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Birth:          2 Sep 1243 Christchurch, Hampshire, England
Death:          7 Dec 1295 Monmouth Castle, Monmouthshire, England
Burial:         22 Dec 1295 Tewksbury Abbey, Gloucestershire, England

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_de_Clare,_7th_Earl_of_Gloucester
Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester, 3rd Lord of Glamorgan, 
9th Lord of Clare (2 September 1243 – 7 December 1295) was a powerful English 
noble. Also known as "Red" Gilbert de Clare or "The red earl", probably because of 
his hair colour or fiery temper in battle.[1] He held the Lordship of Glamorgan which 
was one of the most powerful and wealthy of the Welsh Marcher Lordships as well as 
over 200 English manors (172 in the Honor of Clare).[2]
Lineage[edit]

Gilbert de Clare was born at Christchurch, Hampshire, the son of Richard de Clare, 
Earl of Hertford and Gloucester, and of Maud de Lacy, Countess of Lincoln, daughter 
of John de Lacy and Margaret de Quincy.[3] Gilbert inherited his father's estates in 
1262. He took on the titles, including Lord of Glamorgan, from 1263. Being under age 
at his father's death, he was made a ward of Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of 
Hereford.

Massacre of the Jews at Canterbury[edit]

In April 1264, Gilbert de Clare led the massacre of the Jews at Canterbury,[4] as Simon 
de Montfort had done in Leicester. Gilbert de Clare’s castles of Kingston and 
Tonbridge were taken by the King, Henry III. However, the King allowed de Clare's 
Countess Alice de Lusignan, who was in the latter, to go free because she was his 
niece; but on 12 May de Clare and de Montfort were denounced as traitors.

The Battle of Lewes[edit]

Two days later, just before the Battle of Lewes, on 14 May, Simon de Montfort 
knighted the Earl and his brother Thomas. The Earl commanded the central division of 
the Baronial army, which formed up on the Downs west of Lewes. When Prince 
Edward had left the field in pursuit of Montfort's routed left wing, the King and Earl of 
Cornwall were thrown back to the town. Henry took refuge in the Priory of St Pancras, 
and Gilbert accepted the surrender of the Earl of Cornwall, who had hidden in a 
windmill. Montfort and the Earl were now supreme and de Montfort in effect de facto 
King of England.

Excommunication[edit]

On 20 October 1264, Gilbert and his associates were excommunicated by Pope 
Clement IV, and his lands placed under an interdict.[citation needed] In the following 
month, by which time they had obtained possession of Gloucester and Bristol, the Earl 
was proclaimed to be a rebel. However at this point he changed sides as he fell out 
with de Montfort and the Earl, in order to prevent de Montfort's escape, destroyed 
ships at the port of Bristol and the bridge over the River Severn at Gloucester.[citation 
needed]Having changed sides, de Clare shared the Prince's victory at Kenilworth on 
16 July, and in the Battle of Evesham, 4 August, in which de Montfort was slain, he 
commanded the second division and contributed largely to the victory.[citation 
needed]On 24 June 1268 he took the Cross at Northampton in repentance and 
contrition for his past misdeeds.[citation needed][clarification needed]

Activities as a Marcher Lord[edit]

In October 1265, as a reward for supporting Prince Edward, Gilbert was given the 
castle and title of Abergavenny and honour and castle of Brecknock. At Michaelmas 
his disputes with Llewelyn the Last were submitted to arbitration, but without a final 
settlement. Meanwhile, he was building Caerphilly Castle into a fortress.[5] At the end 
of the year 1268 he refused to obey the King's summons to attend parliament, alleging 
that, owing to the constant inroads of Llewelyn the Last, his Welsh estates needed his 
presence for their defence. At the death of Henry III, 16 November 1272, the Earl 
took the lead in swearing fealty to Edward I, who was then in Sicily on his return from 
the Crusade. The next day, with the Archbishop of York, he entered London and 
proclaimed peace to all, Christians and Jews, and for the first time, secured the 
acknowledgment of the right of the King's eldest son to succeed to the throne 
immediately.Thereafter he was joint Guardian of England, during the King's absence, 
and on the new King's arrival in England, in August 1274, entertained him at 
Tonbridge Castle.

The Welsh war in 1282[edit]

See also: Conquest of Wales by Edward I

During Edward's invasion of Wales in 1282, de Clare insisted on leading an attack into 
southern Wales. King Edward made de Clare the commander of the southern army 
invading Wales. However, de Clare's army faced disaster after being heavily defeated 
at the Battle of Llandeilo Fawr. Following this defeat, de Clare was relieved of his 
position as the southern commander and was replaced by William de Valence, 1st Earl 
of Pembroke (whose son had died during the battle).

Private Marcher War[edit]

In the next year, 1291, he quarrelled with the Earl of Hereford, Humphrey de Bohun, 
3rd Earl of Hereford, grandson of his onetime guardian, about the Lordship of 
Brecknock, where de Bohun accused de Clare of building a castle on his land 
culminated in a private war between them. Although it was a given right for Marcher 
Lords to wage private war the King tested this right in this case, first calling them 
before a court of their Marcher peers, then realising the outcome would be coloured 
by their likely avoidance of prejudicing one of their greatest rights they were both 
called before the superior court, the Kings own. At this both were imprisoned by the 
King, both sentenced to having their lands forfeit for life and de Clare, the Earl of 
Gloucester, as the aggressor, was fined 10,000 marks, and the Earl of Hereford 1,000 
marks.They were released almost immediately and both of their lands completely 
restored to them - however they had both been taught a very public lesson and their 
prestige diminished and the King's authority shown for all.

Marriage and succession[edit]

Gilbert's first marriage was to Alice de Lusignan, also known as Alice de Valence, the 
daughter of Hugh XI of Lusignan and of the family that succeeded the Marshal family 
to the title of the Earl of Pembroke in the person of William de Valence, 1st Earl of 
Pembroke. They married in 1253, when Gilbert was ten years old. She was of high 
birth, being a niece of King Henry, but the marriage floundered. Gilbert and Alice 
separated in 1267; allegedly, Alice's affections lay with her cousin, Prince Edward. 
Previous to this, Gilbert and Alice had produced two daughters: Isabella de Clare (10 
March 1262 – 1333), after a marriage with Guy de Beauchamp, 10th Earl of Warwick 
having been contemplated, or possibly having taken place and then annulled, married 
Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley Joan de Clare (1264-after 1302), married (1) 
Duncan Macduff, 7th Earl of Fife; (2) Gervase Avenel.

After his marriage to Alice de Lusignan was annulled in 1285, Gilbert married Joan of 
Acre, a daughter of King Edward I of England and his first wife Eleanor of Castile. 
King Edward sought to bind de Clare, and his assets, more closely to the Crown by this 
means. By the provisions of the marriage contract, their joint possessions and de 
Clare's extensive lands could only be inherited by a direct descendant, i.e. close to 
the Crown, and if the marriage proved childless, the lands would pass to any children 
Joan may have by further marriage.

On 3 July 1290, the Earl gave a great banquet at Clerkenwell to celebrate his marriage 
of 30 April 1290 with Joan of Acre (1272 - 23 April 1307) after waiting for the Pope to 
sanction the marriage. Edward then gave large estates to Gilbert, including one in 
Malvern. Disputed hunting rights on these led to several armed conflicts with 
Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford, that Edward resolved.[6] Gilbert made gifts 
to the Priory, and also had a "great conflict" about hunting rights and a ditch that he 
dug, with Thomas de Cantilupe, Bishop of Hereford, that was settled by costly 
litigation.[7] Gilbert had a similar conflict with Godfrey Giffard, Bishop and 
Administrator of Worcester Cathedral (and formerly Chancellor of England. Godfrey, 
who had granted land to the Priory, had jurisdictional disputes about Malvern Priory, 
resolved by Robert Burnell, the then Chancellor.[8] Thereafter, Gilbert and Joan are 
said to have taken the Cross and set out for the Holy Land. In September, he signed 
the Barons' letter to the Pope, and on 2 November, surrendered to the King his claim 
to the advowson of the Bishopric of Llandaff.

Gilbert and Joan had one son: also Gilbert, and three daughters: Eleanor, Margaret 
and Elizabeth. Gilbert, Earl of Hertford and Gloucester (1291–1314) succeeded to his 
father's titles and was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn. Eleanor de Clare (1292–
1337) married Hugh Despenser the Younger, favourite of her uncle Edward II. Hugh 
was executed in 1326, and Eleanor married secondly William de la Zouche. Margaret 
de Clare (1293–1342) married firstly Piers Gaveston (executed in 1312) and then Hugh 
de Audley. The youngest sister Elizabeth de Clare (1295–1360) married John de Burgh 
in 1308 at Waltham Abbey, then Theobald of Verdun in 1316, and finally Roger 
d'Amory in 1317. Each marriage was brief, produced one child (a son by the 1st, 
daughters by the 2nd and 3rd), and left Elizabeth a widow.

Death and burial[edit]

He died at Monmouth Castle on 7 December 1295, and was buried at Tewkesbury 
Abbey, on the left side of his grandfather Gilbert de Clare. His extensive lands were 
enjoyed by his surviving wife Joan of Acre until her death in 1307. Gilbert and Joan 
had a descendant named Ursula Hildyard of Yorkshire, who in 1596 married (Sir) 
Richard Jackson of Killingwoldgraves, near Beverley in the East Riding.[citation 
needed] Jackson died in 1610 and was interred at Bishop Burton. In 1613, James 
posthumously awarded a coat of arms and a knighthood to Richard for meretorious 
military service in the Lowlands of Scotland.

Parents
DE CLARE Richard (4 Aug 1222 - 14 Jul 1262)
DE LACY Maud (25 Jan 1223 - 10 Mar 1289)

Siblings
DE CLARE Gilbert "the Red Earl" (2 Sep 1243 - 7 Dec 1295)
DE CLARE Thomas (ABT 1245 - Feb 1288)
DE CLARE Roese (Rohesia) (17 Oct 1252 - AFT 1316)

Marriage To ____ Joan of Acre (Apr 1272 - 23 Apr 1307)
    m. 30 Apr 1290 

Notes

Parents
PLANTAGENET Edward I "Longshanks" (17 Jun 1239 - 7 Jul 1307)
OF CASTILE Eleanor (Leonor) (1244 - 28 Nov 1290)

Children by ____ Joan of Acre Apr 1272 - 23 Apr 1307
DE CLARE Eleanor (Alianor) (3 Oct 1292 - 30 Jun 1337)
DE CLARE Margaret (12 Oct 1293 - 9 Apr 1342)
DE CLARE Elizabeth (16 Sep 1295 - 4 Nov 1360)

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