Individual Details
Hugh Le Despenser
(1 Mar 1261 - 27 Oct 1326)
thePeerage.com
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester1
M, #10761, b. 1 March 1260/61, d. 27 October 1326
Last Edited=3 Apr 2011
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester was born on 1 March 1260/61.2 He was the son of Sir Hugh le Despenser, 1st Lord Despenser and Aliva Basset.2 He married Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick and Maud fitz John, before 1286.2 He died on 27 October 1326 at age 65, hanged as a traitor.2
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester also went by the nick-name of Hugh 'the Elder'.2 He succeeded to the title of 2nd Lord Despenser [E., 1264] on 4 August 1265.3 He was created 1st Lord le Despenser [England by writ] on 24 June 1295.2 In 1312 he represented King Edward II in negotiating a treaty with his nobles a tthe time of Gaveston's murder by them.2 He fought in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.2 In February 1314/15 he was banished from court by the machinations of his enemies.2 In August 1321 he was disinherited and exiled in perpetuity for his alleged misgovernment and malign influence of King Edward II.2 In January 1321/22 his exile was reversed.2 He was created 1st Earl of Winchester [England] on 10 May 1322.2 After King Edward II fled to Wales, he was convicted as a traitor and all of his honours forfeited.2
Children of Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester and Isabella de Beauchamp
Aline le Despenser4 d. b 28 Nov 1353
Isabel le Despenser+2 d. 4 Dec 1334
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Lord le Despenser+2 b. c 1290, d. 29 Nov 1326
Citations
[S37] BP2003 volume 1, page 1122. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37]
[S37] BP2003. [S37]
[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume IX, page 593. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume II, page 434.
****************
From Wikipedia
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester)
Hugh le Despencer, 1st Earl of Winchester
Blason Thomas Le Despencer.svg
Arms of Despencer: Quarterly 1st & 4th: Argent; 2nd & 3rd: Gules, a fret or, over all a ribbon sable
Born 1 March 1261
Died 27 October 1326
Bristol, Gloucestershire
Title Earl of Winchester
Other names The Elder Despenser
Nationality England English
Wars and battles Despenser wars
War of Saint-Sardos
Isabella's Campaign
Siege of Bristol †
Offices Advisor of Edward II of England
Predecessor none
Successor Lewis de Bruges
Spouse(s) Isabella de Beauchamp
Hugh le Despenser (1 March 1261 – 27 October 1326), sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England.[1]
Contents
1 Ancestry
2 Life
3 Death
4 Family
5 Notes
6 References
Ancestry
He was the son of Hugh le Despencer, 1st Baron le Despencer (or Despenser), and Aline Basset, only daughter and heiress of Philip Basset. His father was killed at the Battle of Evesham when Hugh was just a boy, but Hugh's patrimony was saved through the influence of his maternal grandfather (who had been loyal to the king).[2] He married Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick and Maud FitzJohn.
Life
He served Edward I on numerous occasions in battle and in diplomacy and was created a baron by writ of summons to Parliament in 1295. His son, Hugh Despenser the Younger, became a favourite of Edward II, in what is widely believed to be a homosexual relationship. [3] Hugh the Elder was loyal to his son and the King, which worried the barons. To that time, his highest office was justice of the forests.[4]
He was one of the few barons to remain loyal to Edward during the controversy regarding Piers Gaveston. Despenser became Edward's loyal servant and chief administrator after Gaveston was executed in 1312, but the jealousy of other barons - and, more importantly, his own corruption and unjust behaviour - led to his being exiled along with his son Hugh Despenser the younger in 1321, when Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent replaced him as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
Edward found it difficult to manage without them, and recalled them to England a year later, an action which enraged the queen, Isabella, the more so when Despenser was created Earl of Winchester in 1322. Although not as bad as his son, Despencer the Elder was accused by a significant number of people of widespread criminality during the next few years, often involving false accusations of trespass or theft and the extortion of money or land.
Death
When Isabella, Queen of England, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, led a rebellion against her husband Edward, they captured both Despensers—first the elder, later the younger. Queen Isabella interceded for Hugh the elder, but his enemies, notably Roger Mortimer and Henry, Earl of Lancaster, insisted both father and son should face trial and execution.
The elder Despenser was hanged immediately in his armour at Bristol on 27 October 1326. He was then beheaded and his body cut into pieces for the dogs. His head was sent for display to Winchester, which had supported the king.[5]
Pardons were issued to thousands of people who had been falsely accused by Despencer following his death.
Family
Hugh and his wife, Isabella, had two daughters, Aline (c. - 1353) and Isabel (d. 1334). Isabel married, as his second wife, John Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings and had issue.
Notes
"Despenser, Hugh le (1262-1326)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
Fryde 28
"Abbey body identified as gay lover of Edward II". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
Gwilym Dodd, Anthony Musson, The Reign of Edward II: New Perspectives, pp. 214-217.
Rev. John Milner, History of Antiquities of Winchester, p. 213.
References
Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 72-31, 74-31, 74A-31, 93A-29
Fryde, Natalie (1979). The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326. ISBN 0-521-54806-3.
Karau, Björn: Günstlinge am Hof Edwards II. von England - Aufstieg und Fall der Despensers, MA-Thesis, Kiel 1999. (Free Download: http://www.despensers.de/download.htm)
Wikisource link to Despenser, Hugh le (1262-1326) (DNB00). Wikisource.
Hunt, William (1888). "Hugh Despenser". Dictionary of National Biography 14.
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
thePeerage.com
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester1
M, #10761, b. 1 March 1260/61, d. 27 October 1326
Last Edited=3 Apr 2011
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester was born on 1 March 1260/61.2 He was the son of Sir Hugh le Despenser, 1st Lord Despenser and Aliva Basset.2 He married Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick and Maud fitz John, before 1286.2 He died on 27 October 1326 at age 65, hanged as a traitor.2
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester also went by the nick-name of Hugh 'the Elder'.2 He succeeded to the title of 2nd Lord Despenser [E., 1264] on 4 August 1265.3 He was created 1st Lord le Despenser [England by writ] on 24 June 1295.2 In 1312 he represented King Edward II in negotiating a treaty with his nobles a tthe time of Gaveston's murder by them.2 He fought in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.2 In February 1314/15 he was banished from court by the machinations of his enemies.2 In August 1321 he was disinherited and exiled in perpetuity for his alleged misgovernment and malign influence of King Edward II.2 In January 1321/22 his exile was reversed.2 He was created 1st Earl of Winchester [England] on 10 May 1322.2 After King Edward II fled to Wales, he was convicted as a traitor and all of his honours forfeited.2
Children of Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester and Isabella de Beauchamp
Aline le Despenser4 d. b 28 Nov 1353
Isabel le Despenser+2 d. 4 Dec 1334
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Lord le Despenser+2 b. c 1290, d. 29 Nov 1326
Citations
[S37] BP2003 volume 1, page 1122. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37]
[S37] BP2003. [S37]
[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume IX, page 593. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume II, page 434.
****************
From Wikipedia
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester)
Hugh le Despencer, 1st Earl of Winchester
Blason Thomas Le Despencer.svg
Arms of Despencer: Quarterly 1st & 4th: Argent; 2nd & 3rd: Gules, a fret or, over all a ribbon sable
Born 1 March 1261
Died 27 October 1326
Bristol, Gloucestershire
Title Earl of Winchester
Other names The Elder Despenser
Nationality England English
Wars and battles Despenser wars
War of Saint-Sardos
Isabella's Campaign
Siege of Bristol †
Offices Advisor of Edward II of England
Predecessor none
Successor Lewis de Bruges
Spouse(s) Isabella de Beauchamp
Hugh le Despenser (1 March 1261 – 27 October 1326), sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England.[1]
Contents
1 Ancestry
2 Life
3 Death
4 Family
5 Notes
6 References
Ancestry
He was the son of Hugh le Despencer, 1st Baron le Despencer (or Despenser), and Aline Basset, only daughter and heiress of Philip Basset. His father was killed at the Battle of Evesham when Hugh was just a boy, but Hugh's patrimony was saved through the influence of his maternal grandfather (who had been loyal to the king).[2] He married Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick and Maud FitzJohn.
Life
He served Edward I on numerous occasions in battle and in diplomacy and was created a baron by writ of summons to Parliament in 1295. His son, Hugh Despenser the Younger, became a favourite of Edward II, in what is widely believed to be a homosexual relationship. [3] Hugh the Elder was loyal to his son and the King, which worried the barons. To that time, his highest office was justice of the forests.[4]
He was one of the few barons to remain loyal to Edward during the controversy regarding Piers Gaveston. Despenser became Edward's loyal servant and chief administrator after Gaveston was executed in 1312, but the jealousy of other barons - and, more importantly, his own corruption and unjust behaviour - led to his being exiled along with his son Hugh Despenser the younger in 1321, when Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent replaced him as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
Edward found it difficult to manage without them, and recalled them to England a year later, an action which enraged the queen, Isabella, the more so when Despenser was created Earl of Winchester in 1322. Although not as bad as his son, Despencer the Elder was accused by a significant number of people of widespread criminality during the next few years, often involving false accusations of trespass or theft and the extortion of money or land.
Death
When Isabella, Queen of England, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, led a rebellion against her husband Edward, they captured both Despensers—first the elder, later the younger. Queen Isabella interceded for Hugh the elder, but his enemies, notably Roger Mortimer and Henry, Earl of Lancaster, insisted both father and son should face trial and execution.
The elder Despenser was hanged immediately in his armour at Bristol on 27 October 1326. He was then beheaded and his body cut into pieces for the dogs. His head was sent for display to Winchester, which had supported the king.[5]
Pardons were issued to thousands of people who had been falsely accused by Despencer following his death.
Family
Hugh and his wife, Isabella, had two daughters, Aline (c. - 1353) and Isabel (d. 1334). Isabel married, as his second wife, John Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings and had issue.
Notes
"Despenser, Hugh le (1262-1326)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
Fryde 28
"Abbey body identified as gay lover of Edward II". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
Gwilym Dodd, Anthony Musson, The Reign of Edward II: New Perspectives, pp. 214-217.
Rev. John Milner, History of Antiquities of Winchester, p. 213.
References
Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 72-31, 74-31, 74A-31, 93A-29
Fryde, Natalie (1979). The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326. ISBN 0-521-54806-3.
Karau, Björn: Günstlinge am Hof Edwards II. von England - Aufstieg und Fall der Despensers, MA-Thesis, Kiel 1999. (Free Download: http://www.despensers.de/download.htm)
Wikisource link to Despenser, Hugh le (1262-1326) (DNB00). Wikisource.
Hunt, William (1888). "Hugh Despenser". Dictionary of National Biography 14.
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester1
M, #10761, b. 1 March 1260/61, d. 27 October 1326
Last Edited=3 Apr 2011
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester was born on 1 March 1260/61.2 He was the son of Sir Hugh le Despenser, 1st Lord Despenser and Aliva Basset.2 He married Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick and Maud fitz John, before 1286.2 He died on 27 October 1326 at age 65, hanged as a traitor.2
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester also went by the nick-name of Hugh 'the Elder'.2 He succeeded to the title of 2nd Lord Despenser [E., 1264] on 4 August 1265.3 He was created 1st Lord le Despenser [England by writ] on 24 June 1295.2 In 1312 he represented King Edward II in negotiating a treaty with his nobles a tthe time of Gaveston's murder by them.2 He fought in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.2 In February 1314/15 he was banished from court by the machinations of his enemies.2 In August 1321 he was disinherited and exiled in perpetuity for his alleged misgovernment and malign influence of King Edward II.2 In January 1321/22 his exile was reversed.2 He was created 1st Earl of Winchester [England] on 10 May 1322.2 After King Edward II fled to Wales, he was convicted as a traitor and all of his honours forfeited.2
Children of Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester and Isabella de Beauchamp
Aline le Despenser4 d. b 28 Nov 1353
Isabel le Despenser+2 d. 4 Dec 1334
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Lord le Despenser+2 b. c 1290, d. 29 Nov 1326
Citations
[S37] BP2003 volume 1, page 1122. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37]
[S37] BP2003. [S37]
[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume IX, page 593. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume II, page 434.
****************
From Wikipedia
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester)
Hugh le Despencer, 1st Earl of Winchester
Blason Thomas Le Despencer.svg
Arms of Despencer: Quarterly 1st & 4th: Argent; 2nd & 3rd: Gules, a fret or, over all a ribbon sable
Born 1 March 1261
Died 27 October 1326
Bristol, Gloucestershire
Title Earl of Winchester
Other names The Elder Despenser
Nationality England English
Wars and battles Despenser wars
War of Saint-Sardos
Isabella's Campaign
Siege of Bristol †
Offices Advisor of Edward II of England
Predecessor none
Successor Lewis de Bruges
Spouse(s) Isabella de Beauchamp
Hugh le Despenser (1 March 1261 – 27 October 1326), sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England.[1]
Contents
1 Ancestry
2 Life
3 Death
4 Family
5 Notes
6 References
Ancestry
He was the son of Hugh le Despencer, 1st Baron le Despencer (or Despenser), and Aline Basset, only daughter and heiress of Philip Basset. His father was killed at the Battle of Evesham when Hugh was just a boy, but Hugh's patrimony was saved through the influence of his maternal grandfather (who had been loyal to the king).[2] He married Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick and Maud FitzJohn.
Life
He served Edward I on numerous occasions in battle and in diplomacy and was created a baron by writ of summons to Parliament in 1295. His son, Hugh Despenser the Younger, became a favourite of Edward II, in what is widely believed to be a homosexual relationship. [3] Hugh the Elder was loyal to his son and the King, which worried the barons. To that time, his highest office was justice of the forests.[4]
He was one of the few barons to remain loyal to Edward during the controversy regarding Piers Gaveston. Despenser became Edward's loyal servant and chief administrator after Gaveston was executed in 1312, but the jealousy of other barons - and, more importantly, his own corruption and unjust behaviour - led to his being exiled along with his son Hugh Despenser the younger in 1321, when Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent replaced him as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
Edward found it difficult to manage without them, and recalled them to England a year later, an action which enraged the queen, Isabella, the more so when Despenser was created Earl of Winchester in 1322. Although not as bad as his son, Despencer the Elder was accused by a significant number of people of widespread criminality during the next few years, often involving false accusations of trespass or theft and the extortion of money or land.
Death
When Isabella, Queen of England, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, led a rebellion against her husband Edward, they captured both Despensers—first the elder, later the younger. Queen Isabella interceded for Hugh the elder, but his enemies, notably Roger Mortimer and Henry, Earl of Lancaster, insisted both father and son should face trial and execution.
The elder Despenser was hanged immediately in his armour at Bristol on 27 October 1326. He was then beheaded and his body cut into pieces for the dogs. His head was sent for display to Winchester, which had supported the king.[5]
Pardons were issued to thousands of people who had been falsely accused by Despencer following his death.
Family
Hugh and his wife, Isabella, had two daughters, Aline (c. - 1353) and Isabel (d. 1334). Isabel married, as his second wife, John Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings and had issue.
Notes
"Despenser, Hugh le (1262-1326)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
Fryde 28
"Abbey body identified as gay lover of Edward II". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
Gwilym Dodd, Anthony Musson, The Reign of Edward II: New Perspectives, pp. 214-217.
Rev. John Milner, History of Antiquities of Winchester, p. 213.
References
Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 72-31, 74-31, 74A-31, 93A-29
Fryde, Natalie (1979). The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326. ISBN 0-521-54806-3.
Karau, Björn: Günstlinge am Hof Edwards II. von England - Aufstieg und Fall der Despensers, MA-Thesis, Kiel 1999. (Free Download: http://www.despensers.de/download.htm)
Wikisource link to Despenser, Hugh le (1262-1326) (DNB00). Wikisource.
Hunt, William (1888). "Hugh Despenser". Dictionary of National Biography 14.
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
thePeerage.com
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester1
M, #10761, b. 1 March 1260/61, d. 27 October 1326
Last Edited=3 Apr 2011
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester was born on 1 March 1260/61.2 He was the son of Sir Hugh le Despenser, 1st Lord Despenser and Aliva Basset.2 He married Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick and Maud fitz John, before 1286.2 He died on 27 October 1326 at age 65, hanged as a traitor.2
Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester also went by the nick-name of Hugh 'the Elder'.2 He succeeded to the title of 2nd Lord Despenser [E., 1264] on 4 August 1265.3 He was created 1st Lord le Despenser [England by writ] on 24 June 1295.2 In 1312 he represented King Edward II in negotiating a treaty with his nobles a tthe time of Gaveston's murder by them.2 He fought in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.2 In February 1314/15 he was banished from court by the machinations of his enemies.2 In August 1321 he was disinherited and exiled in perpetuity for his alleged misgovernment and malign influence of King Edward II.2 In January 1321/22 his exile was reversed.2 He was created 1st Earl of Winchester [England] on 10 May 1322.2 After King Edward II fled to Wales, he was convicted as a traitor and all of his honours forfeited.2
Children of Hugh le Despenser, 1st and last Earl of Winchester and Isabella de Beauchamp
Aline le Despenser4 d. b 28 Nov 1353
Isabel le Despenser+2 d. 4 Dec 1334
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Lord le Despenser+2 b. c 1290, d. 29 Nov 1326
Citations
[S37] BP2003 volume 1, page 1122. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37]
[S37] BP2003. [S37]
[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume IX, page 593. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume II, page 434.
****************
From Wikipedia
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester)
Hugh le Despencer, 1st Earl of Winchester
Blason Thomas Le Despencer.svg
Arms of Despencer: Quarterly 1st & 4th: Argent; 2nd & 3rd: Gules, a fret or, over all a ribbon sable
Born 1 March 1261
Died 27 October 1326
Bristol, Gloucestershire
Title Earl of Winchester
Other names The Elder Despenser
Nationality England English
Wars and battles Despenser wars
War of Saint-Sardos
Isabella's Campaign
Siege of Bristol †
Offices Advisor of Edward II of England
Predecessor none
Successor Lewis de Bruges
Spouse(s) Isabella de Beauchamp
Hugh le Despenser (1 March 1261 – 27 October 1326), sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England.[1]
Contents
1 Ancestry
2 Life
3 Death
4 Family
5 Notes
6 References
Ancestry
He was the son of Hugh le Despencer, 1st Baron le Despencer (or Despenser), and Aline Basset, only daughter and heiress of Philip Basset. His father was killed at the Battle of Evesham when Hugh was just a boy, but Hugh's patrimony was saved through the influence of his maternal grandfather (who had been loyal to the king).[2] He married Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick and Maud FitzJohn.
Life
He served Edward I on numerous occasions in battle and in diplomacy and was created a baron by writ of summons to Parliament in 1295. His son, Hugh Despenser the Younger, became a favourite of Edward II, in what is widely believed to be a homosexual relationship. [3] Hugh the Elder was loyal to his son and the King, which worried the barons. To that time, his highest office was justice of the forests.[4]
He was one of the few barons to remain loyal to Edward during the controversy regarding Piers Gaveston. Despenser became Edward's loyal servant and chief administrator after Gaveston was executed in 1312, but the jealousy of other barons - and, more importantly, his own corruption and unjust behaviour - led to his being exiled along with his son Hugh Despenser the younger in 1321, when Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent replaced him as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
Edward found it difficult to manage without them, and recalled them to England a year later, an action which enraged the queen, Isabella, the more so when Despenser was created Earl of Winchester in 1322. Although not as bad as his son, Despencer the Elder was accused by a significant number of people of widespread criminality during the next few years, often involving false accusations of trespass or theft and the extortion of money or land.
Death
When Isabella, Queen of England, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, led a rebellion against her husband Edward, they captured both Despensers—first the elder, later the younger. Queen Isabella interceded for Hugh the elder, but his enemies, notably Roger Mortimer and Henry, Earl of Lancaster, insisted both father and son should face trial and execution.
The elder Despenser was hanged immediately in his armour at Bristol on 27 October 1326. He was then beheaded and his body cut into pieces for the dogs. His head was sent for display to Winchester, which had supported the king.[5]
Pardons were issued to thousands of people who had been falsely accused by Despencer following his death.
Family
Hugh and his wife, Isabella, had two daughters, Aline (c. - 1353) and Isabel (d. 1334). Isabel married, as his second wife, John Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings and had issue.
Notes
"Despenser, Hugh le (1262-1326)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
Fryde 28
"Abbey body identified as gay lover of Edward II". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
Gwilym Dodd, Anthony Musson, The Reign of Edward II: New Perspectives, pp. 214-217.
Rev. John Milner, History of Antiquities of Winchester, p. 213.
References
Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 72-31, 74-31, 74A-31, 93A-29
Fryde, Natalie (1979). The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326. ISBN 0-521-54806-3.
Karau, Björn: Günstlinge am Hof Edwards II. von England - Aufstieg und Fall der Despensers, MA-Thesis, Kiel 1999. (Free Download: http://www.despensers.de/download.htm)
Wikisource link to Despenser, Hugh le (1262-1326) (DNB00). Wikisource.
Hunt, William (1888). "Hugh Despenser". Dictionary of National Biography 14.
Events
| Birth | 1 Mar 1261 | ||||
| Title (Nobility) | 10 May 1322 | 1st and last Earl of Winchester | |||
| Death | 27 Oct 1326 | Hanged |
Families
| Spouse | Isabella de Beauchamp ( - 1306) |
| Child | Hugh "the Younger" Le Despenser (1290 - 1326) |
| Father | Hugh Le Despenser (1223 - 1265) |
| Mother | Aliva Alice Bassett ( - ) |
| Sibling | Anne Le Despenser (1248 - 1280) |