John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall

Direct Links to Relevant Source Pages

Webpages

• FMG (7 Sep 2022) England, Kings 1066-1603: "John of Eltham".
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall". (subscription required)
• History, The Interesting Bits: "The Lost Prince: John of Eltham".
• Unofficial Royalty: "John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall".
• Westminster-Abbey.org: "John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall".
• Luminarium: "John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall"
• en.Wikisoure: "Men of Kent and Kentishmen: John of Eltham", by John Hutchinson.
• The Peerage: "John of Eltham Plantagenet, Earl of Cornwall"

Online Book Sources

• Richardson, D. (2011) Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families. 2nd ed. Edited by K. G. Everingham. Salt Lake City, Uah, USA: Douglas Richardson. Available at: Google Books
• James, T. B. (2002) “John of Eltham, History and Story: Abusive International Discourse in Late Medieval England, France and Scotland,” in Saul, N. and Given-Wilson, C. (eds.) Fourteenth Century England. Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, UK: Boydell Press, pp. 63–80. — Note 1: Most chapter pages are available at Google Books — Note 2: Complete book may be at an academic library. See World.Cat.org.
• Great Britain. Public Record Office (1893) Calendar of the Patent Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office: Prepared Under the Superintendence of the Deputy Keeper of the Records. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, pp. 51, 55, 89, 97–100, 106, 173. 184-185, 261, 275, 306, 574. Available at: Google Books.
• Dryburgh, P. (2016) “Living in the Shadows: John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall (1316-36),” in Bothwell, J. and Dodd, G. (eds.) Fourteenth Century England. Woodbridge, England, UK: Boydell Press, pp. 23–48. — Note 1: Google Books. — Note 2: Complete book may be at nearby academic library. See WorldCat.org.
• Drake, S. J. (2019) Cornwall, Connectivity and Identity in the Fourteenth Century. In. Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, UK: Boydell Press, pp. 111, 123–126, 184, 209. Available as eBook: WorldCat.org. ISBN: 9781783274697.
• Rowe, A. S. and Concanen, G. (1830) A Report of the Trial at Bar, Rowe V. Brenton: Tried in the Court of King’s Bench, Westminster, Michaelmas Term, 9 Geo. IV. as to the Right to Minerals in the Assessional Lands of the Duchy of Cornwall, with Explanatory Notes, and an Appendix, Containing the Records and Documents as Given in Evidence. London: William Walker. Available at: Google Books.
• Gilbert, D. (1838) The Parochial History of Cornwall, Found on the Manuscript Histories of Mr. Hals and Mr. Tonkin; with Additions and Various Appendices. In. London: J. B. Nichols & Son, pp. 371–373. Available at: Google Books.
• Royal Institution of Cornwall (1868-1870) Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall. Truro, Cornwall, England, UK: Workers of Cornwall Ltd. Available at: Google Books.
• Lee, S. (ed.) (1903) Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome. New York: The MacMillan Company. Available at: Google Books.
• Riley, H. T. (ed.) (1876) Rerum Britannicarum Medii Aevi Scriptores or, Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland During the Middle Ages. Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans and Roberts. Available at: Google Books.
• Panton, J. and Panton, K. J. (2011) Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Lanham, Maryland, USA: Scarecrow Press. Available at: Google Books.
• Stephen, L. and Lee, S. (eds.) (1917) The Dictionary of National Biography: From the Earliest Times to 1900 (founded in 1882 by George Smith). Oxford, England, UK: Oxford University Press. Available at: Google Books.
• Copinger, W. A. and Copinger, H. B. (1909) The Manors of Suffolk: The Hundreds of Carlford and Colneis, Cosford and Hartismere. Manchester, Lancashire, UK: Taylor, Garnett, Evans & Co. Available at: Google Books.

Wikipedia.

John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall (15 August 1316 – 13 September 1336) was the son of Edward II of England and Isabella of France.

He was born in 1316 at Eltham Palace, Kent and was created Earl of Cornwall on 6 October 1328. He was due to marry Maria, daughter of Ferdinand IV of Castile, but he died, aged 20, at Perth, before the marriage could take place. The claim by the Scottish chronicler John of Fordun that he was killed by his brother Edward III in a quarrel, is rather doubtful. He was buried in January 1337 at Westminster Abbey, London.

Life

John was born in 1316 at Eltham Palace, Kent. At the age of twelve, he was created Earl of Cornwall on 6 October 1328. Caught in the throes of the war between his father, Edward II, and mother Isabella, his growing years were turbulent. He was passed between his parents and even held in the Tower of London for a time before his brother, Edward III, led a coup against their mother and assumed his majority.

Information on John is scant, but by most historical accounts he was highly competent, and highly trusted by Edward. He was named "Guardian of the Realm" when Edward III was out of the country; was asked to open Parliament in Edward's absence, and was named Warden of the northern Marches, which gave him virtual autonomy in that portion of England.

Half a dozen brides had been proposed for him, most being the eligible daughters of the kings of Europe. Eventually, Maria, illegitimate daughter of Afonso IV of Portugal was chosen, but John died before the marriage.

At seventeen he was a key commander in the Battle of Halidon Hill (1333), a devastating defeat for the Scots. Later he commanded an army in the southwest of Scotland that put down resistance to Edward Balliol, whose claims to the Scottish throne were supported by England.

According to Scottish accounts, who view John as a ruthless destroyer, he burned down Lesmahagow Abbey when it was filled with people who had sought sanctuary from the wrath of the English troops. As the Scottish chronicler John of Fordun tells it, this violation of the sacred laws of sanctuary so enraged King Edward III that he killed his own brother in fury. According to modern historian Tom Beaumont James, this tale "challenges the distinction between history and story."

John died, shortly after turning 20, at Perth, probably from a fever. Edward buried his brother with all honours in a beautiful tomb in Westminster Abbey, in January 1337, and had masses said for his soul regularly.

Arms: As Earl of Cornwall, John had use of the coat of arms of the kingdom, differenced by a bordure France (i.e. azure semy of fleur-de-lys or).[1]

Reference: Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family