Biography of Isabel Despencer Baroness Hastings and Bergavenny -1334

Paternal Family Tree: Despencer

Maternal Family Tree: Aoife ni Diarmait Macmurrough Countess Pembroke and Buckingham 1145-1188

Isabel Despencer Baroness Hastings and Bergavenny was born to Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester and Isabella Beauchamp.

On 18th October 1273 George Cantilupe 12th Baron Abergavenny [aged 21] died. His nephew [her future husband] John [aged 11] succeeded 13th Baron Abergavenny Feudal Creation.

Around 1280 Patrick Chaworth [aged 30] and [her mother] Isabella Beauchamp [aged 17] were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] William Beauchamp 9th Earl Warwick [aged 43] and [her grandmother] Maud Fitzjohn Countess Warwick [aged 42].

Before 1282 [her future husband] John Hastings 13th Baron Abergavenny 1st Baron Hastings [aged 19] and Isabel Valence Baroness Bergavenny Baroness Hastings were married. She by marriage Baroness Abergavenny Feudal Creation. She the daughter of William de Valence 1st Earl Pembroke and Joan Munchensi Countess Pembroke [aged 51]. They were sixth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

Before 1286 [her father] Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester [aged 24] and [her mother] Isabella Beauchamp [aged 22] were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] William Beauchamp 9th Earl Warwick [aged 48] and [her grandmother] Maud Fitzjohn Countess Warwick [aged 47].

On 24th June 1295 [her father] Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester [aged 34] was created 1st Baron Despencer with precedence from 24th June 1264. The precedence is based on his being summoned to a Parliament by Simon de Montfort 6th Earl of Leicester 1st Earl Chester, the validity of which is subject to discussion.

In January 1297 [her future husband] Ralph Monthermer 1st Earl of Gloucester and Hertford [aged 27] and Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford [aged 24] were married in secret greatly offending her father King Edward I of England [aged 57] who had been planning to marry her to Amadeus V "Great" Savoy [aged 47] in March. Ralph Monthermer 1st Earl of Gloucester and Hertford was imprisoned at Bristol Castle, Gloucestershire [Map]; he was released in August 1297. She the daughter of King Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England.

In August 1297 [her future husband] Ralph Monthermer 1st Earl of Gloucester and Hertford [aged 27] was created 1st Earl Gloucester, 1st Earl Hertford. There is some uncertainty as to whether these creations existed, or were created for life only, since they do appear to have been inherited, or whether there is confusion around his having been married to Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford [aged 25], the widow of the seventh Earl of the first creation Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford.

After 3rd May 1302 [her brother-in-law] Edward Burnell [aged 16] and [her sister] Aline Despencer Baroness Burnell were married. She the daughter of [her father] Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester [aged 41] and [her mother] Isabella Beauchamp [aged 39]. They were fourth cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

Before 30th May 1306 [her mother] Isabella Beauchamp [aged 43] died.

Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'

This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.

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After 14th July 1306 [her brother] Hugh "Younger" Despencer 1st Baron Despencer [aged 20] and [her sister-in-law] Eleanor Clare Baroness Zouche Mortimer [aged 13] were married. She the daughter of Gilbert "Red Earl" Clare 7th Earl Gloucester 6th Earl Hertford and Joan of Acre Countess Gloucester and Hertford [aged 34]. He the son of [her father] Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester [aged 45] and [her mother] Isabella Beauchamp. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England. She a granddaughter of King Edward I of England.

Before 1310 John Hastings 13th Baron Abergavenny 1st Baron Hastings [aged 47] and Isabel Despencer Baroness Hastings and Bergavenny were married. She by marriage Baroness Hastings, Baroness Abergavenny Feudal Creation. She the daughter of Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester [aged 48] and Isabella Beauchamp. They were third cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

In 1310 [her son] Hugh Hastings was born to [her husband] John Hastings 13th Baron Abergavenny 1st Baron Hastings [aged 47] and Isabel Despencer Baroness Hastings and Bergavenny at Sutton Scotney, Hampshire [Map]. He married his fifth cousin Margery Foliot and had issue.

In 1311 [her step-son] William Hastings [aged 29] died.

On 19th December 1311 [her brother-in-law] Edward Burnell [aged 25] was created 1st Baron Burnell. [her sister] Aline Despencer Baroness Burnell by marriage Baroness Burnell.

Around 1313 Ralph Monthermer 1st Earl of Gloucester and Hertford [aged 43] and Isabel Despencer Baroness Hastings and Bergavenny were married. She the daughter of Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester [aged 51] and Isabella Beauchamp.

On 28th February 1313 [her husband] John Hastings 13th Baron Abergavenny 1st Baron Hastings [aged 50] died. His son [her step-son] John [aged 26] succeeded 2nd Baron Hastings, 14th Baron Abergavenny Feudal Creation.

On 29th July 1314 [her brother] Hugh "Younger" Despencer 1st Baron Despencer [aged 28] was created 1st Baron Despencer.

In 1315 [her brother-in-law] Edward Burnell [aged 29] died. Baron Burnell extinct. His widow Aline Despencer Baroness Burnell retained Acton Burnell Castle [Map]. His sister Maud Burnell Baroness Lovel and Burnell [aged 25] inherited his estates.

On 19th April 1319 Thomas Beauchamp 11th Earl Warwick [aged 6] and Katherine Mortimer Countess Warwick [aged 5] were married. She by marriage Countess Warwick. An arranged marriage although not clear who arranged it or whose ward Thomas Beauchamp 11th Earl Warwick was (his father [her uncle] Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick had died four years before) - possibly by King Edward II of England [aged 34] as a means of securing the Welsh March. The Beauchamp family established, the Mortimer family aspirational. The marriage took place after Roger Mortimer 1st Earl March [aged 31] had returned from his tenure as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and before he rebelled against King Edward II of England in opposition to [her brother] Hugh "Younger" Despencer 1st Baron Despencer [aged 33]. She the daughter of Roger Mortimer 1st Earl March and Joan Geneville Baroness Mortimer 2nd Baroness Geneville [aged 33]. He the son of Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick and Alice Tosny Countess Warwick [aged 34]. They were half second cousin once removed. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King John of England.

Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes

Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.

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On 10th May 1322 [her father] Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester [aged 61] was created 1st Earl Winchester.

In 1324 Eleanor of Woodstock Plantagenet [aged 5] was placed into the care of her cousin [her sister-in-law] Eleanor Clare Baroness Zouche Mortimer [aged 31]. She was subsequently placed into the care of [her husband] Ralph Monthermer 1st Earl of Gloucester and Hertford [aged 54] (he had formerly been married to her aunt Joan of Acre and Isabel Despencer Baroness Hastings and Bergavenny with her younger sister Joan of the Tower [aged 2] at Pleshey Castle [Map].

On 5th April 1325 [her husband] Ralph Monthermer 1st Earl of Gloucester and Hertford [aged 55] died. Earl Gloucester, Earl Hertford extinct. His son [her step-son] Thomas [aged 23] succeeded 2nd Baron Monthermer.

Execution of the Despencers

On 27th October 1326 [her father] Hugh "Elder" Despencer 1st Earl Winchester [aged 65] was hanged, drawn and quartered at Bristol, Gloucestershire [Map]. Earl Winchester, Baron Despencer forfeit as a result of attainder.

                    On 24th November 1326 [her brother] Hugh "Younger" Despencer 1st Baron Despencer [aged 40] was hanged, drawn and quartered in Hereford [Map]. Baron Despencer forfeit.
                
                    Simon of Reading was also hanged, drawn and quartered the same day.
                
                    Isabella of France Queen Consort England [aged 31] and Roger Mortimer 1st Earl March [aged 39] were present - see     
    Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker.