Sir
Hugh
"1st Baron le Despenser, Justiciar of England"
le Despenser
formerly Despenser
Born about in Loughboroughand Arnesby, Leicestershire, England
Ancestors 
Son of Hugh (Despenser) le Despenser
and [mother unknown]
Brother of
Petronilla (Despenser) le Savage and Unknown (Despenser) St John
Husband of
Aline (Basset) Bigod
— married
1260 in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England
Descendants 
Father of
Anne (Despenser) le Despenser, Eleanor (Despenser) de Courtenay, Hugh (Despenser) le Despenser and Joan (Despenser) de Furnival
Died
at about age 41
in Battle Of Evesham, Worcestershire, England
Profile last modified
| Created 28 Apr 2015
This page has been accessed 20,049 times.
Biography
"Hugh was a middle-ranking baron who became a leading supporter of Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, and the last holder of the office of justiciar of England re-established after the baronial seizure of power in 1258. He inherited his estates, which were mainly in Leicestershire, from his father, Hugh Despenser (d. 1238), who was a hereditary officer of Earl Ranulf of Chester and high in the favour of Henry III. In recognition of his father's faithful service, the king in February 1238 permitted Despenser to marry as his friends thought best for his advancement. His wardship was bestowed on his uncle Geoffrey Despenser, he was given respite of knighthood in July 1244, and in the following January, he received two casks of wine for the feast to celebrate his knighthood. Other marks of royal goodwill included gifts of timber in 1247 and 1249, and of free warren on an estate in Rutland in 1253.
"Hugh was killed in the battle of Evesham on 4 August 1265, reportedly by the thrust of a dagger. With the king's permission, his body was buried, with that of Montfort, at the foot of the steps before the high altar of the abbey church, where his remains were reported to have performed miracles, curing blind and disabled people. His widow surrendered the Tower before seeking the protection of her father, who was given Despenser's lands for his services to the king. Alina married as her second husband, by October 1271, Roger (III) Bigod, earl of Norfolk, the brother of the man Despenser had replaced as justiciar in 1260. She died in 1281."
Sources
- http://www.thepeerage.com/p40672.htm#i406713
- Ancestral Roots F.L. Weis 8th ed. 2004 Line 148-31
- Watson, G.W, article "Despenser" in Complete Peerage, 2nd edn, Vol. 4, ed. Gibbs, p. 259. - https://archive.org/stream/completepeerageo04coka#page/259/mode/2up
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/283722/person/88223670/facts
- https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/12155729/person/-256084304/facts
Memories: 1
Enter a personal reminiscence or story.
Login to add a memory.
Is Hugh your ancestor? Please don't go away!
Login to collaborate or comment, or
contact
the profile manager, or
ask our community of genealogists a question.
Login to collaborate or comment, or contact
the profile manager, or ask our community of genealogists a question.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com
DNA
No known carriers of Hugh's DNA have taken a DNA test.
No known carriers of Hugh's DNA have taken a DNA test.
Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
Comments: 4
Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.
According to Wikipedia, his mother was Mary de Quincy
As Michael Cayley noted on her father's profile: "Wikipedia gives no sourcing and should not be relied on. Reliable sourcing is required before the suggestion that he married Mary de Quincy can be accepted. The entry for his son Hugh in the revised edition of Cokayne's Complete Peerage indicates that the name of his wife is not known: G E Cokayne, Complete Peerage, revised edition, Vol. IV, St Catherine Press, 1916, pp. 259-60, https://archive.org/details/completepeerageo04coka/page/258/mode/2up. His son Hugh's entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography names no mother. Medieval Lands states that the name of Hugh's wife is not known: https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLISH%20NOBILITY%20MEDIEVAL2.htm#HughDespencerdied1265.
Watson, G.W, article "Despenser" in Complete Peerage, 2nd edn, Vol. 4, ed. Gibbs, p. 259.
Featured Foodie Connections: Hugh is 26 degrees from Emeril Lagasse, 26 degrees from Nigella Lawson, 24 degrees from Maggie Beer, 41 degrees from Mary Hunnings, 32 degrees from Joop Braakhekke, 31 degrees from Michael Chow, 27 degrees from Ree Drummond, 25 degrees from Paul Hollywood, 26 degrees from Matty Matheson, 28 degrees from Martha Stewart, 33 degrees from Danny Trejo and 32 degrees from Molly Yeh on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
D > Despenser | L > le Despenser > Hugh (Despenser) le Despenser
Categories: Medieval Project, England and Wales, needs biography | Battle of Evesham
Hugh Le Despenser, chief justiciar of England, first played an important part in 1258, when he was prominent on the baronial side in the Mad Parliament of Oxford. In 1260 the barons chose him to succeed Hugh Bigod as Justiciar, and in 1263 the king was further compelled to put the Tower of London in his hands.
He was the son of Hugh le Despenser I and was summoned to Parliament by Simon de Montfort. Hugh was summoned as Lord Despencer Dec. 14, 1264 and was Chief Justiciar of England and a leader of the baronial party, and so might be deemed a baron, though the legality of that assembly is doubtful. He remained allied with Montfort to the end, and was present at the Battle of Lewes. He was killed fighting on de Montfort's side at the Battle of Evesham in August, 1265. He was slain by Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore; this caused a feud to begin between the Despencer and the Mortimer families.
By his wife, Aline Bassett, he was father of Hugh the elder Despenser. She was the daughter of Philip Basset, who had also served as Justiciar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_le_Despencer,_1st_Baron_le_Despencer