HAF 
 
 Press. 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 F.S.A. 
 
 Shelf. 
 
 Number
 
 ^,~. f 
 
 -r- j// * 
 
 0f 
 
 AND OF 
 
 THE EARLS OF LEICESTER, 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 FOUNDATION OF THE CASTLE 
 
 TO THE 
 
 MEKGER OF THE EARLDOM 
 
 ifn the mwtt af 
 
 BY W. NAPIER REEVE. 
 
 LEICESTER: 
 
 PRINTED BY CROSSLEY AND CLARKE, 
 1867.
 
 xrf tto Earls af 
 
 LEOFEIC (Husband of Lady Godiva). 
 
 ALGAR. 
 
 EDWIN (slain) . . . . . 1068 
 
 (HUGO DE GRANTMESNEL). 
 
 ROBERT DE BEAUMONT .... 1107 
 
 ROBERT (Bossu) ..... 1118 
 
 ROBERT (Blanchmains) . . . 1169 
 
 ROBERT CFitzparnel) .... 1190 
 
 SIMON (in right of his Countess Amicia) . . 1204 
 
 SIMON DE MONTFORT .... 1218 
 Slain at Evesham, 1265. 
 
 EDMUND (Earl of Lancaster) . . '. 1265 
 
 THOMAS (Earl of Lancaster) . . . 1299 
 Beheaded 1322. 
 
 HENRY (Earl of Lancaster) .... 1322 
 
 HENRY (Duke of Lancaster) . . . 134=5 
 
 WILLIAM (Duke of Bavaria, in right of Lady Maud) 1301 
 
 JOHN OF GAUNT (Duke of Lancaster, in right of 
 
 Lady Blanche) ..... 1377 
 
 HENRY OF BOLINGBROKE, King of England 1399 
 
 62988G
 
 CHRONICLES OF THE CASTLE 
 
 AND OF 
 
 The Earls xrf 
 
 ago Leicester was a 
 fair city, the seat of a Christian Bishop. 
 
 And it needed no other defence than the 
 strong walls, which girt it around, and which 
 the Roman conquerors had made for its safety 
 and their defence. 
 
 But in the days of King Alfred, great 
 trouble came over the land, for the Pagans had 
 invaded it, and many great and strong cities 
 were taken by them ; and amongst these was 
 the city of Leicester; for hither came the 
 pagan Danes, the worshippers of Odin, and for 
 nearly fifty years they held mastery therein, 
 and they drove out the Bishop (and he w r as the 
 last Bishop of Leicester), and destroyed the 
 Christian temples. 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 
 874.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 920 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 In this year King Alfred died, he had done 
 great deeds and had conquered in many battles, 
 but the city of Leicester remained in the power 
 of the Heathen. 
 
 LADY ETHELFL.EDA. 
 
 |ttt then arose his daughter ETHELFL^DA, 
 the renowned Lady of Mercia, and she 
 fighting valiantly retook Leicester, and re- 
 established therein the worship of the true 
 God. And further to secure her conquest, she 
 erected beyond the Roman walls a strong 
 castle, wherein her soldiers might dwell, secure 
 from sudden assault or treachery. 
 
 For she had been merciful to her prisoners, 
 and had spared their lives, but she compelled 
 them to renounce the worship of Odin, and 
 be baptized into the true faith. And this 
 they willingly agreed to, and were baptized 
 in the river which runneth by the town. And 
 the Lady of Mercia also built a fair Church, 
 which she dedicated to our Lady, and because 
 it was near to the Castle, so as to be within 
 its protection, it was called, "The Church of 
 Saint Mary de Castro."
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 
 
 And this was the beginning of the Castle 
 of Leicester, and of the Church which standeth 
 hard by, for they were both built in the same 
 year. 
 
 Tto Saxxm Earls 
 
 l\\,tf the Castle of Leicester became great 
 in renown, and mighty kings and princes 
 have had therein their abiding place ; of such, 
 were EDWARD THE ELDER, and ATHELSTAN, 
 and EDMUND the Brother of Athelstan, and 
 ETHELRED, and EDMUND IRONSIDE, and 
 LEOFRIC, the Earl of Mercia and the Lady 
 Go DIVA (the ever renowned Lady Godiva), and 
 their son ALGAR, and his son EDWIN. 
 
 And Edwin the grandson of Godiva was Earl 
 of Leicester, and his brother MORCAR was 
 Earl of Northumberland, and their sister was 
 ALGITHA, the wife of Harold King of England. 
 
 And many a time did they meet together 
 and make pastime in the hall of the Castle of 
 Leicester, and often did the song and harp 
 resound therein.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 
 1068. 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 EDWIN THE SAXON. 
 
 evil days were coining and trouble and 
 sorrow ; and Edwin, and Morcar were 
 the last of their race. 
 
 For when King Harold was slain at Hastings, 
 Edwin had made submission to the Conqueror 
 and had sworn obedience and fealty to him, 
 because Edwin had hoped for the hand of Duke 
 William's daughter. 
 
 And when this was disdainfully refused him, 
 he rose against the Norman, and he called his 
 brother Morcar, to aid, with his kinsmen and 
 countrymen. 
 
 Then the Conqueror came in his might, and 
 Edwin and Morcar fled before him; and he 
 slew them both, and destroyed the Castle of 
 Leicester, and the Church of St. Mary that 
 Ethelflaeda had built. 
 
 Tto 
 
 Earls * 
 
 Jttt the town of Leicester, and all the rights 
 thereof, did William the Norman grant 
 to a follower of his own, Hugo de Grantmesnel.
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 5 
 
 
 And this Hugo repaired the Castle and 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1080. 
 
 Church of St. Mary, but a second destruction 
 
 
 ere long came upon them ; for when William the 
 
 
 Norman was dead, Hugo became of the party of 
 
 
 Duke Robert, and so brought upon himself and 
 
 
 his town the vengeance of William, the Red 
 
 
 King. 
 
 
 And the leader of the Red King's armies 
 
 
 was Robert de Beaumont, and he seized on the 
 
 
 Castle and Town of Leicester, and held them 
 
 
 for a while, but not in his own right. 
 
 
 But when the Red King was slain by an 
 
 1100. 
 
 arrow, Robert of Normandy again claimed the 
 
 
 crown of England, but his brother Henry 
 
 
 resisted him, and throughout the realm there 
 
 
 was great division, for many took part with 
 
 
 Duke Robert, and many with King Henry, but 
 
 
 Robert de Beaumont, was chief of King Henry's 
 
 
 men. 
 
 
 ROBERT DE BEAUMONT. 
 
 
 j||y|n& in this year King Henry passed over 
 
 1106. 
 
 llllt the sea to fight with his brother, Duke 
 
 
 Robert, and a sore battle was fought between 
 
 
 them, and it was fought upon Saturday the Vigil 

 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1107. 
 
 of St. Michael, being the self same day on which 
 William the Bastard forty years before then, 
 had set foot in England for conquest. 
 
 And this was the famous battle of Tenchebray, 
 and Duke Robert and his men were beaten, and 
 he became prisoner to his brother King Henry. 
 
 And now Robert de Beaumont had for his 
 reward the Town and Earldom of Leicester; 
 and this Robert was a wise and trusty coun- 
 sellor, and he had in his youth been a valiant 
 knight, for it was he who with irresistible might 
 had broken through the Saxon array at 
 Hastings, which fought around King Harold. 
 
 And he came of a mighty race ; and they were 
 men, who in their own land had reared great 
 and lofty towers, so that it was said, by the 
 Chroniclers of their time, " You may know the 
 might of the men, by the mightiness of their 
 palaces." 
 
 And this Earl was the first Norman Earl of 
 Leicester, and he rebuilt the Castle of Leicester, 
 and he made it stronger than before, for he 
 made a strong tower on a mount for its defence ; 
 and more beautiful than ever, for he made 
 therein a stately hall, and this hall remains to 
 this day. 
 
 And he rebuilt the Church hard by, the
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 
 
 Church of St. Mary de Castro, and he made it 
 renowned amongst the churches of the land for 
 splendour and beauty, and he enriched it with 
 many and fair desmesnes. 
 
 And of him thus wrote one of the ancient 
 writers "Robert de Beaumont was in worldly 
 affairs the wisest of men, between England and 
 Jerusalem, eminent for knowledge, plausible of 
 speech, keen and crafty, profound in counsel, 
 and of great wisdom." 
 
 And he was Earl of Leicester, and in right 
 thereof claimed to be Seneschal of all England. 
 
 And all the rest of his days he dwelt in the 
 Castle of Leicester, and he ruled therein like a 
 mighty prince. 
 
 ROBERT BOSSU. 
 
 In this year Robert de Beaumont died, and 
 his son Robert became Earl of Leicester. 
 And this second Earl was called Robert 
 Bossu, for he was a hunchback, but he was wise 
 and valiant. 
 
 And like all his race, he was a great builder, 
 and because his father had rebuilt the Castle of 
 Leicester and the Church of St. Mary de Castro, 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1118.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1169. 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 so that nothing therein was left for him to do ; 
 he built the famous Abbey of Leicester, which 
 was called St. Mary de Pratis, for it was built in 
 the meadows beyond the river. 
 
 And because the Church of St. Mary of the 
 Meadows should surpass that of St. Mary of the 
 Castle, he took from the last all the possessions 
 which the Earl his father had bestowed thereon ; 
 and gave them to his own new church, and 
 thenceforth, while the Abbey Church remained, 
 the Church of the Castle was called St. Mary 
 the Less. 
 
 ROBERT BLANCHMAINS. 
 
 in this year Robert Bossu died, and he 
 was buried in his own Church of St. 
 Mary de Pratis, and his son, Robert with the 
 white hand (Robert Blanchmains), ruled in his 
 stead. 
 
 And during his days, the Town of Leicester 
 was sorely tried, for the soldiers of King Henry 
 the Second sacked and burnt it, to take 
 vengeance on the Earl, who had conspired with
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 
 
 9 
 
 Queen Eleanor and her children against King 
 Henry. 
 
 But the Castle of Leicester was so strong 
 that it resisted all attacks thereon, and the 
 knights and soldiers of the Earl defied the 
 soldiers of the King. 
 
 Then the Earl, who was beyond the seas, 
 returned in wrath to his own land, and with a 
 great following made war on King Henry, but 
 he was overcome in battle, and became prisoner 
 to the King. 
 
 And King Henry was greatly rejoiced 
 thereat, and he commanded that the Earl, and 
 the Earl's wife, for she was a prisoner also, 
 should be conveyed beyond the seas, and shut 
 up in a fortress in Normandy. 
 
 But for all that, the Castle of Leicester was 
 not surrendered, for the Earl had left therein 
 as Constable thereof one ANQUETIL MALLARY, 
 and he and his knights and squires and men 
 at arms defied the King, and maintained the 
 quarrel of the Earl; but the Earl and the 
 Countess remained prisoners to the King. 
 
 And in this year King Henry returned to 
 England, and he brought with him, the Earl of 
 Leicester, and kept him strictly in ward. 
 
 Also in this year did King Henry do penance 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1174.
 
 10 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1175. 
 
 1189. 
 
 at Canterbury for the slaughter of the Arch- 
 bishop, and thenceforth he triumphed over his 
 enemies on every side. 
 
 Then the Constables of the castles of the 
 Earl of Leicester, (for he had many fair and 
 strong castles,) came to the King, to make 
 intercession for their lord, but the King called 
 for the holy relics, and in the presence of the 
 Constables, swore thereon, that the Earl of 
 Leicester should neither eat nor drink till the 
 castles were surrendered to him. Then the 
 Constables seeing the strait in which their 
 lord was, yielded up the Castle of Leicester, 
 and the Castles of Groby and Mountsorrel, 
 which were the Castles of the Earl. 
 
 And in this year, the chief defences of the 
 Castle of Leicester were demolished, that its 
 lord might no longer be able to resist the King's 
 power. 
 
 But in this year King Henry the Second 
 died, and his son Richard Cceur de Lion reigned 
 in his stead ; and because the Earl of Leicester 
 had suffered so much for his sake, King Richard 
 restored to the Earl all that King Henry had 
 taken away. 
 
 And when King Richard was crowned, the 
 Earl of Leicester stood by his side as Seneschal
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 1 1 
 
 of England, and carried before the King a 
 golden sword. 
 
 And now the Earl purposed to go on pilgrim- 
 age to Jerusalem, but he died, while yet in the 
 way, and his son Robert succeeded, and he was 
 the fourth Norman Earl of Leicester. 
 
 ROBERT FITZPARNEL. 
 
 f this Robert was inferior to none that 
 went before him, either for wisdom or 
 valour. He was called Robert Fitzparnel for 
 that he was the son of Petronilla, and he was 
 the companion and friend of Richard Coeur de 
 Lion, and he went to the Holy Land with King 
 Richard, and fought by his side against the 
 Saracens. 
 
 And he was faithful and true to King 
 Richard, and resisted his enemy King Philip 
 of France; also he suffered imprisonment, and 
 bore heavy losses in the cause of King Richard. 
 
 But when King Richard was dead, and 
 John his brother ruled over England, the 
 Earl of Leicester served King John faithfully; 
 and for the Earl's sake, the King granted 
 many privileges to the Burgesses of Leicester. 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1190. 
 
 1199.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1204. 
 
 1209. 
 
 1212. 
 
 1218. 
 
 12 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Also the Earl did grant many rights to the 
 Burgesses, and they enrolled themselves in 
 Companies and Guilds for the safety of their 
 persons and protection of their goods. 
 
 Also, when the troubles began, for King 
 John's was a troubled reign, the Barons of 
 England assembled at the Castle of Leicester, 
 to take counsel for the Commonwealth; and 
 this was the first meeting of the Barons. 
 
 SIMON (Husband of Amicia). 
 
 j[tt this year died the fourth Earl of 
 Leicester, Robert Fitzparnel, and he left 
 no son surviving. But Amicia his sister, was 
 the wife of Simon de Montfort, and in her right 
 Simon became Earl of Leicester. 
 
 But when Pope Innocent III. had placed the 
 land under his interdict, Simon departed from 
 England, and he became the leader of the army 
 against the Albigenses. 
 
 And in this year when Lewis the Dauphin 
 invaded England, Simon returned with him, and 
 took part against King John. 
 
 And in this year, Simon died, for he was 
 slain before the town of Toulouse, he was the
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 13 
 
 fifth Earl of Leicester, and his. son Simon 
 became Earl in his stead. 
 
 SIMON DE MONTFORT. 
 
 y this second Simon is the great Earl, 
 Simon de Montfort, and he returned to 
 the Castle at Leicester, and dwelt there. 
 
 And when King Henry III. married his 
 Queen Eleanor, Simon was at the marriage 
 feast, and claimed to be High Steward of 
 England, because of his Earldom of Leicester. 
 
 And the King loved Simon greatly ; and he 
 gave him his own sister in marriage, so that the 
 Earl of Leicester was brother to the King of 
 England, and to the Emperor of Germany, and 
 to the King of Scotland, and his power and his 
 renown increased. 
 
 But the jealousy of King Henry was stirred 
 up against the Earl, and he was sore displeased, 
 and Simon and his Countess crossed over the 
 seas to avoid the anger of King Henry. 
 
 But in the following year Simon returned to 
 England, and when the Barons rose against the 
 King, Simon de Montfort was their chief. 
 
 And in this year, was that famous Parliament 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1236. 
 
 1238. 
 
 1239. 
 
 1240. 
 
 1258.
 
 14 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1264. 
 
 at Westminster, whither the Barons came, each 
 in complete armour, and the leader of them all 
 was Simon the Earl. 
 
 And in this same year was held at Oxford 
 that other Parliament, which was thereafter 
 called the Mad Parliament. 
 
 And when the Barons appeared there, armed 
 and with their array, Simon was the chief of 
 them all. 
 
 Also when the supreme Council of State 
 was there formed to govern the realm, Simon 
 was the chief. And so the Earl of Leicester 
 became the greatest in the land, and he made 
 many wise ordinances, and good laws. 
 
 And this was a memorable year, for in 
 the spring time thereof King Henry came to 
 Leicester, with his son, Prince Edward ; although 
 no King of England had before then entered 
 the Castle, that Robert de Beaumont had built, 
 for the saying was, "Evil will follow the King of 
 England, who feasts in the Castle of Leicester." 
 
 And this saying was fulfilled that selfsame 
 year, for presently was fought the famous battle 
 of Lewes, and the King and the Prince became 
 prisoners to the Earl of Leicester. 
 
 But while King Henry was prisoner to his 
 kinsman, the Earl of Leicester, writs were
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 15 
 
 issued in the King's name, to the sheriffs 
 throughout the kingdom, commanding them to 
 return two Knights for every Shire, and two 
 Burgesses for every Borough within the realm. 
 
 And this was the first Parliament of England. 
 
 And he who caused it to be assembled was 
 Simon de Montfort, the great Earl of Leicester. 
 
 And he was the chiefest man in the land, 
 and he dwelt in his Castle of Leicester, and he 
 ruled the people as a King. 
 
 But in this year, he was slain, he and his 
 son ; for the Barons of England were jealous 
 of his greatness, and joined themselves to 
 Prince Edward, and a great slaughter was made, 
 and Simon's head was cut off as the head of a 
 traitor, and his land forfeited, as for treason. 
 And he was the last Norman Earl of Leicester. 
 
 But his memory lasted long, for the people 
 of the land had trusted greatly in him, and the 
 clergy had praised him, as the protector of the 
 oppressed, the father of the poor, the saviour of 
 his country, and the avenger of the Church. 
 
 And the clergy called him " Sir Simon the 
 Righteous ;" but the common people called him 
 " Sir Simon the King" 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1265.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1265. 
 
 1267. 
 
 1270. 
 
 1270. 
 
 16 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Lancastrian JSarls* 
 
 j now the Earldom of Leicester passed 
 away to another race, for King Henry 
 granted the Earldom and the Honour of 
 Leicester, and the Stewardship of England, to 
 his son Edmund, who was also Earl of Lancaster. 
 
 But the sons of Simon, resisted the King, 
 and the Barons rose in arms again, even they, 
 who had caused the destruction of the Earl; and 
 so in this year, a Parliament was called, and the 
 good laws that Simon had made were re-enacted, 
 and the land was at peace. 
 
 Then the sons of Simon with their mother, 
 the sister of King Henry, departed from 
 England, and dwelt in foreign lands, and there 
 they slew Henry, the son of the King of the 
 Romans, who had been the enemy of their 
 father. 
 
 But the Earldom of Leicester passed away 
 from them, and the King's brother Edmund 
 dwelt in their Castle, and ruled over their lands.
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 17 
 
 EDMUND CROUCHBACK. 
 
 & he was called Edmund Crouchback, 
 even as the Norman Earl had been called 
 Robert Bossu. And in this year he would have 
 held a tournament at the Castle, but the King 
 forbade it, for he feared the gathering of the 
 Barons at Leicester. 
 
 And in this year King Henry died. He was 
 the third of his name, and had reigned in 
 England fifty-six years ; and Edward his son 
 reigned in his stead. 
 
 And Edward was exceeding wroth with the 
 sons of Simon, and would have slain them, but 
 they fled from him. 
 
 And in this year King Edward returned to 
 England, for he had been in the Holy Land ; 
 and he ordained that the Judges should go 
 through the realm, and do justice in every chief 
 town, and so they came to Leicester. 
 
 Then did the King's brother, Edmund Earl 
 of Leicester, command that the great hall of 
 his Castle should be the place of judgment, and 
 the Judges sat there, and thenceforth, even to 
 this day, do the Queen's justices sit to administer 
 the laws in the hall of the Castle of Leicester. 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1272. 
 
 1274.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1277. 
 
 1282. 
 
 1299. 
 
 1300. 
 
 1305. 
 
 18 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 In this year Elinor de Montfort, the daughter 
 of the Great Earl, was given in marriage to 
 Lewellyn the Prince of North Wales, for Le- 
 wellyn loved the Earl, and was steadfast in his 
 love, even when Simon's family was ruined and 
 his friends scattered. 
 
 But the evil fortune of Simon followed his 
 race, for in this year Lewellyn was slain by King 
 Edward, and his head was cut off, even as Simon 
 de Montfort's had been, and was crowned with 
 a willow wreath in mockery. 
 
 And thenceforth the memory of the children 
 of Simon passed away from amongst men. 
 
 THOMAS THE EARL. 
 
 In this year Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, 
 and Earl of Leicester, died, and Thomas 
 his son was the second Lancastrian Earl of 
 Leicester. 
 
 In this year came King Edward to Leicester, 
 and he was well entertained there ; and so the 
 old saying that no King of England should come 
 to the Castle of Leicester, was for a while held as 
 naught. 
 
 And Thomas the Earl was a great Lord, and
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 19 
 
 his uncle King Edward loved him, and for his 
 sake, the King granted to the Burgesses a fair to 
 be held from the JOth to the 24th of June. 
 
 And King Edward the First died in this year, 
 and his son Edward, the Second, reigned in his 
 stead, and his reign was full of trouble. 
 
 For the King was governed by favourites and 
 men of low degree, and so the Barons of the 
 Realm rose against him, as they had risen 
 against his grandfather King Henry. 
 
 And the Earl of Lancaster, who is also Earl 
 of Leicester, was the leader of the Barons, even 
 as Simon de Montfort had been in his time. 
 
 And the Barons, with the Earl of Lancaster, 
 and the Earl of Pembroke, and the Earl of 
 Warwick, seized on Piers Gaveston, the King's 
 favourite, and put him to death. 
 
 And King Edward was very wroth, and there 
 was war between the King and his kinsman. 
 
 But in this year peace was made, and recon- 
 ciliation, for the Pope would have it so, and he 
 made mediation between the King and the Earl. 
 
 And the King, and the Queen Isabella, and 
 the Legate, came to the Castle of Leicester, 
 and there abode for a while. And they were 
 the guests of the Earl, who received them joy- 
 fully, and made great feasts there ; but evil was 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1307. 
 
 1311. 
 
 1318.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1321. 
 
 20 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 in store for the King who feasted at the Castle 
 of Leicester. 
 
 And the evil came even of this very visit to 
 Leicester, for at this time there was in the Earl's 
 household one Hugh Despenser, and he was a 
 youth of goodly presence, and wise and brave. 
 And at the King's request, Hugh Despenser, left 
 the service of the Earl, and thenceforth became 
 the King's own man. And the King loved him 
 greatly, even beyond the love he had borne 
 aforetime to Piers Gaveston. 
 
 And the daughter of the Earl of Gloucester 
 was given in marriage to Hugh Despenser, and 
 he thereby became possessed of many lands. 
 And amongst these were lands in the county of 
 Glamorgan, in the Welsh Marches. 
 
 But the Welshmen hated Despenser, and 
 rose against him, and burnt his castles, and 
 destroyed his goods, for they remembered their 
 Prince Lewellyn, and his wife Elinor, the 
 daughter of Simon de Montfort. 
 
 And in this year the Earl of Leicester joined 
 himself to the Welshmen, for he was jealous of 
 Hugh Despenser, who had been once his own 
 man, but who now equalled himself with the 
 great lords of the land. 
 
 And the Earl of Leicester, who is also Earl of
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 21 
 
 Lancaster, took with him a great host, even 
 thirty-four Barons, and Knights, and men at 
 arms without number. 
 
 And King Edward fled before him, and the 
 Earl marched to the south, and entered into the 
 City of London. 
 
 Then a Parliament was called, and the Barons 
 assembled as of old with arms in their hands, 
 and they banished Despenser and his father 
 from the kingdom, and the King confirmed the 
 sentence. But in the autumn of the same year 
 the Despensers returned to England, and the 
 King's hands were strengthened against the 
 Earl and the Barons. 
 
 And the King seized twelve Knights of the 
 party of the Earl of Leicester, and hanged them 
 in one day. 
 
 Then the Earl of Leicester went to the North 
 Country, and essayed to join himself to the Scots, 
 who were warring against the English, and they 
 promised to come to his help with a great army. 
 
 But the English hated the Scots and forsook 
 the Earl, because he had thus joined himself to 
 the enemies of England. 
 
 Arid in this year a sore battle was fought 
 between the Earl and the King's men, and the 
 Earl was beaten and fled to a sanctuary. 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1322.
 
 22 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 
 1322. 
 March 23. 
 
 And he kneeled before the Holy Cross and 
 said, " Good Lord, I render myself to Thee, and 
 put me into thy mercy." And he became 
 prisoner to the King. 
 
 And King Edward was exceeding wroth with 
 the Earl, and he caused him to be brought to 
 judgment in one of his own castles, but not in 
 the Castle of Leicester. For the Castle of 
 Pontefract was made the place of judgment for 
 the trial of the Earl, and there were six Earls 
 and Barons assembled, and the King himself sat 
 in the court. 
 
 And they adjudged the Earl of Leicester to 
 die by the gibbet, because he had so caused 
 Piers Gaveston to die, but forasmuch as he was 
 of the blood Royal, his head was severed from 
 his body. 
 
 And he was led out to execution, mounted 
 on a mean horse without saddle or bridle, and 
 the base folk reviled him, and cast mud and dirt 
 at him. And so died Thomas, the second Lan- 
 castrian Earl of Leicester, a bloody death, even 
 as Simon de Montfort had died before him. 
 
 And as great slaughter had been made of the 
 friends of Simon, so in like manner great 
 slaughter was now made of the friends of 
 Thomas.
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 23 
 
 For the King caused eight and twenty 
 Knights to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, 
 and their lands and possessions to be taken 
 away. And the sentence on Hugh Despenser 
 was reversed, and his father was made Earl of 
 Winchester, and the King loved Hugh more 
 than ever. 
 
 But evil days were to come upon him and 
 the King also, and the saying that evil awaits 
 the King who feasted at the Castle of Leicester, 
 was yet to be fulfilled. 
 
 And for all that the base folk had done to the 
 Earl by the command of the King, his memory 
 was held in reverence, for he was a holy man and 
 a just, even as the Great Earl Simon had been ; 
 and many miracles were done on the place 
 where the Earl Thomas was put to death. 
 
 HENRY THE EARL. 
 
 now the Earl of Leicester was Henry the 
 brother of Thomas, and he was also Earl 
 of Lancaster. And at his first coming to the 
 Earldom he was in low estate, for the King had 
 seized on his possessions, and many of his friends 
 and adherents had fled the realm. For Hugh 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1323.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1325. 
 
 24 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Despenser was now mightier than the mightiest 
 of the Barons, and the whole land was under 
 his feet. 
 
 But the Lancastrian party (for so those who 
 sided with the Earl were called) fled to France, 
 and there took counsel together how they might 
 deliver the land. 
 
 And Queen Isabella was the wife of King 
 Edward, and she was sister to Charles the French 
 King. And Charles (who was also called Charles 
 le Bel) took part with the Lancastrians, and 
 seized on some castles of King Edward. 
 
 Then Queen Isabella went to France to make 
 reconciliation, as it was said, between her hus- 
 band and her brother. 
 
 But in her heart the Queen hated her hus- 
 band, and especially the King's favourites, and 
 while Thomas Earl of Leicester lived she had 
 taken part with him, and relied on him for pro- 
 tection. 
 
 But now that he was dead the Queen went 
 over the sea to her brother, the French King, 
 and she joined herself to the Lancastrian party. 
 
 And Edward the King's son, who was but 
 a youth, went with her, and a great party 
 was formed against the King and the King's 
 favourites ; and presently the Queen Isabella and
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 25 
 
 her son, and the Barons who had fled, when the 
 Earl of Leicester was put to death, returned to 
 England. 
 
 And the young Prince was hailed as the 
 deliverer of the land, and King Edward and 
 Hugh Despenser fled before him, 
 
 Then was the King's son Edward proclaimed 
 King of England, for his father had departed 
 from the realm. 
 
 And because the King was of tender years, 
 the Earl of Lancaster was chosen to be his 
 guardian, and he was Protector of the King's 
 person and chief in the land. 
 
 And now sore vengeance was taken on those 
 who had put the last Earl of Leicester to death. 
 
 For the people rose up in their fury, and 
 they slew the Bishop of Exeter, and destroyed 
 many, and they set all the prisoners free ; and 
 the elder Despenser, who had been created Earl 
 of Winchester, they took and hanged on a 
 gibbet, for that had been the doom adjudged to 
 the Earl of Leicester. 
 
 And shortly afterwards his son, Hugh De- 
 spenser, was taken prisoner, and he was sen- 
 tenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered ; and 
 so he died. Then the King himself (that is 
 King Edward the Second) became prisoner to 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1327.
 
 26 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1327. 
 
 Henry the Earl of Leicester, even as King 
 Henry in the old time had been prisoner to 
 Simon de Montfort. 
 
 And now the attainder of Thomas Earl of 
 Lancaster was reversed, and all his honours and 
 dignities and possessions were restored to his 
 brother, and so the Earl of Leicester was again 
 the chiefest man in the realm. 
 
 And in this year a Parliament was called, 
 and King Edward was summoned to hear the 
 word of the Earl of Leicester, and the Barons of 
 the realm; and all fealty and allegiance were 
 withdrawn from him, and the staff of office was 
 broken before him, and he ceased to reign in 
 the land. 
 
 And early in the year the young King was 
 crowned, Edward the Third, King of England, 
 and his mother Isabella ruled in his name. 
 
 And to the Earl of Leicester was committed 
 the keeping of the late king's person. 
 
 But for all that King Edward the Second 
 had done to his brother, the Earl of Leicester 
 had compassion on the King's misery, and 
 spoke kindly to him, and courteously entreated 
 him. 
 
 Then Queen Isabella was angry with the 
 Earl of Leicester, and she removed the old King
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 27 
 
 from his keeping, and gave him into the hands 
 of Sir John Maltravers, who had suffered much 
 from the King and his favourites. 
 
 And the King was carried from place to 
 place, so that none might know where he was, 
 and he was taken to Berkeley Castle. 
 
 And there as tradition saith, he was cruelly 
 put to death, and so was accomplished the 
 saying, " Evil awaits the King of England who 
 feasts at the Castle of Leicester." 
 
 In this year King Edward was married to 
 Queen Philippa, and came to Leicester. 
 
 But the Kingdom was yet in the hands of 
 Isabella the Queen Mother, and she ruled over 
 the land in her son's name. 
 
 Then the Barons rose against the Queen, for 
 that she was herself ruled by her paramour 
 Mortimer. 
 
 And the Earl of Leicester as the Guardian of 
 the King's person, withstood the power of Mor- 
 timer, but in vain, for the young King remained 
 with his mother. 
 
 Then the Earl of Leicester joined himself to 
 the King's uncles the Earl of Kent, and the Earl 
 of Norfolk ; but the power of the Queen pre- 
 vailed against them. 
 
 And in this year the King's uncle, the Earl 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 188. 
 
 1330.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 
 28 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 1333. 
 
 1335. 
 
 of Kent, became prisoner to the Queen, and he 
 was put to death. 
 
 And the Earl of Leicester became prisoner 
 also, and to save his life he paid a heavy ransom 
 to Mortimer and the Queen. 
 
 And the land was ruled by Mortimer and the 
 Queen, even as it had been in the days of Hugh 
 Despenser. 
 
 But in ^the same year, Mortimer was seized 
 by King Edward at the Castle of Nottingham, 
 and he was hanged on a gallows, for the death 
 of the King's uncle, the Earl of Kent. 
 
 Then King Edward ruled royally ; and the 
 Earl of Lancaster was taken from prison, and 
 became one of the chief in the realm. 
 
 And the Earl came to his Castle of Leicester, 
 and in token of his deliverance from the hand 
 of his enemies, he founded a hospital there. 
 
 And he called it TRINITY HOSPITAL ; and it 
 was for the comfort of aged men and women, 
 and it was built within the precincts of the 
 Castle, and there it remains to this day. 
 
 And in this year came King Edward to 
 Leicester, and he abode there many days, for 
 the Earl was his kinsman and friend. 
 
 And in this year came Queen Philippa to 
 Leicester, but she would not dwell within the
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 29 
 
 Castle because of the saying ; but she abode in 
 the Abbey of St. Mary, and there the towns- 
 men of Leicester came to her, and presented 
 her with gifts. 
 
 And the Earl of Lancaster dwelt thenceforth 
 peacefully at his Castle of Leicester all the days 
 of his life. 
 
 And he was a mighty prince, and had great 
 possessions. 
 
 For he held all the castles and manors and 
 lands, that Simon de Montfort had held. 
 
 And he was Captain General of the King's 
 army in Scotland. 
 
 And when King Edward made war with the 
 French King, the Earl of Leicester was with 
 him in all his wars. 
 
 And it was even from his hand that King 
 Edward himself received knighthood. 
 
 And in this year there was a grand tourna- 
 ment at the Castle of Leicester, for that the 
 daughter of the Earl's son Henry, was given in 
 marriage to Duke William of Bavaria, son of 
 the Emperor of Germany. 
 
 But the Earl himself was then well stricken 
 in years, and he had become blind, and feeble, 
 so the feast was held at the Castle by the Earl's 
 son. 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1344.
 
 30 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1345. 
 
 And in this year the Earl died in his own 
 Castle of Leicester, and he was buried in the 
 Collegiate Church of the Newarke. 
 
 And King Edward came to his burying, and 
 with him his Queen Philippa, and also many 
 Earls and Barons. 
 
 For the Earl had lived as a great prince, 
 and was buried with the burying of the King's 
 kinsman, and Henry his son who dwelt in the 
 Castle of Leicester ruled in his stead. 
 
 1346. 
 
 HENRY THE DUKE. 
 
 of all the Earls of Leicester none was 
 braver than this Earl, and while his 
 father lived, he was called Earl of Derby. 
 
 And when King Edward made war on the 
 King of France, the Earl led a great army into 
 the province of Guienne to defend the same. 
 
 And the Earl subdued many provinces and 
 took many towns. 
 
 Then the French King sent against him, 
 the Duke of Normandy, and the Duke of Bur- 
 gundy, with a very great army, and the Earl 
 withdrew into his stronghold. 
 
 Then King Edward was told of the Earl's
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 31 
 
 need, and he departed from England with a 
 mighty army to make war against the French 
 king. 
 
 And in this same year was fought the famous 
 battle of CRECY, and the army of the French 
 King was utterly destroyed. 
 
 Then the Duke of Normandy left Guienne, 
 and the Earl of Leicester became master there. 
 
 And he took many towns as Mirabeau, Lu- 
 signan, Taillebourg, Poictiers, and came even 
 to the river Loire, and all France was filled with 
 alarm. 
 
 And in this year was the famous siege of 
 CALAIS, and the Earl departed from Guienne, 
 to join King Edward, who was encamped before 
 the town. 
 
 And Sir Walter Manny, who was also of 
 great renown, and had helped the Earl in his 
 wars, came also and joined the King. 
 
 And when the town fell into the King's 
 hands, which it did by reason of the sore 
 famine therein, the King commanded that six 
 of the townsmen should be hanged. 
 
 But Queen Philippa, and the Earl of Leicester, 
 and Sir Walter Manny, made earnest entreaty, 
 and the lives of these men were spared. 
 
 Then the King returned to England, and the 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 
 1346. 
 August 23. 
 
 1347. 
 
 1348.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 134=9. 
 
 32 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Earl of Leicester went with him, and because of 
 his renown the King created him Duke of Lan- 
 caster, and he was the first Earl of Leicester, 
 who was also Duke of Lancaster. 
 
 And in this year a great battle was fought in 
 the narrow seas within sight of the town of 
 Winchelsea, and King Edward and the Prince of 
 Wales were in the battle, and many stood on 
 the sea shore watching the fight. But the 
 King's ship was in danger of sinking, and the 
 King and the Prince would have perished in 
 the sea ; then came the Duke of Lancaster to 
 their help, and the King and the Prince were 
 saved, and there was a great victory. 
 
 But this was a sore year for England, not- 
 withstanding these mighty victories, and for 
 Leicester notwithstanding the renown of her 
 Earl, for a great sickness went through the land, 
 and many men and cattle died. 
 
 And some say that half the people of the 
 land died, so that there were not left alive 
 enough to till the ground. 
 
 And in Leicester the plague was very sore, 
 also there was a sore murrain amongst beasts. 
 
 But in this year, the plague was stayed, and 
 King Edward came to Leicester, and lodged at 
 the Castle.
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 33 
 
 And there was a Parliament held in Leicester, 
 in this year. 
 
 And in this year the Order of the Garter 
 was founded by King Edward, and the Duke of 
 Lancaster, and the chief of the nobility were 
 created Knights of the Garter. 
 
 Also the Duke of Lancaster was made Admiral 
 of the King's Fleet, and he was called " The 
 Prince's right hand" for he was with the Black 
 Prince continually. 
 
 And he was surnamed "Grismond" from the 
 place of his birth, and amongst all the mighty 
 men of the land, none was greater than the 
 Earl of Leicester. 
 
 Also the Castle of Leicester was his dwelling 
 place, and he loved the people of the town. 
 
 For in this year, the Duke obtained from the 
 King, that there should be a market and fair, 
 and the fair was to be free of tolls. 
 
 Also in this year the Duke released the people 
 of Leicester from the payment of a tax called 
 the " Huckster Molt" which had been ordained 
 in the time of Edmund the Earl. And the 
 Duke did these things for that the town of 
 Leicester had suffered in the sickness, also " for 
 the salvation of his soul, and the souls of his 
 ancestors." 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1351. 
 
 1353.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 
 1354:. 
 
 1355. 
 
 1356. 
 
 1356. 
 September 19 
 
 1357. 
 1358. 
 1359. 
 
 34 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 And in this year the Duke greatly enriched 
 the Collegiate Church in the Newarke, and added 
 to the Hospital that his father had built there. 
 
 In this year the Duke of Lancaster went with 
 an army into Normandy to take part with the 
 King of Navarre, whom the French King had 
 put in prison. 
 
 And the Prince of Wales with an army 
 essayed to join the Duke in Normandy, but he 
 could not. For the French King had broken 
 down all the bridges over the river Loire, and 
 the Prince retreated before him. 
 
 And when the French King pursued him, 
 there was fought the great battle of POICTIERS, 
 and King John of France became prisoner to 
 the Prince of Wales. 
 
 And so the Duke of Lancaster was relieved 
 from his straits by reason of the battle of 
 Poictiers, as he had been aforetime by the 
 battle of Crecy ; but he himself was in neither 
 of these battles. 
 
 For he was warring at the head of an army, 
 which he had at his own command. 
 
 And during these years there was sore war 
 in France, and great misery and desolation ; and 
 the King of Navarre, escaped from prison, and 
 the Duke of Lancaster fought for him.
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 35 
 
 And in this year the Lady Blanche, youngest 
 daughter of the Duke of Lancaster, was married 
 to the King's son John, called John of Gaunt. 
 
 But in this year peace was made, for it was 
 urged by the Duke, and the King of England 
 consented thereto. 
 
 And King John of France was restored to 
 liberty for a great ransom. 
 
 Then the Duke returned to his Castle of 
 Leicester, and the men of Leicester received 
 him gladly. 
 
 For they knew that he would ask something 
 of the King in their behalf, for he loved the men 
 of Leicester. 
 
 And so the Duke obtained for the town a 
 grant of a fair at Michaelmas, and the grant 
 was made to the King's beloved and faithful 
 kinsman Henry Duke of Lancaster, and Earl of 
 Leicester. 
 
 And whosoever came to the town during the 
 fair, was to be free of toll, whether he be a 
 dweller in the town or a stranger. 
 
 And the renowned knight, Sir Walter Manny, 
 the Duke's friend, was witness to the grant. 
 
 But in this year the Duke died. And he 
 died at his Castle of Leicester, and was buried 
 in the Collegiate Church in the Newarke. 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1359. 
 
 1360. 
 
 1300. 
 July 2. 
 
 1361.
 
 36 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 And there was no son born to the Duke, and 
 none to be Duke of Lancaster after him. 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 [1344.] 
 
 WILLIAM OF BAVARIA. 
 
 his daughter, the Lady Maud, was the 
 wife of William Duke of Bavaria, and 
 he was the eldest son of Lewis the Fourth, 
 Emperor of Germany. 
 
 And it was the same Maud, at whose marriage 
 the great tournament was held at Leicester, in 
 Earl Henry's days. 
 
 And because of his wife the Lady Maud, the 
 Duke claimed to be Earl of Leicester, and Stew- 
 ard of England. 
 
 But Blanche, the Duke's youngest daughter, 
 was the wife of the King's son, John of Gaunt. 
 And for her sake, John of Gaunt was now 
 created Duke of Lancaster. 
 
 But while the Lady Maud lived, the Earldom 
 of Leicester was claimed by her, and by her 
 husband, in her behalf.
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 37 
 
 JOHN OF GAUNT. 
 
 tf when the Lady Maud died, (for she died 
 childless,) the Duke of Lancaster, in right 
 of his wife, the Lady Blanche, claimed to be 
 Earl of Leicester, and Steward of England, and 
 his claim was allowed. 
 
 But before this he had done many great and 
 marvellous deeds, and had gotten great honour 
 and renown. 
 
 For in this year he went with his brother, 
 the Prince of Wales, to the help of Don Pedro, 
 King of Castile. 
 
 And when the King of France came with an 
 army against the King of Castile, the two 
 brothers, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of 
 Lancaster, fought with him and defeated him 
 with great slaughter. 
 
 And so Peter was restored to the Kingdom. 
 
 But this year Peter was slain by his brother 
 Henry. 
 
 In this year the Lady Blanche wife of John 
 of Gaunt died. 
 
 Also in this year the Prince of Wales was 
 sick nigh unto death, and King Edward was old 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1367. 
 
 1368. 
 
 1369.
 
 Ann. Dora. 
 1370. 
 
 1372. 
 
 137G. 
 
 38 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 and feeble. Then the French King made war 
 upon England, and summoned the Prince to 
 appear before him at Paris. 
 
 And the Prince replied that he would come, 
 and bring sixty thousand men with him. 
 
 Then there was a fierce war, and the Duke of 
 Lancaster commanded for the King of England 
 in the north, and the Prince of Wales in the 
 south. 
 
 In this year the Duke married for his second 
 wife, Constance, the eldest daughter of Pedro, 
 the late King of Castile, and the Duke claimed 
 in her right to be King of Castile and Leon. 
 
 And when the Prince of Wales by reason of 
 his sore sickness returned to England, the Duke 
 of Lancaster commanded in the south of France. 
 
 And the King of France could not stand 
 before him, but went into his strongholds, and 
 the Duke marched over the land, but the strong 
 cities remained untaken. 
 
 In this year a truce was made between 
 England and France, and the Duke of Lan- 
 caster returned to England. 
 
 And because of the sickness of the Prince of 
 Wales, the Duke took on him the government, 
 for King Edward was now very old and feeble. 
 
 And in this year the Black Prince died, and
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 39 
 
 the Duke of Lancaster became the chief man in 
 the realm 
 
 In this year died William Duke of Bavaria, 
 who was the husband of the Lady Maud, and 
 who had claimed in her right to be Earl of Lei- 
 cester. 
 
 And now John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster, 
 claimed to be Earl of Leicester, in right of his 
 late wife the Lady Blanche. 
 
 And his claim was allowed, for none in those 
 days could resist the Duke of Lancaster. 
 
 And the Castle of Leicester, and all the lands 
 and desmesnes appertaining thereto became his. 
 
 And in the same year King Edward the Third 
 died, and his grandson Richard reigned in his 
 stead. 
 
 And at the coronation of King Richard, the 
 Duke of Lancaster claimed to be Seneschal of 
 England, because of his Earldom of Leicester ; 
 also, he claimed to carry the sword of state, 
 because he was Earl of Lancaster ; also to carve 
 for the King at his coronation day, because he 
 was Earl of Lincoln. 
 
 And these claims were allowed, and the day 
 before the King was crowned, the Duke held his 
 Court in the White Hall of the King's palace. 
 
 And because the King was but of tender 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1377. 
 
 1377. 
 June 21.
 
 40 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1378. 
 
 1380. 
 
 years, the Duke was appointed to be protector 
 of the King's person, even as Henry the Earl 
 was appointed guardian of King Edward the 
 Third. 
 
 And now of all the Earls of Leicester, John 
 of Gaunt was the greatest, for he was Regent 
 of the kingdom of England, and ruled like a 
 mighty Prince. 
 
 And because of his wife Constance he claimed 
 to be King of Castile and Leon. 
 
 And he took delight in his Castle of Leicester, 
 for he loved the town of Leicester, and the 
 dwellers therein. 
 
 And in this year the Duke led an army into 
 Brittany, to fight with the French King, also 
 he was Admiral of the fleet, and he laid siege 
 to the town of St. Malo, but he could not take 
 it. 
 
 And there was great distress in the land, for 
 the King had need of money, and a tax was laid 
 by which, each man and woman throughout the 
 land should pay three groats. 
 
 Then there was a great rising of the people, 
 and they called their leaders by the names of 
 Wat Tyler, and Jack Straw. 
 
 And the mutinous people were in number 
 more than one hundred thousand men ; and they
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 41 
 
 burnt the Duke of Lancaster's palace in London, 
 and destroyed many. 
 
 And the rebellious people hated the Duke, 
 and because they said that he would be King of 
 England, they caused men to take an oath, that 
 they would have no king, called " John." 
 
 Also they threatened to march upon the 
 town of Leicester, and destroy the Duke's 
 castle there, as they had burnt his palace in 
 London. 
 
 But the men of Leicester loved the Duke, 
 and put themselves in array, and day and night 
 they kept watch and ward, that no harm should 
 come to the Castle of Leicester, or the Duke's 
 possessions there. 
 
 But when Wat Tyler was slain the rebellious 
 people dispersed. 
 
 And this year King Richard was married, 
 and the Duke of Lancaster, besought of him 
 aid, that he might go to Spain and fight for his 
 kingdom of Castile. But when he asked for 
 money the Parliament refused him. 
 
 But King Richard was governed by favourites, 
 and men of low degree, even as King Edward 
 the Second had been. 
 
 And as in those days, the Earl of Leicester 
 was accused of plotting against the King, so was 
 
 Ann. Dora. 
 1382. 
 
 1384. 
 
 G
 
 42 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 John of Gaunt accused of plotting against King 
 Richard. 
 
 Then the Duke withdrew himself into Scot- 
 land and refused to come to the court of his 
 nephew. 
 
 And when the King earnestly besought him 
 to return, he would not until King Richard had 
 made public disavowal of the accusation. Also 
 the King granted to the Duke that he should 
 have continually with him, armed men for his 
 safety. 
 
 But when the Parliament had met, one John 
 Latimer, a friar, gave into the King's hands a 
 parchment wherein was set forth how that a 
 conspiracy was formed to place the crown of 
 England on the head of the Duke of Lancaster. 
 
 And the King gave the writing into the 
 hands of the Duke, who was very wroth, and 
 was ready to do battle with any knight, who 
 should accuse him ; and meanwhile he required 
 that the friar should be put in prison. 
 
 And so the friar was given into the keeping 
 of John Holland, the King's half brother. 
 
 But the next day the friar was found dead, 
 and some said that he had been strangled by the 
 King's brother, but others that he had laid 
 hands on himself.
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 43 
 
 And there was a great outcry, and the King 
 would have seized on the Duke, but he withdrew 
 himself to his own Castle of Pontefract. 
 
 Then the King's mother, who was aforetime 
 called the "Fair Maid of Kent," sought to 
 reconcile the King and the Duke, and peace 
 was made between them. 
 
 Also she procured that no question should be 
 made of the death of the Friar John, at the 
 hands of her son John Holland. 
 
 So there was friendship between the King 
 and the Duke, and King Richard and his Queen 
 came to the Castle of Leicester, and great feasts 
 were made there. 
 
 But wise men doubted how the end would 
 be, for they remembered the coming thither of 
 King Edward the Second, and his Queen, and 
 what had thence befallen. 
 
 And the King made the Duke's son Henry 
 (called Henry of Bolingbroke) Earl of Derby, 
 even as his grandfather the first Duke of Lan- 
 caster had been while his own father was living. 
 
 And now the Duke of Lancaster would 
 go into Spain to fight for his kingdom of 
 Castile. 
 
 And King Richard was glad at his going, and 
 the Parliament granted money in aid of the 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 
 1885.
 
 44 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1390. 
 
 Duke. Also the King gave the Duke a crown 
 of gold, and commanded that he should be 
 called King of Spain, so the Duke sailed from 
 England with an army of ten thousand men. 
 
 And he landed at Corunna, and joined him- 
 self to the King of Portugal, who had married 
 the Duke's eldest daughter. 
 
 And the Duke's armies prevailed everywhere, 
 and the Spaniards fled before him. 
 
 But in the next year, his army was sorely 
 tried by pestilence and famine. 
 
 Then the Duke made peace with the King 
 of Castile, and the Duke's daughter Catherine 
 was married to the King's eldest son, Prince of 
 Asturias. 
 
 And so the Duke renounced his own claim to 
 the kingdom of Castile, and departed to his own 
 country. 
 
 But the posterity of the Lady Catherine, his 
 daughter, reigned in Spain for many generations. 
 
 Also the King of Castile gave him two 
 hundred thousand crowns, and he covenanted to 
 pay yearly to the Duke and his Duchess during 
 their lives ten thousand marks. 
 
 And the Duke of Lancaster was away from 
 England three years and King Richard desired 
 his return greatly.
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 45 
 
 And the King created him Duke of Acqui- 
 taine, and he received at the King's hands the 
 rod of state, and cap of maintenance, and he was 
 to be sovereign Duke of Acquitaine in Gascony. 
 
 But the Gascon people, would not have it so, 
 for they said that the Dukedom of Acquitaine 
 was appurtenant to the crown of England only. 
 
 Therefore the King revoked the grant. 
 
 But the King came again to the Castle of 
 Leicester, and with him came the Queen, and 
 the Archbishop of York ; also thither came the 
 King's uncles the Dukes of York and Gloucester, 
 and many other barons and noble men. 
 
 And they remained in Leicester many days, 
 and in the day time they hunted the deer in the 
 forest of Leicester, and at night they feasted in 
 the great hall, that Robert de Beaumont had built. 
 
 And this was the time of the greatest splen- 
 dour in the Castle, for in all the old time before 
 there had been no such days as these ; no not 
 even in the time of the first Duke, whom men 
 now called the " Good Duke of Lancaster." 
 
 But when King Richard had departed from 
 Leicester, men bethought themselves of the 
 old sayings, and they looked that evil should 
 come upon the King who feasted in the Castle 
 of Leicester.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1391. 
 
 1393. 
 
 1391. 
 
 46 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 And this year the Duke went to France to 
 make peace between the Kings of France and 
 England. 
 
 And this year died the Lady Constance, the 
 wife of the Duke. She was the daughter of Peter 
 the Cruel, King of Castile, and her daughter was 
 married to the Prince of Asturias. 
 
 But the Lady Constance died at the Castle of 
 Leicester, while her lord was away. 
 
 And the next day died Mary de Bohun, the 
 wife of Henry of Bolingbroke, and mother of 
 him who was afterwards King Henry the Fifth. 
 
 And these noble ladies died together while 
 their husbands were in foreign lands, and they 
 were buried in the Collegiate Church of the 
 Newarke. 
 
 And thenceforth there was no more feasting 
 in the Castle of Leicester during the life of 
 John of Gaunt. 
 
 And now a truce was made between England, 
 France, and Scotland, and the truce was to 
 endure for four years, and so the Duke of Lan- 
 caster returned to his Castle of Leicester. 
 
 And Queen Anne, the wife of King Richard, 
 died this year, and in the following year the 
 King was solemnly espoused to Isabella the 
 daughter of the French King.
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 47 
 
 And Henry of Bolingbroke, who was Earl of 
 Derby, was now created Duke of Hereford. 
 
 And this year John of Gaunt married Cathe- 
 rine Swinford, who had been the attendant on 
 the Lady Blanche, the Duke's first wife, and the 
 Duke brought her to his Castle of Leicester. 
 
 But King Richard hated the Duke of Lan- 
 caster and his son, Henry, and there was strife 
 between the Duke of Hereford and Thomas 
 Duke of Norfolk. And each accused the other 
 of treason against King Richard. 
 
 Then the King commanded that the cause 
 should be tried by battle, and a day was 
 appointed for the fight. 
 
 And the King came to Coventry, for there 
 the battle was to be tried, and the Duke of 
 Hereford appeared in arms against the Duke of 
 Norfolk. 
 
 But when the lists were set, and the spears 
 were in rest, and the battle would have been 
 tried, the King threw down his warder and the 
 fight was stayed. 
 
 And the King banished both Dukes from the 
 realm, the Duke of Hereford he banished for 
 ten years, but the Duke of Norfolk for life. 
 
 Then the Duke of Norfolk went on pilgrimage 
 and died at Venice.
 
 48 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1399. 
 
 But the Duke of Hereford went to the French 
 King. 
 
 And now John of Gaunt was sick and feeble, 
 and he mourned for his son daily. 
 
 And in the springtime of the year he died at 
 his palace in London, and by his desire he was 
 buried by the side of his first wife, the Lady 
 Blanche. 
 
 And the King came to the burying, and the 
 Duke was buried like a mighty prince, but his 
 son was far away, a banished man. 
 
 And the will of the Duke was made in the 
 Castle of Leicester, the year before his death. 
 
 And he gave the best jewel that he should 
 be possessed of at the time of his death to the 
 King his nephew. 
 
 And two other jewels to his most dear wife 
 Catherine. 
 
 And to his daughter Philippa Queen of 
 Portugal, a cup of gold. 
 
 And to his daughter Catherine Queen of 
 Castile, a cup of gold. 
 
 Also he gave to his son Henry a chain of gold, 
 with the name of God on each part thereof, which 
 his mother, Queen Philippa, had given him ; and 
 he desired that his son should keep the chain, 
 with his blessing, and with the blessing of God.
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 49 
 
 And he gave to his son the Duke of Hereford 
 many other costly gifts, for he had great posses- 
 sions. 
 
 And he named the King his nephew super- 
 visor of his will, and enjoined him to be faithful 
 to his trust, as he would answer to Almighty God, 
 " who is King over all kings, and will render to 
 every man according to his deserts." 
 
 And he ordained that a Chantry be founded 
 in the new Church of Our Lady at Leicester, for 
 the soul of his late wife the Lady Constance, and 
 for ever to keep an Obit for her soul on the 24th 
 March in every year. 
 
 And so died John of Gaunt Duke of Lan- 
 caster, and Earl of Leicester. 
 
 And he was the last Earl of Leicester that 
 dwelt in the Castle there. 
 
 And now Henry of Bolingbroke was Duke of 
 Lancaster, and Earl of Leicester, but he was a 
 banished man. 
 
 And for that he was away the King seized 
 on all the possessions that by right belonged 
 to him. 
 
 And all the gold and silver and rich hangings 
 that were in the Castle of Leicester, did King 
 Richard take for himself. 
 
 For the King despised the warning of John 
 
 H
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1399. 
 
 50 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 of Gaunt, and feared not to commit this in- 
 justice. 
 
 Also he remembered the Castle of Leicester, 
 and how it was full of great riches, for the King 
 had seen them displayed, when he feasted there 
 with the Duke of Lancaster. 
 
 And as the coming of King Edward to Lei- 
 cester and the meeting of Hugo Despenser there 
 was the ruin of King Edward, so the coming 
 of King Richard to Leicester and the knowledge 
 of the wealth therein, was the ruin of King 
 Richard. 
 
 For the old saying was to be accomplished, 
 "Evil will follow the King of England, who 
 feasts in the Castle of Leicester." 
 
 HENRY BOLINGBROKE. 
 
 Jtttf in the month of May, King Richard 
 
 sailed over the sea to Ireland. 
 But while he was away, the Duke of Here- 
 ford, who was now by his father's death Duke of 
 Lancaster, and Earl of Leicester, returned to 
 England in the King's despite. 
 
 For the sentence of banishment was yet in
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester. 51 
 
 force, but the Duke returned to England to 
 claim his own. 
 
 And the people of England rejoiced greatly 
 at his coming, and they helped him on every 
 side, so that he entered London with sixty 
 thousand men, who followed in his train, and he 
 proclaimed himself Regent of the Kingdom 
 during the King's absence. 
 
 Then King Richard returned in haste from 
 Ireland, but he found no friends in the land, so 
 he came to the Duke of Lancaster. 
 
 And when the Duke saw King Richard, he 
 bent his knee and made obeisance as to the King. 
 
 But King Richard uncovered his own head, 
 and said "Fair cousin of Lancaster you are 
 welcome" 
 
 And the Duke replied that he had come 
 home before the time appointed, but he had 
 come for the good of the people of the realm, 
 and to help the King to rule them wisely. 
 
 And King Richard answered "Fair cousin 
 since it pleaseth you, it pleaseth me" 
 
 Then the trumpets sounded to horse, and 
 the King became prisoner to the Duke. 
 
 And the King and the Duke came to Coventry, 
 even to the place from whence but a year before 
 the Duke was banished from the kingdom. 
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1309.
 
 Ann. Dom. 
 1399. 
 
 52 
 
 Chronicles of the Castle 
 
 And the King and the Duke came to- 
 gether to the city of London, but the people 
 cursed King Richard, and reviled him to his 
 face. 
 
 And they praised the Duke of Lancaster, for 
 that he was the deliverer of the land, and he 
 became King of England. 
 
 And King Richard died a bloody death, even 
 as King Edward had died, and so the ancient 
 saying was fulfilled. 
 
 And there were no more Earls of Leicester, 
 and thenceforth to none of that name belonged 
 the Castle of Leicester, or the town thereof, or 
 any possessions therein, or any thing appertain- 
 ing thereto, for they who were afterwards called 
 Earls of Leicester were strangers to the town 
 and county of Leicester, and of no account 
 therein. 
 
 But, even as the glory of the sun is greatest 
 at its setting, so did the grandeur of the last 
 Earl of Leicester surpass that of all who had 
 gone before him. 
 
 For the Earldom ceased, not by the failure of 
 male issue, as in the days of Henry the Good 
 Duke, or by attaint of treason as in the days of 
 Simon, or by the hand of violence, as in the 
 days of Thomas the Earl, but because the glory
 
 and of the Earls of Leicester, 53 
 
 of the Earldom was merged in the greater glory 
 of the Crown. 
 
 How could he claim to be Earl of Leicester, 
 who was King of all the land ? How claim to 
 be Seneschal of England, who was lord and 
 master of the realm ? How should he carry the 
 sword of state before the King, who was himself 
 the King of England, and bore on his head the 
 diadem and in his hand the sceptre ! 
 
 FEINTED BY CKOSSLEY AND CLARKE, LEICESTER.
 
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