Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere

Margaret de Clare
Baroness Badlesmere
Harness pendant of the 13th century, believed to bear Margaret's arms: Argent a saltire gules over all a label azure.[1]
Bornca 1 April 1287
Ireland or England
Died22 October 1333 or 3 January 1334 (disputed)
Convent house of the Minorite Sisters, Aldgate, London
Noble familyDe Clare
Spouse(s)Gilbert de Umfraville
Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere
IssueMargery de Badlesmere
Maud de Badlesmere
Elizabeth de Badlesmere
Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere
Margaret de Badlesmere
FatherThomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond
MotherJuliana FitzGerald of Offaly

Margaret de Badlesmere, Baroness Badlesmere (née de Clare; c. 1 April 1287 – 22 October 1333/January 1334, disputed) was an Anglo-Norman noblewoman, suo jure heiress, and the wife of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere.[2]

She was arrested and subsequently imprisoned in the Tower of London for a year, from November 1321 to November 1322, making her the first recorded female prisoner in the Tower's history.[3][4] She was jailed on account of having ordered an armed assault on Isabella of France, Queen consort of King Edward II of England. Before Margaret had instructed her archers to fire upon Isabella and her escort, she had refused the Queen admittance to Leeds Castle, where her husband, Baron Badlesmere, held the post of governor, but which was legally the property of Queen Isabella as part of the latter's dower. Margaret surrendered the castle on 31 October 1321, after it was besieged by the King's forces using ballistas. Edward's capture of Leeds Castle was the catalyst that led to the Despenser War in the Welsh Marches and the north of England.

Upon her release from the Tower, Margaret entered a religious life at the convent house of the Minorite Sisters outside Aldgate. King Edward granted her a stipend to pay for her maintenance.

  1. ^ The Coat of Arms third series vol. XII, part 2, no. 232 (Winter 2016): 89-‐102.Link
  2. ^ Costain, Thomas B. (1958). The Three Edwards. pp.193–195.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference wilson40 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference poyser2728 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).