Notes
Note for: John De Berkeley, 21 JAN 1350/51 - 1428 Index
ancestor of the Berkeleys of Beverstone
Notes
Note for: Maurice De Berkeley, 1330 - 8 JUN 1368 Index
Maurice IV. Ninth Lord. 1361 to 1368.
IN 1338, when only seven years old, Maurice de Berkeley accompanied his fa
ther to the Scottish wars, and received the honour of knighthood, his tend
er years not being considered an obstacle either to the honour or to his i
ntroduction to the profession of arms. The following year he was marri
ed to Elizabeth the daughter of Hugh lord Spencer who was about the same a
ge; these early marriages were frequent in great families in feudal time
s, the object being to prevent wardship to the crown.
Maurice served in the French wars, was present at the battle of Cressy a
nd the siege of Calais, and was dangerously wounded and taken prisone
r, as has been stated, at the battle of Poictiers. The large sum demand
ed for his ransom, 6000 nobles, could not at once be raised, and Maurice r
emained in France till 1361, when it was paid, and he returned home. He w
as however never thoroughly cured of his wounds, and passed the rest of h
is life in more peaceful occupations.
Maurice died at Berkeley in 1368, and was buried in the tomb of the Lady M
argaret, his mother, at St. Augustine's. James, his second son, whose iss
ue afterwards succeeded to the Barony was called James the Welshman, fr
om his residence at Raglan, he having acquired that Manor and Castle, wi
th Talgarth and much other Welsh property, by his marriage with Isabel t
he daughter and heiress of Sir John Bloet. He was early in life knighted f
or his military services in the French wars, died in 1405, and was buri
ed in St. Augustine's.
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Thomas IV. Tenth Lord. 1368 to 1417.
Thomas de Berkeley was only 15 years of age when he succeeded to the Baron
y. He had been married the year previous with great pomp and ceremony to M
argaret the daughter and heiress of Gerard Warren, lord de Lisle. The marr
iage proved a happy one to the individuals most concerned, but it broug
ht bitter fruits to the family in a disputed succession and division of t
he property, with much bloodshed and litigation which lasted through ma
ny following generations. On the death of lord de Lisle in 1383, all his m
anors 24 in number, besides several advowsons and much other property, dev
olved on his daughter lady Berkeley, thereby doubling the original Berkel
ey estate. By this accession of property lord Berkeley greatly increased t
he style and magnificence of his mode of living, so that he exceeded in st
ate and sumptuousness that of any of his ancestors. He was if possible mo
re fond of field sports than any of his predecessors; his expenditure f
or the keep of hounds and greyhounds, for hunting the hare, fox, deer a
nd badger, was very great, and at Berkeley he kept great numbers of tame p
heasants. He had a barge-house at the Castle bridge-foot, and kept sever
al barges sumptuously fitted up for use on the Severn. Like his predecesso
rs he farmed his own demesne lands with the aid of reeves and bailiffs, ma
intaining great hospitality at his manor-houses with the produce, and sell
ing the surplus.
Lord Berkeley was frequently employed in military service in the French a
nd Scottish wars, and was also named in several Royal Commissions for armi
ng and training men in the county, and for other purposes. In 1388, the ki
ng, Richard II., came to Berkeley Castle, and was royally entertained.
In 1393, lady Berkeley died, to the great grief of her husband, and was bu
ried in the church of Wotton-under-Edge. "She was" says Smyth, "a very mil
d, devout, and benevolent lady, but without much activity or energy." To d
ivert the sorrow occasioned by her death lord Berkeley obtained the Roy
al license to go abroad on a pilgrimage for a year, and he never re-marrie
d, though only 38 years of age at the time of lady Berkeley's death, and w
ithout male issue.
In 1399, the rebellion broke out which ended in the deposition of Richa
rd II., and the elevation to the throne of the duke of Lancaster as Hen
ry IV. The duke of York who had been left Regent of the kingdom during Ric
hard's absence in Ireland, endeavoured for a time to stem the tide of rebe
llion, but finding his efforts useless, he opened negociations with the du
ke of Lancaster, and a meeting between them was arranged which took pla
ce at Berkeley Castle on the Sunday after St. James's day, 1399. Their com
bined forces took Bristol Castle, and then marched to Chester, and the unf
ortunate Richard returned from Ireland to find his kingdom lost. A few da
ys after he signed a formal abdication, to which, amongst others, Thomas l
ord Berkeley was a witness. At Michaelmas following, the king's depositi
on was formally completed by a Parliament held at the Tower of Londo
n, by whom a commission, consisting of a Bishop, an Abbot, an Earl, a Baro
n, a Judge, and a Knight, was appointed to take, publish, and pronounce t
he King’s resignation, lord Berkeley being the Baron; and Lancaster was th
en formally recognized as king by the title of Henry IV. The unfortunate R
ichard was soon afterwards murdered at Pontefract Castle.
In 1405, lord Berkeley was in command of an English fleet which gained t
wo important victories over the French, who were endeavouring to support O
wen Glendower's rebellion in Wales. He was also made a Privy Counsellor, a
nd one of the Lords of the marches of Wales. He died in 1417, at his man
or house of Wotton-under-Edge, and was buried in the church there by the s
ide of his wife the lady Margaret, under a fine altar tomb of grey marbl
e, which bears their effigies in brass. All lady Berkeley's manors descend
ed to their only child Elizabeth, married to the Earl of Warwick, but t
he Castle and Barony of Berkeley devolved upon the heir male, James, s
on of the late lord's brother, the lord of Raglan, who now succeeded as el
eventh lord Berkeley.
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James I. Eleventh Lord. 1417 to 1463.
James Berkeley had been brought up at the Castle as his uncle's heir, b
ut at the time of his death he was in Dorsetshire at the house of Sir Hump
hrey Stafford, whose daughter he had married. The Earl and Countess of War
wick however were at Berkeley, and they immediately proceeded to s
et up a claim to the Castle and the whole of the manors held by the deceas
ed lord. Availing themselves of their position they took possession of a
ll the deeds and evidences, taking away a great many, and having copies a
nd abstracts made of others. James of course used such means as were in h
is power to assert his rights, but the late lord's executors and servan
ts adhered to lord and lady Warwick as the stronger party, and in the th
en state of the law, James was unable to prevent the Earl and Countess fr
om receiving the rents, and holding the Manor Courts for the next three ye
ars. After much litigation however, James was declared heir to his uncle
's Castle and Barony of Berkeley, but the Earl and Countess kept possessi
on of the whole for some time, and afterwards re-entered forcibly on the m
anors of Wotton, Symondshall, and Coaley. By the mediation of the Bish
op of Worcester an arrangement was made by which the Earl was allowed to r
etain those manors on permitting James to have peaceable possession of t
he others; this however did not last long; the Earl still pressed his cla
im to the whole, and in 1420, laid siege to the Castle. In this extremit
y, the law being powerless to help him against so potent an adversary, Jam
es obtained the assistance of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, the king’s bro
ther, by the gift of one thousand marks, and by his interest succeed
ed in getting license to sue out his livery, and soon after paid his reli
ef of one hundred marks as a Baron and Peer of the realm. The Earl and Cou
ntess however continued to assert their claim, and much quarrelling took p
lace between them, and much fighting between their servants and followe
rs whenever they met. At length the intervention of the Bishop of Worcest
er was again invoked, and a settlement was agreed upon for their joint liv
es, which lasted till the death of the Earl of Warwick in 1439. On this ev
ent the feud again broke out, the three daughters and co-heiresses of t
he Earl of Warwick, married respectively to the Earl of Shrewsbury, the Du
ke of Somerset, and lord Latimer, reviving their father's and mother's cla
ims, backed by the most powerful interest. James lord Berkeley resisting t
heir proceedings rather roughly, was by their contrivance committed to t
he Tower, but was released after a few days on entering into a bond to ke
ep the peace. During the litigation which ensued both parties were frequen
tly bound over to keep the peace. No settlement of the matters in dispu
te was come to, though they were several times referred to arbitratio
n. In 1440, one David Woodburne being sent to Wotton by lord Lisle, s
on to the earl of Shrewsbury, to serve a subpoena on lord Berkeley, the la
tter not only beat the unfortunate messenger, but compelled him to eat a
nd swallow the summons, wax and parchment
In 1449, the Warwick party obtained an award in their favour, but James ga
rrisoned his Castle, and prepared to resist its execution. In order the be
tter to prosecute his cause lady Berkeley went to London, from whence s
he wrote to her husband a highly interesting and characteristic letter, re
porting progress and cheering him with hopes of success; concluding by ask
ing him to send her some money for her expenses, or she should be oblig
ed to sell her horse and return to Berkeley on foot.
Both parties now had recourse to arms, and many were the skirmishes betwe
en them, and the armed incursions upon the lands in dispute, first by o
ne party and then by the other. Lord Berkeley attacked, sacked, and almo
st destroyed Wotton manor house, where lady Shrewsbury then resided, in re
turn for which her son, lord Lisle, by a surprise, broke into Berkeley Cas
tle in 1452, and seized lord Berkeley and his four sons, whom he kept pris
oners eleven weeks and compelled to sign various deeds and bonds. During t
hese contests the town of Berkeley was half destroyed, and the Castle ma
ny times attacked, taken, and re-taken.
Lord Berkeley in 1452 sustained a severe loss in the death of his wif
e, in prison at Gloucester, where she had been committed by the contrivan
ce of the countess of Shrewsbury. Her death was afterwards severely aveng
ed by her son William at the battle of Nibley Green, where lord Lisle, la
dy Shrewsbury’s grandchild and heir, was killed, and her family in that li
ne extinguished. This Lady Berkeley was James's second wife; she was the d
aughter of Thomas Mowbray Duke of Norfolk, a lady of great virtues, devot
ed to her husband and children, and their great stay and support in the tr
oublesome suits in which they were involved. She was buried in the chanc
el of the Greyfriars church in Gloucester, which her grandson, Maurice Ber
keley, afterwards repaired in memory of her.
In 1457, James lord Berkeley married his third wife, Joan sister to Joh
n, 2nd earl of Shrewsbury, an alliance with the family of his former enem
y, which no doubt assisted in the settlement of the family quarrel which t
ook place six years afterwards, by which lord Berkeley and the counte
ss of Shrewsbury agreed to let their differences rest and thenceforward li
ve in peace. This was in 1463, and thirty-six days afterwards lord Berkel
ey died. He was buried in Berkeley church, beneath an alabaster tomb, high
ly ornamented with escutcheons and sculpture, under an arch between the ch
ancel and the beautiful mortuary chapel which he himself had built. The to
mb bears his effigy in complete armour, and also a smaller but similar o
ne to commemorate his second son James, who was slain in France serving un
der the celebrated John Talbot. James lord Berkeley was the first of his f
amily who never bore arms in the service of his country, being probably t
oo much occupied with the unfortunate family contests. He was also there
by withheld from taking any part in the conflict for the crown between t
he rival houses of York and Lancaster which was then raging, and the Berke
leys were almost the only great family which did not suffer in life or est
ate in those wars.
Smyth says that James was "an honest, humble and just lord," and that "
of all his family none is found to have walked more with God in a virtuo
us and harmless life."
http://www.rotwang.freeserve.co.uk/HistoryOfBerkeley/Chapter04.html