Notes:

A descendant of Strongbow, he succeeded his older brother, Gilbert, in 1308 as Lord of Thomond. In 1309, and then again between 1312 and 1316, he was sheriff of Cork. Forced to put down a number of rebellions, he was eventually killed while commanding his forces at the Battle of Dysert O'Dea near what is now Ennis, County Clare. He was nominally succeeded by his son, Thomas, who was born in 1318 and died three years later; at that point the Anglo-Norman presence in Thomond disappeared.

The Battle of Dysert O'Dea took place on 10 May 1318 at Dysert O'Dea near Corofin, Ireland. It was part of the Bruce campaign in Ireland. The Norman Richard de Clare attacked the Gaelic Irish chieftain Conchobhar Ó Deághaidh, chief of the Cineal Fearmaic and ally of Muirchertach Ó Briain, but he was defeated.

Precursors to War

The Bruce invasion of Ireland enabled the outbreak of a number of small wars that had little, if anything, pertaining to the Scots. Perhaps the most notable was the battle at Dysert O'Dea which erupted in Brian Boru's old Kingdom of Thomond in 1318.

Two factions of the O'Brien clan had been fighting for generations for supremacy in Thomond. Murtough O'Brien, the descendant of Thurlough O'Brien was the rightful King of Thomond. A challenger appeared in the form of Mahon O'Brien, allied with the opposing faction of the family, which paid its homage to Brian O'Brien. This side of the family was allied with the powerful Anglo-Norman Richard de Clare, a descendant of Strongbow. De Clare ruled over much of western Ireland from his castle at Bunratty, yet the English respected Thomond as a sovereign state and remained outside its borders. However, de Clare's alliance with Mahon O'Brien provided an excuse to invade Thomond. His pale Englishmen would meet in a pitched battle against Murtough's Irish in the Battle of Dysert O'Dea near what is now Ennis, County Clare.

During this time, Donnchadh, an ally of de Clare, was overwhelmingly defeated in the Battle of Lough Raska near Corcomruadh Abbey.

Order of battle

When news arrived of his allies' defeat at Corcomruadh, Richard de Clare decided to attack the Gaelic stronghold at Dysert O'Dea. His troops arrived at Ruan on the morning of May 10, 1318, and were divided into three columns. The first division was headed by de Clare's son and marched northwards to Tullach O'Dea in an effort to cut off any help which might arrive from O'Connor of Ennistymon. The second column travelled southwards towards Magowna to quell any support from that direction. The third division was commanded by de Clare himself and marched westwards towards Dysert O'Dea, the home of Conor O'Dea. O'Dea intentionally made his forces look few in number, for some time fighting in retreat, and when de Clare charged for an attack the Anglo-Normans were ambushed. Richard de Clare was felled by an axe and his son was killed by a Feilim O'Connor. The O'Deas were reinforced by the O'Connors who were followed by the O'Briens, O'Hehir and MacNamaras and the English were soon defeated. Following their victory, the Irish marched back to the De Clare settlement, only to find that de Clare's wife had set it aflame, including Bunratty Castle, and had returned to England.

Over eighty Englishmen of noble birth and many foot soldiers were killed in the battle. The Kingdom of Thomond remained beyond foreign control for over two hundred years, until 1570.

Notes:

Thomas de Clare, Lord of Inchiquin and Youghal (c. 1245 - 29 August 1287) was a Hiberno-Norman peer and soldier. He was the second son of Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester and his wife Maud de Lacy. On 26 January 1276 he was granted the lordship of Thomond by Edward I of England; he spent the next eight years attempting to conquer it from the O'Brien dynasty, kings of Thomond.

Career

Thomas was born in about 1245 in Tonbridge, Kent, England, the second eldest son of Richard de Clare and Maud de Lacy. Thomas was a close friend and intimate advisor of Prince Edward of England, who would in 1272 accede to the throne as King Edward I. Together they went on Crusade. He held many important posts such as the Office of the Governor of Clochester Castle (1266), Governor of The City of London (1273). He was made Commander of the English forces in Munster, Ireland and created Lord of Inchiquin and Youghal. On 26 January 1276, he was granted the entire lordship of Thomond by King Edward.

That same year, he jointly commanded a Norman army along with Sir Geoffrey de Geneville, Justiciar of Ireland against the Irish clans of County Wicklow. They were joined by a contingent of men from Connacht led by his father-in-law Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly. Thomas and Justiciar de Geneville's forces attacked the Irish at Glenmalure, but they were soundly defeated and suffered severe losses.

Civil war raged in Thomond between the rival factions of the O'Brien dynasty. In 1276, Brian Ruad, the deposed King of Thomond appealed to Thomas for support to help him regain his kingdom from his great-nephew Toirrdelbach MacTaidg O' Brien, who had usurped the throne. In return for his aid, Brian Ruad promised that Thomas would be allowed to colonise all the land between Athsollus in Quin and Limerick. Together, Thomas and Brian Ruad expelled Toirrdelbach MacTaidg O'Brien and recaptured Clonroad which the latter had taken from Brian Ruad. O'Brien escaped to Galway where he elicited the help of his cousin William de Burgh, and in 1277 together with the assistance from clans, MacNamara and O'Dea they defeated the combined forces of Thomas and Brian Ruad. The latter fled to Bunratty Castle, but Thomas had his former ally hanged and drawn for treason. The civil war continued for the next seven years, with Thomas supporting Brian Ruad's son Donnchad against Toirrdelbach; however, following the drowning death of Donnchad in 1284, Toirrdelbach emerged the victor. Thereafter until his death in 1306, Toirrdelbach MacTaidg O'Brien ruled as undisputed King of Thomond and Thomas had no choice but to accommodate him. O'Brien rented part of Bunratty Manor at £121 per annum.

In 1280, Thomas embarked on a castle-building project at Quin, but was disrupted in his efforts by the O'Briens and MacNamaras.

Marriage and children

In February 1275, he married Juliana FitzGerald, the 12-year old daughter of Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly and Maud de Prendergast. Thomas and his wife made their principal residence at Bunratty Castle, which he had constructed in stone, replacing the earlier wooden structure. Together they had four children:

Maud de Clare (c. 1276-1326/27), married firstly, Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, by whom she had issue; and secondly Robert de Welle
Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Thomond, (3 February 1281-1308)
Richard de Clare, Steward of Forest of Essex, 1st Lord Clare, Lord of Thomond (after 1281 - 10 May 1318), married a woman by the name of Joan, by whom he had one son, Thomas. He was killed at the Battle of Dysert O'Dea.
Margaret de Clare (c. 1 April 1287 - 22 October 1333/3 January 1334), married firstly, Gilbert de Umfraville; and secondly Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere, by whom she had issue.

Death

Thomas was killed in battle on 29 August 1287 leaving behind four children, the youngest, Margaret being not quite five months old. He was succeeded as Lord of Thomond by his eldest son, Gilbert who was six years old. His widow Juliana, aged 24 years, would go on to marry two more times.

Thomas married Juliana FitzGerald, Lady of Thomond Feb 1274/75. Juliana (daughter of Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly and Maud de Prendergast, Lady of Offaly) was born Abt 1263, Dublin, Ireland; died 24 Sep 1300. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Juliana FitzGerald, Lady of Thomond (c. 1263 - 24 September 1300) was a Norman-Irish noblewoman, the daughter of Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly, and the wife of Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond, a powerful Anglo-Norman baron in Ireland, who was a younger brother of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford. Juliana was married three times; Thomas being her first. She is sometimes referred to as Juliane FitzMaurice.

Early life and family

Juliana FitzGerald was born around 1263 in Dublin, Ireland, the eldest daughter of Maurice FitzMaurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly, Justiciar of Ireland and his first wife, Maud de Prendergast. She had a sister Amabel who married but was childless. Her first cousin was John FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Kildare. Her paternal grandparents were Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Lord of Offaly and Juliana, and her maternal grandparents were Sir Gerald de Prendergast of Beauvoir and the unnamed daughter of Richard Mor de Burgh, Lord of Connacht and Egidia de Lacy. Juliana's maternal ancestors included Brian Boru, Dermot McMurrough, and Maud de Braose.

Juliana's mother Maud died on an unknown date. Her father married secondly in 1273, Emmeline Longespee, but fathered no children by her. It had been previously believed that Emmeline was Juliana's mother, but many genealogists, including Douglas Richardson, have since established that the mother of Juliana and her sister Amabel was Maud de Prendergast. And since Emmeline's heiress was Maud La Zouche, wife of Robert de Holland, 1st Baron Holand, and the granddaughter of her elder sister, Ela Longespee, this is further proof that she died childless. The Complete Peerage also confirms this.
Bunratty Castle, the home of Juliana FitzGerald and Thomas de Clare

Marriages and issue

In February 1275, at the age of about twelve years, Juliana married her first husband, Thomas de Clare, Lord of Inchiquin and Youghal. He was the second eldest son of Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 2nd Earl of Gloucester and Maud de Lacy. Thomas was a friend of King Edward I of England, with whom he went on a Crusade. He held many important posts including the Office of Governor of Colchester Castle (1266), Governor of the City of London (1273). He was also the commander of the English forces in Munster, Ireland, and on 26 January 1276, he was granted the lordship of Thomond. He was born in 1245, which made him about eighteen years older than Juliana.

Juliana and her husband Thomas resided at Bunratty Castle, which Thomas constructed in stone replacing the earlier wooden structure. Together Thomas and Juliana had four children:

Maud de Clare (c. 1276-1326/27), married firstly on 3 November 1295 Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, by whom she had issue; she married secondly after 1314 Robert de Welle.
Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Thomond (3 February 1281-1308)
Richard de Clare, Steward of Forest of Essex, 1st Lord Clare, Lord of Thomond (after 1281 - 10 May 1318 at the Battle of Dysert O'Dea), married a woman by the name of Joan by whom he fathered one son, Thomas.
Margaret de Clare (c. 1 April 1287 - 22 October 1333 / 3 January 1334), married firstly in 1303 Gilbert de Umfraville; she married secondly before 30 June 1308 Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere, by whom she had four daughters and one son.

Life at Bunratty Castle was marked by unrest and strife as civil war was waged between rival factions of the powerful O'Brien clan. In 1277, Juliana's husband had his former ally Brian Ruad, the deposed King of Thomond, hanged for treason at Bunratty.

Thomas was killed in battle on 29 August 1287, leaving Juliana a widow at the age of twenty-four with four small children; the youngest, Margaret was not quite five months old. On an unknown date she married her second husband, Nicholas Avenel. He presumably died before 11 December 1291/16 February 1292, as this is when she married her third husband, Adam de Cretynges.

Death and legacy

Juliana died on 24 September 1300. Her numerous descendants included Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland who married Lady Joan Beaufort and thus their descendant, the English king Edward IV. By Edward IV's daughter, Elizabeth of York, consort of Henry VII, she was an ancestress to all subsequent monarchs of England and the current British Royal Family. Henry VIII's queens consort Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr also descended from her.

Other Events:

• Burial: 1262, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England; Tewkesbury Abbey

Notes:

Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 6th Earl of Gloucester (4 August 1222 - 14 July 1262) was son of Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and Isabel Marshal. On his father's death, when he became Earl of Gloucester (October 1230), he was entrusted first to the guardianship of Hubert de Burgh. On Hubert's fall, his guardianship was given to Peter des Roches (c. October 1232) ; and in 1235 to Gilbert, earl Marshall.

Marriage

Richard's first marriage to Margaret or Megotta, as she was also called, ended with an annulment or with her death in November 1237. They were both approximately fourteen or fifteen. The marriage of Hubert de Burgh's daughter Margaret to Richard of Clare, the young Earl of Gloucester, brought de Burgh into some trouble in 1236, for the earl was as yet a minor and in the king's wardship, and the marriage had been celebrated without the royal license. Hubert, however, protested that the match was not of his making, and promised to pay the king some money, so the matter passed by for the time. Even before Margaret died, the Earl of Lincoln offered 5,000 marks to King Henry to secure Richard for his own daughter. This offer was accepted, and Richard was married secondly, on 2 Feb. 1238 to Maud de Lacy, daughter of John de Lacy, 1st Earl of Lincoln.

Military career

He joined in the Barons' letter to the Pope in 1246 against the exactions of the Curia in England. He was among those in opposition to the King's half-brothers, who in 1247 visited England, where they were very unpopular, but afterwards he was reconciled to them.

In August 1252/3 the King crossed over to Gascony with his army, and to his great indignation the Earl refused to accompany him and went to Ireland instead. In August 1255 he and John Maunsel were sent to Edinburgh by the King to find out the truth regarding reports which had reached the King that his son-in-law, Alexander, King of Scotland, was being coerced by Robert de Roos and John Baliol. If possible, they were to bring the young King and Queen to him. The Earl and his companion, pretending to be the two of Roos's knights, obtained entry to Edinburgh Castle, and gradually introduced their attendants, so that they had a force sufficient for their defense. They gained access to the Scottish Queen, who made her complaints to them that she and her husband had been kept apart. They threatened Roos with dire punishments, so that he promised to go to the King.

Meanwhile the Scottish magnates, indignant at their castle of Edinburgh's being in English hands, proposed to besiege it, but they desisted when they found they would be besieging their King and Queen. The King of Scotland apparently traveled South with the Earl, for on 24 September they were with King Henry III at Newminster, Northumberland. In July 1258 he fell ill, being poisoned with his brother William, as it was supposed, by his steward, Walter de Scotenay. He recovered but his brother died.

Death and legacy

Richard died at John de Griol's manor of Asbenfield in Waltham, near Canterbury, 14 July 1262 at the age of 39, it being rumored that he had been poisoned at the table of Piers of Savoy. On the following Monday he was carried to Canterbury where a mass for the dead was sung, after which his body was taken to the canon's church at Tonbridge and interred in the choir. Thence it was taken to Tewkesbury Abbey and buried 28 July 1262, with great solemnity in the presence of two bishops and eight abbots in the presbytery at his father's right hand. Richard's own arms were: Or, three chevronels gules.

Family

Richard had no children by his first wife, Margaret or Megotta de Burgh. By his second wife, Maud de Lacy, daughter of the Surety John de Lacy and Margaret de Quincy, he had:

Isabel de Clare, b. ca. 1240, d. 1270, m. William VII of Montferrat.
Gilbert de Clare, b. 2 September 1243, d. 7 December 1295, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester.
Thomas de Clare, b. ca. 1245, d. 1287, he seized control of Thomond in 1277; m. Juliana FitzGerald
Bogo de Clare, b. ca. 1248, d. 1294.
Margaret de Clare, b. ca. 1250, d. 1312, m. Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall
Rohese de Clare, b. ca. 1252, m. Roger de Mowbray
Eglentina, d. 1257 in infancy.

His widow Maud, who had the manor of Clare and the manor and castle of Usk and other lands for her dower, erected a splendid tomb for her late husband at Tewkesbury. She arranged for the marriages of her children. She died before 10 March 1288.

Richard married Maud de Lacy, Countess of Gloucester 02 Feb 1237/38. Maud (daughter of John de Lacy, 2nd Earl of Lincoln and Margaret de Quincy) was born 25 Jan 1222/23, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England; died Between 1287 and 10 Mar 1288/89. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Maud de Lacy, (25 January 1223 - 1287/10 March 1289), was an English noblewoman, being the eldest child of John de Lacy, 2nd Earl of Lincoln, and the wife of Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 6th Earl of Gloucester.

Maud de Lacy had a personality that was described as "highly-competitive and somewhat embittered". She became known as one of the most litigious women in the 13th century as she was involved in numerous litigations and lawsuits with her tenants, neighbours, and relatives, including her own son. Author Linda Elizabeth Mitchell, in her Portraits of Medieval Women: Family, Marriage, and Politics in England 1225-1350', states that Maud's life has received "considerable attention by historians".

Maud was styled Countess of Hertford and Countess of Gloucester upon her marriage to Richard de Clare. Although her mother, Margaret de Quincy, was suo jure Countess of Lincoln, this title never passed to Maud as her mother's heir was Henry de Lacy, the son of Maud's deceased younger brother Edmund de Lacy, Baron of Pontefract.

Her eldest son was Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester, a powerful noble during the reigns of kings Henry III of England and Edward I.

Family

Maud de Lacy was born on 25 January 1223 in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England, the eldest child of John de Lacy, 2nd Earl of Lincoln, a Magna Carta Surety, and Margaret de Quincy, 2nd Countess of Lincoln suo jure.

Maud had a younger brother Edmund de Lacy, Baron of Pontefract who married in 1247 Alasia of Saluzzo, by whom he had three children.

Her paternal grandparents were Roger de Lacy, Baron of Pontefract and Maud de Clare, and her maternal grandparents were Robert de Quincy and Hawise of Chester, 1st Countess of Lincoln suo jure.

Maud and her mother, Margaret, were never close; in point of fact, relations between the two women were described as strained. Throughout Maud's marriage, the only interactions between Maud and her mother were quarrels regarding finances, pertaining to the substantial Marshal family property Margaret owned and controlled due to the latter's second marriage on 6 January 1242 to Walter Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke almost two years after the death of Maud's father, John de Lacy in 1240. Despite their poor rapport with one another, Maud was, nevertheless, strongly influenced by her mother.

The fact that her mother preferred her grandson, Henry over Maud did not help their relationship; Henry, who was also her mother's ward, was made her heir, and he later succeeded to the earldom of Lincoln.

Marriage to the Earl of Gloucester

On 25 January 1238 which was her fifteenth birthday, Maud married Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, and 6th Earl of Gloucester, son of Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford, 5th Earl of Gloucester, and Isabel Marshal. Maud was his second wife; his first marriage, which was made clandestinely, to Megotta de Burgh, ended in an annulment. Even before the annulment of the Earl's marriage to Megotta, Maud's parents paid King Henry III the enormous sum of 5,000 pounds to obtain his agreement to the marriage. The King supplied her dowry which consisted of the castle of Usk, the manor of Clere, as well as other lands and manors.

Throughout her marriage, Maud's position as the wife of the most politically-significant nobleman of the 13th century was diminished by her mother's control of a third of the Marshal inheritance and her rank as Countess of Lincoln and dowager countess of Pembroke.

Richard being the heir to one-fifth of the Pembroke earldom was also the guarantor of his mother-in-law's dowry.

In about 1249/50, Maud ostensibly agreed to the transfer of the manor of Navesby in Northamptonshire, which had formed the greatest part of her maritagium [marriage portion], to her husband's young niece Isabella and her husband, William de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle as part of Isabella's own maritagium. Years later, after the deaths of both women's husbands, Maud sued Isabella for the property, claiming that it had been transferred against her will. Isabella, however, was able to produce the chirograph that showed Maud's participation in the writing of the document; this according to the Common Law signified Maud's agreement to the transaction, and Maud herself was "amerced for litigating a false claim".

Issue

Together Richard and Maud had seven children:

Isabel de Clare (1240 - before 1271), married as his second wife, William VII of Montferrat, by whom she had one daughter, Margherita. She was allegedly killed by her husband.
Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester (2 September 1243 - 7 December 1295), married firstly Alice de Lusignan of Angouleme by whom he had two daughters; he married secondly Joan of Acre, by whom he had issue.
Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond (1245 - 29 August 1287), married as her first husband Juliana FitzGerald, daughter of Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly and Maud de Prendergast, by whom he had issue including Richard de Clare, 1st Lord Clare and Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere.
Bogo de Clare, Chancellor of Llandaff (21 July 1248 - 1294)
Margaret de Clare (1250 - 1312/1313), married Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall. Their marriage was childless.
Rohese de Clare (17 October 1252 - after 1316), married Roger de Mowbray, 1st Baron Mowbray, by whom she had issue.
Eglantine de Clare (1257 - 1257)

Widowhood

On 15 July 1262, her husband died near Canterbury. Maud designed and commissioned a magnificent tomb for him at Tewkesbury Abbey where he was buried. She also donated the manor of Sydinghowe to the "Priory of Legh" (i.e. Canonsleigh Abbey, Devon, for the soul of Richard, formerly her husband, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford by charter dated to 1280. Their eldest son Gilbert succeeded Richard as the 6th Earl of Hertford and 7th Earl of Gloucester. Although Maud carefully arranged the marriages of her daughters, the King owned her sons' marriage rights.

She was involved in numerous lawsuits and litigations with her tenants, neighbours, and relatives, including her eldest son Gilbert, who sued her for admeasurement of her dowry. In her 27 years of widowhood, Maud brought 33 suits into the central courts; and she herself was sued a total of 44 times. As a result she was known as one of the most litigious women in the 13th century. She endowed many religious houses, including the Benedictine Stoke-by-Clare Priory, Suffolk (re-established in 1124 by Richard de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford having been moved from Clare Castle) and Canonsleigh Abbey, Devon, which she re-founded as a nunnery. She also vigorously promoted the clerical career of her son, Bogo, and did much to encourage his ambitions and acquisitiveness. She was largely responsible for many of the benefices that were bestowed on him, which made him the richest churchman of the period. Although not an heiress, Maud herself was most likely the wealthiest widow in 13th century England.

Maud died sometime between 1287 and 10 March 1289.

Notes:

Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly (1238 - before 10 November 1286) was a Norman-Irish peer, soldier, and Justiciar of Ireland from 1272 to 1273.

Career

He was born in 1238 in Wexford, Ireland, one of the sons of Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Lord of Offaly and Juliana, whose surname is unknown. He had three brothers, Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald (died 1243), Thomas FitzMaurice FitzGerald (died 1271), David FitzMaurice FitzGerald (died without issue). Maurice was known by the nickname of Maurice Mael (in English bald). He succeeded as 3rd Lord of Offaly on 20 May 1257, upon the death of his father at Youghal Monastery, bypassing the rightful heir to the barony, his nephew Maurice (died 1268), son of his elder brother, Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald who had died in 1243.

In May 1262, he was among the chief magnates in Ireland summoned to inform King Henry III of England and his son Prince Edward about conditions in the country. He was summoned again in June 1265. Maurice was appointed Justiciar of Ireland on 23 June 1272 following the accidental death of his predecessor, James de Audley on 11 June of that year; his father had served in the same capacity from 1232 to 1245. Maurice himself held the post until September 1273, when he was succeeded by Sir Geoffrey de Geneville, Seigneur de Vaucouleurs.

He held four knight's fees in both Lea and Geashill from Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore who had inherited them from his wife, Maud de Braose.

In 1276, he led a force of men from Connacht against the Irish clans of County Wicklow. Maurice's contingent joined the main army of Normans jointly commanded by his son-in-law, Thomas de Clare, Lord of Inchiquin and Youghal who had been made Lord of Thomond earlier that same year, and Sir Geoffrey de Geneville, Maurice's successor as Justiciar of Ireland. The Normans under Lords Thomond and Justiciar de Geneville attacked the Irish at Glenmalure, but were defeated and suffered heavy losses.

Marriages and issue

Sometime between May 1258 and 28 October 1259, he married his first wife, Maud de Prendergast, a daughter of Sir Gerald de Prendergast of Beauvoir and an unnamed daughter of Richard Mor de Burgh. Together he and Maud had two daughters:

Juliana FitzGerald (c.1263 Dublin, Ireland- 24 September 1300), married firstly, Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond, by whom she had four children; she married secondly Nicholas Avenel, and thirdly, Adam de Cretynges.
Amabel FitzGerald, married but died childless.

Maurice was Maud's third husband. She died on an unknown date. In 1273, Maurice married his second wife, Emmeline Longespee (1252-1291), daughter of Stephen Longespee and Emmeline de Ridelsford. His marriage to Emmeline was childless, and the latter's property was inherited by Maud La Zouche, Baroness Holland, who was the granddaughter of Emmeline's elder sister, Ela Longespee.

Maurice died sometime before 10 November 1286 at Ross, County Wexford. As he did not have any sons, he was succeeded by his nephew John FitzGerald, who would be created 1st Earl of Kildare on 14 May 1316. John was the son of his brother Thomas by Rohesia de St. Michael.

Maurice married Maud de Prendergast, Lady of Offaly Abt 1259. Maud (daughter of Gerald de Prendergast, of Beauvoir and Matilda de Burgh) was born 17 Mar 1241/42; died Bef 1273. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name:

Notes:

Maud de Prendergast, Lady of Offaly (17 March 1242 - before 1273), was a Norman-Irish noblewoman, the first wife of Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly, Justiciar of Ireland, and the mother of his two daughters, Juliana FitzGerald and Amabel. Maud was a descendant of Strongbow, the Irish kings of Leinster and Thomond, and Brian Boru. Her own descendants included most of the medieval noble families of England. She married three times; Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly was her third husband.

Family

Maud was born in Ireland on 17 March 1242, the daughter of Sir Gerald de Prendergast of Beauvoir (died 1251), and his second wife, who was one of the daughters of Richard Mor de Burgh and Egidia de Lacy.

Maud had an elder half-sister, Marie de Prendergast from her father's first marriage to Maud Walter. Marie was the wife of Sir John de Cogan by whom she had issue. Maud's paternal grandparents were Philip de Prendergast, Lord of Enniscorthy, Constable of Leinster, and Maud de Quincy, a granddaughter of Strongbow, through the latter's illegitimate daughter Basilie de Clare who married Robert de Quincy, Constable of Leinster. Her great-grandfather, Maurice de Prendergast, Lord Prendergast had played a prominent part in the Cambro-Norman invasion of Ireland led by Strongbow, and was rewarded with much land in counties Wexford, Waterford, Tipperary, Mayo, Wicklow, and Cork. Her maternal great-grandparents were William de Burgh and Mór O'Brien; Walter de Lacy, Lord of Trim and Margaret de Braose.

Marriages and issue

When she was a young child, Maud was married to, firstly David FitzMaurice, who died by 17 March 1249, which was her seventh birthday; her second husband was Maurice de Rochford. Between 1258 and 28 October 1259, following Maurice de Rochford's death which occurred sometime before May 1258, she married her third and last husband, Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly, Justiciar of Ireland (1238-1286). He was the son of Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Lord of Offaly and Juliana.

Together Maurice and Maud had two daughters:

Juliana FitzGerald (c.1263 Dublin, Ireland - 24 September 1300), married firstly Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond, by whom she had four children; she married secondly Nicholas Avenel; she married thirdly Adam de Cretynges.
Amabel FitzGerald, married, but was childless.

Maud died on an unknown date. In 1273, her husband Maurice married his second wife, Emmeline Longespee (1252-1291) but fathered no children by her.

Maud de Prendergast was an ancestress of most of the medieval noble families of England; through Elizabeth of York the current British royal family descends from her. Henry VIII's queens consort Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr were four of her many notable descendants.

Notes:

Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford, 5th Earl of Gloucester (1180 - 25 October 1230) was the son of Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford, from whom he inherited the Clare estates. He also inherited from his mother, Amice Fitz William, the estates of Gloucester and the honour of St. Hilary, and from Rohese, an ancestor, the moiety of the Giffard estates. In June 1202, he was entrusted with the lands of Harfleur and Montrevillers.

In 1215 Gilbert and his father were two of the barons made Magna Carta sureties and championed Louis "le Dauphin" of France in the First Barons' War, fighting at Lincoln under the baronial banner. He was taken prisoner in 1217 by William Marshal, whose daughter Isabel he later married on 9 October, her 17th birthday.

In 1223 he accompanied his brother-in-law, Earl Marshal, in an expedition into Wales. In 1225 he was present at the confirmation of the Magna Carta by Henry III. In 1228 he led an army against the Welsh, capturing Morgan Gam, who was released the next year. He then joined in an expedition to Brittany, but died on his way back to Penrose in that duchy. His body was conveyed home by way of Plymouth and Cranborne to Tewkesbury. His widow Isabel later married Richard Plantagenet, Earl of Cornwall & King of the Romans. His own arms were: Or, three chevronels gules.

Issue

Hertford had six children by his wife Isabel, née Marshal:

Agnes de Clare (b. 1218)
Amice de Clare (1220-1287), who married the 6th Earl of Devon
Richard de Clare (1222-1262)
Isabel de Clare (1226-1264), who married the 5th Lord of Annandale
William de Clare (1228-1258)
Gilbert de Clare (b. 1229)

Gilbert — Isabel Marshal. Isabel was born 09 Oct 1200, Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales; died 17 Jan 1239/40, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England; was buried Aft 17 Jan 1239/40, Hampshire, England. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Isabel Marshal (9 October 1200 - 17 January 1240) was a medieval English countess. She was the wife of both Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and 1st Earl of Gloucester and Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall (son of King John of England). With the former, she was a great grandparent of King Robert the Bruce of Scotland.

Family

Born at Pembroke Castle, Isabel was the seventh child, and second daughter, of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Isabel de Clare. She had 10 siblings, who included the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Earls of Pembroke; each of her brothers dying without a legitimate male heir, thus passing the title on to the next brother in line. Her last brother to hold the title of Earl of Pembroke died without legitimate issue, and the title was passed down through the family of Isabel's younger sister Joan. Her sisters married, respectively, the Earls of Norfolk, Surrey, and Derby; the Lord of Abergavenny and the Lord of Swanscombe.

First marriage

On her 17th birthday, Isabel was married to Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and 1st Earl of Gloucester, who was 20 years her senior, at Tewkesbury Abbey. The marriage was an extremely happy one, despite the age difference, and the couple had six children:

Agnes de Clare (b. 1218)
Amice de Clare (1220-1287), who married the 6th Earl of Devon
Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford (1222-1262)
Isabel de Clare (2 November 1226- 10 July 1264), who married the 5th Lord of Annandale; through this daughter, Isabel would be the great grandmother of Robert the Bruce
William de Clare (1228-1258)
Gilbert de Clare (b. 1229), a priest

Isabel's husband Gilbert joined in an expedition to Brittany in 1229, but died 25 October 1230 on his way back to Penrose, in that duchy. His body was conveyed home by way of Plymouth and Cranborne, to Tewkesbury, where he was buried at the abbey.

Second marriage

Isabel was a young widow, only 30 years old. She had proven childbearing ability and the ability to bear healthy sons; as evidenced by her six young children, three of whom were sons. These were most likely the reasons for both the proposal of marriage from Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, and Isabel's acceptance of it, despite the fact that her husband had just died five months previously. The two were married on 30 March 1231 at Fawley Church, much to the displeasure of Richard's brother King Henry, who had been arranging a more advantageous match for Richard. Isabel and Richard got along well enough, though Richard had a reputation as a womanizer and is known to have had mistresses during the marriage. They were the parents of four children, three of whom died in the cradle.

John of Cornwall (31 January 1232 - 22 September 1233), born and died at Marlow, Buckinghamshire, buried at Reading Abbey
Isabella of Cornwall (9 September 1233 - 10 October 1234), born and died at Marlow, Buckinghamshire, buried at Reading Abbey
Henry of Almain (2 November 1235 - 13 March 1271), murdered by his cousins Guy and Simon de Montfort, buried at Hailes Abbey.
Nicholas of Cornwall (b. & d. 17 January 1240 Berkhamsted Castle), died shortly after birth, buried at Beaulieu Abbey with his mother

Death and burial

Isabel died of liver failure, contracted while in childbirth, on 17 January 1240, at Berkhamsted Castle. She was 39 years old.

When Isabel was dying she asked to be buried next to her first husband at Tewkesbury Abbey, but Richard had her interred at Beaulieu Abbey, with her infant son, instead. As a pious gesture, however, he sent her heart, in a silver-gilt casket, to Tewkesbury.

Notes:

John de Lacy (1192 - 22 July 1240), son of Roger, became 1st Earl of Lincoln, 8th Baron of Halton and 5th Lord of Bowland. He and his cousin Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, chosen surety to enforce the King's adherence to Magna Carta. John de Lacy was buried in Stanlow Abbey.

John de Lacy (c. 1192 - 1240) was the 2nd Earl of Lincoln, of the fourth creation.

Background

He was the eldest son and heir of Roger de Lacy and his wife, Maud or Matilda de Clere (not of the de Clare family).

Public life

He was hereditary constable of Chester and, in the 15th year of King John, undertook the payment of 7,000 marks to the crown, in the space of four years, for livery of the lands of his inheritance, and to be discharged of all his father's debts due to the exchequer, further obligating himself by oath, that in case he should ever swerve from his allegiance, and adhere to the king's enemies, all of his possessions should devolve upon the crown, promising also, that he would not marry without the king's license. By this agreement it was arranged that the king should retain the castles of Pontefract and Dunnington, still in his own hands; and that he, the said John, should allow 40 pounds per year, for the custody of those fortresses. But the next year he had Dunnington restored to him, upon hostages.

John de Lacy, 7th Baron of Halton Castle, 5th Lord of Bowland and hereditary constable of Chester, was one of the earliest who took up arms at the time of the Magna Charta, and was appointed to see that the new statutes were properly carried into effect and observed in the counties of York and Nottingham. He was one of twenty-five barons charged with overseeing the observance of Magna Carta in 1215.

He was excommunicated by the Pope. Upon the accession of King Henry III. he joined a party of noblemen and made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and did good service at the siege of Damietta. In 1232 he was made Earl of Lincoln and in 1240, governor of Chester and Beeston Castles. In 1237, his lordship was one of those appointed to prohibit Oto, the pope's prelate, from establishing anything derogatory to the king's crown and dignity, in the council of prelates then assembled; and the same year he was appointed High Sheriff of Cheshire, being likewise constituted Governor of the castle of Chester.

Private life

He married firstly Alice in 1214 in Pontefract, daughter of Gilbert de Aquila, who gave him one daughter Joan. Alice died in 1216 in Pontefract and, after his marked gallantry at the siege of Damietta, he married secondly in 1221 Margaret de Quincy, only daughter and heiress of Robert de Quincy, Earl of Winchester, by Hawyse, 4th sister and co-heir of Ranulph de Mechines, Earl of Chester and Lincoln, which Ranulph, by a formal charter under his seal, granted the Earldom of Lincoln, that is, so much as he could grant thereof, to the said Hawyse, "to the end that she might be countess, and that her heirs might also enjoy the earldom;" which grant was confirmed by the king, and at the especial request of the countess, this John de Lacy, constable of Chester, through his marriage was allowed to succeed de Blondeville and was created by charter, dated Northampton, 23 November 1232, Earl of Lincoln, with remainder to the heirs of his body, by his wife, the above-mentioned Margaret.[1] In the contest which occurred during the same year, between the king and Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, Earl Marshal, Matthew Paris states that the Earl of Lincoln was brought over to the king's party, with John of Scotland, 7th Earl of Chester, by Peter de Rupibus, Bishop of Winchester, for a bribe of 1,000 marks.

Later life

He died on 22 July 1240 and was buried at the Cisterian Abbey of Stanlaw, in County Chester. The monk Matthew Paris, records: "On the 22nd day of July, in the year 1240, which was St. Magdalen's Day, John, Earl of Lincoln, after suffering from a long illness went the way of all flesh". Margaret, his wife, survived him and remarried Walter Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke.

John married Margaret de Quincy Bef 21 Jun 1221. Margaret (daughter of Robert de Quincey and Hawise of Chester, Countess of Lincoln) was born Abt 1206; died Abt Mar 1265/66, Hampstead, London, England; was buried Clerkenwell, London, England. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Margaret de Quincy, 2nd Countess of Lincoln suo jure (c. 1206 - March 1266) was a wealthy English noblewoman and heiress having inherited in her own right the Earldom of Lincoln and honours of Bolingbroke from her mother Hawise of Chester, received a dower from the estates of her first husband, and acquired a dower third from the extensive earldom of Pembroke following the death of her second husband, Walter Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke. Her first husband was John de Lacy, 2nd Earl of Lincoln, by whom she had two children. He was created 2nd Earl of Lincoln by right of his marriage to Margaret. Margaret has been described as "one of the two towering female figures of the mid-13th century".

Family

Margaret was born in about 1206, the daughter and only child of Robert de Quincy and Hawise of Chester, herself the co-heiress of her uncle Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester. Hawise became suo jure Countess of Chester in April 1231 when her brother resigned the title in her favour.

Her paternal grandfather, Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchester was one of the 25 sureties of the Magna Carta; as a result he was excommunicated by the Church in December 1215. Two years later her father died after having been accidentally poisoned through medicine prepared by a Cisterian monk.

Life

On 23 November 1232, Margaret and her husband John de Lacy, Baron of Pontefract were formally invested by King Henry III as Countess and Earl of Lincoln. In April 1231 her maternal uncle Ranulf de Blondeville, 1st Earl of Lincoln had made an inter vivos gift, after receiving dispensation from the crown, of the Earldom of Lincoln to her mother Hawise. Her uncle granted her mother the title by a formal charter under his seal which was confirmed by King Henry III. Her mother was formally invested as suo jure 1st Countess of Lincoln on 27 October 1232 the day after her uncle's death. Likewise her mother Hawise of Chester received permission from King Henry III to grant the Earldom of Lincoln jointly to Margaret and her husband John, and less than a month later a second formal investiture took place, but this time for Margaret and her husband John de Lacy. Margaret became 2nd Countess of Lincoln suo jure (in her own right) and John de Lacy became 2nd Earl of Lincoln by right of his wife. (John de Lacy is mistakenly called the 1st Earl of Lincoln in many references.)

In 1238, Margaret and her husband paid King Henry the large sum of 5,000 pounds to obtain his agreement to the marriage of their daughter Maud to Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 2nd Earl of Gloucester.

On 22 July 1240 her first husband John de Lacy died. Although he was nominally succeeded by their only son Edmund de Lacy (c.1227-1258) for titles and lands that included Baron of Pontefract, Baron of Halton, and Constable of Chester, Margaret at first controlled the estates in lieu of her son who was still in his minority and being brought up at the court of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence. Edmund was allowed to succeed to his titles and estates at the age of 18. Edmund was also Margaret's heir to the Earldom of Lincoln and also her other extensive estates that included the third of the Earldom of Pembroke that she had inherited from her second husband in 1845. Edmund was never able to become Earl of Lincoln, however, as he predeceased his mother by eight years.

As the widowed Countess of Lincoln suo jure, Margaret was brought into contact with some of the most important people in the county of Lincolnshire. Among these included Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, the most significant intellectual in England at the time who recognised Margaret's position as Countess of Lincoln to be legitimate and important, and he viewed Margaret as both patron and peer. He dedicated Les Reules Seynt Robert, his treatise on estate and household management, to her.

Marriages and issue

Sometime before 21 June 1221, Margaret married as his second wife, her first husband John de Lacy of Pontefract. The purpose of the alliance was to bring the rich Lincoln and Bolingbroke inheritance of her mother to the de Lacy family. John's first marriage to Alice de l'Aigle had not produced issue; although John and Margaret together had two children:

Maud de Lacy (25 January 1223- 1287/10 March 1289), married in 1238 Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 2nd Earl of Gloucester, by whom she had seven children.
Edmund de Lacy, Baron of Pontefract (died 2 June 1258), married in 1247 Alasia of Saluzzo, daughter of Manfredo III of Saluzzo, by whom he had three children, including Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln.

She married secondly on 6 January 1242, Walter Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke, Lord of Striguil, Lord of Leinster, Earl Marshal of England, one of the ten children of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke. This marriage, like those of his four brothers, did not produce any children; therefore when he died at Goodrich Castle on 24 November 1245, Margaret inherited a third of the Earldom of Pembroke as well as the properties and lordship of Kildare. Her dower third outweighed any of the individual holdings of the 13 different co-heirs of the five Marshal sisters which meant she would end up controlling more of the earldom of Pembroke and lordship of Leinster than any of the other co-heirs; this brought her into direct conflict with her own daughter, Maud whose husband was by virtue of his mother Isabel Marshal one of the co-heirs of the Pembroke earldom. As a result of her quarrels with her daughter, Margaret preferred her grandson Henry de Lacy who would became the 3rd Earl of Lincoln on reaching majority (21) in 1272. She and her Italian daughter-in-law Alasia of Saluzzo shared in the wardship of Henry who was Margaret's heir, and the relationship between the two women appeared to have been cordial.

Death and legacy

Margaret was a careful overseer of her property and tenants, and gracious in her dealings with her son's children, neighbours and tenants. She received two papal dispensations in 1251, the first to erect a portable altar; the other so that she could hear mass in the Cisterian monastery. Margaret died in March 1266[9] at Hampstead. Her death was recorded in the Annals of Worcester and in the Annals of Winchester. She was buried in the Church of the Hospitallers in Clerkenwell.

Margaret was described as "one of the two towering female figures of the mid-13th century"; the other being Ela, Countess of Salisbury.

Notes:

Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Lord of Offaly (1194 - 20 May 1257) was a Norman-Irish peer, soldier, and Justiciar of Ireland from 1232 to 1245. He mustered many armies against the Irish, and due to his harsh methods as Justiciar, he received criticism from King Henry III of England. He was succeeded as Lord of Offaly by his son, Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly.

Career

He was born in Ireland in 1194, the son of Gerald FitzMaurice, 1st Lord of Offaly and Eve de Bermingham (died between June 1223/December 1226). He succeeded to the title of Lord of Offaly on 15 January 1204, and was invested as a knight in July 1217, at the age of 23. Maurice was summoned to London to accompany King Henry III of England to Poitou and Gascony in October 1229. He was appointed Justiciar of Ireland in September 1232 and held the post until 1245. His reputation was marred by rumours that he had contrived the death of Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke in 1234. FitzGerald met Marshal at the Battle of the Curragh on 1 April, where Marshal was wounded and died shortly after. It was rumoured that Marshal had been betrayed. In February 1235, the King criticised him for his proceedings in office, and described him as "little pleasant, nay, beyond measure harsh in executing the King's mandates". The same year, he took part in the subjugation of Connacht. In the years 1241 and 1242, and later in 1246, 1247, and 1248 he mustered armies against the Irish. In the Annals of the Four Masters, 1247, it was recorded that Melaghlin O' Donnell, the Lord of Tyrconnell was slain by Maurice FitzGerald.

In 1245, Maurice was dismissed from his post as Justiciar as a result of tardiness in sending the King assistance in the latter's military campaigns in Wales. His successor was John FitzGeoffrey. That same year he laid the foundations for Sligo Castle. In 1250, he held both the office of Member of the Council of Ireland, and Commissioner of the Treasury. He also founded the Franciscan Friary at Youghal and the Dominican Friary at Sligo; hence his nickname of an Brathair, which is Irish for The Friar. He was at the English royal court in January 1252, and received an urgent summons from King Henry in January 1254.

Marriage and issue

He married on an unknown date, Joanna de Geneville. Genealogists had previously named her as Juliana de Cogan, but this was an error since this was the name of his granddaughter through his oldest son Gerald. By Joanna, Maurice had four sons:

Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald (died 1243), married a woman whose name is not recorded by whom he had a son, Maurice (died July 1268), and a daughter, Juliana (died after 1309), wife of Sir John de Cogan, by whom she had issue.
Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly (1238- before 10 November 1286), married firstly, Maud de Prendergast, by whom he had two daughters; he married secondly, Emmeline Longespee.
David FitzMaurice FitzGerald, died childless
Thomas FitzMaurice FitzGerald (died 1271 Lough Mask), married Rohesia de St. Michael, by whom he had issue including John FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Kildare, 4th Lord of Offaly

Death

In 1257, Maurice and his Norman army engaged the forces led by Godfrey O'Donnell, King of Tyrconnell at the Battle of Credan, north of what is now County Sligo. The two men fought each other in single combat and both were gravely wounded. Maurice died of his injuries at Youghal Monastery, wearing the habit of the Franciscans, on 20 May 1257, aged 63 years. In the Annals of the Four Masters, 1257 his death is described thus: "Maurice FitzGerald for some time Lord Justice of Ireland and the destroyer of the Irish, died." (In Irish this reads as: "Muiris macGerailt lustis Ereann re h-edh diosccaoilteach Gaoidheal d'écc".)

He was succeeded as Lord of Offaly by his son, Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly, rather than the rightful successor, his grandson, Maurice, son of his eldest son, Gerald.

Maurice — Joanna de Geneville. [Group Sheet]

Gerald — Matilda de Burgh. [Group Sheet]