Edward (Despenser) le Despenser KG (abt. 1336 - 1375)

Born about 24 Mar 1336 in Essendine, Rutland, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 11 Nov 1375 at about age 39 in Llanblethian, Glamorganshire, Wales

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Biography

Edward le Despenser, K.G., 4th Lord le Despenser, lord of Glamorgan and Morganwg, Wales^[1]

Edward "went with Edward the Black Prince to France, and was present at the Battle of Poitiers. In recognition of his conduct in the French wars, he was summoned to Parliament as a baron in 1357.... he also became a Knight of the Garter" (investiture 1361).^[2][3]

Birth

Edward was the son and heir of Edward le Despenser and Anne de Ferrers.^[4][5] He was born at Essendine, Rutland on 24 March 1335/6 and was baptised on the same day in the church of St. Mary Magdalene there.^[4][6]

Marriage

He married Elizabeth Burghersh before 2 August 1354.^[6] Elizabeth was born before 26 July 1347,^[7] perhaps in 1342 (aged 27 in 1369).^[1] She was the daughter and heiress of Bartholomew de Burghersh, K.G., 4th Lord Burghersh, Steward and Constable of Wallingford and St. Valery, Justiciar of Chester, by his first wife Cecily de Weyland, daughter and heiress of Richard de Weyland, Knt., and Joan de Ufford.^[8]

Children: Edward and Elizabeth had 3 sons and [5^[9]] daughters:^[6][10]

• Edward le Despenser^[6] (died at age 12)^[11]
• Hugh le Despenser^[6] ("died after he was born")^[11]
• Cecily le Despenser^[6] (died young)^[12]
• Elizabeth le Despenser, married (1) John de Arundel, Knt. (2) William la Zouche, Knt.^[6]
• Anne le Despenser, married (1) Hugh de Hastings, Knt., (2) Thomas Morley, K.G.^[6]
• Margaret le Despenser, married Robert Ferrers, Knt.^[6]
• Philippa (died after 4 July 1409)^[7][13]
• Thomas le Despenser, K.G., Earl of Gloucester, 5th Lord Despenser (born 22 September 1373, died 16 January 1399/1400), married Constance of York^[14]

Death

Sir Edward le Despenser died 11 November 1375 at Llanblethian, Glamorganshire, Wales and was buried at Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire.^[1] His son, Thomas, "succeeded his father in 1375 as Lord Despenser."^[15]

The will of "Edward Lord Despenser Lord of Glamorgan and Morgannock", dated 6 November 1375, chose burial "in the abbey of Tewksbury", bequeathed property to "Elizabeth my wife...Ralf de Ferrers my uncle...John d'Odingsells".^[16]

"Notable church monuments surviving in Tewkesbury Abbey include: . . .

"1375 – Edward Despenser, Lord of the Manor of Tewkesbury, is remembered today chiefly for the effigy on his monument, which shows him in full colour kneeling on top of the canopy of his chantry [the Holy Trinity Chantry Chapel canopy], facing toward the high altar".^[17]

His chantry is an intact stone-cage chapel of St. Mary and Holy Trinity on the south side of the presbytery: 1390/1440.^[18]

Edward's widow died 26 July 1409^[7] and was buried at Tewkesbury Abbey.^[1]

The will of "Elizabeth de Burghersh Lady Despenser", dated 4 July 1409, chose burial "in the church of Our Lady at Tewksbury betwixt my...husband Edward Lord Despenser and my son Thomas le Despenser", bequeathed property to "the Lady Morley my daughter...the Lady Margaret Ferrers my daughter...Philippa my daughter...Elizabeth daughter to the aforesaid Margaret".^[16]

Research Notes

Edward le Despenser is the great-great-grandson of King Edward I through his maternal grandmother Eleanor de Clare (Richardson, Royal Ancestry, II:443 DESPENSER 11). The trail documented by Douglas Richardson in Royal Ancestry (II:440-455 DESPENSER) from William the Conqueror's sister Alice to Edward le Despenser includes Eleanor, who is a descendant of Surety Barons Gilbert and Richard de Clare. Edward is also in the trail documented by Richardson in Magna Carta Ancestry (II:64-78 DESPENSER) from Surety Barons Roger and Hugh Bigod, which notes the numerous Gateway Ancestors that descend from Edward's children (on page 76), including George and Nehemiah Blakiston, Warham Horsmanden, and Grace Chetwood. This profile was developed for the Magna Carta Project in 2015 as part of the work on a trail from Gateway Ancestor Fisher to the Bigods. It was re-reviewed in April 2020. ~ Noland-165 04:25, 11 April 2020 (UTC)

You can use WikiTree's Relationship Finder to discover connections between any two profiles in WikiTree, such as Plantagenet-2 and Despenser-35, a valid trail, but be cautious as the trails returned by the Relationship Finder are only as good as the profiles in the trail and the trail returned may not be a valid one. The Magna Carta Project works on "badging" trails from Richardson-documented Gateway Ancestors and a Surety Baron. As of 10 April 2020, this profile for Edward is not in a badged trail. See Base Camp for information about Magna Carta trails. See the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".

Despite the above, this profile is not on a trail that is being developed by the Magna Carta Project at this time.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), volume II, pages 451-453 DESPENSER 13.
2. ↑ Wikipedia: Edward le Despencer, 1st Baron le Despencer (accessed 5 April 2020).
3. ↑ Knights of the Garter (Heraldica list).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} A. E. Stamp, E. Salisbury, E. G. Atkinson and J. J. O'Reilly, 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Edward III, File 135', in Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem: Volume 10, Edward III (London, 1921), pp. 274-292. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/inquis-post-mortem/vol10/pp274-292 [accessed 21 November 2020].
5. ↑ Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, II:440-455 DESPENSER.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8} Douglas Richardson. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd edition (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), volume II, pages 75-76 DESPENSER 8.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Charles Cawley. Entries for Edward Despencer and Elizabeth Burghersh in "Medieval Lands" database.
8. ↑ Richardson, Royal Ancestry, II:26-28 BURGHERSH 13.
9. ↑ Four daughters - Cecily, Elizabeth, Anne, and Margaret - according to Richardson (both Magna Carta Ancestry, II:75-76 DESPENSER 8 and Royal Ancestry, II:451-453 DESPENSER 13); Cawley includes a fifth - Philippa.
10. ↑ Note: order of children from Cawley: sons Edward, Hugh, then four daughters, then Philippa; Thomas was last child. The following are passages from Cawley's entry for Edward Despencer:
    
    

    "The Chronica de Fundatoribus et Fundatione of Tewkesbury Abbey names "Cecilia…Elizabeth…Annam…et Margaretam" as the four daughters of "Edwardus…secundus, filius…Edwardi" and his wife, born after their two older brothers".
    
    

    "The Chronica de Fundatoribus et Fundatione of Tewkesbury Abbey names "Thomam le Despencer et comitem Gloucestriæ" as the last child of "Edwardus…secundus, filius…Edwardi" and his wife".
    
    

11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Cawley translates "duodenus" as "age 12" (see Latin Lexicon, which agrees), but Medieval Lands also shows the second son, Hugh, as "died after he was born and was buried with his brother (at Tewkesbury Abbey)" - which implies that Edward died before Hugh & Hugh died shortly after he was born, which makes age 2 for Edward much more likely (other sources had that Edward died age 2).
12. ↑ Cawley spells it "Cicely" (but cites source that has the Latin "Cecilia".
13. ↑ Cawley's entry for Philippa cites her mother's will, dated 4 July 1409, which "bequeathed property to... Philippa my daughter...".
14. ↑ Douglas Richardson. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd edition (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), volume II, pages 76-78 DESPENSER 9.
15. ↑ Charles Cawley. Entry for Thomas le Despencer.
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} Passage from Cawley's entry for Edward Despencer.
17. ↑ Wikipedia: Tewkesbury Abbey
18. ↑ From The Hennessee Family Genealogy Pages, Sir Edward le Despenser, Knight, 1st Baron le Despencer.

• A. E. Stamp, J. B. W. Chapman, Cyril Flower, M. C. B. Dawes and L. C. Hector. "Inquisitions Post Mortem, Edward III, Files 252-253," in Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Volume 14, Edward III, (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1952), 214-227. British History Online, accessed May 2, 2016, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/inquis-post-mortem/vol14/pp214-227
• Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City: the author, 2013. See also WikiTree's source page for Royal Ancestry.
• Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. Salt Lake City: the author, 2011. See also WikiTree's source page for Magna Carta Ancestry.
• Beltz, George. Memorials of the Order of the Garter (William Pickering, London, 1841) Page 140-1.
• Watson, G.W, article "Despenser" in Complete Peerage, 2nd edn, Vol. 4, ed. Gibbs, page 274.
• Cawley, Charles. "Medieval Lands": A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families by Charles Cawley © Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG). See also WikiTree's source page for MedLands.
• Lewis, Marlyn. Entry for Edward le Despenser (accessed 30 April 2015), "Our Royal, Titled, Noble, and Commoner Ancestors" (free database online). Useful for leads; see cautions about use on the Magna Carta Project Reliable Sources page.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #16441301 for Sir Edward le Despencer (1336-1375).