Margaret Beauchamp
Encyclopedia
Margaret Beauchamp, Countess of Shrewsbury (1404 – 14 June 1468) was the eldest daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick
and Elizabeth de Berkeley. As the eldest child of a family without male issue, Margaret was expected to inherit from her father until her step-mother Isobel Despenser
gave him a son.
; however, the Barony and castle of Berkeley
had passed to his nephew James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley
on his death in 1417. These lands were also claimed by her mother, to whom she and her two sisters were coheirs.
Her paternal grandfather was Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick
who fought for John of Gaunt in Spain and imprisoned in the Tower of London
by Richard III
and pardoned by Henry IV
. However he died 3 years before Margaret was born.
; he and her two brothers-in-law, the Duke of Somerset
and the Baron Latimer, vigorously maintained the claim to the Berkeley lands. By Talbot, she had five children:
Lord and Lady Talbot were distantly related to each other, having a shared ancestor in King Edward I and both being descendants of the houses of Clare and Despenser. She received the title of Countess of Clermont through the bravery of her husband during the wars with France
.
, the dispute frequently passed from litigation to actual violence.
Lord Berkeley sacked Margaret's manor at Wotton-under-Edge
in Gloucestershire
, in return for which her son, the Viscount Lisle, stormed Berkeley Castle
(1452) and took him prisoner.
Margaret also succeeded in having Lord Berkeley's wife, Isabel Mowbray, committed to prison, where she died that year.
. She was buried in St Faith under St Paul's
at London.
Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick
Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, Count of Aumale, KG was an English medieval nobleman and military commander.-Early Life:...
and Elizabeth de Berkeley. As the eldest child of a family without male issue, Margaret was expected to inherit from her father until her step-mother Isobel Despenser
Isabel le Despenser, Countess of Worcester and Warwick
Isabel le Despenser, Countess of Worcester and Warwick was the posthumous daughter and eventually the sole heiress of Thomas le Despenser and his wife, Constance of York...
gave him a son.
Ancestry
She was the granddaughter and heir-general of Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron BerkeleyThomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley
Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley the Magnificent was an English peer born in the Berkeley Castle, Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England to Maurice de Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley and Elizabeth le Despencer....
; however, the Barony and castle of Berkeley
Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK . The castle's origins date back to the 11th century and it has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.The castle has remained within the Berkeley family since they reconstructed it in the...
had passed to his nephew James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley
James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley
James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley , also known as "James the Just", was an English peer.Berkeley was the son of Sir James de Berkeley and his wife Elizabeth . He was made heir to his uncle Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley. He was married four times...
on his death in 1417. These lands were also claimed by her mother, to whom she and her two sisters were coheirs.
Her paternal grandfather was Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick
Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick
Thomas de Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick, KG was an English medieval nobleman, and one of the primary opponents of Richard II.- Birth and Marriage:...
who fought for John of Gaunt in Spain and imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
by Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
and pardoned by Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
. However he died 3 years before Margaret was born.
Marriage
On September 6, 1425, she had married John Talbot, 1st Earl of ShrewsburyJohn Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury
John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of Waterford KG , known as "Old Talbot" was an important English military commander during the Hundred Years' War, as well as the only Lancastrian Constable of France.-Origins:He was descended from Richard Talbot, a tenant in 1086 of Walter Giffard...
; he and her two brothers-in-law, the Duke of Somerset
Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset
Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, KG , sometimes styled 1st Duke of Somerset, was an English nobleman and an important figure in the Wars of the Roses and in the Hundred Years' War...
and the Baron Latimer, vigorously maintained the claim to the Berkeley lands. By Talbot, she had five children:
- John Talbot, 1st Viscount LisleJohn Talbot, 1st Viscount LisleJohn Talbot, 1st Baron Lisle and 1st Viscount Lisle , English nobleman and medieval soldier, was the son of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, and his second wife Margaret Beauchamp.-Titles:...
(1426 – 17 July 1453) - Sir Louis Talbot (c 1429)
- Sir Humphrey Talbot (before 1434 – c. 1492)
- Lady Eleanor TalbotLady Eleanor TalbotLady Eleanor Talbot was a daughter of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. Her alleged pre-contract of marriage with King Edward IV of England was of great significance to the final fate of the Plantagenet dynasty and outcome of the Wars of the Roses.-Marriage:In 1449, 13-year-old Eleanor married...
(c February/March 1436 - 30 June 1468) married to Sir Thomas Butler and mistress to King Edward IV. - Lady Elizabeth TalbotElizabeth de Mowbray, Duchess of NorfolkElizabeth de Mowbray, Duchess of Norfolk was the one of two surviving daughters of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife Lady Margaret Beauchamp.-Family:...
(c December 1442/January 1443). She married John de Mowbray, 4th Duke of NorfolkJohn de Mowbray, 4th Duke of NorfolkJohn de Mowbray, 4th Duke of Norfolk, KG , known as 1st Earl of Surrey between 1451 and 1461, was the only son of John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk and Eleanor Bourchier. His maternal grandparents were William Bourchier, Count of Eu and Anne of Gloucester.In 1451 the earldom of Surrey was...
.
Lord and Lady Talbot were distantly related to each other, having a shared ancestor in King Edward I and both being descendants of the houses of Clare and Despenser. She received the title of Countess of Clermont through the bravery of her husband during the wars with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Wars of the Roses
During the troubled years of the Wars of the RosesWars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
, the dispute frequently passed from litigation to actual violence.
Lord Berkeley sacked Margaret's manor at Wotton-under-Edge
Wotton-under-Edge
Wotton-under-Edge is a market town within the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England. Located near the southern end of the Cotswolds, the Cotswold Way long-distance footpath passes through the town. Standing on the B4058 Wotton is about from the M5 motorway. The nearest railway station is...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, in return for which her son, the Viscount Lisle, stormed Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK . The castle's origins date back to the 11th century and it has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.The castle has remained within the Berkeley family since they reconstructed it in the...
(1452) and took him prisoner.
Margaret also succeeded in having Lord Berkeley's wife, Isabel Mowbray, committed to prison, where she died that year.
Litigation from her Deathbed
Lord Berkeley married Joan Talbot, Margaret's stepdaughter, in 1457, temporarily quelling the feud. It broke out again in 1463, when William Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley, acceded. Litigation continued, and on her death in 1468, she left her claims to her grandson Thomas Talbot, 2nd Viscount LisleThomas Talbot, 2nd Viscount Lisle
Thomas Talbot, 2nd Baron Lisle and 2nd Viscount Lisle , English nobleman, was the son of John Talbot, 1st Viscount Lisle and Joan Cheddar.He married Margaret Herbert, the daughter of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke....
. She was buried in St Faith under St Paul's
St Faith under St Paul's
St Faith under St Paul’s in Castle Baynard Ward was an unusual parish within the City of London . It had been physically removed in 1256 to allow for the eastern expansion of the Old St Paul's Cathedral . Until the reign of Edward VI the parishioners worshipped at the end of the west crypt under...
at London.