Lady Margaret de Clare

Female 1293 - 1342  (48 years)


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  • Name Margaret de Clare 
    Title Lady 
    Birth 12 Oct 1293  Tonbridge Castle, Kent, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    • Tonbridge Castle is situated in the town of the same name, Kent, England.

      The twin towered gatehouse was built by Richard de Clare, third Earl of Hertford or his son Gilbert. Construction of the gatehouse took 30 years, being completed in 1260.

      Map, images, history & source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonbridge_Castle
    Gender Female 
    Death 9 Apr 1342  Chebsey, Staffordshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Burial Tonbridge Priory, Kent, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    • Tonbridge Priory was a priory in Tonbridge, Kent, England that was established in 1124. It was destroyed by fire in 1337 and then rebuilt. The priory was disestablished in 1523.

      Tonbridge Priory was established in 1124 by Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, who held Tonbridge Castle. He was buried in the priory following his death in 1136.

      Map, image & source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonbridge_Priory
    Person ID I43461  The Hennessee Family
    Last Modified 6 Mar 2016 

    Father Sir Gilbert de Clare, Knight, Earl of Hertford,   b. 2 Sep 1243, Christchurch, Hampshire, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 7 Dec 1295, Monmouth Castle, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 52 years) 
    Mother Lady Joan (Plantagenet) of Acre,   b. 0Apr 1272, Acre, Israel Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 23 Apr 1307, Clare Castle, Clare, Suffolk, England Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 35 years) 
    Marriage Y  [3
    Family ID F16559  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Sir Hugh de Audley, 1st Baron Audley,   b. ~ 1289, Stratton Audley, Oxfordshire, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 10 Nov 1347, Kent, England Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 58 years) 
    Marriage Y  [1, 2
    • King Edward arranged a second marriage for her to another favourite, Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester.
    Children 
     1. Lady Margaret de Audley, 2nd Baroness Audley,   b. 1318-1322, Stratton Audley, Oxfordshire, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 7 Sep 1349, Tonbridge Castle, Tonbridge, Kent, England Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 27 years)
    Family ID F15771  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 30 Apr 2023 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 12 Oct 1293 - Tonbridge Castle, Kent, England Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 9 Apr 1342 - Chebsey, Staffordshire, England Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Tonbridge Priory, Kent, England Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Notes 
    • Margaret de Clare, Countess of Cornwall, Countess of Gloucester (12 October 1293 – 09 April 1342), was an English noblewoman, heiress, and the second eldest of the three daughters of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and his wife, Joan of Acre, making her a granddaughter of King Edward I of England. [2][3][1] Her two husbands were Piers Gaveston and Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester.[4]

      Marriage to Piers Gaveston

      She was married to Piers Gaveston, the favourite of her uncle Edward II on 07 November 1307. [3][2][4] At the time of her marriage she was 14 years of age. According to the Vita Edwardi Secundi, this marriage was arranged by the King "to strengthen Piers and surround him with friends." Lord Gaveston celebrated the marriage with a lavish tournament at Wallingford Castle. The marriage of such a high-born heiress to a foreigner did not please the English nobility and engendered a great deal of unpopularity. They had issue, The Right Honourable Amy de Gaveston born 06 January 1312 in Tunbridge Castle, Kent, England. [3][2] It is alleged that they had another child named Joan de Gaveston born around 1310, but there is little evidence outside of hearsay to validate this claim. There are also claims that Amy de Gaveston was born to a mistress of Lord de Gaveston possibly one of Her Majesty, Queen Hainaut's ladies. [5] However, the evidence is circumstantial and the official records list Amy de Gaveston as born to Lord de Gaveston and Lady de Clare thus, it's fancy speculation.[4]


      King Edward arranged a lavish celebration after the birth of this little girl, complete with minstrels. However, Piers Gaveston was executed only six months later, leaving Margaret a widow with a small child. Her dower rights as Countess of Cornwall were disputed, and so King Edward instead assigned her Oakham Castle and other lands. She joined the Royal household and in 1316 accompanied the King in his journey from London to York.

      Inheritance and second marriage

      Following the death of their brother, Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Hertford, at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Margaret and her sisters, Elizabeth and Eleanor de Clare received a share of the inheritance. Margaret was now one of the co-heiresses to the vast Gloucester estate, and King Edward arranged a second marriage for her to another favourite, Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester. She was High Sheriff of Rutland from 1313 to 1319. [6] On 28 April 1317 Margaret de Clare wed Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester at Windsor Castle. [3]They had one daughter:# Margaret de Audley, born between January 1318 and November 1320. [3][2][4]

      Despenser War

      Hugh and Margaret were among the victims of their brother-in-law, Hugh the younger Despenser. In his rashness and greed for the Clare lands, he robbed Margaret of much of her rightful inheritance. In 1321, Hugh de Audley joined the other Marcher Barons in looting, burning, and causing general devastation to Despenser's lands which subsequently became the Despenser War. Hugh was captured at the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322, and was saved from a hanging thanks to the pleas of his wife. He was imprisoned, and two months later Margaret was sent to Sempringham Priory. She remained there until 1326, when Hugh escaped prison and she was released from Sempringham.

      Countess of Gloucester

      Hugh and Margaret were reunited sometime in 1326. In summer 1336, their only daughter, Margaret Audley, was abducted by Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford. Her parents filed a complaint, but King Edward III of England supported Stafford. He appeased Hugh and Margaret by creating Hugh Earl of Gloucester. Margaret was henceforth styled Countess of Gloucester.

      Death

      Margaret died on the 9th of April 1342 and her sister Lady Elizabeth de Clare paid for prayers to be said for her soul at Tonbridge Priory located in Kent, England, where she was buried.[1][2][3][5] [2]

  • Sources 
    1. [S7358] "Hugh de Audley, 1st Baron Audley and 1st Earl of Gloucester (3rd Creation) (c. 1291 - 10 November 1347)" bigraphy, http.

    2. [S8992] "Lady Margaret de Clare, Countess of Cornwall, Countess of Gloucester (12 October 1293 - 09 April 1342)" biography, http.

    3. [S7809] "Edward I of England (1239-1307)" biography, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England.