Ralph de Monthermer, 1st Baron Monthermer
Ralph de Monthermer, 1st Baron Monthermer, Earl of Gloucester, Hertford, and Atholl (c. 1270 – 5 April 1325) was an English nobleman, who was the son-in-law of King Edward I. His clandestine marriage to the King's widowed daughter Joan greatly offended her father, but he was quickly persuaded to pardon Ralph.
Biography
Of unknown parentage, Monthermer was born in Wales. Before 1296, he was a
In September 1297, Monthermer was summoned to attend a military council at Rochester, and would go on to take an active part in the Wars of Scottish Independence. He fought at the Battle of Falkirk in July 1298, and in the December of that year was granted the sum of £1,538 6s. 8d., to pay for 100 barbed horses for use in the war.
In 1300, Monthermer fought with his father-in-law at the siege of Caerlaverock. The Caerlaverock Roll, a poetic description of all the lords and knights present, refers to him thus (as translated from the original French):
He by whom they were well supported,
Who brought to success the love,
After great doubts and fears,
Until it pleased God he should be relieved,
For the Countess of Gloucester,
For whom he long endured great sufferings.
Of fine gold with three red chevrons,
He had there only a banner;[nb 1]
Yet he made no bad appearance,
When he was attired in his own arms,
Which were yellow with a green eagle.
His name was Ralph de Monthermer.[1]
Scottish wars
In February 1301, Monthermer was summoned to a parliament at
In 1305 Monthermer warned
Later life
His wife Joan died in 1307 at the manor of
In 1307 Monthermer had been appointed keeper of
His second wife was Isabel le Despencer, the widow of
Issue
By his first wife Joan, Monthermer probably had two sons and two daughters:
- Duncan, Earl of Fife
- Joan de Monthermer (1299 - unknown), became a nun at Amesbury.
- Thomas, 2nd Lord Monthermer (1301–1340)
- Edward de Monthermer (1304–1340), fought in the Scottish campaign in 1335, but spent much of his life in service to his half-sister Elizabeth, who provided for him during his last illness and buried him next to their mother
References
- ^ The banner "of fine gold with three red chevrons" was the banner of the de Clare family, which Monthermer evidently bore to show his position as Earl of Gloucester and Hertford.
- Cokayne, George (1898). The Complete Peerage of England. Vol. 5. London: George Bell & Sons. p. 351.
- Howard de Walden, Thomas (1904). Some Feudal Lords and their Seals. London: de Walden Library. pp. 9–10.
- Lee, Sidney, ed. (1894). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 38. New York: MacMillan & Co. pp. 326–7.
- Scott, Ronald (1988). Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. Edinburgh: Canongate Books. pp. 72 & 163.
- ^ Wright, Thomas (1864). The Roll of Caerlaverock. London: John Camden Hotten. p. 21.