Richard Despenser, 4th Baron Burghersh

Richard le Despenser, 4th Baron Burghersh, K.B (30 November 1396–7 October 1414)[1] was the son and heir of Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester (1373–1400), by Constance of York.

Richard Despenser
Arms of Despencer
Baron Burghersh
ReignAugust 1402-1414
PredecessorElizabeth de Burghersh
SuccessorIsabel Despenser, Countess of Warwick
Born30 November 1396
Died7 October 1414
Merton, Surrey, England
BuriedTewkesbury Abbey
Noble familyle Despenser
Spouse(s)Eleanor Neville
FatherThomas Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester
MotherConstance of York, Countess of Gloucester

Constance was a daughter of Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, fourth surviving son of Edward III of England, and Isabella of Castile, a daughter of Peter of Castile. His ancestry and marriage placed him in influential circles of the English nobility and he was appointed Knight, Order of the Bath, on 8 April 1413.[1]

Life

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Richard married to his second cousin Lady Eleanor Neville[2] (a granddaughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (a brother of Edmund of Langley) and Katherine Swynford.[3] He died when he was just 17, on 7 October 1414, without leaving issue.[4]

His heir was his younger sister Isabel, who married successively Earl of Worcester, and then his cousin, Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick. His widow Eleanor, Lady Burghersh remarried to Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland.

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ a b Weir, Alison (18 April 2011). Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. Random House. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-4464-4911-0.
  2. ^ Hicks, Michael. (2012) “Crossing Generations: Dower, Jointure and Courtesy.” In: The Fifteenth-Century Inquisitions “Post Mortem”: A Companion, edited by Michael Hicks. Boydell & Brewer, pp. 25–46. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7722/j.ctt81dzk.9. Accessed 14 September 2024.
  3. ^ Weir, Alison (6 October 2009). Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 978-1-55199-320-1.
  4. ^ Bennett, James (1850). A Tewkesbury Guide, etc. An abridgment of "The History of Tewkesbury.". James Bennett. p. 94.