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Vol II File 20: The Paternal Ancestry of Homer Beers James

Ref: Wurts, pp. 106-109.

Ref: Burke, pp. 386-388.

The Mowbrays, Dukes of Norfolk, were from an ancient period a great baronial family, and made succession of fortunate alliances. The royal match of John Mowbray, Lord Mowbray, with Elizabeth Segrave, whose mother was Margaret, Countess of Norfolk, daughter and heir of Thomas, Earl of Norfolk, son of Edward I., may be considered the first step from the baronial rank. King Richard II., constituted Thomas, son of the great alliance, Earl Marshal in 1386, when his grandmother, Margaret, was also advanced to be Duchess of Norfolk. The duke, preparing in 1398 to fight a duel with Henry, Duke of Hereford, afterwards King Henry IV., was banished and died in exile the next year. The family was restored and continued for four generations down to Anne, the infant daughter and heiress of John, 4th duke, whom King Edward IV., married, as a child, to his 2nd son, Richard, Duke of York, then a young boy, and he made a settlement of the title and estate upon him and his heirs. She died immediately afterwards, in 1478, but the Duke of York continued in possession till he was murdered with his brother, King Edward V., by his uncle, Richard, on June 20, 1483. All Edward's plans for seizing the Mowbray property being thus terminated, and Richard III., wishing to secure vigorous allies, the succession to the estates were allowed to open to the Berkeleys and Howards, the heirs of the daughters of the duke. who died in exile in 1400, eighty-three years before, and King Richard,, on the 3rd day of his reign, June 28, 1483, created William Berkeley, Viscount Berkeley, Earl of Nottingham, and John Howard, Lord Howard (who had been raised to be a baron by his brother, Edward), at once Duke of Norfolk and Marshal of England (Burke, pg. 386).

The family was founded originally by Nigil de Albini (See details of the Albini (Aubigny) Line elsewhere in Volume II.)

• 1.. Nigil (Nele) de Albini (d'Aubigny), the younger son of Roger de Albini and the brother of William de Albini, was the founder of the family from which the ancient Earls of Arundel descended. The Albinis, who were maternally of the house of Mowbray, came into England with William the Conqueror, and obtained large possessions after the victory at Hastings. Nigil's grants lay in the cos. Bucks, Bedford, Warwick, and Leicester, and comprised several extensive lordships. In the reign of Rufus, he was bow-bearer to the king; and being knighted by King Henry I., had the manor of Egmanton, with divers parks in the forest of Shirwood, of that monarch's gift; which lordship he transferred however, to his particular friend, Robert Davil. But when King Henry had further experience with his valor and military skill, he augmented his royal bounty, and conferred upon him the vavassories of Camville and Wyvile; which gracious marks of favor so attached Albini to the interests of the his sovereign, that he espoused with the most devoted zeal the cause of Henry, against his brother, Robert Curthose, and took a conspicuous part in the battle of Tenercheby in 1106, he there slew the horse of Curthose, and brought the prince himself to the king; for which eminent service the king granted him the English lands of Robert de Stuteville, Baron of Frontebeof, which Frontebeof had fortified in behalf of Curthose. During the Norman rebellion, he, with his brother, William de Albini, remained faithful to King Henry I. and fought for him at the victory over the French king at Bremule on August 20, 1119. He had a grant of Montbrai or Mowbray and the other forfeited lands in Normandy and England of Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumberland, his maternal uncle; as also his castles, with the castle of Bayeux and its appurtenences; so that he had no less than 120 knight's fees in Normandy, and a s many in England; thus becoming one of the most powerful persons of the period in which he lived. He married after 1107 (1) Maud Aquila, daughter of Richard de Aquila, 2nd baron of Aquila, by permission of Pope Paschall; her husband, Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumberland, before-mentioned, being then alive, and in prison for rebellion against King William Rufus; from this lady he was, however, divorced, on account of consanguity, and by her had no issue. He married in June 1118 (2) by the special advise of King Henry I., Gundred de Gourney, sister of Hugh and daughter of Gerald de Gourney, who died in 1096, and his wife, Edith, daughter of William, 1st Earl of Surrey, and had two sons as follows:
  
  • 1. Roger de Albini, his successor. See below.

  • 2. Henry de Albini, who had the lordship and barony of Cambo, and was ancestor of the Albinis, feudal lords of that place.
    

    This feudal lord died at an advanced age, and was buried with is ancestor, in the abbey at Bec, in Normandy. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Roger.

• 2. Roger de Mowbray, a minor at the time of his father's death, he succeeded him, possessing the lands of Mumbray or Mowbray, and assumed, by order of King Henry, the surname of Mowbray. Although not yet of age, he was one of the chief commanders at the memorable battle fought in 1138, with the Scots, near Northallerton, known in history as the battle of the Standard; and adhering to King Stephen, in his contest with the Empress Maud, he was taken prisoner with that monarch at the battle of Lincoln. In 1148, he accompanied Louis, King of France, to the Holy Land, and there acquired great renown by vanquishing a stout and hardy Pagan in single combat. He was afterwards involved in the rebellion of Prince Henry, against King Henry II., and lost some of his castles. His grants to the church were munificent in the extreme; and his piety was so fervent, that he again assumed the cross, and made a second journey, at about Easter 1186, to the Holy Land, where he was made prisoner, but redeemed by the knights Templars; he died in 1188 in Palestine, and was buried at Sures. Some authorities say that he returned to England, and living there fifteen years longer, was buried at the abbey of Riland. He married Alice de Gant, widow of Ilbert de Lacy, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Nigil.

• 3. Nigil (Nele) de Mowbray attended among the barons in the 1st year of King Richard I., at the coronation of that monarch; and in the 3rd year of the same reign, assuming the cross, set out for Palestine, died upon his journey. He married Mabel Clare, daughter of the Earl of Clare, and they had the following children:
  
  • 1. William de Mowbray, a Surety of the Magna Charta. See below.

  • 2. Robert de Mowbray.

  • 3. Philip de Mowbray, 1st of Barnbougle in Scotland

  • 4. Roger, ancestor of Mowbray, of Kirklington, a Surety of the Magna Charta.
    

    Nigil de Mowbray died in 1191, and was succeeded by his eldest son, William.

• 4. William de Mowbray, the eldest son, successor to his father, in the 6th year of King Richard I., paying 100 pounds for his relief, had livery of his lands. This feudal lord, upon the accession of King John, was tardy in pledging his allegiance, and at length only swore fealty upon the condition that "the king should render to every man his right." At the breaking out of -the baronial war, it was no marvel then, that he should be found one of the most forward of the discontented lords, and so distinguished, that he was chosen with his brother, Roger, among the twenty-five celebrated barons appointed to enforce the observance of the Magna Charta. At one time he was governor of York Castle. He was a party to the "Covenant for holding the City and Tower of London," and one of those whom the Pope excommunicated. In the reign of King Henry III., adhering to the same cause, he was at the battle of Lincoln, and taken prisoner there, when his lands were seized, and bestowed upon William Marshall, the younger, the Surety of the Magna Charta, but he was subsequently allowed to redeem them. After which he appears to have attached himself to the king, and was with the royal army at the siege of Bitham Castle, in Lincolnshire. He married Agnes Acive) Albini, daughter of the Earl of Arundel. They had two sons and a daughter as follows:
  
  • 1. Nigel de Mowbray, successor to his father, married Maud, daughter of Roger de Camvil, but dying without issue in 1228, was succeeded by his brother, Roger.

  • 2. Roger de Mowbray. See below.

  • 3. Joan Mowbray.
    

    William died about 1223 at his castle in the Isle of Axholme, and was buried in the abbey of Newburgh in Yorkshire. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Nigel.

• 5. Roger de Mowbray was a minor at the time of his brother's death. He had several military summonses to attend King Henry III. into Scotland and Wales. He married Maud Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, of Bedford, and dying in 1266, was succeeded by his eldest son, Roger.

• 6. Roger de Mowbray, in the 6th year of King Edward II., upon making proof of his age, had livery of his lands. He was engaged in the wars of Wales and Gascony, and was summoned to parliament as a Baron, from June 23, 1295, to August 26, 1296. He married Rose (Agnes) Clare, great grand-daughter of Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford, and they had two sons as follows:
  
  • 1. John de Mowbray, his successor. See below.

  • 2. Alexander de Mowbray, who went to Scotland.
    

    He died in 1298, and was succeeded by his eldest son, John.

• 7. John de Mowbray, 2nd Baron Mowbray, was summoned to parliament from August 26, 1307, to August 5, 1320. This nobleman, during his minority, was actively engaged in the Scottish wars of King Edward I., and had livery of all his lands before he attained minority, in consideration of these services. In the 6th year of King Edward II., being then Sheriff of Yorkshire, and Governor of the city of York, he had command from the king to seize upon Henry de Perey, than a great baron of the north, in consequence of that nobleman suffering Pier Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall, to escape from Scarborough Castle, in which he had undertaken to keep him in safety. The next year Lord Mowbray was in another expedition into Scotland, and he was constituted one of the wardens of the marches towards that kingdom. In the 11th year of that same reign he was made Governor of Malton and Scarborough Castles, in Yorkshire, and the following year he was once more in Scotland, invested with authority to receive into protection all who would submit to King Edward. But afterwards taking part in the insurrection of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, he was made prisoner with that nobleman and others at the battle of Boroughbridge, and immediately hanged at York, in 1321, when his lands were seized by the crown, and Alivia (Alice) Braose, his widow, with her son, John, imprisoned in the Tower of London. This lady, who was the daughter and co-heir of William de Braose, Lord Braose, of Gower, was compelled, in order to obtain some alleviation of her unhappy situation, to confer several manors of her own inheritance upon Hugh le Despencer, Earl of Winchester. In the next reign, however, she obtained from the crown a confirmation of Gowerland, in Wales, to herself and the heirs of her body by her deceased husband, with remainder to Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford and Essex, and his heirs. Lady Mowbray married (2) Sir R. de Peshale, Knight, and died in the 5th year of King Edward III.

• 8. John de Mowbray, 3rd Baron Mowbray, styled in the charters, Lord of the Isle of Axholme, and the honor of Gower and Brember, was summoned to parliament from December 10, 1327, to November 20, 1360. This nobleman found much favor from King Edward III., who, in consideration of the eminent services of his progenitors, accepted of his homage, and gave him livery of his lands before he came of full age. He was subsequently the constant companion in arms of his martial sovereign, attending him in his campaign in France, where he assisted at the siege of Nantes, and the raising that of Aguillon. He was likewise at the celebrated battle of Durham in the 20th year of King Edward III., and at one time was Governor of Berwick-on-Tweed. He married (1) Joan Plantaganet, daughter of Henry Plantaganet, Earl of Lancaster, by whom he had a son, John de Mowbray, and a daughter Alianore Mowbray, who was the third wife of Roger, Lord la Warre, born 1326, died 1370. Alianore had been presumed to have been the daughter of her brother John de Mowbray, but this pedigree has been amended. John de Mowbray, the 3rd Baron, died in 1361, and was succeeded by his son.

• 9. John de Mowbray, 4th Baron Mowbray, was summoned to parliament from August 14, 1362, to January 20, 1366, as "John de Mowbray of Axholme." This nobleman in the lifetime of his father was in the wars of France; and he eventually fell, in 1368, in a conflict with the Turks, in Constantinople, having assumed the cross, and embarked in the holy war. He married Elizabeth Segrave, daughter and heiress of John Segrave, Lord Segrave, by Margaret Plantaganet, Duchess of Norfolk (daughter and eventually sole heiress, of Thomas Plantaganet, of Brotherton, Earl of Norfolk). See Burke, pp. 484-485. John de Mowbray received, through his wife, Elizabeth, a great inheritance in lands, this marriage being one the most splendid alliance in the kingdom. By this lady he had two sons as follows:
  
  • 1. John de Mowbray, his successor, 5th Baron Mowbray, was created Earl of Nottingham, upon the day of the coronation of King Richard II., in 1377, with a special clause in the charter of creation, that all his lands and tenements whereof he was then possessed, should be held sub honore comitali, and as parcel of this earldom. He died two years afterwards, still under age, and unmarried, when the earldom of Nottingham expired, but the barony of Mowbray and his great possessions devolved upon his brother, Thomas.

  • 2. Thomas de Mowbray, successor to his brother, John. See below.
    

• 10. Thomas de Mowbray, 6th Baron Mowbray, then at sixteen years of age, was created Earl of Nottingham, as his brother had been, by charter, on February 12, 1383, and three years later was constituted Earl Marshal, by reason of his descent from Thomas Plantaganet, of Brotherton. He participated in the naval victory achieved by Richard, Earl of Arundel, over the French and Spaniards, and the subsequent conquest of the castle of Brest. In the 16th year of the same reign he was made Governor of Calais, and in four years afterwards obtained the king's charter of confirmation of the office of Earl Marshal of England to the male heirs of his body, and that they, by reason of the said office, should bear a golden truncheon, enameled with black at each end, having at the upper end the king's arms, and at the lower, their own arms engraven thereon. The same year the king appointed him Justice of Chester and Flintshire for life. In the 18th year of King Richard he attended the king into Ireland, but afterwards siding with the parasites, who controlled that weak and unfortunate prince, he not only aided in the destruction of his own father-in-law, Richard, Earl of Arundel, being one of the chief persons that guarded the unhappy nobleman to the place of execution, but he is also accused of being an accomplice in the murder of Thomas Plantaganet, of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, the king's uncle. Certain it is that he was at this period in high estimation with the prevailing party, and obtained a grant of all the lands of the unfortunate Lord Arundel, with those of Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, which had also vested in the crown, by forfeiture. These grants bore the date of September, 1396, and the next day he was created Duke of Norfolk (his grandmother, Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk, being still alive). Prosperous, however, as this nobleman's career had hitherto been, it was doomed eventually, to a disgraceful termination. Henry Bollingbroke, Duke of Hereford (afterwards King Henry IV.), having accused Thomas de Mowbray of speaking disrespectfully of the king, a challenge ensued, and a day was named for the combat, when the lists were accordingly set up, at Gosford Green, Coventry, and the king and court were present; but just as the combatants were about to engage, and the charge had been sounded, King Richard interfered, and by the advice of his council, prohibited the conflict, banishing the Duke of Hereford for ten years, and the Duke of Norfolk for life, who, upon going abroad, died in Venice of the pestilence, but according to Sandford, of grief, in 1399 or 1400. These latter events are contained in Shakespeare's "King Richard II." The duke, along with his other great honors, was a Knight of the Garter. He married (1) Elizabeth Strange, daughter of John Strange, Lord Strange, of Blackmere, but had no issue; he married in 1384 (2) Elizabeth Fitz Alan, daughter of Richard Fitz Alan, Earl of Arundel, sister and co-heir of Thomas Fitz Alan, Earl of Arundel, and widow of William de Montacute, by whom he had the following children:
  
  • 1. Thomas de Mowbray, 7th Baron Mowbray, was but fourteen years of age, at the decease of his father, and never had the title of Duke of Norfolk, but was simply styled Earl Marshal. He was beheaded at York, in 1405, for participating in the conspiracy of Richard Scrope, Archbishop of York, against King Henry IV. He married Constance Holland, daughter of John Holland (see Burke, pg. 280), Duke of Exeter, but having no issue, was succeeded by his brother, John. He is found in Shakespeare's "King Henry IV., Part I."

  • 2. John de Mowbray, 8th Baron Mowbray, was restored, in the 3rd year of King Henry IV., in the parliament then held at Westminster, to the dignity of Duke of Norfolk, having previously used only the titles of Earl of Nottingham, and Earl Marshal. This nobleman was engaged in the French wars of King Henry V., and was only prevented by indisposition, from sharing the glories of Agincourt. He was a Knight of the Garter, and he married

    Katherine Nevil, daughter of Ralph Nevil, Earl of Westmoreland (who subsequently married Thomas Strangways, Esq., and after his decease, John Beaumont, Viscount Beaumont, and lastly John Widvile, Knight), and dying in 1432, was succeeded by his son, John, 3rd Duke of Norfolk.

  • 3. Isabel Mowbray. See below.

  • 4. Margaret Mowbray, married Robert Howard, Knight. This lady became eventually co-heiress of the Mowbrays, and her son, Sir John Howard, Knight, was created Duke of Norfolk, and Earl Marshal, and became the ancestor of the illustrious house of Howard, Dukes of Norfolk.

  • 5. Elizabeth Mowbray, married (1) Nicholas Audley, Lord Audley, who died in 1391; and (2) John Beaumont, Lord Beaumont, who died in 1396; and (3) Michael, 3rd Earl of Suffolk, who died in 1415. The issue of Elizabeth became extinct.
    

• 11. Isabel Mowbray married (1) Henry de Ferrers, son and heir of William de Ferrers, 5th Lord Ferrers of Groby, and had an only child, Elizabeth Ferrers, heiress of Groby, born in 1419. Isabel married (2) James de Berkeley, 5th Lord Berkeley, and had a son, William, whom King Edward made a Viscount in 1481, and whom King Richard III. advanced to the Earldom of Nottingham, and whom King Henry VII promoted to be Earl Marshal and Marquess of Berkeley. They had eight children, five sons and three daughters.
  

  See the continuation of this line elsewhere in the Berkeley Line.

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