Biography of Elizabeth Ferrers 1240-1297

Paternal Family Tree: Ferrers

Maternal Family Tree: Mathilde Unknown Countess Évreux 1120-1169

Before 1226 [her father] William Ferrers 5th Earl of Derby (age 32) and [her step-mother] Sibyl Marshal (age 24) were married. She the daughter of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke and Isabel Clare Countess Pembroke. He the son of [her grandfather] William Ferrers 4th Earl of Derby (age 57) and [her grandmother] Agnes Gernon Countess Derby. They were half third cousin twice removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

In 1238 [her father] William Ferrers 5th Earl of Derby (age 45) and [her mother] Margaret Quincy Countess Derby were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Roger de Quincy 2nd Earl Winchester (age 43) and [her grandmother] Helen Galloway Countess Winchester. He the son of [her grandfather] William Ferrers 4th Earl of Derby (age 70) and [her grandmother] Agnes Gernon Countess Derby. They were first cousin twice removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

Around 1240 Elizabeth Ferrers was born to William Ferrers 5th Earl of Derby (age 47) and Margaret Quincy Countess Derby. Date adjusted from Before 1230 to be consistent with her son Anselm's birth in 1237. Coefficient of inbreeding 1.65%.

On 28th March 1254 [her father] William Ferrers 5th Earl of Derby (age 61) died. He was buried at Merevale Abbey, Warwickshire [Map]. His son [her brother] Robert (age 15) succeeded 6th Earl Derby. Mary or Marie Lusignan Countess Derby (age 12) by marriage Countess Derby.

In or before 1257 William Marshal (age 42) and Elizabeth Ferrers (age 16) were married. The difference in their ages was 26 years. She the daughter of William Ferrers 5th Earl of Derby and Margaret Quincy Countess Derby.

Around 1257 [her son] John Marshal was born to [her husband] William Marshal (age 43) and Elizabeth Ferrers (age 17) at Hingham, Norfolk.

Around 1264 [her husband] William Marshal (age 50) died.

After 1265 Dafydd ap Gruffudd Aberffraw Prince of Wales (age 26) and Elizabeth Ferrers (age 25) were married. She the daughter of William Ferrers 5th Earl of Derby and Margaret Quincy Countess Derby. They were half fifth cousins. He a great grandson of King John of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

Chronicle of William Rishanger. [1277].Furthermore, besides these things, the Prince [[her brother-in-law] Llywelyn "Last" Aberffraw (age 44)] will reconcile with his brothers, whom he had wronged. For he had three brothers, two of whom, [her brother-in-law] Owen (age 45) and [her brother-in-law] Rhodri (age 47), he had imprisoned; the third, David, having fled, stayed for many years with the King of England. By the King, and against the custom of his people, he was made a knight. In that war, due to his bravery and loyalty, he became highly esteemed by the King. As a result, the King granted him the castle of Denbigh in Wales, along with lands worth one thousand pounds in annual revenue; moreover, he gave him a wife [Elizabeth Ferrers (age 37)], the daughter of the [her father] Earl of Derby, who had recently been widowed by another man [[her former husband] William Marshal]. Owen, then, through royal favor, was freed from the prison which he had recently broken. Rhodri, however, fled from his brother and resided in England. The King, moreover, built a significant castle at Aberystwyth [Map]¹ in Western Wales, to suppress the raids of the Welsh.

Item, præter hæc, Princeps fratres suos, quos læsit, placabit. Habuit enim tres fratres, quorum duos, Owenum et Rodericum, posuerat in carcere; tertius vero, David, fuga dilapsus, multis annis cum Rege Angliæ stetit; a quo, contra morem gentis suæ, miles factus, in ista guerra, ob probitatem et fidelitatem suam, plurimum erat Regi acceptus: unde et eidem castrum de Dimby contulit in Wallia, cum terris ad valorem mille librarum annui redditus; insuper et uxorem dedit, filiam Comitis Derbeyæ, quæ nuper alio viro fuerat viduata. Owenus ergo favore regio liberatur a carcere, quem fregerat paulo ante. Rodericus vero, fratrem fugiens, in Anglia morabatur. Rex autem in Occidentali Wallia apud Lampader Vaur, ad cohibendum irruptiones Wallensium, castrum construxit insigne.

Note 1. "Lampader Vaur" i.e. "Llanbadarn Fawr" from which Aberystwyth took its name.

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Before 24th September 1277 [her son] John Marshal (age 20) and [her daughter-in-law] Hawise Unknown were married.

All About History Books

The Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson. Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback.

Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough. In the year of our Lord 1282, [her husband] David (age 43), brother of Llywelyn, Prince of Wales, who in the first two Welsh wars had fought bravely for the King of England against his own brother Llywelyn, and whom the king had rewarded with various gifts and many possessions in England, even giving him a beloved kinswoman in marriage¹, was reconciled with his brother Llywelyn. However, Llywelyn told him that he would never fully trust him or offer true friendship unless he became as much an enemy to the King of England as he had once been his faithful friend. They then, like Herod and Pilate, entered into a pact and formed a strong conspiracy. Together they rose up against the anointed of the Lord, the innocent English. They captured Lord Roger de Clifford at Flint Castle [Map], whom the King of England had placed in command there, and imprisoned him in harsh conditions. Then they laid waste with fire and sword, destroying whatever they could of the kings or the English peoples possessions. These acts began during the holy season of the Passion of the Lord. When the king heard of this, as a devout Christian, he sent word to the spiritual fathers, the archbishops and bishops within the faith of Christ. He earnestly requested that those evildoers, along with their accomplices and supporters, who, out of hatred for the peace and tranquillity of Holy Church and the realm of Wales, had committed plunder, murder, arson, and many grave offenses, be declared excommunicated² publicly and solemnly in every diocese throughout his realm. The king believed and added that their rebellion and wickedness could be more effectively suppressed by the secular arm, with the aid of the spiritual sword, which is known to assist in such cases.

Anno Domini MCCLXXXII David, frater Leulini principis Walliæ, qui in duabus primis guerris Walliæ regi Angliæ contra Leulinum fratrem suum strenue militaverat, utpote quem donis variis et possessionibus multis rex ipse ditaverat in Anglia, et caram consanguineam suam eidem copulaverat in uxorem, cum fratre suo Leulino concordatus est. Cui tamen intulit ipse Leulinus quod nunquam ipsius veram consequeretur amicitiam nisi regi Angliæ in tantum efficeretur inimicus in quantum dudum fuerat verus amicus: et sic Herodis et Pilati inita concordia et facta conjuratione valida insurrexerunt in christos Domini Anglos innocentes, ceperuntque ad castrum de Flynt dominum Rogerum de Clyfford, quem rex Angliæ ibidem præfecerat, et taken pritetro carceri tradiderunt; deinde vastantes igne et gladio quicquid ipsius regis vel Anglorum contingere potuerunt. Et hæc quidem incepta sunt in tempore sancto infra passionem Domini sanctam. Quod cum audisset rex, misit, tanquam filius catholicus, ad patres spirituales archiepiscopos et episcopos in fide Christiana, rogans ut ipsos malefactores et eorum complices et fautores qui, tranquillitati et paci ecclesiæ sanctæ et Wales laid regni sui invidentes, deprædationes, homicidia, interdict. incendia, et multa enormia perpetrarunt, propter quæ in canonem latæ sententiæ ipso facto dinoscuntur incidisse, ab universis et singulis subditis suis per universas dioeceses publice et solemniter denunciari facerent excommunicatos: credidit enim, et adjecit, quod eorum rebellio et malitia mediante juvamine gladii spiritualis, qui in hujusmodi casu juvare dinoscitur, per brachium seculare facilius reprimerentur.

Note 1. David married Elizabeth Ferrers (age 42) sometime after 1265. 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England; she and King Edward I were fourth cousins once-removed.

Note 2. The King's letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, desiring a sentence of excommunication against the Welsh rebels, is dated at Devizes on the 28th of March, 1282. Rot. Wall. 1 Edward I m. 10, d. in Turr. Lond.; Rymer, Fœdera, 1.603.

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On 4th December 1282 [her son] John Marshal (age 25) died.

On 22nd June 1283 [her husband] Dafydd ap Gruffudd Aberffraw Prince of Wales (age 44) and Owain ap Dafydd Aberffraw (age 8) were captured at Bera Mawr, Bangor. Dafydd, seriously wounded in the struggle, was brought to King Edward's (age 44) camp at Rhuddlan [Map] that same night. Dafydd was taken from there to Chester, Cheshire [Map] and then on to Shrewsbury, Shropshire [Map]. Dafydd and Dafydd's wife Elizabeth de Ferrers (age 43), their daughter Gwladys, infant niece Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn (age 1), and Dafydd's six illegitimate daughters were also taken prisoner at the same time.

Execution of David Prince of Wales

On 3rd October 1283 [her husband] Dafydd ap Gruffudd Aberffraw Prince of Wales (age 45) was hanged, drawn and quartered at Shrewsbury, Shropshire [Map]. The first prominent person known to have suffered being hanged, drawn and quartered. Dafydd was dragged through the streets of Shrewsbury, Shropshire [Map] attached to a horse's tail, then hanged alive, revived, then disembowelled and his entrails burned before him for "his sacrilege in committing his crimes in the week of Christ's passion", and then his body cut into four-quarters "for plotting the king's death". Geoffrey of Shrewsbury was paid 20 shillings for carrying out the act.