege to Dunaverty Castle on the Mull of Kintyre in the apparent belief that Robert I, King of Scots had taken refuge there.Bingham, Caroline (1998), ''Robert the Bruce'',

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

, London, p. 147, In early 1307, Botetourt led a force of 20 knights and 50 esquires against Robert the Bruce in

Nithsdale Nithsdale (), also known as Strathnith, Stranith or Stranit, is the strath or dale (landform), dale of the River Nith in southern Scotland. Nithsdale was one of the medieval provinces of Scotland. The provinces gradually lost their administrat ...

. A record of compensation paid to owners for the loss of horses on 12 March 1307 suggests that this force may have suffered a defeat at the hands of the Scots.McNamee, Colm (2022), ''The Wars of the Bruces: Scotland, England and Ireland 1306 - 1328'', Birlinn Ltd., Edinburgh, pp. 46 & 47, 192, 239 & 240 In 1312, Botetourt joined

Guy de Beauchamp, 10th Earl of Warwick Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unin ...

in carrying off

Piers Gaveston Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall ( – 19 June 1312) was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of Edward II of England. At a young age, Gaveston made a good impression on King Edward I, who assigned him to the househo ...

from the custody of

Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke ( 1270 – 23 June 1324) was an Anglo-French nobleman. Though primarily active in England, he also had strong connections with the List of French monarchs, French royal house. One of the wealthiest and mo ...

, and, in common with the other nobles concerned in the death of the favourite, made his peace with the king in 1313. He was appointed the Governor of Framlingham Castle in 1314. In the Spring of 1315 he was again appointed Admiral for the Northern Seas, with a fleet based in Harwich, in preparation for another offensive against Scotland. After

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

rose in rebellion against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in the summer of 1315, six of his ships took to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

to assist the French against the

Flemings Flemish people or Flemings ( ) are a Germanic ethnic group native to Flanders, Belgium, who speak Flemish Dutch. Flemish people make up the majority of Belgians, at about 60%. ''Flemish'' was historically a geographical term, as all inhabita ...

. John participated in the Battle of Boroughbridge on 16 March 1322, on the side of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster's rebels. He was then fined £1,000 and pardoned on 8 October 1322 for his part in the rebellion. He died on 25 November 1324, and his grandson John succeeded him as Baron Botetourt, as his son Thomas had predeceased him.

Issue

John and Matilda fitz Thomas had the following known issue: *Thomas de Botetourt d. 1322. *Elizabeth Botetourt, married William Latimer, 3rd Baron Latimer, had issue including: ** William Latimer, 4th Baron Latimer. *Ada Botetourt, married Sir John de St. Philibert d.1322, had 4 issues. Then married Richard Fitz-Simon, d. 1349.

References

Sources

* * * Houbraken, Jacobus. Thoyras, Paul de Rapin. Vertue, George. (1747). The History of England, A List of Admirals of England (1224-1745). England. Kanpton. P and J. {{DEFAULTSORT:de Botetourt, John, 1st Baron of 1324 deaths 13th-century English Navy personnel 14th-century English Navy personnel English rebels Year of birth uncertain English people of the Wars of Scottish Independence English admirals Medieval English knights