CP Addition: Marriage of Eleanor Beaufort & James Butler, Earl of Wiltshire
Douglas Richardson
Complete Peerage, 10 (1945): 126-129 (sub Ormond) has an excellent
account of the life of James Butler (or Ormond), 5th Earl of Ormond,
Earl of Wiltshire (died 1461). The editor states that James married
(1st) before 1438, Avice Stafford, who died without issue 3 June (or 3
July 1457). Following Avice's death, he married (2nd) Eleanor
Beaufort, eldest daughter of Edmund Beaufort, by Eleanor, daughter and
co-heiress of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick.
The editor provides no date for the marriage of James Butler and his
2nd wife, Eleanor Beaufort. However, the marriage evidently took
place in 1457-1458 (36 Henry VI), which is indicated by two deeds
found in Calendar of Ancient Deeds - Series B, Pt. 2 (List & Index
Soc., vol. 101) (1974): B.5415-5416.
Earl James Butler died in 1461 without issue. His widow, Eleanor,
married (2nd) Robert Spencer, Knt., and had issue and descendants by
that marriage.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
E-mail: royala...@msn.com
Brad Verity
> Following Avice's death, he married (2nd) Eleanor
> Beaufort, eldest daughter of Edmund Beaufort, by Eleanor, daughter and
> co-heiress of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick.
I think CP is wrong here in stating that Eleanor was the eldest
daughter of Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset and his wife Eleanor
Beauchamp.
Their eldest daughter had to have been Margaret Beaufort, wife of the
Earl of Stafford, the son and heir of the 1st Duke of Buckingham.
This makes sense historically. The Duke of Somerset was very closely
tied politically and socially with Queen Margaret of Anjou (Yorkists
spread rumors that the father of her son Edward, Prince of Wales, was
really Somerset and not Henry VI), and it seems natural he'd name his
first daughter after the Queen (perhaps she was a godmother).
> The editor provides no date for the marriage of James Butler and his
> 2nd wife, Eleanor Beaufort. However, the marriage evidently took
> place in 1457-1458 (36 Henry VI), which is indicated by two deeds
> found in Calendar of Ancient Deeds - Series B, Pt. 2 (List & Index
> Soc., vol. 101) (1974): B.5415-5416.
So it also makes sense chronologically that Margaret was older than
her sister Eleanor, as she was married first. Her husband the Earl of
Stafford died in 1455 of wounds received in battle.
Eleanor cannot have been older than Margaret and contracted to marry
the Earl of Wiltshire for several years, as his first wife did not die
until the summer of 1457, and her marriage seems to have been arranged
shortly afterwards. My guess is, given that her husband was an Earl,
Eleanor Beaufort was probably the next-born daughter after Margaret.
But definitely a younger daughter of the Duke of Somerset, not the
eldest.
Cheers, ---------Brad
Douglas Richardson
bat...@hotmail.com (Brad Verity) wrote in message news:<8ed1b63.02090...@posting.google.com>...