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{{short description|Anglo-Norman noble family in England, Ireland, and Wales}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{lowercase title}}
{{lowercase title}}
{{Infobox noble house
[[Image:CoA Gilbert de Clare.svg|thumb|right|125px|De Clare Coat of Arms]]
| surname = House of Clare
The '''de Clare''' family of Norman lords were associated with the [[Welsh Marches]], Suffolk, [[Surrey]], Kent (especially [[Tonbridge]]) and Ireland. They were descended from [[Richard fitz Gilbert]], who accompanied [[William the Conqueror]] into England during the [[Norman conquest of England]].In the paternal line they were illegitimate descendants of the [[House of Normandy]], through one of [[Richard I, Duke of Normandy]]'s sons.{{efn|The early Normans followed the Viking law of civil marriage called ''[[more danico]]'' that considered the descendants of such a (civil) marriage to be legitimate descendants of the father.<ref>Philip Lyndon Reynolds, ''Marriage in the Western Church: The Christianization of Marriage During the Patristic and Early Medieval Periods'' (Boston: Brill, 2001), p. 110</ref> It was the Church that considered this the same as [[concubinage]].<ref>David Crouch, ''The Normans: The History of a Dynasty'' (London: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 24</ref> William himself would not have been considered a bastard by his Norman contemporaries.<ref>R. Allen Brown, ''The Normans and the Norman Conquest'' (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 1998), p. 122 n. 2; David Crouch, ''The Normans: The History of a Dynasty'' (London: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 60</ref>}}
| coat of arms = CoA Gilbert de Clare.svg
| type = Noble House
| parent_house = [[House of Normandy]]
| country = [[England]]
* [[Gloucestershire]]
* [[Hertfordshire]]
* [[Kent]]
* [[Suffolk]]
[[Wales]]
* [[Glamorgan]]
* [[Pembrokeshire]]
[[Lordship of Ireland]]
* Leinster
| estates = Various Earldoms, Baronies and over 190 Manorial Lordships
| titles = Various
| styles = Earls, Barons, and Knights
| founder = [[Richard fitz Gilbert]]
}}


The '''House of Clare''' was a prominent [[Anglo-Normans|Anglo-Norman]] noble house that ruled the Earldoms of Pembroke, Hertford and Gloucester in [[England]] and [[Wales]] throughout its history, playing a prominent role in the [[Norman invasion of Ireland]].
==Origins==
[[File:Gilbert_de_Clare_Tewkesbury_Abbey.jpg|thumb|left|125px|Stained glass window depicting a Gilbert de Clare, [[Tewkesbury Abbey]].]]
The Clare family descends from [[Gilbert, Count of Brionne|Gilbert Crispin, Count of Brionne and Eu]], whose father Godfrey was the eldest of the illegitimate sons of [[Richard I, Duke of Normandy]]. Gilbert was one of the guardians of [[William II of Normandy|William II]], who became [[Duke of Normandy]] as a child in 1035. When Gilbert was assassinated in 1039 or 1040, his young sons [[Baldwin FitzGilbert|Baldwin de Meules et du Sap]] and [[Richard fitz Gilbert|Richard de Bienfaite et d'Orbec]] fled with their guardians to [[Baldwin V, Count of Flanders]]; they returned to Normandy when William married Baldwin's daughter in 1053, and William took them into high favour.


They were descended from [[Richard fitz Gilbert|Richard Fitz Gilbert, Lord of Clare]] (1035-1090), a kinsman of [[William the Conqueror]] who accompanied him into England during the [[Norman conquest of England]]. As a reward for his service, Richard was given lands in [[Suffolk]] centred on the village of [[Clare, Suffolk|Clare]]. As a result, Richard and his descendants carried the name of 'de Clare' or 'of Clare'.
After the conquest of England Richard received huge estates including [[Clare, Suffolk|Clare]] and [[Tonbridge]], the estate whose name was normally coupled with his.
According to Richard Mortimer, he was "the founder of the English, Welsh, and Irish baronial family which historians usually call 'of Clare'."<ref>Richard Mortimer, ''Clare, Richard de [Richard fitz Gilbert] (1030x35–1087x90), magnate'', in the ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', online by subscription.</ref>


The de Clares ranked among the greatest baronial houses of the early Middle Ages and were the proprietors of the monumental [[Caerphilly Castle]], [[Pembroke Castle]], [[Castell Coch]], and over 190 manors in England.<ref>[https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/30695766.pdf Queen Mary, University of London, The estates of the Clare Family 1066-1317. Ward, Jennifer Clare]</ref><ref>Page, W. (1927) Parishes: Chilton. A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 4. Ed. London, England: Victoria County History.</ref>
Historical sources are vague and sometimes contradictory about when the name de Clare came into common usage, but Richard fitz Gilbert (of Tonbridge) is once referred to as Richard of Clare in the Suffolk return of the ''[[Domesday Survey]]''.<ref>Suffolk return of the Domesday Survey (c. 1086) (ed. A. Rumble, Suffolk, 2 vols (Chichester, 1986), 67 ~ 1</ref> Baldwin de Meules was left in charge of Exeter on its submission (1068) and made sheriff of Devonshire. Large estates in Devonshire and Somersetshire are entered to him in ''Domesday'' as "Baldwin of Exeter" or "Baldwin the Sheriff". {{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}


==Origins==
[[File:Elizabeth_de_Clare.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Elizabeth de Clare]], founder of [[Clare College, Cambridge]]]]
[[File:Gilbert de Clare Tewkesbury Abbey.jpg|thumb|left|Stained glass window in [[Tewkesbury Abbey]] depicting Lord Gilbert de Clare.]] The Clare family derived in the male line from [[Gilbert, Count of Brionne]], whose father [[Geoffrey, Count of Eu]] was an illegitimate son of [[Richard I, Duke of Normandy]] by an unknown mistress. Gilbert de Brionne was one of the guardians of [[William II of Normandy|William II]], who became [[Duke of Normandy]] as a child in 1035. When Gilbert was assassinated in 1039 or 1040, his young sons [[Baldwin FitzGilbert|Baldwin]] and [[Richard fitz Gilbert]] fled with their guardians to [[Baldwin V, Count of Flanders]]; they returned to Normandy when William married Baldwin's daughter in 1053, and William took them into high favour. After the conquest of England, Richard fitz Gilbert received extensive estates, notably including [[Clare, Suffolk|Clare]] and [[Tonbridge]]. From his holding the former, the family he founded are usually referred to by historians as 'de Clare' (of Clare)."<ref>Richard Mortimer, ''Clare, Richard de [Richard fitz Gilbert] (1030x35–1087x90), magnate'', in the ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', online by subscription.</ref> Historical sources are vague and sometimes contradictory about when the name Clare came into common usage, but Richard fitz Gilbert (of Tonbridge) is once referred to as Richard of Clare in the Suffolk return of the ''[[Domesday Survey]]''.<ref>Suffolk return of the Domesday Survey (c. 1086) (ed. A. Rumble, Suffolk, 2 vols (Chichester, 1986), 67 ~ 1</ref> His brother Baldwin de Meules was left in charge of Exeter on its submission (1068) and made sheriff of Devonshire. Large estates in Devonshire and Somersetshire are entered to him in ''Domesday'' as "Baldwin of Exeter" or "Baldwin the Sheriff".{{sfn|Round|1911}}
On his death, Richard's English estates passed to his son [[Gilbert Fitz Richard]] (died 1114/7). Gilbert's eldest son [[Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare|Richard]] (died ca. 1136) was the ancestor of the earls of Hertford and Gloucester. Gilbert's younger son Gilbert, establishing himself in Wales, acquired the [[earl of Pembroke|earldom of Pembroke]] or of [[Striguil]]. The elder line obtained (probably from King [[Stephen of England|Stephen]])<ref name = Round>[[John Horace Round]], 1911 Britannica article Clare (Family), http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Clare_%28Family%29.</ref> the [[earl of Hertford|earldom of Hertford]], and were thenceforth known as earls of Hertford or of Clare.


==Earldoms==
[[John Horace Round]] suggested that it was probably because {{quote|[Gilbert] and the Clares had no interests in Hertfordshire that they were loosely and usually styled the earls of (de) Clare.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} }}
[[File:Elizabeth de Clare.jpg|thumb|[[Elizabeth de Clare]], 11th Lady of Clare, founder of [[Clare College, Cambridge]]]]
In the ''[[Dictionary of National Biography]]'' he stated that investigation showed that the claim that they were "styled earls of Clare" before they were earls of Hertford was not true; they were alternately called Hertford or of Clare.{{sfn|Round|1887}}
On his death, Richard's English estates passed to his son [[Gilbert Fitz Richard|Gilbert Fitz Richard de Clare]] (1055-1117), while a younger son, [[Robert Fitz Richard]], would give rise to a lineage that became [[Baron FitzWalter|Barons FitzWalter]], as well as having younger branches that took the surnames of Daventry and Fawsley.<ref>J. Horace Round (1901), "[https://books.google.com/books?id=XHJPAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA3-PA91 The Companions of the Conqueror]", ''Monthly Review'', vol. 3, pp. 91-111</ref><ref>George Baker (1822), ''History and Antiquities of the County of Northampton'', vol. 1, pp. 306, 379</ref> A younger son of Gilbert fitz Richard, also named [[Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke|Gilbert]], establishing himself in Wales, acquired the [[Earl of Pembroke|Earldom of Pembroke]] in 1138 and the [[Striguil|Lordship of Striguil]]. Earl Gilbert's nephew of the senior line, the son of his older brother, [[Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare]] (1090-1136), would likewise be made an Earl. [[Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford|Gilbert Fitz Richard]] (d. 1152) was named [[Earl of Hertford]], perhaps in 1138 but at least by 1141, and subsequently, the family would sometimes use the style of Earls of Clare.{{sfn|Round|1911}}<ref>[[R. H. C. Davis]], ''King Stephen'' (1977), p. 136, and p. 129.</ref><ref>[[Frank Barlow (historian)|Frank Barlow]], ''The Feudal Kingdom of England, 1042–1261'' (4th edition 1988), p. 213.</ref> The first Earl of Hertford died without issue and was succeeded by his brother, [[Roger de Clare, 2nd Earl of Hertford]], from whom the later Earls of Hertford descended.
On the other hand, [[Frank Barlow (historian)|Frank Barlow]] places Gilbert de Clare as Earl of Hertford in the group of barons given earldoms between 1138 and 1142, and states that they all had "substantial local interests".<ref>[[Frank Barlow (historian)|Frank Barlow]], ''The Feudal Kingdom of England, 1042–1261'' (4th edition 1988), p. 213.</ref> [[Ralph Henry Carless Davis]] states that Gilbert was a witness as Earl of Hertford at Christmas 1141, and it is generally believed that he had been Earl since 1138; but that there is no prospect of clarifying the matter because of the others of the same name. He notes also that "In a military capacity earls figure largely in the capacity of defenders of their counties in the chronicles of Stephen's reign." He therefore argues against the title as a personal dignity at that period.<ref>[[R. H. C. Davis]], ''King Stephen'' (1977), p. 136, and p. 129.</ref> The general scholarly view is now that the title ''earl of Clare'' was self-assumed.


The son of Gilbert Fitz Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, was [[Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke]] (died 1176), known as Strongbow, a leader of the Norman invasion of Ireland. His only son died while still a minor, and Strongbow's many Irish and Welsh possessions passed with his daughter [[Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke|Isabel]], to her husband, [[William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke|William Marshal]].{{sfn|Round|1887}} Some of these lands would be brought back into the family via the marriage of one of the coheiresses of Isabel de Clare and William Marshal, [[Isabel Marshal]], to her distant cousin, [[Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford]] (died 1230). He also inherited from his mother the estates of his maternal grandfather, [[William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester]] (died 1183), including the earldom and honour of Gloucester and the lordship of Glamorgan.
[[File:Richard_de_Clare_coat_of_arms.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Arms of Richard de Clare II, Earl of Hertford and Gloucester, Founders book of [[Tewkesbury Abbey]], c. 1525]]

In 1217–20 [[Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford|Gilbert de Clare, earl of Hertford or Clare]] (died 1230), inherited the estates of [[William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester]] (died 1183), including the earldom and honour of Gloucester and the lordship of Glamorgan. [[Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke]] (died 1176), known as Strongbow, had no sons and with his death this line came to an end, his many Irish and Welsh possessions passing to his daughter Isabel, who married William Marshal, (c. 1146 – 14 May 1219) who then became known as [[William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke]].{{sfn|Round|1887}}
The family continued to hold both Earldoms until the early 14th century, when [[Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester]] died without issue and the Earldoms became extinct, while his lands were divided among several sisters. [[Richard de Clare, Steward of Forest of Essex|Richard de Clare]], a member of a junior line that had become lords of Thomond, in Ireland, would be summoned to Parliament in 1309 and hence is held to have been made Lord Clare. But, the death of his infant son in 1321, shortly after his own death, brought an end to the last of the lines typically called de Clare, though the male line persisted at least a century later in the Barons FitzWalter.


[[File:Seal_Gilbert_de_Clare.jpeg|thumb|right|150px|[[Seal (emblem) | Wax seal]] of Gilbert de Clare, [[Duchy of Lancaster]] records grants]]
==Coat of arms==
==Coat of arms==
[[File:Seal of Gilbert Fitz Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke.jpg|thumb|left|Seal of Gilbert Fitz Gilbert, Earl of Pembroke]]
The coat and shield with the three chevrons was probably first used at the end of the 12th century.<ref>The Archaeological Journal, Article 51, pg 43- published under the direction of The Council of The Royal Archaeological Insutute of Great Britain and Ireland, available at Google books online at http://books.google.com/books?id=yZg8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA48</ref> The [[stained glass]] window above is not earlier than Gilbert I (died 1230), the first de Clare lord to be buried in the chancel of [[Tewkesbury Abbey]].
The early Clares appear to have used a coat of arms that was [[Chevron (insignia)|chevronny]], as seen in the seals of Gilbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, and of his niece, [[Gilbert de Gant, Earl of Lincoln|Rohese, Countess of Lincoln]]. Richard 'Strongbow', 2nd Earl of Pembroke, would simplify this to a coat with three chevronels, matching the three red chevrons on a gold background that would be the arms of the Clare Earls of Hertford.<ref>J. H. Round, "The Introduction of Armorial Bearings into England", ''The Archaeological Journal'', volume 51, pp 43-48 [https://books.google.com/books?id=yZg8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA43]</ref>
The coat of arms can be seen in a modern-day context within the arms of [[Pontypridd RFC| Pontypridd Rugby Football Club]].

== Genealogical tables ==
Origins and family ties with notable members of Clare.

=== Main table: the origins ===
[[Richard I, Duke of Normandy]] († 996)
│
└>[[Geoffrey, Count of Eu]] († 1015)
│
└>[[Gilbert, Count of Brionne]] († 1040), Count of Eu
│
├─>[[Baldwin FitzGilbert|Baldwin fitz Gilbert]] († 1090), Lord of Sap and Meules,
│ Lord of Okehampton, Sheriff of Devon.

[ de Clare Family ]

│
└─>[[Richard fitz Gilbert]] († 1090), Lord of Bienfaite and of Orbec,
│ also Lord of Clare and of Tonbridge, Joint Chief Justiciar of England
│
├─>Roger († 1131), Lord of Bienfaite and of Orbec
│
├─>[[Robert fitz Richard|Robert]] († 1134), Lord of Little Dunmow (Essex)
│
├─>Richard, Abbot of [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]]
│
├─>Walter († 1138), Lord of Netherwent
│
└─>[[Gilbert fitz Richard|Gilbert]] († 1117), Lord of Clare, Tonbridge and Cardigan (See '''Table 2''')
│
├─>[[Richard de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford|Richard]] († 1136), sometimes designated as Earl of Hertford
│
├─>[[Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke|Gilbert]] († 1148/49), 1st [[Earl of Pembroke]],
│ successor to his uncles Roger and Walter
│
└─>Baldwin († 1154/1166), Lord of Bourne (see [[Baldwin of Clare]])

=== Table 2 : descendants of Richard fitz Gilbert de Clare the second ===

Gilbert († 1117), Lord of Clare and of Tonbridge and Cardigan
│
├─>[[Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare|Richard]] († 1136), Lord of Clare, Tonbridge and Cardigan
│ │
│ ├─>[[Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford|Gilbert]] († 1152), 1st Earl of Hertford
│ │
│ ├─>[[Roger de Clare, 2nd Earl of Hertford|Roger]] sometimes called ''the good Earl of Hertford'' († 1173), 2nd Earl of Hertford
│ │ │
│ │ ├─>[[Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford|Richard]] († 1217), 3rd Earl of Hertford and 1st of [[Earl of Gloucester|Gloucester]]
│ │ │ Amicie de Gloucester, countess ''de jure'' of Gloucester
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ └─> '''Table 3'''
│ │ │
│ │ └─>Aveline († 1164), married Geoffrey fitz Piers, 1st [[Earl of Essex]]
│ │
│ ├─>Rohaise, married [[Gilbert de Gant, Earl of Lincoln]]
│ │
│ ├─>Alice, married [[Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd]], prince of [[Kingdom of Gwynedd|Gwynedd]]
│ │
│ └─>Lucy, married [[Baldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon]]
│
├─>[[Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke|Gilbert]] († 1148/49), 1st [[Earl of Pembroke]] (1138)
│ │ x Isabelle de Beaumont,
│ │ daughter of [[Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester]]
│ │
│ └─>[[Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke|Richard]] also called ''Strongbow'' († 1176), 2nd Earl of Pembroke
│ │ attempted to take control of Ireland
│ │
│ ├─>Gilbert of Striguil (1173–1185), 3rd Earl of Pembroke
│ │
│ └─>[[Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke|Isabelle]] († 1220)
│ x [[William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke|William Marshal]] became the first Earl of Pembroke
│ ''This branch of the family being extinguished.''
│
└─>Baldwin († 1154), Lord of Bourne (see [[Baldwin of Clare]])

=== Table 3 : descendants of Richard, 3rd Earl of Hertford ===


== Family tree ==
Richard († 1217), 3rd [[Earl of Hertford]] and [[Earl of Gloucester|Gloucester]]
{{Clare family tree}}
│ Amicie of Gloucester, Countess de jure of Gloucester
│
├─>[[Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Gloucester|Gilbert]] († 1230), 4th Hertford and 5th Earl of Gloucester
│ │ x Isabelle, daughter of [[William Marshal]], 1st Earl of Pembroke,
│ │ heir of the younger branch of Clare (see table 2)
│ │
│ │
│ ├─>[[Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester|Richard]] († 1262), 5th Earl of Hertford, 6th Earl of Gloucester
│ │ │
│ │ ├─>[[Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester|Gilbert]] also known as the Red Earl († 1295), 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester
│ │ │ │ Co-guardian of England in the death of King [[Henry III of England]]
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ └─>[[Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester|Gilbert]] († 1314), 7th Hertford and 8th Earl of Gloucester
│ │ │
│ │ │
│ │ ├─>[[Bogo de Clare|Bogo]] (1248–1294), member of the clergy
│ │ │
│ │ └─>Thomas († 1287), Lord of [[Thomond]], Chancellor of Ireland
│ │
│ └─>Isabelle († 1264), married [[Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale]]
│ │
│ └─> ''The Ascendents Kings of Scotland of the [[House of Bruce]].''
│
└─>Mathilde, married [[Rhys Gryg|Rhys ap Rhys]] († 1234), prince of [[Deheubarth]]


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
Line 136: Line 53:
== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==


* J. C. Ward, "Fashions in monastic endowment: the foundations of the Clare family, 1066–1314", ''Journal of Ecclesiastical History'', vol.&nbsp;32 (1981), p.&nbsp;427–451.
* J. C. Ward, "Fashions in monastic endowment: the foundations of the Clare family, 1066–1314", ''Journal of Ecclesiastical History'', vol.&nbsp;32.4 (1981), p.&nbsp;427–451.
* J. C. Ward, "Royal service and reward: the Clare family and the crown, 1066–1154", ''Anglo-Norman Studies'', vol.&nbsp;11 (1988), p.&nbsp;261–278.
* J. C. Ward, "Royal service and reward: the Clare family and the crown, 1066–1154", ''Anglo-Norman Studies'', vol.&nbsp;11 (1988), p.&nbsp;261–278.
* Michael Altschul, ''A Baronial Family in Medieval England: The Clares, 1217–1314'', The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, 1965. See online [http://worldroots.com/~brigitte/clare.htm summary].
* Michael Altschul, ''A Baronial Family in Medieval England: The Clares, 1217–1314'', The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, 1965. See online [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706104221/http://worldroots.com/~brigitte/clare.htm summary].


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
;Attribution
;Attibution
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Clare (family)}}
*{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Clare (family) |volume=6 |pages=423–424 |first=John Horace |last=Round}}
*{{DNB |first=John Horace |last=Round |wstitle=Clare, de |volume=10 |pages=375–376}}
*{{DNB |first=John Horace |last=Round |wstitle=Clare, de |volume=10 |pages=375–376}}
==External links==
{{Portal|Normandy}}
*[http://www.castlewales.com/clares.html de Clare Family History]


[[Category:Anglo-Normans|Clare, De]]
[[Category:Anglo-Normans|Clare, De]]

Latest revision as of 14:37, 5 February 2024

House of Clare
Noble House
Parent houseHouse of Normandy
CountryEngland

Wales

Lordship of Ireland

  • Leinster
FounderRichard fitz Gilbert
TitlesVarious
Style(s)Earls, Barons, and Knights
Estate(s)Various Earldoms, Baronies and over 190 Manorial Lordships

The House of Clare was a prominent Anglo-Norman noble house that ruled the Earldoms of Pembroke, Hertford and Gloucester in England and Wales throughout its history, playing a prominent role in the Norman invasion of Ireland.

They were descended from Richard Fitz Gilbert, Lord of Clare (1035-1090), a kinsman of William the Conqueror who accompanied him into England during the Norman conquest of England. As a reward for his service, Richard was given lands in Suffolk centred on the village of Clare. As a result, Richard and his descendants carried the name of 'de Clare' or 'of Clare'.

The de Clares ranked among the greatest baronial houses of the early Middle Ages and were the proprietors of the monumental Caerphilly Castle, Pembroke Castle, Castell Coch, and over 190 manors in England.[1][2]

Origins

[edit]
Stained glass window in Tewkesbury Abbey depicting Lord Gilbert de Clare.

The Clare family derived in the male line from Gilbert, Count of Brionne, whose father Geoffrey, Count of Eu was an illegitimate son of Richard I, Duke of Normandy by an unknown mistress. Gilbert de Brionne was one of the guardians of William II, who became Duke of Normandy as a child in 1035. When Gilbert was assassinated in 1039 or 1040, his young sons Baldwin and Richard fitz Gilbert fled with their guardians to Baldwin V, Count of Flanders; they returned to Normandy when William married Baldwin's daughter in 1053, and William took them into high favour. After the conquest of England, Richard fitz Gilbert received extensive estates, notably including Clare and Tonbridge. From his holding the former, the family he founded are usually referred to by historians as 'de Clare' (of Clare)."[3] Historical sources are vague and sometimes contradictory about when the name Clare came into common usage, but Richard fitz Gilbert (of Tonbridge) is once referred to as Richard of Clare in the Suffolk return of the Domesday Survey.[4] His brother Baldwin de Meules was left in charge of Exeter on its submission (1068) and made sheriff of Devonshire. Large estates in Devonshire and Somersetshire are entered to him in Domesday as "Baldwin of Exeter" or "Baldwin the Sheriff".[5]

Earldoms

[edit]
Elizabeth de Clare, 11th Lady of Clare, founder of Clare College, Cambridge

On his death, Richard's English estates passed to his son Gilbert Fitz Richard de Clare (1055-1117), while a younger son, Robert Fitz Richard, would give rise to a lineage that became Barons FitzWalter, as well as having younger branches that took the surnames of Daventry and Fawsley.[6][7] A younger son of Gilbert fitz Richard, also named Gilbert, establishing himself in Wales, acquired the Earldom of Pembroke in 1138 and the Lordship of Striguil. Earl Gilbert's nephew of the senior line, the son of his older brother, Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare (1090-1136), would likewise be made an Earl. Gilbert Fitz Richard (d. 1152) was named Earl of Hertford, perhaps in 1138 but at least by 1141, and subsequently, the family would sometimes use the style of Earls of Clare.[5][8][9] The first Earl of Hertford died without issue and was succeeded by his brother, Roger de Clare, 2nd Earl of Hertford, from whom the later Earls of Hertford descended.

The son of Gilbert Fitz Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, was Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (died 1176), known as Strongbow, a leader of the Norman invasion of Ireland. His only son died while still a minor, and Strongbow's many Irish and Welsh possessions passed with his daughter Isabel, to her husband, William Marshal.[10] Some of these lands would be brought back into the family via the marriage of one of the coheiresses of Isabel de Clare and William Marshal, Isabel Marshal, to her distant cousin, Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford (died 1230). He also inherited from his mother the estates of his maternal grandfather, William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester (died 1183), including the earldom and honour of Gloucester and the lordship of Glamorgan.

The family continued to hold both Earldoms until the early 14th century, when Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester died without issue and the Earldoms became extinct, while his lands were divided among several sisters. Richard de Clare, a member of a junior line that had become lords of Thomond, in Ireland, would be summoned to Parliament in 1309 and hence is held to have been made Lord Clare. But, the death of his infant son in 1321, shortly after his own death, brought an end to the last of the lines typically called de Clare, though the male line persisted at least a century later in the Barons FitzWalter.

Coat of arms

[edit]
Seal of Gilbert Fitz Gilbert, Earl of Pembroke

The early Clares appear to have used a coat of arms that was chevronny, as seen in the seals of Gilbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, and of his niece, Rohese, Countess of Lincoln. Richard 'Strongbow', 2nd Earl of Pembroke, would simplify this to a coat with three chevronels, matching the three red chevrons on a gold background that would be the arms of the Clare Earls of Hertford.[11]

Family tree

[edit]
Tree of Clare
Richard I
Duke of Normandy
d. 996
Geoffrey
Count of Eu
d. 1015
House of ClareGilbert
Count of Brionne and Eu
d. 1040
Richard fitz Gilbert
Lord of Bienfaite, Orbec, Clare and Tonbridge, joint
Chief Justiciar of England
d. c. 1090		Baldwin FitzGilbert
Lord of Sap and Meules, baron of Okehampton
Sheriff of Devon
d. 1090
Robert fitz BaldwinWilliam fitz Baldwin
baron of Okehampton
Sheriff of Devon
fl. 1096		Richard fitz Baldwin
baron of Okehampton
Sheriff of Devon
d. 1137		Adelise fitz Baldwin
eventual heiress		[? Matilda]
fitz Baldwin
m. William fitzWimund
m. Ranulf Avenel
Roger fitz Gilbert de Clare
Lord of Bienfaite and Orbec
d. 1131		Gilbert fitz Richard de Clare
Lord of Clare
Tonbridge and Cardigan
d. 1117		Walter fitz Richard de Clare
Lord of Netherwent
d. c. 1138		Richard fitz Richard de Clare
Abbot of Ely		Robert fitz Richard
Lord of Little, Dunmow (Essex)
d. 1136
Richard fitz Gilbert de Clare
Lord of Tunbridge and Cardigan
d. 1136		Gilbert fitz Gilbert de Clare
Earl of Pembroke
d. 1148/1149		Baldwin fitz Gilbert de Clare
Lord of Bourne
d. 1154/1166		Barons FitzWalter
male line extinct 1431		Daventry of Daventry
male line extinct 1381		Fawlsey of Fawlsey
male line extinct 1392
Gilbert fitz Richard de Clare
Earl of Hertford
d. 1152		Roger fitz Richard de Clare
Earl of Hertford
d. 1173		Rohaise de Clare
m. Gilbert de Gant
Earl of Lincoln		Alice de Clare
m. Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd
Prince of Gwynedd		Lucy de Clare
m. Baldwin de Redvers
Earl of Devon		Richard fitz Gilbert de Clare
Strongbow
Earl of Pembroke
d. 1176
Richard de Clare
Earl of Hertford
d. 1217		Aveline de Clare
d. 1164
m. Geoffrey fitz Piers
Earl of Essex		Isabel de Clare
m. William Marshal
Earl of Pembroke
d. 1220		Gilbert de Clare
of Striguil
Earl of Pembroke
d. 1185
Mathilde de Clare
m. Rhys Gryg
Prince of Deheubarth
d. 1234		Gilbert de Clare
Earl of Hertford and Gloucester
d. 1230		Isabel Marshal
coheiress of her mother		other coheiresses
Isabel de Clare
d. 1264		Richard de Clare
Earl of Hertford and Gloucester
d. 1262
Bruce
Kings of Scotland		Gilbert de Clare
the Red Earl
Earl of Hertford and Gloucester, Guardian of England
d. 1295		Bogo de Clare
Clergyman
d. 1294		Thomas de Clare
Lord of Thomond, Chancellor of Ireland
d. 1287
Gilbert de Clare
Earl of Hertford and Gloucester
d. 1314		Eleanor de Clare
m. Hugh Baron Despenser
m. William de la Zouche		Margaret de Clare
m. Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall
m. Hugh de Audley, Earl of Gloucester		Elizabeth de Clare
m. John de Burgh
m. Theobald de Verdun
m. Roger, Baron d'Amory		Gilbert de Clare
Lord of Thomond
d. 1308		Richard de Clare
Lord Clare, Lord of Thomond
d. 1318		Maud de Clare
m. Robert Baron Clifford
m. Robert Baron Welles		Margaret de Clare
m. Gilbert de Umfraville
m. Bartholomew Baron Badlesmere
(coheiresses)Thomas de Clare
d. 1321		(coheiresses)


Notes

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Bibliography

[edit]
  • J. C. Ward, "Fashions in monastic endowment: the foundations of the Clare family, 1066–1314", Journal of Ecclesiastical History, vol. 32.4 (1981), p. 427–451.
  • J. C. Ward, "Royal service and reward: the Clare family and the crown, 1066–1154", Anglo-Norman Studies, vol. 11 (1988), p. 261–278.
  • Michael Altschul, A Baronial Family in Medieval England: The Clares, 1217–1314, The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, 1965. See online summary.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Queen Mary, University of London, The estates of the Clare Family 1066-1317. Ward, Jennifer Clare
  2. ^ Page, W. (1927) Parishes: Chilton. A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 4. Ed. London, England: Victoria County History.
  3. ^ Richard Mortimer, Clare, Richard de [Richard fitz Gilbert] (1030x35–1087x90), magnate, in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online by subscription.
  4. ^ Suffolk return of the Domesday Survey (c. 1086) (ed. A. Rumble, Suffolk, 2 vols (Chichester, 1986), 67 ~ 1
  5. ^ a b Round 1911.
  6. ^ J. Horace Round (1901), "The Companions of the Conqueror", Monthly Review, vol. 3, pp. 91-111
  7. ^ George Baker (1822), History and Antiquities of the County of Northampton, vol. 1, pp. 306, 379
  8. ^ R. H. C. Davis, King Stephen (1977), p. 136, and p. 129.
  9. ^ Frank Barlow, The Feudal Kingdom of England, 1042–1261 (4th edition 1988), p. 213.
  10. ^ Round 1887.
  11. ^ J. H. Round, "The Introduction of Armorial Bearings into England", The Archaeological Journal, volume 51, pp 43-48 [1]
Attribution
  • Round, John Horace (1911). "Clare (family)" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 423–424.
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Round, John Horace (1887). "Clare, de". In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 10. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 375–376.
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