Biography of Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk 1404-1475

Paternal Family Tree: Chaucer

1449 Warwick "Kingmaker" Becomes Earl of Warwick

Before 1404 [her father] Thomas Chaucer [aged 36] and [her mother] Maud Burghesh [aged 24] were married.

In 1404 Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk was born to [her father] Thomas Chaucer [aged 37] and [her mother] Maud Burghesh [aged 25].

Before 1407 [her future husband] Thomas Montagu 1st Count Perche 4th Earl Salisbury [aged 18] and Eleanor Holland [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of Thomas Holland 2nd Earl Kent and Alice Fitzalan Countess Kent [aged 56]. He the son of John Montagu 3rd Earl Salisbury and [her future mother-in-law] Maud Francis Countess of Salisbury [aged 42]. They were half third cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.

Battle of Agincourt

                    25th October 1415At the Battle of Agincourt the English included: Louis Robbessart [aged 25], Richard Beauchamp 13th Earl Warwick [aged 33], William Botreaux 3rd Baron Botreaux [aged 26], William Bourchier 1st Count of Eu [aged 41], Thomas Rokeby [aged 35], John Cornwall 1st Baron Fanhope 1st Baron Milbroke [aged 51], Edward Courtenay [aged 30], Ralph Cromwell 3rd Baron Cromwell [aged 12], Thomas Dutton [aged 19], Edmund Ferrers 6th Baron Ferrers of Chartley [aged 29], Roger Fiennes [aged 31], Henry Fitzhugh 3rd Baron Fitzhugh [aged 57], John Grey [aged 28], John Grey 1st Earl Tankerville [aged 31], William Harrington [aged 42] as the King's Standard Bearer, Walter Hungerford 1st Baron Hungerford [aged 37], Piers Legh [aged 26] (wounded), Alfred Longford, [her future husband] Thomas Montagu 1st Count Perche 4th Earl Salisbury [aged 27], Thomas Morley 6th Baron Marshal 5th Baron Morley [aged 22], John Rodney, Richard Scrope 3rd Baron Scrope of Bolton [aged 22], Robert Strelley [aged 18], James Tuchet 5th Baron Audley, 2nd Baron Tuchet [aged 17], Robert Umfraville [aged 52], Thomas West 2nd Baron West [aged 35], Robert Willoughby 6th Baron Willoughby [aged 30]. Thomas Erpingham [aged 60] commanded the archers. Thomas Rempston [aged 26] was present. Thomas Strickland [aged 48] carried the Banner of St George.
                
                    Thomas Tunstall [aged 57] was killed.
                
                    The Welsh included: William ap Thomas "Blue Knight of Gwent" Herbert [aged 35], Walter Sais [aged 95], Roger Vaughan [aged 70] and his son Roger Vaughan [aged 5]. Owen Tudor [aged 15] is believed to have been present as a squire.

In 1417 Richard Arches of Eythrop died. The wardship of his heir Joan Arches [aged 7] was given to [her father] Thomas Chaucer [aged 50].

In 1419 [her future husband] Thomas Montagu 1st Count Perche 4th Earl Salisbury [aged 30] was created 1st Count Perche.

After 1421 Thomas Montagu 1st Count Perche 4th Earl Salisbury [aged 32] and Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 17] were married. She by marriage Countess Salisbury. He the son of John Montagu 3rd Earl Salisbury and Maud Francis Countess of Salisbury [aged 57].

Before 1423 Richard Neville Earl Salisbury [aged 22] and [her step-daughter] Alice Montagu 5th Countess of Salisbury [aged 15] were married. She the daughter of [her husband] Thomas Montagu 1st Count Perche 4th Earl Salisbury [aged 34] and Eleanor Holland. He the son of Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland [aged 58] and Joan Beaufort Countess of Westmoreland [aged 43]. They were half fourth cousins. He a great grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.

Siege of Orléans

On 3rd November 1428 [her husband] Thomas Montagu 1st Count Perche 4th Earl Salisbury [aged 40] died from wounds received at the Siege of Orléans. His daughter [her step-daughter] Alice [aged 21] succeeded 5th Countess Salisbury, 4th Baroness Montagu, 7th Baroness Montagu, 6th Baroness Monthermer. Richard Neville Earl Salisbury [aged 28] by marriage Earl Salisbury.

Battle of Jargeau

On 11th June 1429 Joan of Arc [aged 17] and Jean Poton Xaintrailles [aged 39] fought at Jargeau, Loiret during the Battle of Jargeau. Alexander Pole was killed. [her future husband] William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 32] surrendered.

On 11th November 1430 William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 34] and Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 26] were married. She by marriage Countess Suffolk. He the son of Michael de la Pole 2nd Earl Suffolk and Katherine Stafford Countess Suffolk. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England.

In 1432 Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 28] was appointed Lady of the Garter.

Memoires of Jacques du Clercq

This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.

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On 18th November 1434 [her father] Thomas Chaucer [aged 67] died. He was buried at St Mary's Church, Ewelme [Map].

On 27th April 1437 [her mother] Maud Burghesh [aged 58] died at Ewelme, Oxfordshire. She was buried at St Mary's Church, Ewelme [Map].

On 27th September 1442 [her son] John de la Pole 2nd Duke of Suffolk was born to [her husband] William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 45] and Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 38]. He married (1) January 1450 his half third cousin Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond, daughter of John Beaufort 1st Duke of Somerset and Margaret Beauchamp Duchess Somerset (2) before February 1458 his half third cousin Elizabeth York Duchess Suffolk, daughter of Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York and Cecily "Rose of Raby" Neville Duchess York, and had issue.

In 1444 [her husband] William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 47] was created 1st Marquess Suffolk. Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 40] by marriage Marchioness Suffolk.

In 1447 [her husband] William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 50] was created 1st Earl Pembroke. Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 43] by marriage Countess Pembroke.

In 1448 [her husband] William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 51] was created 1st Duke Suffolk by King Henry VI of England and II of France [aged 26]. Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 44] by marriage Duchess Suffolk.

Warwick "Kingmaker" Becomes Earl of Warwick

                    On 3rd June 1449 Anne Beauchamp 15th Countess Warwick [aged 5] died at Ewelme, Oxfordshire aged four whilst in the care of Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 45]. She was buried at Reading Abbey, Berkshire [Map]. Baron Burghesh abeyant between her three-half aunts and her full aunt Anne Beauchamp 16th Countess Warwick [aged 22]. It isn't clear why the barony was not subject to the same legal dispute that the Earldom of Warwick was subject to - see following.
                
                    After a prolonged legal dispute between her three half-aunts, Margaret Beauchamp Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 45], Eleanor Beauchamp Duchess Somerset [aged 40], Elizabeth Beauchamp Baroness Latimer [aged 32] and her full aunt Anne Beauchamp 16th Countess Warwick, the courts decided her full aunt Anne Beauchamp should succeed. Anne Beauchamp  succeeded 16th Countess Warwick. Her husband Richard Neville [aged 20] by marriage Earl Warwick; the first step on his journey to becoming Kingmaker.
                
                    The decision of the court was not subscribed to by Edmund Beaufort Earl Somerset [aged 43] who was married to Anne's half-sister Eleanor; he wanted his share of the considerable Beauchamp inheritance.

Around 1450 Thomas Stonor [aged 26] and [her illegitimate step-daughter] Jane Pole [aged 20] were married. She the illegitmate daughter of [her husband] William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 53].

Around January 1450 John de la Pole 2nd Duke of Suffolk [aged 7] and Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond [aged 6] were married. The date subject to debate. Papal dispensation was granted on 18 August 1450. Margaret never recognised this marriage, and considered her next husband her first; as confirmed by her 1472 will. She the daughter of John Beaufort 1st Duke of Somerset and Margaret Beauchamp Duchess Somerset [aged 40]. He the son of William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 53] and Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 46]. They were half third cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.

On 9th January 1450 Bishop Adam Moleyns was lynched by a mob of discontented unpaid soldiers who dragged him from the Royal Garrison Church, Portsmouth and executed him for being a supporter of [her husband] William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 53] and for the losses in Normandy.

Murder of William de la Pole

On 1st May 1450 [her husband] William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 53] was beheaded at sea whilst travelling into exile his ship having been intercepted by the Nicholas of the Tower, or by Admiral Nicholas of the Tower. His son John [aged 7] succeeded 2nd Marquess Suffolk, 5th Earl Suffolk, 5th Baron Pole. Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond [aged 6] by marriage Marchioness Suffolk. Earl Pembroke forfeit.

In February 1453 [her son] John de la Pole 2nd Duke of Suffolk [aged 10] and [her daughter-in-law] Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond [aged 9] marriage annulled.

Before February 1458 John de la Pole 2nd Duke of Suffolk [aged 15] and Elizabeth York Duchess Suffolk [aged 13] were married. She by marriage Marchioness Suffolk. She the daughter of Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York [aged 46] and Cecily "Rose of Raby" Neville Duchess York [aged 42]. He the son of William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk and Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 54]. They were half third cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.

Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough

A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'

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In 1472 Margaret of Anjou Queen Consort England [aged 41] was placed in the custody of Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 68] with whom she remained until she was ransomed in 1475.

On 20th May 1475 Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [aged 71] died. She was buried at St Mary's Church, Ewelme [Map].

                    After 20th May 1475. St Mary's Church, Ewelme [Map]. Monument to Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk [deceased]. Wrist Garter. The effigy was, apparently, viewed to determine how a lady should wear the garter at the re-commencement of Lady of the Garter appointments in 1901 after a gap of several hundred years. A particularly fine Cadaver Underneath the chest on which Alice's effigy lies. Full-length in a shroud. Chest with Angels with Rounded Wings holding Shields.
                
                    Detail of the South Side of the Monument to Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk.
                
                    1 Roet Arms impaled Chaucer Modern Arms. Alice's paternal grandparents.
                
                    2 De La Pole Arms impaled Stafford Arms. Her third husbands parents Michael de la Pole 2nd Earl Suffolk and Katherine Stafford Countess Suffolk.
                
                    3 Montacute and Monthermer Arms impaled Francis? Possibly Alice's second husband's parents John Montagu 3rd Earl Salisbury and [her former mother-in-law] Maud Francis Countess of Salisbury.
                
                    4 De La Pole Arms quartered Chaucer Modern Arms.
                
                    5 Roet Arms quartered Chaucer Modern Arms.
                
                    6 Chaucer Modern Arms.
                
                    7 De La Pole Arms.
                
                    8 De La Pole Arms impaled England Henry IV Arms signifying Alice's son John's marriage to Elizabeth of York sister of King Edward IV of England.
                
                    Detail of the North Side of the monument to Alice Chaucer Duchess Suffolk. Arms from left to right ...
                
                    1 De La Pole Arms quartered Chaucer Modern Arms impaled Unknown.
                
                    2 De La Pole Arms impaled Chaucer Modern Arms. Her third husband William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk.
                
                    3 De La Pole Arms quarted Chaucer Modern Arms. Alice's son John de la Pole 2nd Duke of Suffolk by her second husband William "Jackanapes" de la Pole 1st Duke of Suffolk.
                
                    4 Chaucer Modern Arms.
                
                    5 Montacute and Monthermer Arms quartering impaled Chaucer. Alice's second husband Thomas Montagu 1st Count Perche 4th Earl Salisbury.
                
                    6 Roet Arms. Alice's paternal grandmother Philippa Roet.
                
                    7 England Henry IV Arms impaling Roet Arms probably signifying John of Gaunt 1st Duke Lancaster and Katherine Swynford aka Roet Duchess Lancaster, Katherine being the sister of Alice's paternal grandmother Philippa Roet who married Geoffrey Chaucer.
                
                    8 Roet Arms impaling Chaucer Modern Arms. Her paternal grandparents Geoffrey Chaucer and Philippa Roet.
                
Philippa Roet: 
          Around 1346 she was born to Giles "Payne" Roet.
         
          Before 1367 Geoffrey Chaucer and she were married at St Mary de Castro Leicester, Leicestershire [Map].
         
          Excerpta Historica Page 152. Philippa, his eldest daughter, is stated to have been the maid of honour to Philippa Queen of Edward the Third who by the name of "Philippa Pycard" obtained a grant of one hundred shillings per annum on the 20th January 1370, and married Geoffrey Chaucer, to whom, in consequence, it is supposed, of this connexion, the Duke of Lancaster granted the Castle of Dodington. Of John of Gaunt's connexion with Chaucer, however, no proof has been found; and the circumstance of the lady assigned to him for his wife being styled "Philippa Pycard," instead of Roelt, renders the assertion, that she was the sister of the Duchess of Lancaster, extremely doubtful.
         
          Around 1387 Philippa Roet died.