Humphrey de Bohun VIII, Earl of Hereford and Essex

Other Events and Attributes:

• General Information: He was the 8th Earl of Hereford and the 9th Earl of Essex. Other sources list him as the 4th Earl of Hereford.
• Title(s): 1298; He succeeded his father in 1298 as Earl of Hereford and Earl of Essex, and Constable of England.
• Military: 1300, Caerlaverock Castle, Scotland; Humphrey was one of several earls and barons under Edward I who laid siege to Caerlaverock Castle in Scotland in 1300 and later took part in many campaigns in Scotland.
• Offices Held: say 1300; He was the Lord High Constable of England.
• Land/House: 1302; In 1302 he conveyed lands.
• Military: Jun 1313; In June 1313 he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Bannockburn. He was released in exchange for the wife of Robert the Bruce who had long been a captive in England.
• Military: From 23 June 1314 to 24 Jun 1314; At the Battle of Bannockburn (23–24 June 1314), Humphrey de Bohun should have been given command of the army because that was his responsibility as Constable of England. However, since the execution of Piers Gaveston in 1312 Humphrey had been out of favour with Edward II, who gave the Constableship for the 1314 campaign to the youthful and inexperienced Earl of Gloucester, Gilbert de Clare. Nevertheless, on the first day, de Bohun insisted on being one of the first to lead the cavalry charge. In the melee and cavalry rout between the Bannock Burn and the Scots' camp he was not injured although his rash young cousin Henry de Bohun, who could have been no older than about 22, charged alone at Robert Bruce and was killed by Bruce's axe. On the second day, Gloucester was killed at the start of the battle. Hereford fought throughout the day, leading a large company of Welsh and English knights and archers. The archers who might have had success at breaking up the Scots schiltrons were attacked and overrun by the Scots cavalry. When the battle was lost Bohun retreated with the Earl of Angus and several other barons, knights and men to Bothwell Castle, seeking a safe haven. However, all the refugees who entered the castle were taken prisoner by its formerly pro-English governor Walter fitz Gilbert who, like many Lowland knights, declared for Bruce as soon as word came of the Scottish King's victory. Humphrey de Bohun was ransomed by Edward II, his brother-in-law, on the pleading of his wife Isabella. This was one of the most interesting ransoms in English history. The Earl was traded for Bruce's queen, Elizabeth de Burgh and daughter, Marjorie Bruce, two bishops amongst other important Scots captives in England. Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan, who had crowned Robert Bruce in 1306 and for years had been locked in a cage outside Berwick, was not included; presumably, she had died in captivity.
• Will: 1319; In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: I, Humfrai de Bohun,6 Earl of Hereford and of Essex, of good memory and health, make this my will in the following manner: firstly, I devise my soul to our Lord Jesus Christ who suffered death upon the cross for me and for all sinners, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary his mother, and to all the saints of heaven, and my body to be buried in the church of our blessed lady at Walden, near to the body of Elizabeth late my spouse. Item, I devise that all my debts should be paid and acquitted in full, and I will that the outstanding provisions of my wife’s will shall be performed in their entirety. Item, I devise for the carriage of my body from the place where I die to the Abbey of Walden and for related undertakings and for my burial and for obsequies made at my interment and for all other things thereunto relating, one thousand marks, charging my executors that the bodies of my father, my mother and my wife should be likewise honestly hung with cloths as my body, and that between all our bodies there should be only one hearse and course of lighting. Furthermore, I devise to my lord the King a pot and a cup of gold, which my wife bequeathed to me. Item, to Sir Bartholomew de Badlesmere, the black charger that I brought from beyond the seas. And as my lord the King has of his mercy granted me by his letters patent the moiety of the issues of all my lands from the day that God shall have mercy upon me until the full age of my heir and all the sums that may be levied for the marriage of my said heir and all the sums that my said lord the King owes to me by account made in his wardrobe of my arrears with him and also of all the sums that the Count of Hainault, Holland and Zeeland owes to me, I devise to Humfrai, Edward, William and Eneas my sons, to each of them, £2,000 to buy lands or marriages or to use in other ways as my executors shall think best for their profit, and if the sums aforesaid be more, we desire that they be shared between our four aforesaid sons. Furthermore, I devise to Alianore my daughter towards her wedding clothes, £200. Item, I devise to Sir Hugh de Courtenay one thousand marks which I give him for the marriage of Margaret my daughter and his son and heir. Item, I devise to the same Margaret towards her wedding clothes 200 marks. Furthermore, I devise to my eldest son all my armour, and an entire bed of green powdered with white swans, with all its appurtenances. Item, I devise to Master John Walewayn a cup stamped and embossed with fleurs de lis which belonged to Saint Edmond de Pounteny, and a small cup that Giles de Herteberghe gave to me at Bruges, and a gold ring with a ruby which my wife devised to me, which is all covered with bruises and is in a small casket in a great box at the end of the lower wardrobe. Furthermore, I devise to Sir Robert de Haustede the father and to Dame Margerie his wife for the guardianship of Eneas my son, £100, and to Sir Robert de Walkefare, £60, and to Sir Walter de Shorne to whom we have made no regard, £100. Furthermore, I devise to Philippa Wake, governess of Alianore my daughter, £20, and to Maud de Baskerville my sister, towards her marriage, £40. Item, I devise to Katherine de Boklaunde, governess of Margaret my daughter, £10, and to Isabel the wife of Peter de Geudeford, 100 shillings. Furthermore, I devise to the Chapter-General of the Friars Preacher for masses and other prayers sung and said for my soul, £20, and to the Chapter-General of the Friars Minor for the same purposes, £20. Item, to the Chapter of the Augustinian Friars for the same, 20 marks, and to the Chapter General of the Carmelite Friars for the same, 20 marks. Furthermore, I give to the Abbot and Convent of Walden for sung masses and other benefits made for my soul, £10, and to the Prior and Convent of Lanthony near Gloucester for the same undertaken, £10. Item, to the Prior and Convent of Farley for the same, £10, and to the Prior and Convent of Brecon for the same undertaking, £10, and to the Prior and Convent of Hurley for the same undertaking, £10, and to the Prior and Convent of Stoneley, 100 shillings, and to the Prior and Convent of Wirecestre for the same undertaking, £10. Furthermore, I devise to Huard de Soyrou, governor of Humfrai my son, £20, and to Robert Swan who is with John our son and his brothers, £20. Item, I devise to Robert de Clifton, £10, and to Robert de la Lee, £10. Item, to Master William, my cook, £10, and to William my falconer, £10, and to Robert Brutyn, £10. Item, to Berthelet the falconer, 100 shillings, and to John de Gynes, 100 shillings. Furthermore, I devise to Richard Wrothe, my constable at Brecon, £20, and to Thomas Gobyoun, my constable at Plashy, £20, and to Henri Herbert, £10. Item, I devise to Walter le Seler, 100 shillings, and to Roger the cook, 100 shillings, and to Richard le Deen, 100 shillings. Item, I devise to John le Deen, 50 shillings and to Adam de Rothingge, 100 shillings. Item, to John the chandler, 50 shillings and to William ‘le ferour’ [smith?], £10. Item, I devise to Adam ‘le ferour’, 100 shillings, and to William de Weston, 100 shillings. Item, to Miles, 100 shillings, and to Thomas le Pestour, 100 shillings. Furthermore, I devise to Thomas de la Despense, my chamberlain, 10 marks, and to Poun, my barber, 10 marks. Item, to William ‘de la Gardrobe’, 100 shillings, and to Robert my palfrey-man, 100 shillings. Item, I devise to Gilbert le Poleter, 100 shillings, and to each of my boys who shall have been in my service for more than a year when God shall have mercy upon me, 20 shillings. Furthermore, I devise that all of my best horses shall be assigned for my burial. And in order that all the foregoing be undertaken, I have ordained Master John Walewayn, Sir Bartholomew de Enfield, the Abbot of Walden, and Sir John de Walden my executors. Subscribed at Gosforth near to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the 11th day of August in the year of grace 1319.
• Last Full Review: 21 Aug 2020

Notes:

Name:

Military:

Died:
He was killed in battle being run through the body by a soldier, in rebellion against his brother-in-law Edward II at the Battle of Boroughbridge. Acording to Ian Mortimer: "The 4th Earl of] Hereford led the fight on the bridge, but he and his men were caught in the arrow fire. Then one of de Harclay's pikemen, concealed beneath the bridge, thrust upwards between the planks and skewered the Earl of Hereford through the anus, twisting the head of the iron pike into his intestines. His dying screams turned the advance into a panic."

Humphrey married Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, Countess of Hereford on 14 Nov 1302 in Westminster Abbey, London, England. Elizabeth (daughter of Edward I "Longshanks", King of England and Eleanor of Castile, Queen of England) was born on 7 Aug 1282 in Rhuddlan Castle, Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, Wales; died on 5 May 1316 in Quendon, Essex, England; was buried on 23 May 1316 in Walden Abbey, Saffron Walden, Essex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Buried:
The inscription on her and her brother, Humphrey's tomb is "Anno Gratiae m. trecentesimo quinto...Septimo die Februarii obiit domina Maria de Boun, et sep[ulta est cum domino Hugone fratre suo in monasterio beati Petri Westmonasterii."

Notes:

Buried:
The inscription on his and his sister, Margaret's tomb is "Anno Gratiae m. trecentesimo quinto...Septimo die Februarii obiit domina Maria de Boun, et sep[ulta est cum domino Hugone fratre suo in monasterio beati Petri Westmonasterii."

Other Events and Attributes:

• Land/House: 1327
• Will: 20 Aug 1363
• Probate/Proved: 18 Oct 1363

Notes:

Name: Eleanor's name was also spelt Alianore de Bohun.

Birth:
The birth date of Eleanor is the most difficult to determine. Within a petition to Parliament in 1425, it was stated she was younger than her sister Margaret,25 and Complete Peerage has followed this source. But the Llanthony Abbey Cartulary, written in the lifetime of Eleanor, specifically states she was the elder surviving daughter, and lists her after twin brothers Edward & William, and before sister Margaret.

Land/House:
In the Autumn of 1327, she was enfeoffed [given freehold property or land in exchange for their pledged service] with Kilpeck Castle and other properties.

Probate/Proved:
Her will was proved.

Eleanor married James Butler, Earl of Ormond in Feb 1328 to 21 Nov 1328. James was born in possibly 18 Mar 1305 in Ireland; died on 16 Feb 1338 in Gowran Castle, Gowran, County Kilkenny, Ireland; was buried in St. Mary's Collegiate Church Gowran, Gowran, County Kilkenny, Ireland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Eleanor married Thomas, Lord Dagworth on 24 Jan 1344 in Vachery Manor, Cranleigh, Surrey, England. Thomas was born about 1310; died on 20 Jul 1350 in Auray, Morbihan, Brittany, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

Name:
He was the 5th Earl of Hereford.

History:
In 1322, he became the Earl of Hereford and Essex.

Died:
He died without issue.

John married Alice FitzAlan in 1325. Alice (daughter of Sir Edmund Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel and Alice de Warrene) died in by 1329; was buried in Walden Abbey, Saffron Walden, Essex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Margaret Basset, Countess of Hereford and Essex in by 1330. Margaret died after 1 Dec 1347. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

Name:
He was the 6th Earl of Hereford.

History:
In 1336, he became the 10th Earl of Hereford and 11th Essex by inheritance.

Died:
He never married.

Margaret married Sir Hugh de Courtenay, KG, Earl of Devon on 11 Aug 1325. Hugh (son of Sir Hugh de Courtenay, Earl of Devon and Agnes de Saint John) was born on 12 Jul 1303 in Okehampton, Devonshire, England; died on 2 May 1377 in Exeter, Devonshire, England; was buried in Exeter Cathedral, Exeter, Devonshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

Birth:
He was a twin.

Name:
He was the 1st Earl of Northampton.

History:
On 16 March 1336, he was created the Earl of Northampton.

On 26 August 1346, he fought at the Battle of Crécy.

William married Elizabeth de Badlesmere, Countess of Northampton in 1335 in England. Elizabeth (daughter of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, Lord Baddlesmere and Margaret de Clare) died on 8 Jun 1356; was buried in Blackfriars, London, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

Birth:
He was a twin.

Complete Peerage states the twins were born about 1312, but we know their sister Margaret was born in 1311, and the Llanthony Priory Cartulary states that the twins and Eleanor were born prior to Margaret.

History:
In 1334, he was granted the lordship of Annandale, Scotland.

Died:
He died a heroic death attempting to rescue a drowning man-at-arms from a Scottish river while on campaign.

Family/Spouse: Margaret de Ros. Margaret (daughter of William de Ros, Lord Ros of Helmsley and Margery de Badlesmere) died before 26 Jul 1341. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

History:
He was named for the fabled Knight of the Swan, from whom the Bohun, Earls of Hereford and Essex claimed descent.

Died:
He never married.

Notes:

Buried:
She is buried with her mother.

Died:
She died in childbirth.

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

History:
In 1383, he was the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

Family/Spouse: Anne Wake. Anne (daughter of Sir Thomas Wake of Blysworth and Alice Patteshull) died in 1390 in England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Sir John de Vere. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Elizabeth married Sir Andrew Luttrell in 1359. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Emmeline Dauney. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• General Information: He was the 11th Earl of Essex.
• Title(s): 16 Sep 1360; On 16 September 1360 he succeeded his father as the Earl of Northampton.
• Military: 1365, Alexandria, Egypt; He participated in the sack of Alexandria, Egypt in 1365.
• Last Full Review: 5 May 2020

Notes:

Name:

Humphrey married Joan FitzAlan on 9 Sep 1359 in Norfolk, England. Joan (daughter of Sir Richard "Copped Hat" FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel and Eleanor de Lancaster) was born in 1347 in Arundel, Sussex, England; died on 7 Apr 1419. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Elizabeth married Sir Richard FitzAlan, KG, Earl of Arundel and Surrey about 28 Aug 1359. Richard (son of Sir Richard "Copped Hat" FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel and Eleanor de Lancaster) was born in 1346; died on 21 Sep 1397. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Joan Champernon. Joan (daughter of Alexander Champernon and Joan Ferrers) died in 1419. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

History:
Her name was also spelt Alianore de Bohun.

Eleanor married Thomas of Woodstock, KG, Duke of Gloucester about 1376. Thomas (son of Edward III, King of England and Philippa of Hainault) was born on 7 Jan 1354/55 in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England; died on 8 Sep 1397 in Calais, Hauts-de-France, Pas-De-Calais, France; was buried in St Edmund, King and Martyr Church, Westminster, London, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

History:
She was coheir of her father.

Mary married Henry IV, King of England in 30 Jul 1380 - 10 Feb 1380/81 in Rochford, Essex, England. Henry (son of Sir John of Gaunt, KG, Duke of Lancaster and Blanch of Lancaster) was born on 3 Apr 1367 in Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire, England; died on 20 Mar 1412/13 in Palace of Westminster, Westminster, London, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]