Edward le Despenser

Edward le Despenser
Died 1342
Vannes, Brittany
Spouse(s) Anne Ferrers
Issue
Father Hugh le Despenser the Younger
Mother Eleanor de Clare
Arms of Despencer: Quarterly 1st & 4th: Argent; 2nd & 3rd: Gules, a fret or, over all a bend sable

Edward le Despenser (died 1342) was a son of Hugh le Despenser the Younger by his wife Eleanor de Clare.[1][2] His father, a favourite of Edward II of England, was executed in 1326. Through his mother, he was a great-grandson of Edward I of England.

Early life

Although his exact whereabouts before the execution of his father are unknown, it is believed that he was among the children living with their mother Eleanor during her imprisonment in the Tower of London (November 1326 - February 1328).[3] He was clearly too young to be seen as a threat to Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer, unlike his older brother, Hugh (who was imprisoned by the two in 1327).

Marriage and children

After coming into his estates in November 1334, he soon married Anne Ferrers of Groby, (sister of Henry, Lord Ferrers). They had four surviving sons:

Later life

Like a few of his brothers, Edward served in Edward III's military campaigns. In 1342, he accompanied his older brother Hugh to mainland Europe.[3] Although they were originally heading for Gascony, they were diverted to Brest to aid King Edward's ally the Countess of Montfort in the Breton Civil War. On September 30, 1342, he and his brother's forces joined the English and helped achieve a victory against the French army at Morlaix.[3] Edward died during the siege of Vannes.[4]

Ancestry

References

  1. ↑ Burke 1885, p. 793.
  2. 1 2 Pugh 2004.
  3. 1 2 3 Higginbotham, Susan. "Edward le Despenser". Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  4. ↑ Lane-Poole 1900.

Works cited

  • Burke, Bernard (1885). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage. 47. Harrison and Sons.
  •  Lane-Poole, Reginald (1900). "Despenser, Henry le (DNB00)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  • Pugh, T.B. (2004). "Despenser, Edward, first Lord Despenser (1336–1375)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/7550. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
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