Lady Emma le Despencer, Lady of Swallowfield

Emma (Harcourt) le Despencer was a member of aristocracy in the British Isles.

Emma Harcourt, Lady St. John (d. 1270) Lady St. John Died: November or December 1270 at Portchester Castle, Hampshire Emma Harcourt was the daughter of Richard the Seigneur de Harcourt. They were cousins of the Harcourts of Stanton Harcourt in Oxfordshire. She married firstly, Sir John St. John of Stanton St. John in Oxfordshire and Swallowfield in Berkshire. He had been married previously to a daughter of his guardian, Geoffrey dc Lucy.

John de St. John accompanied King Richard I to the Holy Land and was at the Siege of Acre. He was one of the knights whom the King "on the inspiration of St. George, had distinguished by tying a leathern thong or garter round the left leg to incite the wearer to greater daring" and this is one of the legends cited as the first institution of the Order of the Garter. He died in January 1230 and was buried in Oseney Abbey in Oxford.

Emma continued to hold Stanton and Swallowfield in dower; and, by the end of the same year, she had remarried to Geoffrey Le Despencer, from Martley in Worcestershire. He subsequently paid £100 for the wardship of her son, Roger St. John. Geoffrey Le Despencer was grand-uncle to Hugh Le Despencer, first Baron Le Despencer. He died in 1252, leaving a son, John Le Despencer, who succeeded to the possession of the "Castle of Swallowfield" as it is called in a roll of this date. In the following July, Emma, gave 400 marks (£266-13s-4d) for the custody of her son, John, and his lands. Her eldest son, Roger St. John (eventually the first and last Baron St. John of Stanton), seems to have resided at Stanton St. John.

In 1253, Emma Despencer was appointed Lady in charge of Princess Katherine, the youngest daughter of King Henry III, who was born on 25th November of that year. At the Feast of the Circumcision, we find the Queen presented her with a brooch and, later on, with a girdle to the value of 21s-2d; and to Dionisia, Damsel of Emma Despencer, also a brooch.

The little Princess was deaf and dumb, but of great beauty and idolized by her Royal parents. She was christened with much pomp by Boniface, Archbishop of Canterbury, the Queen's uncle, who stood as godfather. The infant princess received the name of Katherine because she had been born on that saint's feast day. The King held a great banquet in honour of the christening on St. Edward's Day (5th January) 1254, to which he invited all the nobility, including "Emma de St. John of Swalefeld and her son." Amongst the provisions on this occasion were "fourteen wild boars, twenty-four swans, one hundred and thirty-five rabbits, two hundred and fifty partridges, fifty hares, two hundred and fifty wild duck, sixteen hundred and fifty fowls, thirty-six female geese and sixty-one thousand eggs."

Soon after this, Queen Eleanor had to join the King in Gascony and left her infant at Windsor, under the charge of Emma Despencer and two nurses, Avisa and Agnes. Early in the next year, the King and Queen returned to England and, by an order dated from Merton 2nd April, gold clothes, with borders embroidered with the King's coat-of-arms, were to be made for the King to offer in Westminster Abbey for his daughter Katharine. In the Autumn, the little princess became ill and she was sent to Swallowfield under the care of Emma Despenser. For her amusement a young goat was brought there from the King's forest at Windsor. The change seemed to benefit her for a time but, in the Spring of 1256, she had a relapse. By the King's command, a report of her condition was sent to him by special messenger during his expedition to France and, when he heard of her convalescence he ordered that a "silver image made after the likeness of a woman" should be placed in Westminster Abbey as a votive offering, and the bearer of the news was given "a good robe."

We also find orders for her expenses and for those of several children who were companions to the little Princess. Notwithstanding, however, all the care bestowed upon her, the little Katherine died in 1258, aged five years, to the great grief of her parents, the Queen becoming seriously ill after her death. The King presented the nurses with a present equal to £100 of our money. There was a magnificent funeral, which cost £51-12s-4d. The Princess was buried in the ambulatory in Westminster Abbey, in the space between the chapels of King Edward and St. Benet, close to the tomb of her uncle William de Valence. A splendid monument was raised to her memory by the King, rich with serpentine and mosaics, and surmounted by a silver image of his child as St. Katharine, made by the King's goldsmith at the cost of 70 marks (£46-13s-4d). The Hermit of Charing was paid fifty shillings a year as long as he lived, that he might support a chaplain to pray daily at the Chapel of the Hermitage for the soul of Princess Katherine.

Emma's son, John Le Despencer came of age in 1256. No doubt he and his wife then lived at Swallowfield for we find, in a Close Roll of 1256, that permission was given for Emma, Lady of Swallowfield, to dwell in Portchester Castle (Hampshire) and an order was issued for William Turberville, Warden of the Castle, to answer to the Exchequer for the issues thereof. She seems to have died in late 1270 and was buried alongside her first husband in Oseney Abbey.

Edited from Lady Russell's "Swallowfield & its Owners" (1901)

       © Nash Ford Publishing 2001. All Rights Reserved.	

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Emma (Harcourt) le Despencer (1206 - 1265) Emma "Lady St. John" le Despencer formerly Harcourt aka de Harcourt Born 1206 in Defford, Worcestershire, Englandmap ANCESTORS ancestors Daughter of Richard Harcourt and [mother unknown] [sibling%28s%29 unknown] Wife of John St John — married [date unknown] [location unknown] Wife of Geoffrey (Despenser) le Despenser — married 29 Dec 1229 in Englandmap DESCENDANTS descendants Mother of Roger St John and John (Despencer) le Despenser Died 1265 in Portchester Castle, Hampshire, Englandmap Profile managers: British Royals and Aristocrats WikiTree private message [send private message], Glenn Kittredge private message [send private message], and Albert Case private message [send private message] Profile last modified 9 Mar 2020 | Created 27 Sep 2010 This page has been accessed 1,992 times. British Aristocracy Emma (Harcourt) le Despencer was a member of aristocracy in the British Isles. Join: British Royals and Aristocrats Project Discuss: EUROARISTO Contents [hide] 1 Per Royal Berkshire History 1.1 Events 2 Sources 3 Notes Per Royal Berkshire History "Emma Harcourt was the daughter of Richard the Seigneur de Harcourt. They were cousins of the Harcourts of Stanton Harcourt in Oxfordshire. She married firstly, Sir John St. John of Stanton St. John in Oxfordshire and Swallowfield in Berkshire. He had been married previously to a daughter of his guardian, Geoffrey dc Lucy.

"John de St. John accompanied King Richard I to the Holy Land and was at the Siege of Acre. He was one of the knights whom the King "on the inspiration of St. George, had distinguished by tying a leathern thong or garter round the left leg to incite the wearer to greater daring" and this is one of the legends cited as the first institution of the Order of the Garter. He died in January 1230 and was buried in Oseney Abbey in Oxford.

"Emma continued to hold Stanton and Swallowfield in dower; and, by the end of the same year, she had remarried to Geoffrey Le Despencer, from Martley in Worcestershire. He subsequently paid £100 for the wardship of her son, Roger St. John. Geoffrey Le Despencer was grand-uncle to Hugh Le Despencer, first Baron Le Despencer. He died in 1252, leaving a son, John Le Despencer, who succeeded to the possession of the "Castle of Swallowfield" as it is called in a roll of this date. In the following July, Emma, gave 400 marks (£266-13s-4d) for the custody of her son, John, and his lands. Her eldest son, Roger St. John (eventually the first and last Baron St. John of Stanton), seems to have resided at Stanton St. John.

"In 1253, Emma Despencer was appointed Lady in charge of Princess Katherine, the youngest daughter of King Henry III, who was born on 25th November of that year. At the Feast of the Circumcision, we find the Queen presented her with a brooch and, later on, with a girdle to the value of 21s-2d; and to Dionisia, Damsel of Emma Despencer, also a brooch."

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Also known as:

Emma. [1][2] Emma De St. John. [3] Emma /DeHarcourt/ Events He dy'd in 26.H.3, (1251) leaving Iffue John, his Son and Heir, under Age, whofe Guardianfhip (e) was granted to Emma, his Mother. [sic] [4] Geoffrey le Despencer and Emma de St John were married on 29 Dec 1229. [5]

Geoffrey Le Despencer[6] and Emma De St. John had the following children:

John Le Despencer. [7][8] Sources ↑ The Visitation of the county of Warwick pg 283 ↑ The Baronettage of England, 1720. ↑ Descendants of Amaury Raoul D'Albetot, George R. Spencer. ↑ The Baronettage of England, 1720. ↑ Descendants of Amaury Raoul d'Albetot, George R. Spencer. ↑ The Baronettage of England, 1720. ↑ Descendants of Amaury Raoul D'Albetot, George R. Spencer. ↑ The Baronettage of England, 1720. http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/eharcourt.html

Notes The Baronettage of England, 1720.

The direct Line thus failing the Head of the Family now remaining is the mod honourable Charles the prefent Earl of Sunderland defcended from Gefery Brother of Hugh d Son of Tbur tan firft treated of Which Gejfery was the firft Founder of Marlon Abby in Com Bucks and a Witnefs to King Henry the 2 Ts Confirmation i of Lands to Bungey Abby in Com Svff Which King in the 26th Year of his Reign among other Grants confirms the Donation of Gejfery Defpencer of the Church 2 of Boyvton to Bridlington Priory Com Ebor He dy d in 26 H 3 125 1 leaving Iffue John his Son and Heir under Age whofe Guardisnfhip e was granted to Emma his Mother

Source: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Harcourt-7

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Seipp Family Genealogy:Information about Emma D'Harcourt

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View Tree for Emma D'HarcourtEmma D'Harcourt (b. Abt. 1206, d. 1270) Picture of Emma D'Harcourt Swallowfield Emma D'Harcourt (daughter of Richard De Harcourt and Orabella de Quincy) was born Abt. 1206 in of, Defford, Worcestershire, England, and died 1270.She married Galfridus (Geoffrey) Le Despencer Lord Marcheley on December 29, 1229, son of Thomas Despencer.

Includes NotesNotes for Emma D'Harcourt: Emma Harcourt, Lady St. John (d.1270) Lady St. John Died: November or December 1270 at Portchester Castle, Hampshire Emma Harcourt was the daughter of Richard the Seigneur de Harcourt. They were cousins of the Harcourts of Stanton Harcourt in Oxfordshire. She married firstly, Sir John St. John of Stanton St. John in Oxfordshire and Swallowfield in Berkshire. He had been married previously to a daughter of his guardian, Geoffrey dc Lucy. John de St. John accompanied King Richard I to the Holy Land and was at the Siege of Acre. He was one of the knights whom the King "on the inspiration of St. George, had distinguished by tying a leathern thong or garter round the left leg to incite the wearer to greater daring" and this is one of the legends cited as the first institution of the Order of the Garter. He died in January 1230 and was buried in Oseney Abbey in Oxford. Emma continued to hold Stanton and Swallowfield in dower; and, by the end of the same year, she had remarried to Geoffrey Le Despencer, from Martley in Worcestershire. He subsequently paid £100 for the wardship of her son, Roger St. John. Geoffrey Le Despencer was grand-uncle to Hugh Le Despencer, first Baron Le Despencer. He died in 1252, leaving a son, John Le Despencer, who succeeded to the possession of the "Castle of Swallowfield" as it is called in a roll of this date. In the following July, Emma, gave 400 marks (£266-13s-4d) for the custody of her son, John, and his lands. Her eldest son, Roger St. John (eventually the first and last Baron St. John of Stanton), seems to have resided at Stanton St. John. In 1253, Emma Despencer was appointed Lady in charge of Princess Katherine, the youngest daughter of King Henry III, who was born on 25th November of that year. At the Feast of the Circumcision, we find the Queen presented her with a brooch and, later on, with a girdle to the value of 21s-2d; and to Dionisia, Damsel of Emma Despencer, also a brooch. The little Princess was deaf and dumb, but of great beauty and idolized by her Royal parents. She was christened with much pomp by Boniface, Archbishop of Canterbury, the Queen's uncle, who stood as godfather. The infant princess received the name of Katherine because she had been born on that saint's feast day. The King held a great banquet in honour of the christening on St. Edward's Day (5th January) 1254, to which he invited all the nobility, including "Emma de St. John of Swalefeld and her son." Amongst the provisions on this occasion were "fourteen wild boars, twenty-four swans, one hundred and thirty-five rabbits, two hundred and fifty partridges, fifty hares, two hundred and fifty wild duck, sixteen hundred and fifty fowls, thirty-six female geese and sixty-one thousand eggs." Soon after this, Queen Eleanor had to join the King in Gascony and left her infant at Windsor, under the charge of Emma Despencer and two nurses, Avisa and Agnes. Early in the next year, the King and Queen returned to England and, by an order dated from Merton 2nd April, gold clothes, with borders embroidered with the King's coat-of-arms, were to be made for the King to offer in Westminster Abbey for his daughter Katharine. In the Autumn, the little princess became ill and she was sent to Swallowfield under the care of Emma Despenser. For her amusement a young goat was brought there from the King's forest at Windsor. The change seemed to benefit her for a time but, in the Spring of 1256, she had a relapse. By the King's command, a report of her condition was sent to him by special messenger during his expedition to France and, when he heard of her convalescence he ordered that a "silver image made after the likeness of a woman" should be placed in Westminster Abbey as a votive offering, and the bearer of the news was given "a good robe." We also find orders for her expenses and for those of several children who were companions to the little Princess. Notwithstanding, however, all the care bestowed upon her, the little Katherine died in 1258, aged five years, to the great grief of her parents, the Queen becoming seriously ill after her death. The King presented the nurses with a present equal to £100 of our money. There was a magnificent funeral, which cost £51-12s-4d. The Princess was buried in the ambulatory in Westminster Abbey, in the space between the chapels of King Edward and St. Benet, close to the tomb of her uncle William de Valence. A splendid monument was raised to her memory by the King, rich with serpentine and mosaics, and surmounted by a silver image of his child as St. Katharine, made by the King's goldsmith at the cost of 70 marks (£46-13s-4d). The Hermit of Charing was paid fifty shillings a year as long as he lived, that he might support a chaplain to pray daily at the Chapel of the Hermitage for the soul of Princess Katherine. Emma's son, John Le Despencer came of age in 1256. No doubt he and his wife then lived at Swallowfield for we find, in a Close Roll of 1256, that permission was given for Emma, Lady of Swallowfield, to dwell in Portchester Castle (Hampshire) and an order was issued for William Turberville, Warden of the Castle, to answer to the Exchequer for the issues thereof. She seems to have died in late 1270 and was buried alongside her first husband in Oseney Abbey. Edited from Lady Russell's "Swallowfield & its Owners" (1901). Swallowfield Swapped for the Largest Diamond in the World! Moated Beaumys Castle stands next to the A33, just within the bounds of the parish. The original 13th century house was owned by Geoffrey Le Despencer, Lord of Martley in Worcestershire. The moat was dug for his nephew, Hugh Le Despencer, the favourite of Edward II. When disgraced by Queen Isabella in 1322, Hugh fled the court and Mortimer, her lover, raided many Despencer lands including Beaumys. It was later the home of the De La Beche Family. Sir Nicholas rose to the rank of Lord De la Beche and was made Constable of the Tower & Seneschal of Gascony. He oversaw the education of the Black Prince, but died childless in 1345. His widow, Margery, remarried twice in short succession and her husbands are believed to have died of the Black Death. It was while staying at Beaumys with Prince Lionel, and several other children of King Edward III, that this widowed lady was abducted by her lover. Sir John Dalton broke in with sixty-four Berkshire and Lincolnshire squires and made off with, the not so reluctant, Margery to Scotland. In Edward the Confessor’s reign, Swallowfield was owned by a Danish Huscarle named Sexi! In medieval times the St. Johns were Lords of the Manor. Their main homes were at Stanton St. John (Oxon) and Lagham (Surrey), but King John did visit Roger St. John at Swallowfield in 1205 & 1206. Roger’s daughter-in-law, Emma married, as her second husband, Geoffrey Le Despencer from nearby Beaumys. He appears to have been more attached to Swallowfield than his predecessor. In 1253, Emma was given charge of King Henry III’s death and dumb baby daughter, Princess Katherine. At the age of two, the poor little girl became rather ill and was sent off to her surrogate-parent at Swallowfield. She had a baby goat from Windsor Great Park to play with and some other children for company. Katherine did not survive and died at Windsor Castle in 1257. Emma’s son, John Le Despencer, one of the barons who rebelled against Henry III, lived at Swallowfield in his half-brother’s house. Despite the parish church’s east window suggesting a date of about 1130, he is known to have written to the Pope, in 1256, to complain of the distance he had to travel to church in Sonning and gained permission to build a place of worship of his own. His grave was found under the church floor during restoration work in 1869. John lay in a stone coffin with a large flat cross upon it. He was surrounded by cloves and a wooden dish, probably for salt, rested on his chest. Due to its ruinous state, the building was almost pulled down in the last century but, Charles Kingsley, the Vicar of Eversley (Hants) and a close friend of Lady Russell of Swallowfield Park, saw its merits and had it restored. Another friend of Lady Russel was Mary Russell Mitford, the author of Our Village. She retired to Swallowfield (which gains a mention in her book) to be nearer her friend and was later buried in the churchyard. Locals long remembered her books being pushed through the Berkshire lanes in a hand-cart, all the way from Three Mile Cross. Swallowfield Park is a beautiful old manor house of about 1690, though much altered in 1820. In the 18th century, the house was owned by Thomas Pitt, grandfather of the Prime Minister of that name who lived in Binfield. He was a successful merchant who became the President of Fort Madras for the British East India Company. While there, he was given the nick-name of Diamond Pitt after acquiring the now famous Regent (then Pitt) Diamond in 1701. Being the largest diamond in the World at the time (now the 15th largest), there were naturally many rumours concerning its origins. The diamond was said to have been found by a slave who hid it in a wound in his leg. Having made a fateful pact with a ship’s captain, the poor man was murdered and the diamond sold on to Pitt for £1,000. Alexander Pope (also of Binfield) thus wrote of him: Asleep and naked as an Indian lay, An honest factor stole a gem away; He pledged it to the Knight, the Knight had wit, So kept the diamond, and the rogue was bit. Thomas, however, claimed that he had bought the diamond for £20,000 from an Indian Diamond Merchant. He eventually sold it to King Louis XV of France and it became part of the French Crown Jewels. Napolean used to wear it in his sword hilt, but today it is safely on display in the Louvre in Paris. With the proceeds of the sale, Pitt bought Swallowfield Park. The house is now split into retirement flats, but the grounds and some rooms are open to the public on midweek afternoons. One of the estate barns (now a private house) has an interesting old dovecote. [Harc..ged] I had Emma originally as daughter of Richard, but given the date that Magna Charta Sureties has given for Richard's birth date, I have made her a sister of Richard and daughter of William. More About Emma D'Harcourt: Date born 2: Abt. 1206, Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, England. Died 2: Aft. 1265 More About Emma D'Harcourt and Galfridus (Geoffrey) Le Despencer Lord Marcheley: Marriage: December 29, 1229 Children of Emma D'Harcourt and Galfridus (Geoffrey) Le Despencer Lord Marcheley are: +John Le Despencer, b. 1235, Of, Loughborough, Leicestershire, d. 1274.

source: https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/e/i/Robert-Seipp/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0...