Maud of Lancaster, Countess of Ulster
Encyclopedia
Maud of Lancaster, Countess of Ulster (c. 1310 – 5 May 1377) was an English noblewoman and the wife of William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster
. She was the mother of Elizabeth de Burgh, suo jure Countess of Ulster
. Her second husband was Sir Ralph de Ufford, Justiciar of Ireland. After her second husband's death, Maud became a canoness at the Augustine Abbey of Campsey in Suffolk
.
and Maud Chaworth
. She had an older sister, Blanche, Baroness Wake of Liddell, and four younger sisters, Joan, Baroness Mowbray
, Isabel, Prioress of Amesbury, Eleanor, Countess of Arundel
, and Mary, Baroness Percy
. Her only brother was Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster
. His daughter was Blanche of Lancaster
, who would in 1359 become the first wife of John of Gaunt, and in 1367 the mother of the future King Henry IV of England
.
Maud's mother died in 1322, when Maud was aged about twelve years.
. The couple received a papal dispensation
for their marriage, which was dated 1 May 1327. Maud went to live in Ireland with her husband. Together they had one daughter who was born at Carrickfergus Castle
in Belfast
:
On 6 June 1333, Maud's husband was murdered by Sir Richard de Mandeville, John de Logan and others at Le Ford
, near the modern Belfast. After his murder, which sparked a civil war in Ireland, Maud fled to England with her infant daughter, who was the suo jure Countess of Ulster, and they lived at the court of King Edward III
with the royal family. She married her second husband, Sir Ralph de Ufford, by 8 August 1343. Sir Ralph was the youngest son of Robert de Ufford, Lord Ufford, and Cecily de Valognes. In 1344, he was appointed Justiciar of Ireland, therefore Maud accompanied him in July of that year to Ireland, where she had another daughter, Maud de Ufford (1345/1346- 25 January 1413). Maud left Elizabeth behind at the royal court as the latter had been married in 1342 at the age of ten, to Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, the second son of King Edward III. Her second daughter Maud would marry Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford
, by whom she had a son, Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, Marquess of Dublin, Duke of Ireland.
Maud's husband was an incompetent Justiciar, thoroughly despised by the Irish; under his badly-managed administration, the civil war that was waged between the Desmond and de Burgh families was at its height. He was summoned before Parliament to answer for his misdeeds, and for the incessant quarrels and skirmishes permitted under his government between the Anglo-Norman
noblemen.
, Maud once again returned to England. Between 8 August 1347 and 25 April 1348, she became a canoness at the Augustine Abbey of Campsey in Suffolk. In 1364, she transferred to the Poor Clares at Bruisyard Abbey. She died there on 5 May 1377 at the age of about sixty-seven years. She was buried in Bruisyard Abbey.
William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster
William de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster and 4th Baron of Connaught , was a noble in the Peerage of Ireland.-Background:...
. She was the mother of Elizabeth de Burgh, suo jure Countess of Ulster
Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster
Elizabeth de Burgh, Duchess of Clarence, suo jure 4th Countess of Ulster and 5th Baroness of Connaught was a Norman-Irish noblewoman who married Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence.- Family :...
. Her second husband was Sir Ralph de Ufford, Justiciar of Ireland. After her second husband's death, Maud became a canoness at the Augustine Abbey of Campsey in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
Family
Maud was born in about 1310, the second daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of LancasterHenry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster
Henry , 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster was an English nobleman, one of the principals behind the deposition of Edward II of England.-Family and lineage:...
and Maud Chaworth
Maud Chaworth
Maud de Chaworth was an English noblewoman and wealthy heiress. She was the only child of Patrick de Chaworth. Sometime before 2 March 1297, she married Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, by whom she had seven children...
. She had an older sister, Blanche, Baroness Wake of Liddell, and four younger sisters, Joan, Baroness Mowbray
Joan of Lancaster
Joan of Lancaster sometimes called Joan Plantagenet after her dynasty's name, was the third daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and Maud Chaworth.-Marriage:...
, Isabel, Prioress of Amesbury, Eleanor, Countess of Arundel
Eleanor of Lancaster
Eleanor of Lancaster, Countess of Arundel was the fifth daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and Maud Chaworth.-First marriage and issue:...
, and Mary, Baroness Percy
Mary of Lancaster
Mary of Lancaster, Baroness Percy , was the youngest surviving child of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster by his wife Maud Chaworth. Through her father, she was a great-granddaughter of Henry III of England.-Family:...
. Her only brother was Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster
Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster
Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, 4th Earl of Leicester and Lancaster, KG , also Earl of Derby, was a member of the English nobility in the 14th century, and a prominent English diplomat, politician, and soldier...
. His daughter was Blanche of Lancaster
Blanche of Lancaster
Blanche of Lancaster, Duchess of Lancaster was an English noblewoman and heiress, daughter of England's wealthiest and most powerful peer, Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster...
, who would in 1359 become the first wife of John of Gaunt, and in 1367 the mother of the future King Henry IV of England
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...
.
Maud's mother died in 1322, when Maud was aged about twelve years.
Marriages and issue
Sometime before 16 November 1327, Maud married her first husband, William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster, son of John de Burgh and Lady Elizabeth de ClareElizabeth de Clare
Elizabeth de Clare was the heiress to the lordships of Clare, Suffolk in England and Usk in Wales. She was the youngest of the three daughters of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and Joan of Acre, and sister of Gilbert de Clare, who later succeeded as the 7th Earl...
. The couple received a papal dispensation
Dispensation (Catholic Church)
In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...
for their marriage, which was dated 1 May 1327. Maud went to live in Ireland with her husband. Together they had one daughter who was born at Carrickfergus Castle
Carrickfergus Castle
Carrickfergus Castle is a Norman castle in Northern Ireland, situated in the town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim, on the northern shore of Belfast Lough. Besieged in turn by the Scots, Irish, English and French, the castle played an important military role until 1928 and remains one of the best...
in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
:
- Elizabeth de Burgh, suo jure Countess of UlsterElizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of UlsterElizabeth de Burgh, Duchess of Clarence, suo jure 4th Countess of Ulster and 5th Baroness of Connaught was a Norman-Irish noblewoman who married Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence.- Family :...
(6 July 1332- 10 December 1363), married Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, by whom she had one daughter, Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of UlsterPhilippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of UlsterPhilippa of Clarence was the Countess of Ulster suo jure.Philippa was born in Eltham Palace, Kent, England on 16 August 1355. She was the daughter and only child of Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence and Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster...
.
On 6 June 1333, Maud's husband was murdered by Sir Richard de Mandeville, John de Logan and others at Le Ford
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, near the modern Belfast. After his murder, which sparked a civil war in Ireland, Maud fled to England with her infant daughter, who was the suo jure Countess of Ulster, and they lived at the court of King 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...
with the royal family. She married her second husband, Sir Ralph de Ufford, by 8 August 1343. Sir Ralph was the youngest son of Robert de Ufford, Lord Ufford, and Cecily de Valognes. In 1344, he was appointed Justiciar of Ireland, therefore Maud accompanied him in July of that year to Ireland, where she had another daughter, Maud de Ufford (1345/1346- 25 January 1413). Maud left Elizabeth behind at the royal court as the latter had been married in 1342 at the age of ten, to Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, the second son of King Edward III. Her second daughter Maud would marry Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford
Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford
Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford. Thomas took part in several of the military campaigns of Edward III. At some point before 1350, he married Maud de Ufford, daughter and heir of Sir Ralph de Ufford and Maud of Lancaster...
, by whom she had a son, Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, Marquess of Dublin, Duke of Ireland.
Maud's husband was an incompetent Justiciar, thoroughly despised by the Irish; under his badly-managed administration, the civil war that was waged between the Desmond and de Burgh families was at its height. He was summoned before Parliament to answer for his misdeeds, and for the incessant quarrels and skirmishes permitted under his government between the Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
noblemen.
Religious life
Following the death of Ralph de Ufford on 9 April 1346 at KilmainhamKilmainham
Kilmainham is a suburb of Dublin south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre, in the Dublin 8 postal district.-History:In the Viking era, the monastery was home to the first Norse base in Ireland....
, Maud once again returned to England. Between 8 August 1347 and 25 April 1348, she became a canoness at the Augustine Abbey of Campsey in Suffolk. In 1364, she transferred to the Poor Clares at Bruisyard Abbey. She died there on 5 May 1377 at the age of about sixty-seven years. She was buried in Bruisyard Abbey.