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Monday, June 14, 2010

Baron Maurice de Berkeley & Elizabeth le Despenser

1477436. Baron Maurice de Berkeley & 1477437. Elizabeth le Despenser

~1325, Maurice born in England, s/o 2954872. Thomas de Berkeley & 2954873. Margaret de Mortimer.

1/24/1327, Edward III, age 14, succeeded Edward II as King of England.

12/1325, Elizabeth born in England, d/o 2954874. Hugh le Despenser & 2954875. Eleanor de Clare. [On 12/14/1325, King Edward II made and offering to the Virgin Mary in thanks that God had granted Eleanor (her mother) a ‘prompt delivery of her child.’]

5/5/1337, Maurice’s mother died.

1337, Thomas granted Maurice the Bristol block of the patrimony (Portbury, Bedminster and their hundreds), initially at an annual rent of 400 marks, which was gradually reduced.

[––Maurice & Elizabeth––]

8/1338, Maurice married to Elizabeth. Maurice’s father Thomas settled on them in jointure the lordship manor of Hurst.

1340-41, Maurice joined the crusades in Spain.

1342. By his father, Maurice was granted the manor of Wenden, and the £10 rent from Bridgwater.

7/12/1346, King Edward landed an invasion force of 10000 in Normandy, which marched north plundering the countryside. King Philip VI, with 8000 horsemen and 4000 Genoese crossbowmen pursued.

7/26/1346 at Caen, capital of Normandy, Edward’s forces captured the city; and Raoul, Count of Eu, Constable of France, and Jean de Tancarville, Grand Chamberlain of France.

8/26/1346, Battle of Crecy, north of Paris. Edward III vs. Philip VI, heralded the rise of the longbow as the dominant weapon, and also saw the use of the ribauldequin, an early cannon, by the English. The English longbowmen could fire much more quickly than the Genoese, with a killing range of 250 yards.

9/1346, The English began the year-long siege of the port of Calais.

By 1347, Maurice knighted.

1347, Sir Maurice at the siege of Calais [ended 8/1347], a knight banneret with 70 men in his contingent under Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick. (S) English Historical Documents 1327-1485, Myers, 1996, P497.

4/8/1348, Maurice son of Thomas de Berkele granted a market and fair at Portbury, Somerset. (S) Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs to 1516.

4/20/1348, Thomas de Berkeley and St. Augustine's Abbey. Thomas has granted 2 messuages and 20s. rent to a chaplain to sing in St. Augustine's Abbey for the soul of Margaret his wife and for himself, … Witnesses: Sir Maurice de Berkeley, the grantor's eldest son, … (S) UKNA.

1/10/1349, Licence for Thomas de Berkele to enfeoff … reminders to Maurice de Berkele, his son, in tail male, … and Katharine, his wife [de Clivedon – Maurice’s stepmother]. (S) CPRs.

1/18/1349, [And by Deeds of Feoffement the same year, and a fine levied at Easter] Thomas Lord Berkeley by virtue of the King’s Licence entailed the Castle of Berkeley, and the Manor … on himself for life ; Remainder to the Maurice de Berkeley his Son, in Tail Male ; Remainder to the Heirs Male of the said Thomas by Katherine his second wife ; Remainder to his own right Heirs. (S) Journals of the House of Lords, V60, 1828, P494.

4/22/1349 at Berkeley, Maurice de Berkeley, son of Sir Thomas de Berkeley, and the hospital of Holy Trinity of Longbridge near Berkeley. Maurice has granted to the hospital an annual rent of 2s. 6d. due from … manor of Hamme, …; and the hospital will distribute 1d. to the chaplain, 2d. among the clerks and 6d. among the poor on the anniversaries of Margaret, Maurice's mother, and of Maurice, and 1d. to the chaplain, 2d. among the clerks and 13d. among the poor on the anniversaries of his wife Elizabeth, of Katherine lady of Berkeley, and of Sir Nicholas de Poyns. (S) UKNA.

1349, The Black Death began in the west countryside of England.

6/23/1350 at Berkeley, Maurice de Berkelee, knight, and his lord Sir Thomas lord of Berkelee, his father. Maurice has granted to Thomas, for Maurice's life, an annual rent of £100 from Maurice's manor of Portbur' (Somerset). (S) UKNA.

10/16/1351 at Berkeley, Maurice de Berkeley, son and heir of Thomas de Berkeley, and the hospital of Holy Trinity, of Longbridge by Berkeley. Maurice has granted to the hospital the holding in Berkeley which Richard le Panter sometime held, and the hospital will distribute every year on the anniversaries of Richard and Alice his wife 2s. in bread to the poor. (S) UKNA.

1/13/1353 at Potbury, By Maurice de Berkeley, lord of Portbury, to Richard Oldemyxon, Anne his wife and William his brother, of a messuage and half-virgate in Uphulle, rent 2s. a year for the first 2 years, and thereafter 30s. 4d. a year. (S) UKNA.

8/31/1354 at Potbury, By Maurice de Berkeley, lord of Portbury, to John Ive and Alice his wife, of a holding in Crikeston as Robert Parsayea held it; for their lives, rent 8s. a year. (S) UKNA.

9/9/1355, King Edward and Henry, duke of Lancaster, sail for Normandy from Plymouth, with the Black Prince who had been appointed lieutenant in Gascony; to oppose raids by the count of Armagnac.

11/2/1355, King Edward III landing in Calais, proceeds on raids into Pas de Calais, Artois and Picady.

9/19/1356, Maurice, a commander in Gascony, distinguished himself at the battle of Poitiers, France, where he was wounded and taken prisoner. Edward, the Black Prince, defeated a larger French and allied army led by King John II of France, leading to the capture of the French king, his son, and much of the French nobility.

1357-1359, Maurice held prisoner in France,

2/12/1360, Notification that, at the request of the earl and countess of Arundel, the count of Salebregge has obtained from those who hold Maurice de Berkele, ‘chivalerm’ prisoner the he shall have term to come to England about his business there until the twentieth day after Michaelmas, at which day he must return to prison, and the king will not hinder his return. (S) CPRs.

1360, Maurice released, paying half of his ransom of £1080, and agreeing to pay the rest. [Maurice’s wounds were extensive, likely preventing him from participating in future expeditions.]

10/27/1361, Maurice’s father, Thomas, “the Rich”, 3rd Lord Berkeley died.

1362, Writ of Seizin to the Sheriff of Gloucester, reciting the Entail, to deliver possession to Maurice Lord Berkeley of the Castle … (S) Journals of the House of Lords, V60, 1828, P494.

1362-64, Account of sales by the executors of the late Thomas Lord Berkeley to Maurice lord Berkeley. (S) UKNA.

1362-1367, Maurice summoned to parliament.

10/24/1362, Henry Wythur of Wotton; and Sir Maurice de Berkele, lord of Berkeley, and Katherine de Berkele, lady of Wotton. Henry has quitclaimed to Maurice and Katherine, and Maurice's heirs, a half-burgage in Wottone. (S) UKNA.

1/18/1364 at Berkeley, Lady Katherine de Berkele, lady of Wotton, and Sir Maurice lord of Berkele. Katherine has received her dower … that she will take a third part of the profts at four annual terms, and the lady has granted that if the marriage of John her son is declared by law to be the right of the lord of Berkele, this indenture will be void. (S) UKNA.

12/21/1364 at Berkeley, John son of Odo de Actone and Sir Maurice lord of Berkele. John has quitclaimed to Maurice the lands and holdings which Maurice holds in Slymbrugge, Kyngestone, Gosyntone and Hurste, and elsewhere within the lordship of Berkele, which Odo his father formerly held. (S) UKNA.

1365, Maurice and Elizabeth received papal indults for a portable alter and to clelbrate mass before daybreak.

7/10/1365, Maurice de Berkelee and Richard de Acton, knight. Maurice has granted to Richard his villein Richard Fallewelle of Kyngustone. (S) UKNA.

4/1/1366, Commitment during pleasure, to Maurice de Berkele, … knights, … of the keeping of the abbey of St. Augustine, Bristol, … (S) CPRs.

1366, Rents of the lord [Maurice] de Berkele within and without Redcliff Gate; items are 'within the gate of Redeclyve', Fuller Street, Templar Street and St. Thomas Street [Bristol]. (S) UKNA.

6/3/1368, Maurice, 9th Baron Berkeley, died; buried with his mother at St. Augustine’s in Bristol.

[––Elizabeth––]

1368, Elizabeth was granted Wenden (Essex), two-thirds of Portbury and Portishead and Uphill (Som.), the small holding at Chicklade (Wilts.), and the manors of Coaley, Upton and Awre, and the small holding at St. Chloe (Glos.) in dower, and already held Hurst (with a rent from Cam) in jointure, combined worth £720 yearly. Son Thomas’ directly inherited lands were worth £540 yearly.

4/24/1371, John de Welyntone, lord of Umberleigh, knight, and Lady Elizabeth, widow of Maurice son of Thomas de Berkele, lord of Berkeley, Maurice's executrix. John has quitclaimed to Elizabeth and her co-executors, John Sergeant, William de Chiltenham and John Hille, for the marriage and custody of the body of Maurice son and heir of Maurice Berkele of Comptone Greneville. (S) UKNA.

Bef. 5/29/1372, Elizabeth married 2nd Sir Maurice Wyth.

12/8/1378 at Portbury, By Sir Maurice Wyth and Elizabeth his wife, to William Pynchard of Loxton, Alice his wife and John their son, of a holding in Crytheston by Banewell, for Elizabeth's life; rent 8s. a year and heriot. (S) UKNA.

1383, Maurice Wyth died. [Mauirce had purchased lands worth over £300 yearly during his life. These were granted to his younger sons as almost all of the other properties had been inherited ‘in tail male’.] Maurice’s total estate valued at £1,050 yearly.

7/13/1389, Elizabeth died; buried at St. Botolph’s in London.

(S) Magna Carta Ancestry, P72. (S) UKNA, BCM.

Family notes:

·         Contemporary with this Maurice [cousins]: Maurice de Berkeley [d.1347], son of Maurice de Berkeley; Maurice, Lord of Compton and Greenfield; Sir Maurice de Berkeley, lord of Brimpsfield and brother of the Lady de Clifford.

Children of Maurice and Elizabeth: [4 sons, 3 daughters]

i. Thomas Berkeley (738718), born 1/5/1353 in England.

ii. Maurice de Berkeley, born ? in England.

Bef. 1366, Maurice died.

iii. James Berkeley, born ? in England.

1366, Little Marshfield was settled on James in tail male.

James married a Marcher heiress, Elizabeth Bluet.

1394, James’ son James born.

1405, James Berkeley died fighting the Welsh under Glendower; his heir his son James.

7/13/1417, James uncle Thomas died; leaving a female heiress, … her lands worth a total of £725 yearly. (S) Journals of the House of Lords, V60, 1828, P494. [The estate was divided between his daughter and his nephew James Berkeley. James direct inheritance was worth £1000 yearly due to ‘male entails’ of the ancestors, including those inherited from his father. The division of the inheritance would involve lawsuits for 2 centuries.]


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