Individual

Go to List of Family Names Go to List of People    < Previous Next >

Birth:          3 Oct 1292 Caerphilly Castle, Caerphilly, Glamorganshire, Wales
Death:          30 Jun 1337 Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England

Notes
familysearch.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_de_Clare
Eleanor de Clare, suo jure 6th Lady of Glamorgan (3 October 1292-30 June 1337) was 
a powerful English noblewoman who married Hugh Despenser the Younger and was a 
granddaughter of Edward I of England.[2][3] With her sisters, Elizabeth de Clare and 
Margaret de Clare, she inherited her father's estates after the death of her brother, 
Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester, 7th Earl of Hereford at the Battle of 
Bannockburn in 1314.[1][2][3] She was born in 1292 at Caerphilly Castle in 
Glamorgan, Wales and was the eldest daughter Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 
7th Earl of Gloucester, 5th Lord of Glamorgan and Princess Joan of Acre.
De Clare inheritance[edit]

As a co-heiress with her sisters Elizabeth de Clare (wife of Roger Damory), and 
Margaret de Clare (wife of Hugh Audley), in 1314 she inherited the de Clare estates 
including the huge feudal barony of Gloucester, following the death of her brother, 
Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Gloucester at the Battle of Bannockburn. The partition 
was not fully settled until 1317. During this period the family seat of Caerphilly Castle 
was held by the king under the stewardship of Payn de Turberville of Coity Castle. In 
protest against Turberville's mistreatment, the Welsh nobleman Llywelyn Bren and his 
supporters launched a surprise attack on 28 January 1316, and besieged Caerphilly 
Castle, which successfully held out under the command of "The lady of Clare" (almost 
certainly Eleanor) and a small garrison until relieved by Sir William Montacute on 12 
March 1316.[4]

Marriage to Hugh Despenser the younger[edit]

In May 1306 at Westminster, Eleanor married Hugh le Despenser the Younger, the son 
of Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester by his wife Isabella de Beauchamp, 
daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick. Despenser thereby became 
Lord of Glamorgan. Her grandfather, King Edward I, granted Eleanor a dowry of 2,000 
pounds sterling. Eleanor's husband rose to prominence as the new favourite of her 
uncle, King Edward II of England. The king strongly favoured Hugh and Eleanor, 
visiting them often and granting them many gifts. Eleanor's fortunes changed 
drastically after the invasion of Isabella of France and Roger Mortimer, following which 
her husband Hugh le Despenser was executed.

By Despencer Eleanor had nine children:
1.Hugh le Despencer, 2nd Baron le Despencer (1308–1349), eldest son and heir.
2.Gilbert le Despenser, (1309–1381).
3.Edward le Despenser, (1310–1342), soldier, killed at the siege of Vannes;[5] father 
of Edward le Despencer, 1st Baron le Despencer, Knight of the Garter
4.John le Despenser, (1311 - June 1366).
5.Isabel le Despenser (1312–1356), wife of Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel
6.Eleanor le Despenser, (c. 1315 – 1351), a nun at Sempringham Priory
7.Joan le Despenser, (c. 1317 – 1384), a nun at Shaftesbury Abbey
8.Margaret le Despenser, (c. 1319 – 1337), a nun at Whatton Priory
9.Elizabeth le Despenser (1325- 13 July 1389), wife of Maurice de Berkeley, 4th Baron 
Berkeley.

Imprisonment[edit]

In November 1326, Eleanor was confined to the Tower of London.[3] The Despenser 
family's fortunes also suffered with the executions of Eleanor's husband and father-in-
law. Eleanor and Hugh's eldest son Hugh le Despencer, 2nd Baron le Despencer 
(1308–1349), who held Caerphilly Castle against the queen's forces until the spring of 
1327, was spared his life when he surrendered the castle, but he remained a prisoner 
until July 1331, after which he was eventually restored to royal favour. Three of 
Eleanor's daughters were forcibly veiled as nuns. Only the eldest daughter, Isabel, 
and the youngest daughter, Elizabeth, escaped the nunnery, Isabel because she was 
already married and Elizabeth on account of her infancy. In February 1328 Eleanor 
was freed from imprisonment. In April 1328, she was restored to possession of her own 
lands, for which she did homage.[2][3]

Marriage to William de la Zouche[edit]

In January 1329 Eleanor was abducted from Hanley Castle by William la Zouche, 1st 
Baron Zouche of Mortimer, who had been one of her first husband's captors and who 
had led the siege of Caerphilly Castle. The abduction may in fact have been an 
elopement; in any case, Eleanor's lands were seized by King Edward III, and the 
couple's arrest was ordered. At the same time, Eleanor was accused of stealing jewels 
from the Tower of London. Sometime after February 1329, she was imprisoned a 
second time in the Tower, and was later moved to Devizes Castle. In January 1330 
she was released and pardoned after agreeing to sign away the most valuable part of 
her share of the lucrative Clare inheritance to the crown. She could recover her lands 
only on payment of the enormous sum of 50,000 pounds in a single day.

Within the year, however, the young future King Edward III (Eleanor's first cousin) 
overthrew Queen Isabella's paramour, Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, and had him 
executed. Eleanor was among those who benefited from the fall of Mortimer and 
Isabella. She petitioned Edward III for the restoration of her lands, claiming that she 
had signed them away after being threatened by Roger Mortimer that she would never 
be freed if she did not. In 1331 Edward III granted her petition "to ease the king's 
conscience" and allowed her to recover the lands on the condition that she should 
pay a fine of 10,000 pounds, later reduced to 5,000 pounds, in instalments. Eleanor 
made part-payments of the fine, but the bulk of it was outstanding at her death.

Eleanor's troubles were by no means over, however. After Eleanor's marriage to 
Zouche, John de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Rotherfield claimed that he had married her 
first. In 1333 Grey was still attempting to claim marriage to Eleanor; the case was 
appealed to the Pope several times. Ultimately, Zouche won the dispute and Eleanor 
remained with him until his death in February 1337, only a few months before Eleanor's 
own death. By Zouche Eleanor had children as follows:
1.William de la Zouche, born 1330, died after 1360, a monk at Glastonbury Abbey.
2.Joyce Zouche, born 1331, died after 4 May 1372, married John de Botetourt, 2nd 
Lord Botetourt.

Tewkesbury Abbey Renovations[edit]

Hugh le Despenser the younger and Eleanor are generally credited with having begun 
the renovations to Tewkesbury Abbey, a foundation of her ancestors, which 
transformed it into one of the finest example of the decorated style of architecture 
surviving today. The famous fourteenth-century stained-glass windows in the choir, 
which include the armour-clad figures of Eleanor's ancestors, brother and two 
husbands, were most likely Eleanor's own contribution, although she probably did not 
live to see them put in place. The naked kneeling woman watching the Last Judgment 
in the choir's east window may represent Eleanor.

Parents
DE CLARE Gilbert "the Red Earl" (2 Sep 1243 - 7 Dec 1295)
____ Joan of Acre (Apr 1272 - 23 Apr 1307)

Siblings
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)

Marriage To LE DESPENCER Hugh ("the younger") (1 May 1286 - 24 Nov 1326)
    m. May 1306 Westminster, England

Notes

Parents
LE DESPENCER Hugh ("the elder") (1 Mar 1261 - 27 Oct 1326)
DE BEAUCHAMP Isabel (ABT 1263 - BEF 30 May 1306)

Children by LE DESPENCER Hugh ("the younger") 1 May 1286 - 24 Nov 1326
LE DESPENCER Edward (1310 - 30 Sep 1342)

Produced by Fzip 1.7 6/20/2017