Elizabeth le Despenser, Baroness Berkeley

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Elizabeth le Despenser
Baroness Berkeley
Born1327
Tower of London, London, England
Died13 July 1389
BuriedSt Botolph's Aldgate, London, England
Spouse(s)Maurice de Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley
IssueThomas de Berkeley, 5th Lord Berkeley
James de Berkeley
John de Berkeley
Maurice de Berkeley
Catherine de Berkeley
Agnes de Berkeley
Elizabeth de Berkeley
FatherHugh Despenser the Younger
MotherEleanor de Clare

Elizabeth le Despenser (c. 1327 – 13 July 1389) was an English noblewoman. She was the youngest daughter of Hugh le Despenser the younger and his wife Eleanor de Clare.[1] Her father is famous for being the favourite of Edward II of England; he was executed as a result of his position and actions. Through her mother, Elizabeth was a great granddaughter of King Edward I of England.

Early life[edit]

The exact date of her birth is disputed; it is possible that she (or her brother John) was born in December 1325. She may have been born to her mother sometime after her father's death, as she was not forced to take the veil like three of her older sisters. Not much else is known about her youth until August 1338, when she was sent to the care of her maternal aunt Elizabeth de Clare after her mother Eleanor's death the previous year.[2]

Marriage and later life[edit]

In August 1338, she married Maurice de Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley, who was ironically a grandson of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, the man largely responsible for the execution of Elizabeth's father Hugh. She and her husband had four sons and three daughters.[3]

As a widow Elizabeth married Sir Maurice Wyth.[4]

Death[edit]

Elizabeth le Despenser, Baroness Berkeley died on 13 July 1389. She was buried at St Botolph's Aldgate, London, England.[1]

Ancestry[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Lundy, Darryl. "The Peerage: Elizabeth le Despencer". Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  2. ^ Higginbotham, Susan. "Elizabeth le Despenser"[permanent dead link]; retrieved 1 October 2009.
  3. ^ Smyth, John (1883). Lives of the Berkeleys. Vol. 1. p. 374.
  4. ^ Wells-Furby, Bridget (2004). A Catalogue of the Medieval Manuscripts of Berkeley Castle. Vol. 17. Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society. p. 523.
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