John Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp 1319-1388

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. In this year,¹ on the feast day of Saint George [23rd April 1350], the king held a great banquet at Windsor Castle [Map], where he established a chantry of twelve priests, and founded a hospital, in which impoverished knights, whose means were insufficient, could, in the service of the Lord, receive suitable support from the perpetual alms of the founders of that college. Besides the king, other nobles contributed to the foundation of this hospital, namely: the king's eldest son, the Earl of Northampton [aged 40], the Earl of Warwick [aged 37], the Earl of Suffolk [aged 51], the Earl of Salisbury [aged 21], and other barons. Also included were simple knights, such as: Roger de Mortimer [aged 21], now Earl of March, Lord Walter de Mauny [aged 40], Lord William FitzWarin [aged 34], John de Lisle [aged 14], John de Mohun [aged 30], John de Beauchamp [aged 31], Walter de Pavely [aged 31], Thomas Wale [aged 47] and Hugh de Wrottesley [aged 16]. Men whose proven virtue ranked them among the wealthiest earls. Together with the king, all these men were clothed in robes of powdered russet, with garters of Indian colour, also wearing garters on their right legs, and mantles of blue, adorned with the shield of Saint George. In such attire, bareheaded, they devoutly attended a solemn Mass, sung by the bishops of Canterbury, Winchester, and Exeter. They then sat together at a common table, in honour of the holy martyr, to whom they dedicated this noble brotherhood, calling their company "The Knights of Saint George of the Garter."

Isto anno, in die sancti Georgii, rex celebravit grande convivium apud Wyndesore in castro, ubi instituit cantariam xij. sacerdotum, et fundavit zenodochium, in quo milites depauperati, quibus sua non sufficerent, possent in Domini servitute de perpetuis elemosinis fundatorum illius collegii sustentacionem competentem habere. Preter regem fuerunt alii compromittentes in fundacionem istius zenodochii, scilicet regis primogenitus, comes Norhamptonie, comes Warewici, comes Suthfolchie, comes Salisbiriensis, et alii barones; simplices quoque milites, scilicet Rogerus de Mortuo mari, nunc comes Marchie, dominus Walterus de Magne, dominus Willelmus filius Garini, Iohannes de Insula, Iohannes de Mohun, Iohannes de Bealchampe, Walterus de Pavely, Thomas Wale, et Hughe de Wrotesley, quos probitas experta ditissimis comitibus associavit. Una cum rege fuerunt omnes isti vestiti togis de russeto pulverizato cum garteriis Indie coloris, habentes eciam tales garterias in tibiis dextris, et mantella de blueto cum scutulis armorum sancti Georgii. Tali apparatu nudi capita audierunt devote missam celebrem per antistites Cantuariensem, Wintoniensem, et Exoniensem decantatam, et conformiter sederunt in mensa communi ob honourem sancti martiris, cui tam nobilem fraternitatem specialiter intitularunt, appellantes istorum comitivam sancti Georgii de la gartiere.

Note 1. Stow Annales 390: "This yeere, on Saint Georges day [23rd April 1350], the king held a great and solemne feast at his castle of Windsor, where he had augmented the chappel which Henry the first and other his progenitors, kings of England, had before erected, of eight chanons. He added to those eight chanons a deane and fifteene chanons more, and 24 poore and impotent knights, with other ministers and servants, as appeareth in his charter dated the two and twentieth of his reigne. Besides the king, there were other also that were contributors to the foundation of this colledge, as followeth: i. The sovereigne king Edward the third, 2. Edward, his eldest sonne, prince of Wales, 3. Henry, duke of Lancaster, 4. the earle of Warwicke, 5. Captaine de Bouch [aged 19], 6. Ralph, earle of Stafford [aged 48], 7. William Montacute, earle of Salisburie, 8. Roger, lorde Mortimer, earle of March, 9. sir John de Lisle [aged 31], 10. sir .

It will be seen that Stow here alters the names to tally with the list of the original knights or First Founders of the order of the Garter. Baker seems to be anticipating. William Bohun, 1st earl of Northampton, and Robert Ufford, 1st earl of Suffolk, and sir William Fitz-Warine became knights of the order at an early date; but Roger Mortimer, here styled 'now Earl of March,' did not have that title before 1352, and sir Walter Manny did not receive the garter till the end of 1359.

The date of the foundation of the order of the Garter has never been exactly determined. Froissart 203.

Adam Murimuth Continuation

The Brute chronicle (Egerton MS. 650) has this description, although under a wrong year: "And in the XIX yere of his regne, anone aftre, in Jannuere, before Lenten, the same kyng Edward lete make fulle noble iustice and grete festes in the place of hys byrth, at Wyndsore, that ther were never none suche seyne before that tyme, ne I trowe sythene. At whech iustice, festis and ryalte weryn II kinges, II quenys, and the prince of Wales and the duke of Cornewale, ten erles, nine countesse, many barons, knyghttes, and worthy burgesse, the whech myght not lyghtly be nombrede; and also of dyverse londes as byyonde the see were many strangers. And at that tyme, whene the iustes had done, the kyng Edward made a grete souper, in the wheche he begone fyrst hys round table, and ordayned stedfastly the day of the forsayd table to be holde ther at Wyndessore in the Whytesonwyke evermore yerely."

Relying on the date given in the statutes of the order and on this passage in Baker, writers on the subject have adopted 1349 or 1350 as the year of foundation. But an entry in the household-book of the Black Prince affords a reason for dating the event a year earlier, payment having been made on the 18th November 1348, for twenty-four garters which were given by the prince "militibus de societate garterias" i.e. "garters [were given] to the knights of the society"; Beltz, Memorials of the Order of the Garter, pp. XXXII, 385. Proof however is not conclusive, as the ministers' accounts in the household-book were rendered between 1352 and 1365, and there is therefore room for error; moreover, the garters in question may have been prepared in anticipation. The date of 1349, which is given in the preamble to the earliest copies of the statutes, although it is true that those copies are not contemporary, is not to be lightly set aside. It is, indeed, most probable that the order was never solemnly instituted at an early period, but that it was gradually taking shape during the years following the foundation of the Round Table. Edward's patent, bearing date of 22nd August 1348, whereby he instituted a chapel at Windsor, with a fraternity of eight secular canons and a warden, fifteen other canons, and four-and-twenty poor knights, appears to be the first formal document which can be quoted as a foundation-deed of the order. After this there is no direct reference to it until 1350, when robes were issued for the King against the coming Feast of St. George, together with a Garter containing the King's motto, "Hony soyt qui mal y pense!" Nicolas, History of Orders of Knighthood, 1.24.

Westminster Chronicle. On the first day of January [1388], after council had been held at Westminster, they caused several men to be arrested, namely Sir Thomas Trivet [aged 57], Sir Simon Burley [aged 48], Lord John Beauchamp [aged 69], Sir Nicholas Dagworth, Sir William Elmham [aged 52], Sir James Berners, Sir John Salisbury, and Sir Nicholas Brembre, knights. Also Sir Richard Medford, Sir Richard Clifford, and Sir John Lincoln, clerks. All these, for the sake of custody, were sent by the aforesaid lords to various strongholds until the next Parliament. Also, these lords compelled several others to abjure the court, especially those named below: the bishop of Durham, the bishop of Chichester, Sir Baldwin Bereford, Sir Richard Abberbury, Sir John Worth, the son of Lord Clifford, Sir John Lovell, Sir Zouche, Sir Beaumont, Sir Burnell, Sir Aubrey de Vere [aged 50], Lord Thomas Camoys [aged 37], and Sir Thomas Blount [aged 36]. All these were sworn not to enter the king’s court at all. At that time they were called knights and famous men, distinguished by many virtues. Three ladies also abjured the lord king’s court at that time, namely Lady Poynings [aged 26]¹, Lady Mohun [aged 69]², and Lady Moleyns [aged 52]³. John Blake, however, remained in the custody of the lords.

Primo namque die Januarii celebrato apud Westmonasterium consilio plures arestari fecerunt, videlicet dominum Thomam Tryvet, dominum Simonem Burle, dominum Johannem Beauchamp, dominum Nicholaum Daggeworthe, dominum Willelmum Elmham, dominum Jacobum Berneres, dominum Johannem Salisbury et dominum Nicholaum Brembre milites. Item dominum Ricardum Medford, dominum Ricardum Clifford et dominum Johannem Lincoln clericos, qui omnes causa custodiæ ad diversa fortalitia erant per dominos prædietos transmissi usque ad proximum parliamentum. Item isti domini cogerunt curiam abjurare inter alios specialiter infrascriptos. Episcopum Dunelmensem, episcopum Cicestrensem, dominum Paldewinn de Bereford, dominum Ricarduam de Abberisbury, dominum Johannem Worthe, fillum domini de Clyfford, dominum Johannem Lovell, dominum de la Souche, dominum de Beaumond, dominum de Burnell, dominum Aubrey de Veer, dominum Thomam Caymos, dominum Thomam Blount; omnes isti fuerunt jurati ne omnino in curiam regis intrarent, qui illo in tempore erant milites nominati et viri famosi multisque virtutibus insigniti. Abjurarunt etiam curiam domini regis tunc temporis tres dominæ scilicet domina de Ponyngg, domina de Mohon, et domina de Molyns. Johannes vero Blake remansit in custodia dominorum.

Note 1. Richard Poynings, 3rd Baron, died in 1387. His son Robert Poynings 4th Baron Poynings [aged 5] succeeded at the age of five. He didn't marry until 1397 so this Lady Poynings is probably Richard's widow Isabella Grey, 1362-1394, daughter of Robert Grey [aged 67], Baron Fitzpayne.

Note 2. Joan Burghesh, 1319-1404, daughter of Bartholemew 'the Elder', 1st Baron Burghesh, widow of John Mohun, 2nd Baron Mohun of Dunster, who died in 1375.

Note 3. Margery Bacon, 1336-1399, daughter Edmund Bacon, widow of William de Moleyns.

On 3rd February 1388 the Merciless Parliament commenced. It ended on 4th June 1388. Its primary function was to prosecute members of the Court of King Richard II of England [aged 21]. The term "Merciless" is contemporary having been coined by the chronicler Henry Knighton.

Michael de la Pole 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 58] was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered in his absence. He had escaped to France. Earl Suffolk and Baron Pole forfeit.

Archbishop Alexander Neville [aged 47] was found guilty of treason and it was determined to imprison him for life in Rochester Castle, Kent [Map]. He fled to Louvain [Map] where he became a parish priest for the remainder of his life.

On 19th February 1388 Robert Tresilian was hanged naked and his throat cut. See Chronicle of Adam of Usk.

On 25th March 1388 Nicholas Brembre was hanged. He was buried at Christ Church, Greyfriars [Map].

On 5th May 1388 Simon Burley [aged 48] was executed despite the protestations of his friend Edmund of Langley 1st Duke of York [aged 46]. See Chronicle of Adam of Usk.

On 12th May 1388 John Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp [aged 69] was beheaded at Tower Hill [Map]. He was buried at Worcester Cathedral [Map]. Baron Beauchamp of Kidderminster forfeit.

Robert de Vere 1st Duke Ireland [aged 26] was attainted.