Isabella Mortimer, Countess of Arundel
Encyclopedia
Isabella Mortimer, Countess of Arundel, Lady of Clun and Ostwestry (born after 1247- died before 1 April 1292/after 1300) was a noblewoman and a member of an important and powerful Welsh Marcher
family. She was the wife of John Fitzalan, 7th Earl of Arundel
, Lord of Clun and Oswestry. She had a total of three husbands.
, Herefordshire
, the daughter of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore and Maud de Braose
. Her father was a celebrated soldier and Marcher baron; and her mother was a staunch royalist
during the Second Barons' War
who devised the plan for the escape of Prince Edward, the future King Edward I of England
, from the custody of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
. She had one sister and five brothers including Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer.
and Maud le Botiller. Together they had at least two children:
In 1273, a year after the death of her husband John, Isabella married her second husband, Ralph d'Arderne. He died on an unrecorded date. On 2 September 1285, in a private ceremony at Poling, Sussex
, she married, as his second wife, her third husband, Robert de Hastang. She was fined the sum of £1,000 for having married without Royal Licence. It is not known whether she had further children by her last two husbands. Robert de Hastang had at least two sons by his unnamed first wife.
She had the care of the children of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey. The King committed Farnham Castle to her on 11 March 1268; she also had Porchester Castle, plus one third of Arundel Forest as part of her dower. She rendered £200 pounds for the farm at Ostwestry and the Hundred; and had livery
of Arundel Castle and Honor at £100 rent, and of Ostwestry Castle during the minority of her son.
It is recorded in the Calendar Close 1279-1288 that she had been granted in dower
one third of the manor of Stoughton by Hugh Bigod, Justiciar of England
, father of Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk
.
Isabella died on an uncertain date. Some sources say she died after 1300, however Peter W. Hammond's The Complete Peerage, Volume XIV, page 38 states that she died before 1 April 1292.
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
family. She was the wife of John Fitzalan, 7th Earl of Arundel
John FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel
John FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel was an English nobleman. He was also feudal Lord of Clun and Oswestry in the Welsh Marches.-Family:...
, Lord of Clun and Oswestry. She had a total of three husbands.
Family
Isabella was born sometime after 1247, at Wigmore CastleWigmore Castle
Wigmore Castle is a ruined castle which is barely visible from the village of Wigmore in the northwest region of Herefordshire, England.- History :...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, the daughter of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore and Maud de Braose
Maud de Braose, Baroness Wigmore
Maud de Braose, Baroness Wigmore was a noble heiress, and one of the most important, being a member of the powerful de Braose family which held many lordships and domains in the Welsh Marches...
. Her father was a celebrated soldier and Marcher baron; and her mother was a staunch royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
during the Second Barons' War
Second Barons' War
The Second Barons' War was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward , in the name of Henry III.-Causes:...
who devised the plan for the escape of Prince Edward, the future King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, from the custody of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
. She had one sister and five brothers including Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer.
Marriages and issue
Before 14 May 1260, Isabella married her first husband, John Fitzalan, who would succeed as feudal Lord of Clun and Oswestry, and 7th Earl of Arundel in 1267. He was the son of John Fitzalan, 6th Earl of ArundelJohn FitzAlan, 6th Earl of Arundel
John FitzAlan , Lord of Oswestry and Clun, and de jure Earl of Arundel, was a Breton-English nobleman and Marcher Lord with lands in the Welsh Marches.-Family:...
and Maud le Botiller. Together they had at least two children:
- Richard Fitzalan, 8th Earl of ArundelRichard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of ArundelRichard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel was an English Norman medieval nobleman.- Lineage :...
(3 February 1267- 9 March 1302), married Alice of SaluzzoAlice of SaluzzoAlice of Saluzzo, Countess of Arundel , also known as Alesia di Saluzzo, was an Italian-born noblewoman and an English countess. She was a daughter of Thomas I of Saluzzo, and the wife of Sir Richard Fitzalan, 8th Earl of Arundel. Alice was one of the first Italian women to marry into an English...
, by whom he had issue. - Maud Fitzalan (died after October 1298), married Sir Philip Burnell of Condover, Holgate, Acton Burnell,and Little Rissington, by whom she had issue.
In 1273, a year after the death of her husband John, Isabella married her second husband, Ralph d'Arderne. He died on an unrecorded date. On 2 September 1285, in a private ceremony at Poling, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, she married, as his second wife, her third husband, Robert de Hastang. She was fined the sum of £1,000 for having married without Royal Licence. It is not known whether she had further children by her last two husbands. Robert de Hastang had at least two sons by his unnamed first wife.
She had the care of the children of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey. The King committed Farnham Castle to her on 11 March 1268; she also had Porchester Castle, plus one third of Arundel Forest as part of her dower. She rendered £200 pounds for the farm at Ostwestry and the Hundred; and had livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
of Arundel Castle and Honor at £100 rent, and of Ostwestry Castle during the minority of her son.
It is recorded in the Calendar Close 1279-1288 that she had been granted in dower
Dower
Dower or morning gift was a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband...
one third of the manor of Stoughton by Hugh Bigod, Justiciar of England
Hugh Bigod (Justiciar)
Hugh Bigod was Justiciar of England from 1258 to 1260. He was a younger son of Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk.In 1258 the Provisions of Oxford established a baronial government of which Hugh's elder brother Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk was a leading member, and Hugh was appointed Chief...
, father of Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk
Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk
Roger Bigod was 5th Earl of Norfolk.He was the son of Hugh Bigod , and succeeded his uncle, Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk as earl in 1270....
.
Isabella died on an uncertain date. Some sources say she died after 1300, however Peter W. Hammond's The Complete Peerage, Volume XIV, page 38 states that she died before 1 April 1292.