DESPENCER, Baron Edward Le d. 11 Nov 1375 Llanbethian, Glamorganshire, Wales

1335 - 1375 (~ 40 years)

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Name	DESPENCER, Edward Le
Prefix	Baron
Christening	24 Mar 1335	Essendon, Hertsfordshire, England
Gender	Male
Burial	Nov 1375	Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England
Death	11 Nov 1375	Llanbethian, Glamorganshire, Wales
WAC	23 Jan 1936	SLAKE
_TAG	Reviewed on FS
Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
Person ID	I35081	Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith
Last Modified	19 Aug 2021

Father	DESPENCER, Sir Edward Le , b. 3 Jan 1308, Buckinghamshire, England Buckinghamshire, Englandd. 30 Sep 1342, Vannes, Morbihan, Bretagne, France (Age 34 years)
Mother	FERRERS, Anne de , b. 20 Apr 1315, Groby, Leicestershire, England Groby, Leicestershire, Englandd. 8 Aug 1367, Bromland, Somerset, England (Age 52 years)
Marriage	20 Apr 1335	Groby, Leicestershire, England
Family ID	F19689	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family BURGHERSH, Baroness Elizabeth , b. 1342, Ewias, Hertsfordshire, England Ewias, Hertsfordshire, Englandd. 26 Jul 1409, Ewias, Hertsfordshire, England (Age 67 years)

Marriage Bef 1373

Children 3 sons and 5 daughters

	1. SPENCER, Cicely de , b. Abt 1354, Essendon, Hertsfordshire, England Essendon, Hertsfordshire, England
	2. SPENCER, Edward de , b. 1356, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England Gloucester, Gloucestershire, Englandd. 1358, Essendine, Rutlandshire, England (Age 2 years)
	3. SPENCER, Anne de , b. Abt 1358, Essendon, Hertsfordshire, England Essendon, Hertsfordshire, Englandd. 31 Oct 1426, Essendine, Rutlandshire, England (Age 68 years)
	4. SPENCER, Hugh de , b. Abt 1360, Essendon, Hertsfordshire, England Essendon, Hertsfordshire, Englandd. 1411 (Age 51 years)
+	5. DESPENCER, Margaret Elizabeth Le , b. Abt 1365, Essendon, Hertsfordshire, England Essendon, Hertsfordshire, Englandd. 3 Nov 1415, Merevale, Warwickshire, England (Age 50 years)
	6. SPENCER, Baroness Elizabeth de , b. Abt 1367, Essendon, Hertsfordshire, England Essendon, Hertsfordshire, Englandd. 11 Apr 1408 (Age 41 years)
	7. SPENCER, Phillipa de , b. Abt 1370, Essendon, Hertsfordshire, England Essendon, Hertsfordshire, England
	8. SPENCER, Earl Thomas de , b. 22 Sep 1373, Essendon, Hertsfordshire, England Essendon, Hertsfordshire, Englandd. 13 Jan 1400, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England (Age 26 years)

Family ID F19688 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 24 Jan 2022

Photos At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

Notes

Sir Edward le Despenser, 4th Lord le Despenser, K.G.; went with the Prince of Wales to Gascony 1355, and was knighted at Poitiers; was with Edward III in the invasion of France 1359-60; went with the Duke of Clarence to Milan 1368; and fought in Lombardy; Constable of the army in France 1373-4; b. 24 March 1336; d. 11 November 1375.

Edward le Despencer, 1st Baron le Despencer, KG (also called Despenser) c. 24 March 1335 or 1336 – 11 November 1375; was the son of another Edward le Despenser and Anne Ferrers, sister of Henry, Lord Ferrers of Groby. He succeeded as Lord of Glamorgan in 1349.

Le Despencer went with Edward the Black Prince to France, and was present at the Battle of Poitiers. In recognition of his conduct in the French wars, he was summoned to Parliament as a baron in 1357. At the same time, he also became a Knight of the Garter.

He was a friend and patron of Jean Froissart[1] and the eldest brother of Henry le Despenser, Bishop of Norwich.

There is a statue of him on the top of the Holy Trinity Chantry Chapel in Tewkesbury Abbey, renowned as the "KNEELING KNIGHT".

Edward married Elizabeth de Burghersh, daughter of Bartholomew de Burghersh, 2nd Baron Burghersh. They had the following children:
Margaret Le Despencer (died 3 November 1415), married Robert de Ferrers, 4th Baron Ferrers of Chartley
Elizabeth le Despenser (died 10 or 11 April 1408)
married
(1) John FitzAlan, 2nd Baron Arundel (30 November 1364 – 14 August 1390)
(2) William la Zouche, 3rd Baron Zouche
Thomas le Despencer, 1st Earl of Gloucester (22 September 1373 – 13 January 1400), married Constance of York
Hugh Despencer
Cicely Despencer
Anne Despencer (died 30 October 1426) married (1) Hugh de Hastings and (2) Thomas de Morley, 4th Baron Morley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_le_Despencer%2C_1st_Baron_le_Despencer

During the Second Barons' War of 1264–67, William Maudit, 8th Earl of Warwick, was a supporter of King Henry III. The castle was taken in a surprise attack by the forces of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, from Kenilworth Castle in 1264. The walls along the northeastern side of the castle were slighted so that it would be useless to the king. Maudit and his countess were taken to Kenilworth Castle and held until a ransom was paid. After the death of William Mauduit in 1267, the title and castle passed to William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick. Following William's death, Warwick Castle passed through seven generations of the Beauchamp family, who over the next 180 years were responsible for most of the additions made to the castle. In 1312, Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall, was captured by Guy de Beauchamp, 10th Earl of Warwick, and imprisoned in Warwick Castle until his execution on 9 June 1312. A group of magnates led by the Earl of Warwick and Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, accused Gaveston of stealing the royal treasure. Under Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl, the castle defences were significantly enhanced in 1330–60 on the north eastern side by the addition of a gatehouse, a barbican (a form of fortified gateway), and a tower on either side of the reconstructed wall, named Caesar's Tower and Guy's Tower. The Watergate Tower also dates from this period. The gatehouse features murder holes, two drawbridges, a gate, and portcullises – gates made from wood or metal. The facade overlooking the river was designed as a symbol of the power and wealth of the Beauchamp earls and would have been "of minimal defensive value"; this followed a trend of 14th-century castles being more statements of power than designed exclusively for military use. The line of Beauchamp earls ended in 1449 when Anne de Beauchamp, 15th Countess of Warwick, died. Richard Neville became the next Earl of Warwick through his wife's inheritance of the title. During the summer of 1469, Neville rebelled against King Edward IV and imprisoned him in Warwick Castle. Neville attempted to rule in the king's name; however, constant protests by the king's supporters forced the Earl to release the king. Neville was subsequently killed in the Battle of Barnet, fighting against King Edward IV in 1471 during the Wars of the Roses. Warwick Castle then passed from Neville to his son-in-law, George Plantagenet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwick_Castle

Edward le Despencer, 1st Baron le Despencer, KG (also called Despenser) (c. 24 March 1335 or 1336 – 11 November 1375) was the son of another Edward le Despenser and Anne Ferrers, sister of Henry, Lord Ferrers of Groby. He succeeded as Lord of Glamorgan in 1349.

Le Despencer went with Edward the Black Prince to France, and was present at the Battle of Poitiers. In recognition of his conduct in the French wars, he was summoned to Parliament as a baron in 1357. At the same time, he also became a Knight of the Garter.

He was a friend and patron of Jean Froissart[1] and the eldest brother of Henry le Despenser, Bishop of Norwich.

There is a kneeling statue of him on the top of the Holy Trinity Chantry Chapel in Tewkesbury Abbey. He is the famous KNEELING KNIGHT of Tewkesbury. Brian Basham, Abbey guide.