Elizabeth, wife of Philip Despencer

[Doug Smith]

Douglas Richardson made this post in 2000:

"A friend of mine in California would like to identity Elizabeth,
wife of Philip Despenser [lst Lord Despencer], died 1401, of
Goxhill, Gedney, etc., co. Lincoln and Camoys in Toppesfield,
Essex. Elizabeth was presumably born about 1345/50.

Morant's History of Essex, 2: 360-1, gives a somewhat garbled
account of this family. He identifies this Philip Despenser's
wife as either ____ Strange or Margaret Cobham.

Morant failed to give his source for these statements. Is
Elizabeth by any chance a daughter of Roger le Strange, 5th Lord
Strange, of Knockin, co. Salop, born about 1326, died 1382, who
married Aline Fitz Alan? I see this couple had a large family,
including a daughter, Lucy, who married William Willoughby, of
Eresby, a Lincolnshire man like Philip Despenser. Roger le
Strange, 5th Lord Strange, held the manor of West Halton, co.
Lincoln at his death in 1382, which may explain the Lincolnshire
connection.

As for Philip Despencer's wife being a Cobham, it appears his
mother Joan was probably a Cobham, which may be where Morant got
the name. Morant mentions Philip Despencer's mother, Joan, but
does not given her maiden name.

Best always, Douglas Richardson

E-mail: royala...@msn.com"

Has anyone figured this out yet? Since the 5th Lord Strange of
Knockin had a daughter Elizabeth married to James, 2nd Lord Audley,
could it be that Elizabeth was daughter of Roger le Strange, 4th Lord
Strange of Knockin by his second wife Joan de Ingham? This couple was
married bef 25 Mar 1344 making the timing right and Joan de Ingham's
mother was named Elzabeth la Zouche which would mean Elizabeth was
named for her grandmother.

Has anyone seen any evidence that would bear on this? I have not seen
the will for Roger 4th Lord.

Thanks

Doug Smith

[Cristopher Nash]

This puzzle's long been grit in my own shell & the pearl's long overdue.

I suspect that CP's critique (IV, 289, note b), giving this Philip's
wife as Elizabeth (---), may have come as much in response to Muskett
(1897), who'd given his w. as Joan Strange, as to Morant.

My one thought for the moment is that since the notorious Cobham
tangle -- which is part of the previous Despenser generation's puzzle
-- may have been worked out independently in more recent work of
friends here and may contain a key to this one, I'd like to restore
to the mix my 2003 query --

According to CP IV, 289, Sir Philip Despenser (b. 6 Apr 1313, d.
22/23 Aug 1349) m. "(most probably) Joan [d. sh. bef. 15 May 1357],
da of Sir John de Cobham, of Cobham, Kent". Presumably intended here
is Sir John (s. of Henry) who d. 25 Feb 1354/5, m. in 1314 Joan, da.
of John Beauchamp of Hache / Stoke-under-Hamden (per CP III, 344).
(Material in brackets mine.)

CP's note (b) cites Close Rolls in which "it appears ... that Philip
le Despenser (who m. Joan), and John de Cobham, son of Henry, were
arranging a marriage in June 1339".

Has anyone seen evidence of any more positive kind identifying the
parents of Joan w. of Sir Philip Despenser (1313-1349)?

Cheers,

Cris

al...@mindspring.com (Doug Smith) wrote on 10 May 04 --

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