Margaret de Clare, Lady Badlesmere
Encyclopedia
Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere (c.1 April 1287 – 22 October 1333 / 3 January 1334) was a Norman
-Irish
noblewoman, suo jure
heiress, and the wife of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere
.
She was arrested and subsequently imprisoned in the Tower of London
for the duration of a year from November 1321 to November 1322, making her the first female prisoner in the Tower's history. She was jailed on account of having ordered an armed assault on Isabella of France
, Queen consort
of King Edward II of England
. Before Margaret had instructed her archers to fire upon Isabella and her escort, she had refused the Queen admittance to Leeds Castle
where her husband, Baron Badlesmere held the post of governor, but which was legally the property of Queen Isabella as part of the latter's dowry
. Margaret surrendered the castle on 31 October 1321 after it was besieged by the King's forces using ballistas. Edward's capture of Leeds Castle was the catalyst which led to the Despenser War
in the Welsh Marches
and the north of England.
Upon her release from the Tower, Margaret entered a religious life at the convent house of the Minorite Sisters outside Aldgate
. King Edward granted her a stipend to pay for her maintenance.
Margaret was born at Bunratty Castle
in Thomond
, Ireland
on or about 1 April 1287, the youngest child of Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond
and Juliana FitzGerald
of Offaly, and granddaughter of Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford and Gloucester
.
She had two brothers, Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Thomond, and Richard de Clare, 1st Lord Clare, Lord of Thomond
, who was killed at the Battle of Dysert O'Dea
in 1318; and an elder sister, Maud, whose first husband was Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford
. Margaret also had an illegitimate half-brother, Richard the Clerk.
Her father was killed in battle on 29 August 1287, when she was almost five months of age. Her mother married her second husband, Nicholas Avenel sometime afterwards, but the exact date of this marriage is not known. Between 11 December 1291 and 16 February 1292, Margaret acquired another stepfather when her mother married her third husband, Adam de Cretynges.
Margaret became co-heiress to her nephew Thomas de Clare, son of her brother Richard, by which she inherited the manors of Plashes in Standon, Hertfordshire
and lands in Thomond, Limerick and Cork in 1321 upon the death of Thomas at the age of three.
On an unrecorded date earlier than 30 June 1308, she married secondly, Bartholomew de Badlesmere
, an English soldier and court official who was afterwards created 1st Baron Badlesmere
by writ of summons. He had held the post of Governor of Bristol
Castle since 1307, and from then onwards proceeded to accumulate many renumerative grants and offices. Margaret's marriage to Badlesmere had been arranged by her brother-in-law, Baron Clifford; Badlesmere having been one of Clifford's retainers during the Scottish Wars in the early 1300s. Clifford was later killed at the Battle of Bannockburn
, where Badlesmere also fought.
Margaret was styled as Baroness Badlesmere on 26 October 1309 (the date her husband was by writ summoned to Parliament
by the title of Baron Badlesmere) and henceforth known by that title.
The marriage produced four daughters, and a son and heir, Giles Badlesmere
. The couple's principal residences were Castle Badlesmere and Chilham Castle
, both in Kent
.
Badlesmere was appointed steward
of King Edward II's
household in 1318; a position which brought him much power and influence in the royal council. He was one of the middle party, which resented the King's favourites, the Despensers
, yet also equally opposed Edward's staunch enemies such as his immensely powerful cousin Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, who in addition to having been one of the wealthiest nobles in England, was the leader of the Lords Ordainers. These men, drawn from the peerage and clergy, were the 21 signatories of the Ordinances of 1311; a series of regulations forced upon the King with the aim of restricting his administrative prerogatives, and setting up a baronial oligarchy
in the realm.
Margaret was visiting Cheshunt Manor
in Hertfordshire in 1319, when she was taken hostage by a group of sixty people, both men and women. Her captors demanded a ransom of £100 for her release. She was held prisoner for one night before her prompt rescue the following day by the King's favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger. Hugh was married to Margaret's first cousin, Eleanor de Clare
, eldest daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester and Joan of Acre
(This also made Eleanor a first cousin of Edward II). The King ordered the arrest and imprisonment of 20 of Margaret's kidnappers; they all, however, were eventually pardoned.
Margaret's husband, Baron Badlesmere was appointed Governor of the Royal Castle of Leeds
in Kent in the fifth year of Edward II's reign (1312).
In October 1321, nine years after his assumption of the office, the queen consort Isabella
went on a pilgrimage
to the shrine of St. Thomas
at Canterbury
. She decided to interrupt her journey by stopping at Leeds Castle,Historian Paul C. Doherty suggests that the pilgrimage was a ruse on the part of the King and Queen in order to create a casus belli
. Edward would have known beforehand that Baron Badlesmere was with the Contrariants in Oxford and had left Leeds Castle in the hands of the belligerently hostile Baroness Badlesmere; therefore he had given instructions for Isabella to deliberately stop at Leeds aware she would likely be refused admittance. Using the insult against the Queen as a banner, he would then be able to gather the moderate nobles and outraged populace to his side as a means of crushing the Contrariants. [Reference: Doherty, Paul C. Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II. London: Robinson. pp.70-71 ISBN 1841198439.] which legally belonged to her as the fortress and its demesne
were Crown
property and part of her dowry to be retained in widowhood. Badlesmere, who by then had become disaffected with King Edward and had joined the swelling ranks of his opponents, was away at a meeting of the ContrariantsContrariants was the name King Edward had given the barons who were opposed to him. in Oxford
at the time and had left Margaret in charge of the castle. Due to her strong dislike of IsabellaMargaret's dislike of Isabella allegedly had its origins in about 1317 when she had asked the Queen to use her influence on behalf of a friend who was seeking an appointment in the Exchequer Office. When Isabella refused her request, for reasons unknown, a quarrel ensued and henceforth Margaret became the Queen's enemy. [Reference: Francis Lancelot. The Queens of England and Their Times. p.183. Google Books. Retrieved 9 February 2011] as well as her own belligerent and quarrelsome character,Margaret's paternal grandmother, Maud de Lacy, was known as the most litigious woman in the 13th century. [Reference: Linda Elizabeth Mitchell. Portraits of Medieval Women: Family, Marriage and Politics in England 1225-1350] Margaret refused the Queen admittance, accompanied by her insolent words to Isabella's marshal, whom she met on the lowered drawbridge
, that "the Queen must seek some other lodging, for I would not admit anyone within the castle without an order from my lord [Baron Badlesmere]". After issuing her message, she subsequently ordered her archers to fire upon Isabella from the battlements when the Queen (having apparently ignored Margaret's communication) approached the outer barbican
, in an attempt to enter the castle by force. The unexpected, lethal volley of arrows, which killed six of the royal escort, compelled Isabella to make a hasty retreat from the castle and to seek alternative accommodation for the night.
When King Edward heard of the violent reception his consort was given by Margaret, he was predictably outraged and personally mustered a sizeable force of men "aged between sixteen and sixty", including at least six earls, to join him in a military expedition which he promptly led against Margaret and her garrison
at Leeds Castle to avenge the grievous insult delivered to the Queen by one of his subjects. Following a relentless assault of the fortress, which persisted for more than five daysAccording to Edward II's biographer, Roy Martin Haines
, the siege lasted 15 days. [Reference: Haines, p.132] and with the King's troops using ballistas, Margaret surrendered at curfew on 31 October having received a "promise of mercy" from Edward. Throughout the siege, she had expected the Earl of Lancaster to arrive with his soldiery to relieve her, but this he had refused to do;Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster was the uterine half-uncle of Queen Isabella, being the son of her maternal grandmother Blanche of Artois
by the latter's second marriage to Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster
. nor had any of the other Contrariants or the Marcher Lords
Margaret's daughter, Elizabeth was married to Edmund Mortimer, eldest son of the powerful Marcher Lord Roger Mortimer, the future 1st Earl of March come to her assistance, which left her to defend the castle with merely her husband's nephew, Bartholomew de Burghersh
, and the garrison troops. Baron Badlesmere, although supportive of Margaret's conduct, had during that crucial time, sought refuge at Stoke Park, seat of the Bishop of Lincoln; however he did manage to despatch some knights from Witney
to augment the garrison troops in the defence of Leeds. Once King Edward had gained possession of the castle and the Badlesmere treasure within,Sometime prior to the October 1321 incident, Baron Badlesmere had deposited all of his treasure and goods inside Leeds Castle for safe-keeping.(Reference: Parishes - Leeds|British History Online. Retrieved 22-11-10 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62925) the seneschal
, Walter Colepepper and 12 of the garrison were hanged from the battlements.The Calendar of Fine Rolls names the 13 executed men as Walter Colpepper, Richard Prat, Roger de Coumbe, Richard de Chidecroft, Thomas de Chidecroft, Richard Brisynge, William Colyn, Roger de Rokayle, Simon de Tyerst, Robert de Bromere, Nicholas de Bradefeld, Robert de Cheigny, and Adam le Wayte. [Reference:Calendar of Fine Rolls 1319-1327. p.76] Margaret was arrested and sent as a prisoner, along with her five children and Bartholomew de Burghersh, to the Tower of London
; she therefore became the first woman imprisoned in the Tower. On her journey to the fortress, she was insulted and jeered at by the citizens of London who, out of loyalty to Isabella, had followed her progression through the streets to vent their fury against the person who had dared maltreat their queen.
and Richmond
, encouraged him to reclaim and assert the prerogative powers that Lancaster and the Lords Ordainers had so long denied him.The Ordinances were repealed at the parliament held in York in May 1322. The dominant baronial oligarchy broke up into factions. Many of the nobles who had previously been hostile to Edward rushed to his side to quell the insurrection of the Marcher Lords, known as the Despenser War, which had erupted in full force after the King defiantly recalled to England the two Despensers (father and son,) whom the Ordainers had compelled him to banish in August 1321. The first sparks to the uprising had been ignited when, prior to his expulsion, the rapacious Hugh le Despenser the Younger had persuaded the infatuated King to grant him lands in the Welsh Marches
which rightfully belonged to entrenched Marcher barons such as Roger Mortimer, his uncle Roger Mortimer de Chirk
, and Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford
, a staunch Ordainer albeit the King's brother-in-law.In 1302, Humphrey de Bohun married Edward II's youngest sister, Elizabeth of Rhuddlan
; she died in 1316. They had formed a confederation and made devastating raids against Despenser holdings in Wales; and Mortimer led his men in an unsuccessful march on London. These mutinous events, in addition to other incidents which created a tense situation and called for a mobilisation of forces throughout the realm, eventually led to the Ordainers constraining the King to exile the favourites. However, subsequent to his capture of Leeds Castle and the harsh sentences he had meted out to the insubordinate Margaret de Clare and her garrison, King Edward defied the Contrariants by persuading the bishops to declare the Despensers' banishment illegal at a convocation
of the clergy, and he summoned them home. This act had dire consequences in addition to the Despenser War: it paved the way for the complete domination of the grasping Despensers over Edward and his kingdom, leading to Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabella's 1326 Invasion of England
, their assumption of power, the execution of the two Despensers, and finally, Edward's deposition.
on 16 March 1322, and was captured when the battle had ended with Lancaster and the rebels having been soundly defeated by the numerically-superior royalist army. Lancaster was beheaded four days after his surrender; less than a month later on 14 April 1322, Badlesmere was attainted and hanged, drawn and quartered
at Blean
in the vicinity of Canterbury. His severed head was then attached to a pole placed on Burgate, one of the principal Roman gates into Canterbury's city walls.
Margaret remained imprisoned in the Tower, uncertain of her fate, until 3 November 1322. She was released from the Tower due to her son-in-law William de Ros's successful negotiation, on her behalf, with the King. Presumably her children were also released with her, although no exact dates are given for their liberation.
, where the abbess Alice de Sherstede was personally acquainted with Queen Isabella, who took an interest in the convent's business affairs. The King granted Margaret a stipend of two shillings a day for her maintenance, which was paid to her by the Sheriff of Essex
. She also received a considerable proportion of her late husband's manors for her dowry.
Edward demonstrated his good will toward Margaret again on 1 July 1324, by giving her "permission to go to her friends within the realm whither she will, provided that she be always ready to come to the king when summoned".
Her son Giles obtained a reversal of his father's attainder
in 1328, and succeeded by writ to the barony as the 2nd Baron Badlesmere. By this time Edward III
had ascended the throne; however, the de facto
rulers of England were Queen Isabella and her lover, Marcher Lord Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (father-in-law of Margaret's daughter Elizabeth), who jointly held the Office of Regent
for the new king. Edward II had been deposed in January 1327 and allegedly murdered in September by Mortimer's hired assassins.
Margaret died between 22 October 1333 and 3 January 1334.
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
-Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
noblewoman, suo jure
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
heiress, and the wife of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere
Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere
Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere , English nobleman, was the son and heir of Gunselm de Badlesmere , and fought in the English army both in France and Scotland during the later years of the reign of Edward I of England.-Life:In 1307 he became governor of Bristol Castle. Edward II...
.
She was arrested and subsequently 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...
for the duration of a year from November 1321 to November 1322, making her the first female prisoner in the Tower's history. She was jailed on account of having ordered an armed assault on Isabella of France
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
, Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of King Edward II of England
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
. Before Margaret had instructed her archers to fire upon Isabella and her escort, she had refused the Queen admittance to Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle, southeast of Maidstone, Kent, England, dates back to 1119, though a Saxon fort stood on the same site from the 9th century. The castle is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds....
where her husband, Baron Badlesmere held the post of governor, but which was legally the property of Queen Isabella as part of the latter's dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
. Margaret surrendered the castle on 31 October 1321 after it was besieged by the King's forces using ballistas. Edward's capture of Leeds Castle was the catalyst which led to the Despenser War
Despenser War
The Despenser War was a baronial revolt between 1321-2 led by the Marcher Lords Roger Mortimer, Baron Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford against Edward II of England and his favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger.Some historians use the label the "Despenser War" to refer to just...
in the Welsh Marches
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
and the north of England.
Upon her release from the Tower, Margaret entered a religious life at the convent house of the Minorite Sisters outside Aldgate
Aldgate
Aldgate was the eastern most gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
. King Edward granted her a stipend to pay for her maintenance.
Family
Bunratty Castle
Bunratty Castle is a large tower house in County Clare, Ireland. It lies in the centre of Bunratty village , by the N18 road between Limerick and Ennis, near Shannon Town and its airport. The name Bunratty, Bun Raite in Irish, means the 'bottom' or end of the 'Ratty' river. This river, alongside...
in Thomond
Thomond
Thomond The region of Ireland associated with the name Thomond is County Clare, County Limerick and north County Tipperary; effectively most of north Munster. The name is used by a variety of establishments and organisations located in , or associated with the region...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on or about 1 April 1287, the youngest child of Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond
Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond
Thomas de Clare, Lord of Inchiquin and Youghal was a Hiberno-Norman peer and soldier. He was the second son of Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester and his wife Maud de Lacy...
and Juliana FitzGerald
Juliana FitzGerald
Juliana FitzGerald, Lady of Thomond was a Norman-Irish noblewoman, the daughter of Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly, and the wife of Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond, a powerful Anglo-Norman baron in Ireland, who was a younger brother of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford. Juliana was...
of Offaly, and granddaughter of Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford and Gloucester
Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford
Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 6th Earl of Gloucester was son of Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and Isabel Marshal. On his father's death, when he became Earl of Gloucester , he was entrusted first to the guardianship of Hubert de Burgh. On Hubert's fall, his guardianship was...
.
She had two brothers, Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Thomond, and Richard de Clare, 1st Lord Clare, Lord of Thomond
Richard de Clare, Steward of Forest of Essex
Richard de Clare 1st Lord Clare was the son of Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond and Juliana FitzGerald.A descendant of Strongbow, he succeeded his older brother, Gilbert, in 1308 as Lord of Thomond. In 1309, and then again between 1312 and 1316, he was sheriff of Cork...
, who was killed at the Battle of Dysert O'Dea
Battle of Dysert O'Dea
The Battle of Dysert O'Dea took place on 10 May 1318 at Dysert O'Dea near Corofin, Ireland. It was part of the Bruce campaign in Ireland. The Norman Richard de Clare attacked the Gaelic Irish chieftain Conchobhar Ó Deághaidh, chief of the Cineal Fearmaic and ally of Muirchertach Ó Briain, but he...
in 1318; and an elder sister, Maud, whose first husband was Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford
Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford
Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, also 1st Lord of Skipton , was an English soldier who became first Lord Warden of the Marches, defending the English border with Scotland. He was born in Clifford Castle, Herefordshire, and was married there in 1295 to Maud de Clare, eldest daughter of...
. Margaret also had an illegitimate half-brother, Richard the Clerk.
Her father was killed in battle on 29 August 1287, when she was almost five months of age. Her mother married her second husband, Nicholas Avenel sometime afterwards, but the exact date of this marriage is not known. Between 11 December 1291 and 16 February 1292, Margaret acquired another stepfather when her mother married her third husband, Adam de Cretynges.
Margaret became co-heiress to her nephew Thomas de Clare, son of her brother Richard, by which she inherited the manors of Plashes in Standon, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and lands in Thomond, Limerick and Cork in 1321 upon the death of Thomas at the age of three.
Marriages
She married firstly before the year 1303, Gilbert de Umfraville, son of Gilbert de Umphraville, Earl of Angus, and Elizabeth Comyn. Upon their marriage, the Earl of Angus granted Gilbert and Margaret the manors of Hambleton and Market Overton; however, when Gilbert died childless prior to 1307, the manors passed to Margaret.On an unrecorded date earlier than 30 June 1308, she married secondly, Bartholomew de Badlesmere
Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere
Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere , English nobleman, was the son and heir of Gunselm de Badlesmere , and fought in the English army both in France and Scotland during the later years of the reign of Edward I of England.-Life:In 1307 he became governor of Bristol Castle. Edward II...
, an English soldier and court official who was afterwards created 1st Baron Badlesmere
Baron Badlesmere
The title Baron Badlesmere was created once in the Peerage of England. On 26 October 1309 Bartholomew de Badlesmere, governor of Bristol Castle, was summoned to Parliament, creating a barony by writ. In 1322 he was attainted and executed for joining the rebellion of the Earl of Lancaster, and the...
by writ of summons. He had held the post of Governor of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
Castle since 1307, and from then onwards proceeded to accumulate many renumerative grants and offices. Margaret's marriage to Badlesmere had been arranged by her brother-in-law, Baron Clifford; Badlesmere having been one of Clifford's retainers during the Scottish Wars in the early 1300s. Clifford was later killed at the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
, where Badlesmere also fought.
Margaret was styled as Baroness Badlesmere on 26 October 1309 (the date her husband was by writ summoned to Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
by the title of Baron Badlesmere) and henceforth known by that title.
The marriage produced four daughters, and a son and heir, Giles Badlesmere
Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere
Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere was an English nobleman, the son and heir of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere by Margaret de Clare of Inchinquin and Youghal.-Family inheritance:...
. The couple's principal residences were Castle Badlesmere and Chilham Castle
Chilham Castle
Chilham Castle is a manor house and keep in the village of Chilham, between Ashford and Canterbury in the county of Kent, England. The polygonal Norman keep of the Castle, the oldest building in the village, dates from 1174; still inhabited, it was said to have been built for King Henry II...
, both in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Badlesmere was appointed steward
Lord Steward
The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household, in England, is an important official of the Royal Household. He is always a peer. Until 1924, he was always a member of the Government...
of King Edward II's
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
household in 1318; a position which brought him much power and influence in the royal council. He was one of the middle party, which resented the King's favourites, the Despensers
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester
Hugh le Despenser , sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England....
, yet also equally opposed Edward's staunch enemies such as his immensely powerful cousin Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, who in addition to having been one of the wealthiest nobles in England, was the leader of the Lords Ordainers. These men, drawn from the peerage and clergy, were the 21 signatories of the Ordinances of 1311; a series of regulations forced upon the King with the aim of restricting his administrative prerogatives, and setting up a baronial oligarchy
Oligarchy
Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy...
in the realm.
Margaret was visiting Cheshunt Manor
Cheshunt
Cheshunt is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of around 52,000 according to the United Kingdom's 2001 Census. It is a dormitory town and part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt served by Cheshunt railway station...
in Hertfordshire in 1319, when she was taken hostage by a group of sixty people, both men and women. Her captors demanded a ransom of £100 for her release. She was held prisoner for one night before her prompt rescue the following day by the King's favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger. Hugh was married to Margaret's first cousin, Eleanor de Clare
Eleanor de Clare
Eleanor de Clare was the wife of the powerful Hugh Despenser the younger. She was born in 1292 at Caerphilly in Glamorgan, Wales. She was the eldest daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and 7th Earl of Gloucester, and Joan of Acre, daughter of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile; thus...
, eldest daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester and Joan of Acre
Joan of Acre
Joan of Acre was an English princess, a daughter of the King Edward I of England and queen Eleanor of Castile...
(This also made Eleanor a first cousin of Edward II). The King ordered the arrest and imprisonment of 20 of Margaret's kidnappers; they all, however, were eventually pardoned.
Issue
The five children of Margaret and Baron Badlesmere:- Margery de Badlesmere (1308/1309- 18 October 1363), married before 25 November 1316 William de Ros, 3rd Baron de RosWilliam de Ros, 3rd Baron de RosWilliam de Ros, 3rd Baron de Ros of Helmsley was the son of William de Ros, 2nd Baron de Ros.As 3rd Baron de Ros of Hamlake, Werke, Trusbut & Belvoir, he was summoned to Parliament during the reigns of Edward II and Edward III of England. In 1321 he completed the religious foundation which his...
of Hamlake, by whom she had six children. - Maud de Badlesmere (1310- 24 May 1366), married firstly, Robert FitzPayn; secondly, John de Vere, 7th Earl of OxfordJohn de Vere, 7th Earl of OxfordJohn de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford was the nephew and heir of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford. He succeeded as Earl of Oxford in 1331, after his uncle died without issue. John de Vere was a trusted captain of Edward III in the king's wars in Scotland and France, and took part in both the Battle...
, by whom she had seven children. - Elizabeth de BadlesmereElizabeth de BadlesmereElizabeth de Badlesmere, Countess of Northampton was the wife of two English noblemen, Sir Edmund Mortimer and William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton...
(1313- 8 June 1356), married firstly in 1316 Sir Edmund Mortimer, eldest son of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March and Joan de Geneville, 2nd Baroness Geneville; she married secondly in 1335, William de Bohun, 1st Earl of NorthamptonWilliam de Bohun, 1st Earl of NorthamptonWilliam de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton, KG was an English nobleman and military commander.-Lineage:He was the fifth son of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan. He had a twin brother, Edward...
. Both marriages produced children. - Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron BadlesmereGiles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron BadlesmereGiles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere was an English nobleman, the son and heir of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere by Margaret de Clare of Inchinquin and Youghal.-Family inheritance:...
(18 October 1314- 7 June 1338), married Elizabeth Montagu, but did not have any chldren by her. - Margaret de Badlesmere (born 1315), married Sir John Tiptoft, 2nd Lord Tiptoft, by whom she had one son, Robert Tiptoft.
The siege of Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle, southeast of Maidstone, Kent, England, dates back to 1119, though a Saxon fort stood on the same site from the 9th century. The castle is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds....
in Kent in the fifth year of Edward II's reign (1312).
In October 1321, nine years after his assumption of the office, the queen consort Isabella
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
went on a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to the shrine of St. Thomas
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
at Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
. She decided to interrupt her journey by stopping at Leeds Castle,Historian Paul C. Doherty suggests that the pilgrimage was a ruse on the part of the King and Queen in order to create a casus belli
Casus belli
is a Latin expression meaning the justification for acts of war. means "incident", "rupture" or indeed "case", while means bellic...
. Edward would have known beforehand that Baron Badlesmere was with the Contrariants in Oxford and had left Leeds Castle in the hands of the belligerently hostile Baroness Badlesmere; therefore he had given instructions for Isabella to deliberately stop at Leeds aware she would likely be refused admittance. Using the insult against the Queen as a banner, he would then be able to gather the moderate nobles and outraged populace to his side as a means of crushing the Contrariants. [Reference: Doherty, Paul C. Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II. London: Robinson. pp.70-71 ISBN 1841198439.] which legally belonged to her as the fortress and its demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
were Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
property and part of her dowry to be retained in widowhood. Badlesmere, who by then had become disaffected with King Edward and had joined the swelling ranks of his opponents, was away at a meeting of the ContrariantsContrariants was the name King Edward had given the barons who were opposed to him. in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
at the time and had left Margaret in charge of the castle. Due to her strong dislike of IsabellaMargaret's dislike of Isabella allegedly had its origins in about 1317 when she had asked the Queen to use her influence on behalf of a friend who was seeking an appointment in the Exchequer Office. When Isabella refused her request, for reasons unknown, a quarrel ensued and henceforth Margaret became the Queen's enemy. [Reference: Francis Lancelot. The Queens of England and Their Times. p.183. Google Books. Retrieved 9 February 2011] as well as her own belligerent and quarrelsome character,Margaret's paternal grandmother, Maud de Lacy, was known as the most litigious woman in the 13th century. [Reference: Linda Elizabeth Mitchell. Portraits of Medieval Women: Family, Marriage and Politics in England 1225-1350] Margaret refused the Queen admittance, accompanied by her insolent words to Isabella's marshal, whom she met on the lowered drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
, that "the Queen must seek some other lodging, for I would not admit anyone within the castle without an order from my lord [Baron Badlesmere]". After issuing her message, she subsequently ordered her archers to fire upon Isabella from the battlements when the Queen (having apparently ignored Margaret's communication) approached the outer barbican
Barbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
, in an attempt to enter the castle by force. The unexpected, lethal volley of arrows, which killed six of the royal escort, compelled Isabella to make a hasty retreat from the castle and to seek alternative accommodation for the night.
When King Edward heard of the violent reception his consort was given by Margaret, he was predictably outraged and personally mustered a sizeable force of men "aged between sixteen and sixty", including at least six earls, to join him in a military expedition which he promptly led against Margaret and her garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
at Leeds Castle to avenge the grievous insult delivered to the Queen by one of his subjects. Following a relentless assault of the fortress, which persisted for more than five daysAccording to Edward II's biographer, Roy Martin Haines
Roy Martin Haines
Roy Martin Haines is a British historian.Haines is the son of Evan George Martin Haines, who served in the Welsh Guards during World War I and died in 1929 from an illness attributable to his military service...
, the siege lasted 15 days. [Reference: Haines, p.132] and with the King's troops using ballistas, Margaret surrendered at curfew on 31 October having received a "promise of mercy" from Edward. Throughout the siege, she had expected the Earl of Lancaster to arrive with his soldiery to relieve her, but this he had refused to do;Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster was the uterine half-uncle of Queen Isabella, being the son of her maternal grandmother Blanche of Artois
Blanche of Artois
Blanche of Artois was the queen consort of Navarre; after her husband Henry I of Navarre's death, she served as regent from 1274 to 1284 on behalf of her daughter, Joan I...
by the latter's second marriage to Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster
Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster
Edmund of Crouchback, 1st Earl of Leicester and Lancaster , was the second surviving son of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence. In his childhood he had a claim on the Kingdom of Sicily. His nickname refers to his participation in the Ninth Crusade.-Childhood:Edmund was born in London...
. nor had any of the other Contrariants or the Marcher Lords
Marcher Lords
A Marcher Lord was a strong and trusted noble appointed by the King of England to guard the border between England and Wales.A Marcher Lord is the English equivalent of a margrave...
Margaret's daughter, Elizabeth was married to Edmund Mortimer, eldest son of the powerful Marcher Lord Roger Mortimer, the future 1st Earl of March come to her assistance, which left her to defend the castle with merely her husband's nephew, Bartholomew de Burghersh
Bartholomew de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh
Bartholomew de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh , English nobleman and soldier, was a younger son of Robert de Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh and Maud de Badlesmere, sister of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere....
, and the garrison troops. Baron Badlesmere, although supportive of Margaret's conduct, had during that crucial time, sought refuge at Stoke Park, seat of the Bishop of Lincoln; however he did manage to despatch some knights from Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
to augment the garrison troops in the defence of Leeds. Once King Edward had gained possession of the castle and the Badlesmere treasure within,Sometime prior to the October 1321 incident, Baron Badlesmere had deposited all of his treasure and goods inside Leeds Castle for safe-keeping.(Reference: Parishes - Leeds|British History Online. Retrieved 22-11-10 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62925) the seneschal
Seneschal
A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli...
, Walter Colepepper and 12 of the garrison were hanged from the battlements.The Calendar of Fine Rolls names the 13 executed men as Walter Colpepper, Richard Prat, Roger de Coumbe, Richard de Chidecroft, Thomas de Chidecroft, Richard Brisynge, William Colyn, Roger de Rokayle, Simon de Tyerst, Robert de Bromere, Nicholas de Bradefeld, Robert de Cheigny, and Adam le Wayte. [Reference:Calendar of Fine Rolls 1319-1327. p.76] Margaret was arrested and sent as a prisoner, along with her five children and Bartholomew de Burghersh, to 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...
; she therefore became the first woman imprisoned in the Tower. On her journey to the fortress, she was insulted and jeered at by the citizens of London who, out of loyalty to Isabella, had followed her progression through the streets to vent their fury against the person who had dared maltreat their queen.
Aftermath
The King's military victory at Leeds, accomplished with the help of six influential earls including the Earls of PembrokeAymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke was a Franco-English nobleman. Though primarily active in England, he also had strong connections with the French royal house. One of the wealthiest and most powerful men of his age, he was a central player in the conflicts between Edward II of England and...
and Richmond
John of Brittany, Earl of Richmond
John of Brittany or Jean de Bretagne 3rd Earl of Richmond, was an English nobleman of Breton origin. He entered royal service under Edward I, and fought in the Scottish Wars. On 15 October 1306 he received his father's title of Earl of Richmond...
, encouraged him to reclaim and assert the prerogative powers that Lancaster and the Lords Ordainers had so long denied him.The Ordinances were repealed at the parliament held in York in May 1322. The dominant baronial oligarchy broke up into factions. Many of the nobles who had previously been hostile to Edward rushed to his side to quell the insurrection of the Marcher Lords, known as the Despenser War, which had erupted in full force after the King defiantly recalled to England the two Despensers (father and son,) whom the Ordainers had compelled him to banish in August 1321. The first sparks to the uprising had been ignited when, prior to his expulsion, the rapacious Hugh le Despenser the Younger had persuaded the infatuated King to grant him lands in the Welsh Marches
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
which rightfully belonged to entrenched Marcher barons such as Roger Mortimer, his uncle Roger Mortimer de Chirk
Roger Mortimer de Chirk
Roger Mortimer de Chirk was a 14th century Marcher lord, notable for his opposition to Edward II of England during the Despenser War.-Background and Early Service:...
, and Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford
Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford
Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford was a member of a powerful Anglo-Norman family of the Welsh Marches and was one of the Ordainers who opposed Edward II's excesses.-Family background :...
, a staunch Ordainer albeit the King's brother-in-law.In 1302, Humphrey de Bohun married Edward II's youngest sister, Elizabeth of Rhuddlan
Elizabeth of Rhuddlan
Elizabeth of Rhuddlan was the eighth and youngest daughter of Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile...
; she died in 1316. They had formed a confederation and made devastating raids against Despenser holdings in Wales; and Mortimer led his men in an unsuccessful march on London. These mutinous events, in addition to other incidents which created a tense situation and called for a mobilisation of forces throughout the realm, eventually led to the Ordainers constraining the King to exile the favourites. However, subsequent to his capture of Leeds Castle and the harsh sentences he had meted out to the insubordinate Margaret de Clare and her garrison, King Edward defied the Contrariants by persuading the bishops to declare the Despensers' banishment illegal at a convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
of the clergy, and he summoned them home. This act had dire consequences in addition to the Despenser War: it paved the way for the complete domination of the grasping Despensers over Edward and his kingdom, leading to Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabella's 1326 Invasion of England
Invasion of England (1326)
The invasion of England in 1326 by Isabella of France and Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, led to the capture of Hugh Despenser the Younger and Edward II of England....
, their assumption of power, the execution of the two Despensers, and finally, Edward's deposition.
Imprisonment in the Tower of London
Baron Badlesmere defended Margaret's bellicose actions at Leeds,Baron Badlesmere excused his wife's offensive conduct with his declaration that when he had left Margaret in charge of Leeds, he had given her strict instructions not to admit anyone inside the castle without his specific orders. (Costain, p.193) This, he had insisted, included the Queen, with the words that "the royal prerogative of the King in the case of refusal of entry should not be assumed to provide a legal right for the Queen, who was merely his wife". (Haines, p.133) and as a result of her imprisonment, remained firmly aligned with the King's opponents; shortly afterwards he participated in the Earl of Lancaster's rebellion. Badlesmere fought in the Battle of BoroughbridgeBattle of Boroughbridge
The Battle of Boroughbridge was a battle fought on 16 March 1322 between a group of rebellious barons and King Edward II of England, near Boroughbridge, northwest of York. The culmination of a long period of antagonism between the king and Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, his most powerful subject, it...
on 16 March 1322, and was captured when the battle had ended with Lancaster and the rebels having been soundly defeated by the numerically-superior royalist army. Lancaster was beheaded four days after his surrender; less than a month later on 14 April 1322, Badlesmere was attainted and hanged, drawn and quartered
Hanged, drawn and quartered
To be hanged, drawn and quartered was from 1351 a penalty in England for men convicted of high treason, although the ritual was first recorded during the reigns of King Henry III and his successor, Edward I...
at Blean
Blean
Blean is located in the Canterbury district of Kent, England. It is the name of the civil parish as well as the village within it: the latter is scattered along the road between Canterbury and Whitstable, in the middle of what was once the extensive Forest of Blean.The village name of Blean is...
in the vicinity of Canterbury. His severed head was then attached to a pole placed on Burgate, one of the principal Roman gates into Canterbury's city walls.
Margaret remained imprisoned in the Tower, uncertain of her fate, until 3 November 1322. She was released from the Tower due to her son-in-law William de Ros's successful negotiation, on her behalf, with the King. Presumably her children were also released with her, although no exact dates are given for their liberation.
The Minorite Sisters
Margaret retired to the convent house of the Minorite Sisters, outside AldgateAldgate
Aldgate was the eastern most gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
, where the abbess Alice de Sherstede was personally acquainted with Queen Isabella, who took an interest in the convent's business affairs. The King granted Margaret a stipend of two shillings a day for her maintenance, which was paid to her by the Sheriff of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. She also received a considerable proportion of her late husband's manors for her dowry.
Edward demonstrated his good will toward Margaret again on 1 July 1324, by giving her "permission to go to her friends within the realm whither she will, provided that she be always ready to come to the king when summoned".
Her son Giles obtained a reversal of his father's attainder
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
in 1328, and succeeded by writ to the barony as the 2nd Baron Badlesmere. By this time Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
had ascended the throne; however, the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
rulers of England were Queen Isabella and her lover, Marcher Lord Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (father-in-law of Margaret's daughter Elizabeth), who jointly held the Office of Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for the new king. Edward II had been deposed in January 1327 and allegedly murdered in September by Mortimer's hired assassins.
Margaret died between 22 October 1333 and 3 January 1334.
Ancestry
Sources
- Cokayne, G. E. The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant.
- Costain, Thomas B. (1958). The Three Edwards. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc.
- Haines, Roy Martin (2003). King Edward II: Edward of Caernarfon, his life, his reign and its aftermath, 1284-1330. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press.
- Richardson, Douglas, Everingham, Kimball G. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families