Humphrey de Bohun Earl Of Hereford

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford & Essex, and Constable of England, son and heir, was born about 1276. The King took his homage and he had livery of his father's lands 16 February 1298. He was at the marriage of Edward I to Queen Margaret at Canterbury, 9 Sep 1299. He served in Scotland and was present at the siege of Carlaverock, 1 Jul 1300. His seal is appended to the Barons's Letter to the Pope, 12 Feb 1300/1. By letters patent dated at Selkirk 26 Jul 1301, he had a grant made by him to the King of all the fees of beasts belonging to him by reason of his "constablie." Between then and Michaelmas he was to come, in the Kingdom of Scotland, in the King's army and in that of Prince Edward, should not prejudice him or his heirs.

In 1302, prior to his marriage with the King's daughter, he surrendered his castles, towns, manors and lands in Essex, Herts, Middlcscx, Hunts, Bucks, Wilts, Gloucester and Hereford, and Wales, and made a further surrender of his right, honor and dominion by virtue of the name of Earl in Hereford and Essex, as also of the constableship of England, enrolled 8 Oct; and the various escheators ordered to take seisin 9 Oct. After his marriage these were restored to him and his wife to be held as fully as he held them before quitclaiming to the King. He had letters of protection on going beyond the seas with the King's son 19 Octr 1304. On 11 Apr 1306, he had a grant of Annandale with all its liberties in arms of the sea with the castle of Lochmaben previously of Robert (de Bruce), Earl of Carrick, escheated to the King by his felony in slaying John Comyn of Badenoch before the high altar of the Friars Minors at Dumfries. At the knighting of Prince Edward, 22 May 1306, the Earls of Hereford and Lincoln fastened his spurs. In the same year he served in Scotland and with Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, passed through the mountains and invested the castle of Kildrummie.

At the coronation of Edward II he bore the scepter with the cross. He took part in the proceedings leading up to the appointment of the Lords Ordainers in 1310, of whom he was one. Having been deprived of the constableship, he had restoration thereof 28 Aug 1311. He assisted towards the summary execution of Piers de Gavaston in 1312, for which with others he was pardoned 16 Oct 1313. He fought at Bannockburn and was taken prisoner at Bothwell (whither he had retreated), having been betrayed by the Governor (Sir Walter Gilbertson). He was exchanged for Elizabeth de Burgh, wife of Robert de Bruce, King of Scotland from 27 March 1306, and the Bishop of St. Andrews. On 8 Jul 1315 he was going over seas.

On 11 Feb1315/6 he was appointed captain of all the forces against Llywellyn ap Rhys Bren in the land of Glamorgan, and on 2 Jul 1316 was going to the marches of Scotland on the King's service for a year. In 1318 (8 November) he was going beyond seas on the King's service to treat of peace with the Count of Flanders and the Count of Hainault, Holland and Zealand. He was named a commissioner to treat with Robert the Bruce 19 January 1320/1. Summoned to attend the Council at Gloucester, he sent word he could not do so while Hugh le Despenser, the younger, was in the King's comitiva. He was then ordered to attend at Oxford, and preparing to attack the said Despenser was ordered, 1 May 1321, to abstain, but during May and June the lands of the Despensers were ravaged. In accordance with an agreement made in Parliament, he received a pardon 20 Aug 1321. He was ordered, 12 Nov 1321, to abstain from the meeting of the "Good Peers" at Doncaster. His lands were taken into the King's hand by writs dated 25 Dec 1321 and 4 and 23 Jan and 8 Feb 1321/2, and various orders for his arrest issued 15 Jan, 22 Feb and 11 Mar 1321/2. He had joined the Earl of Lancaster, assisting in the taking of Gloucester and the burning of Bridgenorth.

Humphrey married, 14 November 1302, at Westminster, the Princess Elizabeth, widow of John, Count of Holland and Zealand, and daughter of King Edward I, by his 1st wife, Leonor, daughter of Ferdinand III, King of Castile. She, who was born in August 1282, at Rhudlan Castle, Carnarvon, died 5 May, and was buried at Walden Abbey, 23 May 1316. He was killed at Boroughbridge, 16 Mar 1321/2, when endeavoring to force the bridge, and was buried in the church of the Friars Preachers at York. By his will, dated at Gosforth, near Newcastle-on-Tyne, 11 Aug 1319, he desired burial at Walden near the body of his wife Elizabeth, made many pious bequests and remembered those in his employ.

They had ten children, of whom John and Humphrey succeeded in turn to the earldoms. Edward, who was deputy for his brother at Halidon Hill, 19 July 1333, is said to have drowned about Martinmas 1334 in Scotland when trying to rescue one of his followers. He dsp. leaving his widow Margaret, daughter of Sir William de Ros. In the ordination of the chantry, of Sir William de Bohun, Earl of Northampton, among the souls mentioned are Lady Elizabeth de Burgh, Lady of Clare; the Ladies Eleanor and Margaret, sisters of the Earl; Sir Edward, his brother; John, late Earl of Hereford and Essex, and Eneas his brothers, and his other sisters deceased; Sir John de Bohun, clerk, deceased. From this it might appear that Sir Edward was then alive. William, twin with Edward, was created Earl of Northampton and was father of the last Earl of Hereford and Essex of the Bohun family. Eneas is also mentioned with the other sons in his father's will.

~Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, (Hereford), Vol. VI, pp. 467-470


Gilbert Talbot married, 1^stly, before 8 September 1352, Pernel, daughter of James Butler, 1^st Earl of Ormond, by Eleanor, daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, 4^th Earl of Hereford and 3^rd Earl of Essex, Constable of England, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Edward I. She was living, 28 May 1365, and is said to have died in 1368.

~Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, Vol. XIIA, pp. 614-616

• Web Reference: Humphrey de Bohun 4th Earl of Hereford from Wikipedia.

Effigy of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford, Hereford Cathedral
The Monumental Effigies of Great Britain, Part 4, Plate 6

The counter seal of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford.

Humphrey married Elizabeth Plantagenêt of Lancaster, daughter of Edward I "Longshanks" Plantagenêt King Of England and Leonor Fernández de Castilla, on 14 Nov 1302 in Westminster Abbey, London, England ¹⁴¹.^,530 (Elizabeth Plantagenêt of Lancaster was born on 1 Aug 1282 in Rhudlan Castle, Wales,⁵³⁰ died on 5 May 1316 in Quendon, Essex, England ⁵³⁰ and was buried on 23 May 1316 in Walden Abbey, Essex, England.)