Baron Maurice de Berkeley & Eve la Zouche

1249354. Baron Maurice de Berkeley & 1249355. Eve la Zouche

1277, Maurice born in Gloucestershire, England, heir & s/o 2498708. Thomas de Berkeley & 2498709. Joan de Ferrers.

~1278, Eve la Zouche born in England, d/o 2500242. Eudes La Zouche & 2500243. Milicent de Cantelowe.

1279, Eve’s father died.

1285, Maurice, age 8, contracted to married to Eve.

1285, Milicent de Monte Alto (Eve’s remarried mother) settled the united manor of Milston and Brigmerston on her daughter Eve. (S) Hist. of Wiltshire, V15, 1995, Milston.

 [––Maurice & Eve––]

1289, Maurice and Eve married. Eve brought a dower of 800 marks. Maurice had the manor of Bedminster settled on him and Eve in jointure and tail. [Eve brought the manors of Brigmerston and Milston (Wilts.) and holdings at, Edingworth and Milverton, and a rent of £10 from Bridgwater (Som.)].

5/13/1294, Roger le Bygod, earl of Norfolk and marshal of England ... Witnesses: ..., Sir Thomas de Berkele, Sir Maurice de Berkele his son, Sir John Bluet, knights, ... (S) UKNA.

1294-5, Maurice accompanied his father Thomas, Lord Berkeley, in the expedition into Wales.

1295, King Edward’s “Model Parliament” established a pattern for the Commons, with 2 knights from each county and 2 burgesses from each town.

1295-1318, Maurice served in the Scottish wars.

3/30/1296, Thomas and his son Maurice participated in the siege of Berwick. King Edward captured Berwick-upon-Tweed, an important Scottish port of northeast England, sacked the town and massacred thousands of its inhabitants.

6/14/1296, King Edward captured Stirling castle, and then Edinburgh castle in an 8 day seige. The defeat was such that the Scot king, John de Baliol, abdicated and went into exile in France.

7/1297, Thomas indentured with Aymer de Valence for the Flanders campaign. [Thomas to be paid 4s a day, his 4 knights 2s a day, and each of 19 men-at-arms 1s a day. Thomas also supplied 24 horses for his retinue. There was also a supplement of 100 marks if the travel was overseas. A provision was made for Thomas’ son Maurice to head his own retinue of 2 knights and 8 men-at-arms, 60 marks for Thomas, and 40 for Maurice.]

1298-9, Eve’s mother died.

5/1298, Thomas indentured with his son Maurice, both as bannerets, for the Scotland campaign.

7/22/1298, Maurice (and his father) at the battle of Falkirk and the defeat of William Wallace. The Scots defensive position was strong, but based on spearmen with support of some cavalry and archers. Edward’s armored knights were repulsed by the amassed spear points. Edward brought up his Welsh longbowmen. They cut gaps into the Scottish ranks through which the mounted English knights could charge. The Scots were routed, but Wallace escaped.

1300, Maurice at the siege of Caerlaverock castle.

1301, Maurice’s father, Thomas de Berkeley, made a deed settling his estated in case he died in the upcoming battles. Maurice received the Somerset manor of Portbury, and around half the lordship, in return for a rent of £120. Maurice was also obligated to pay annuities of £54 to his brothers and sister, and other financial burdens on the estate such as rents to chantries. Maurice, set up at Portbury, now administered a large part of the estate.

7/6/1301, Sir Maurice de Berkeley with 2 knights and 9 horsemen in the retinue of Edward, prince of Wales in Scotland.

1303, Thomas and his son Maurice with the King in Scotland. Maurice seized and imprisoned a Bristol burgess named Richard Cornwall on a charge of murder. The men of Bristol liberated the captive, and Maurice declared they also took goods valued at 500 marks. This resulted in open conflict between Bristol and the Berkeleys. Ultimately, judges found for the town.

1/12/1307 at Shipman, William son of Hugh Malerbe; and Sir Maurice de Berkele, Eve his wife and Maurice their son. William has quitclaimed ... all the land and holdings ... in Barton and Wynescombe. (S) UKNA.

7/7/1307, Edward II succeeded Edward I as King of England.

1308-1321, Maurice summoned to parliament by writ.

1308, Half of the manor of Awre, opposite Berkeley on the other side of the Severn, with its appurtenant advowson and hundred of Bledisloe, granted to Maurice by his lord Aymer de Valence.

3/19/1309, Maurice’s mother Joan died.

7/5/1310 at Portbury, Maurice de Berkele; and Reginald vicar of Wenden and Agnes his sister. Maurice has granted to Reginald and Agnes 3 roods of meadow in Wendene at Kekesbregge, for their lives, rent 16d. a year. (S) UKNA.

8/8/1312, Commission to Maurice de Berkele, keeper of the town of Gloucester, to view the walls and dykes of the town and to repair them. (S) CPRs.

6/24/1314, Maurice captured at the battle of Bannockburn, Scotland, a defeat of King Edward II. Maurice was a commander of Welsh spearmen.  (S) Vita Edwardi Secundi.

12/5/1314, Eve died; buried at Portbury, Somerset.

[––Maurice––]

4/18/1315, The King gave Maurice custody of the castle and town of Berwick.

7/11/1315, Commission to Maurice de Berkele, keeper of the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, … (S) CPRs.

10/1315-2/1316, Maurice, Warden of Berwick-on-Tweed, sent letters to King Edward predicting that the town would be lost to the famine [of 1315-16.]

1315-16, Maurice married 2^nd Isabel de Clare, divorced wife of Earl Guy de Beauchamp (1249356). [No children.]

2/1316, Maurice reported that 24 men-at-arms and 60 foot soldiers were killed in the battle of Skaithmuir when they intercepted the forces of Sir James Douglas who was besieging Berwick.

11/24/1316, Mandate to Maurice de Berkele, justice of South Wales, … (S) CPRs.

3/20/1317, Mandate to Maurice de Berkele, justice of West Wales, … (S) CPRs.

1317-18, Maurice bought a holding on the west bank of the Severn, at Beachley.

4/24/1318, “Thomas de Berkeley, lord of Berkeley, and Maurice de Berkeley, son of Maurice, his [Thomas's] son …” (S) UKNA.

6/12/1318, “Thomas de Berkeley, lord of Berkeley; and Thomas de Berkeley, his son, and Isabel his [the son's] wife … Witnesses: Maurice, the grantor’s son, …” (S) UKNA.

1/7/1319, Maurice de Berkele, knight, son of Sir Thomas de Berkele, and Sir Thomas de Berkele, his lord and father. Maurice has granted to Thomas all his holding in Kyngeston Seynt Moor, with the advowson of one third of the church, which he had by grant of Laurence de Seynt Moor. (S) UKNA.

3/7/1320, Protection for one year, with the clause volumes for Maurice de Berkele, the elder, going to Gascony on the king’s service. By K. (S) CPRs. Maurice nominated Thomas son of Thomas de Berkele his attorney.

1320, Maurice de Berkeley, Seneschal of Gascony, traveled to France with his sons Thomas and Maurice, and with son-in-law John Mautravers, the younger.

5/1321, Hugh de Audley and Maurice de Berkeley at Newport in Wales, with 800 archers, 10,000 foot soldiers, and 500 light horse soldiers; attacked the De Spencers’ estates and captured tens-of-thousands of pounds in cash, household items, and livestock.

7/23/1321, Maurice age 40 and more at the death of his father; his inheritance valued at £975.

1321-22, Possessions of contrariants: Portbury Manor and Hundred: [Somerset] Bedminster Manor and Hundred,  Harclive Manor and Hundred (Possessions late of Maurice de Berkele, the elder): ... (S) UKNA.

1/20/1322, Maurice, surrendering, imprisoned by King Edward II at Wallingford.

1323, Isabel Crok (Crook), widow of Piers Crok, requests that her dower lands from her first husband in Olveston and Berwick be delivered to her. She received the lands following the death of her first husband, and then married FitzWilliam. He took the robes of Berkeley, a rebel and enemy of the king, and died in prison. (S) UKNA.

1325, Sir John de Goldingham attempted to rescue Maurice. (S) The Siege of Carlaverock, Nicolas, 1828, P316.

5/1326, Maurice, 2^nd Lord Berkeley, Baron of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, died while imprisoned; buried at St. Augustines, Bristol.

[––Post Mortem––]

1/24/1327, Edward III succeeded Edward II as King of England.

1327, IPM of Maurice at Somersetshire. Thomas Lord Berkeley his Son and Heir. [No IPM for Gloucester.] (S) Journals of the House of Lords, V60, 1828, P494.

6/8/1327, Isabel [d.1338] widow of Sir Maurice de Berkele and Sir Thomas de Berkele, her dear son, son and heir of Maurice. Whereas Thomas has granted to her the manors of Wotton and of Symondeshale, with the market town of Wottone, and a rent of £23 for her life from the manor of Bedemenystre for dower, Isabel has quitclaimed to Thomas all actions of dower. (S) UKNA.

(S) Magna Carta Ancestry, P70. (S) Berkeley Manuscripts: Abstracts and Extracts, Fosbroke, 1821. (S) Roll of Arms of Caerlaverock, Wright, 1908, P24. (S) UKNA, BCM. (S) PhD Thesis of Harvey, 1989, Univ. of St. Andrews.

Family notes:

·         1329, Lop Burgoun de Burdeaux states that when Maurice de Berkele was Seneschal of Gascony a sergeant of the King of France was captured and imprisoned in Bayonne castle ... (S) UKNA.

Children of Maurice and Eve:

i. Milicent de Berkeley (5910509), born ~1295 in England.

ii. Thomas de Berkeley (2954872), born 1296 in England.

iii. Isabel de Berkeley (624677), born ~1303 in England.

iv. Maurice de Berkeley, born ? in England.

Maurice married Margery, d/o Sir Alphonse de Vere (5910188).

Bef. 1321, Maurice granted the manor of Bradley, the reversions of his mother's lands in Somerset and Wiltshire, and of Kingston Seymour, totaling about £60 a year.

10/1330, Maurice was a member of the group of knights that helped King Edward III capture Roger de Mortimer and Queen Isabella.

1330, Maurice retained as a King’s banneret, and received royal grants. Maurice bought 3 more manors in Gloucestershire, King's Weston and Elberton, worth about £90 a year.

1/1334, ‘Morys’ attended the tournament at Dunstable.

1346, Maurice, of Stoke Giffard, died at the siege of Calais. (S) CPRs.

Child: Thomas de Berkeley, born 1334 in England. Thomas married Katherine Botetourt, d/o 624682. Lord John Botetourt & 624683. Joyce la Zouche.

v. Eudo de Berkeley, born ? in England.

8/1328, Eudo died.

vi. Peter de Berkeley, born ? in England.

Peter became a priest.

1341, Peter died.