Biography of John Beaufort 1st Marquess Somerset and Dorset 1373-1410

Parliament Rolls Richard II Jan 1397: Legitimation of Beaufort. 04 Feb 1397. 28. Be it remembered that on Tuesday, the fifteenth day of the parliament [4 February 1397], the chancellor (age 53), by order of the king (age 30), declared that our holy father the pope, in reverence of the most excellent person of the king and his honourable uncle the [his father] duke of Guyenne and of Lancaster (age 56), and of his blood, has enabled and legitimized my lord John Beaufort (age 24), his brothers [Note. [his illegitimate brother] Cardinal Henry Beaufort (age 22) and [his illegitimate brother] Thomas Beaufort 1st Duke Exeter (age 20)], and his [his illegitimate sister] sister (age 18). And therefore our lord the king, as sole ruler of his kingdom of England, for the honour of his blood, willed and enabled of his abundant royal power, and legitimized, of his own authority, the said John, his said brothers, and sister. And he also pronounced and published the ability and legitimation, according to the form of the charter of the king made thereon.

29. Which charter was read in full parliament, and delivered to the said duke, father of the said John, and his said brothers and sister; the tenor of which charter follows:

Richard, by the grace of God, king of England and France and lord of Ireland, to our most beloved kinsmen the noble John, knight, Henry, cleric, Thomas, donzel, and our beloved noblewoman Joan Beaufort, lady-in-waiting, our most beloved cousins born of our uncle that noble man John duke of Lancaster, our lieges, greeting and the goodwill of our royal majesty. While inwardly considering how endlessly and with how many honours of parental and sincere affection of our aforementioned uncle and of his mature counsel we are on all sides blessed, we have judged it appropriate and worthy that in consideration of his merits, and in contemplation of the grace of persons, we should endow you, who are resplendent with probity and virtuous life and conduct, and are born of royal stock and divinely marked with many virtues and gifts, with the protection of grace and favour by special prerogative. Thus it is that, yielding to the prayers of our said uncle, your father, we grant to you who, so it is claimed, have suffered such defect of birth, that, notwithstanding this defect, which, together with its various consequences, we wish to be fully included in these presents, you may nevertheless receive all honours, dignities, preferments, estates, degrees, and public and private offices, both perpetual and temporal, and feudal and noble rights, by whatsoever name they are called, such as duchies, lordships, earldoms, baronies, or whatsoever other fiefs they be, whether they be dependent upon or held of us mediately or intermediately, which may be preferred, promoted, elected, taken up and allowed, and received, retained, performed and exercised prudently, freely and lawfully, as if you were born in wedlock, notwithstanding any statutes or customs of our kingdom of England decreed or observed to the contrary; and we dispense you [from this defect] by the tenor of these presents, by the plenitude of our royal power and with the assent of our parliament; and we restore you and each of you to legitimacy.

Excerpta Historica Page 152. The patent of legitimation of King Richard was exemplified and confirmed by [his half-brother] Henry the Fourth (age 39), on the 10th February 1407, at the request of the Earl of Somerset (age 34), whom his Majesty styles in the instrument "our dear brother."¹

Note 1. Sandford's Genealogical History, p. 323.

Thomas Walsingham Chronicon Angliæ 1397. [10 Feb 1397]. In the same Parliament, it was decreed that henceforth the Justices should not have assessors. Additionally, Thomas Beaufort (age 24) [A mistake for John], son of the Duke of Lancaster and the said Katherine (for the Duke thus chose to give the children of Katherine his own surname), whom he had fathered with her, was created Earl of Somerset.

In eodem Parliamento fuit ordinatum ut Justiciarii de cagtero non habeant assessores. Item Thomas Beuford, filius Ducis Lankastriæ et dictas Katerinæ, (nam sic censuit Dux cognominari filios ejusdem Katerinæ, quos sibi genuerat,) creatus est Comes de Somersete.

Parliament Rolls Richard II Jan 1397: Of the appointment of the earl of Somerset. 32. The king (age 30) to his archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, dukes, earls, barons, justices, sheriffs, reeves, ministers, and other his bailiffs and faithful men, greeting. Know that we, considering the strenuous probity and prudent mind, distinguished conduct and nobility of birth of our beloved and faithful kinsman John Beaufort (age 24), knight, son of our beloved uncle [his father] John duke of Aquitaine and Lancaster (age 56), and willing therefore deservedly to exalt the same John Beaufort with the prerogative of honour, we do appoint and create John Beaufort earl of Somerset in our present parliament, and invest him with the style and name and honour of the aforesaid earl by girding him with the sword, to have to him and his male heirs issuing from his body in perpetuity. And that the same earl and his aforesaid heirs, given such name and honour, may the better and more honourably support the burdens incumbent upon the same, of our special grace in our present parliament we have given and granted, and by this our charter confirmed, to the same earl and his aforesaid heirs twenty pounds to be received each year from the issues of the aforesaid county by the hand of the sheriff of that county for the time being, at the terms of Easter and Michaelmas [29 September] in equal portions, in perpetuity. Witnessed by these, the venerable father Thomas archbishop of Canterbury (age 44) primate of all England, John of Aquitaine and Lancaster, and [his uncle] Edmund of York (age 55), dukes; Robert of London, William of Winchester (age 77), John of Ely, Edmund of Exeter, our chancellor (age 53), bishops; [his half-brother] Henry of Derby (age 29), Edward of Rutland (age 24), Thomas of Nottingham and marshal of England (age 28), earls; Reginald Grey (age 35), Ralph Neville (age 33), John Lovell, knights; Roger Walden dean of York, our treasurer, Thomas Percy (age 54), steward of our household, Guy Mone, keeper of our privy seal, and others. Given by our hand at Westminster on 10 February in the twentieth year of our reign [10 Feb 1397].

Parliament Rolls Richard II Jan 1397: Legitimation of Beaufort. 30. Also, on the Saturday [10 February 1397], the chancellor (age 53) announced by the king's (age 30) command that reason willed that one should honour and enhance the estate of worthy and virtuous persons. Wherefore the king considering the nobility and virtue of his cousin Sir John Beaufort (age 24), son of his [his father] uncle of Guyenne and Lancaster (age 56), and the great honour he had done his person on various expeditions and labours in many kingdoms and lands overseas, to the great honour of the king and kingdom; and also to encourage him and others to do such honour; and also to strengthen the royal sceptre which could best be supported in honour by worthy and valiant persons had, of his royal dignity and special grace, made and created the said John an earl, and given him the name and honour of the Earl of Somerset, to have to him and his male heirs lawfully engendered of his body, with twenty pounds a year to be taken from the issues and profits of the county of Somerset for his title and the name of earl.

Note. On 10 Feb 1397 John Beaufort 1st Marquess Somerset and Dorset was created 1st Earl Somerset

On 03 Feb 1399 [his father] John of Gaunt 1st Duke Lancaster (age 58) died at Leicester Castle [Map]. [his mother] Katherine Roet Duchess Lancaster (age 48) was by his side. He was buried in the Choir of St Paul's Cathedral [Map] with his first wife Blanche Duchess of Lancaster. His son [his half-brother] King Henry IV of England (age 31) succeeded 2nd Duke Lancaster, 7th Earl of Leicester.

King Richard II of England (age 32) witheld the future Henry IV's inheritance from him giving Henry reason to return to England to claim his lands and titles.

Chronicle of Gregory 1403-1419. 1409. Ande that year was the grette playe at Skynners Welle in London. Ande that year there were grete justys in Smethefylde by twyne the Erle of Somersett (age 36) and the Synyschalle of Henowde [Hainault], and Syr John Corwayle and Syr Rycharde of Arundelle, and the son of Syr John Chenye, and othyr Fraynysche men dede the dedys of armys there.