Person Page - 1275

     Maud de Badlesmere, Countess of Oxford (1310- 24 May 1366), was an English noblewoman, and the wife of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford. She, along with her three sisters, was a co-heiress of her only brother Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere who had no male issue.

Maud was born at Castle Badlesmere, Kent, England in 1310, the second eldest daughter of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere and Margaret de Clare. She had three sisters, Margery, Elizabeth, and Margaret; all of whom eventually married and had issue. She had one brother, Giles.

Her paternal grandparents were Guncelin de Badlesmere and Joan FitzBernard. Her maternal grandparents were Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond and Juliana FitzGerald of Offaly.

On 14 April 1322, when she was twelve years of age, Maud's father was hanged for treason by orders of King Edward II, following his rebellion and subsequent capture after the Battle of Boroughbridge. Her mother had been arrested the previous October for refusing Queen Isabella admittance to Leeds Castle where Lord Badlesmere held the post of castellan.[1] Maud's mother, Lady Badlesmere, remained imprisoned in the Tower of London until 3 November 1322.[2] Her brother Giles obtained a reversal of their father's attainder in 1328, and he succeeded to the barony as 2nd Baron Badlesmere. Maud, along with her three sisters, was Giles's co-heiress, as he had married but fathered no sons by his wife, Elizabeth Montagu.

On an unknown date, Maud married her first husband Robert FitzPayn, but the marriage was childless. After his death, she married sometime before March 1335 her second husband, John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford. Upon her marriage, Maud assumed the title Countess of Oxford. John was a captain in King Edward III's army, and as such participated in the Battle of Crécy and the Battle of Poitiers.

The marriage produced seven children.¹

     John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford (c. 12 March 1312 – 24 January 1360) was the nephew and heir of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford. He succeeded as Earl of Oxford in 1331, after his uncle died without issue. John de Vere was a trusted captain of Edward III in the king's wars in Scotland and France, and took part in both the Battle of Crécy and the Battle of Poitiers. He died campaigning in France in 1360. Throughout his career he was closely associated with William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton, who was his brother-in-law.

Hedingham Castle in Essex, John de Vere's main residence.[1]John de Vere was the only son of Alfonso de Vere, and Jane, daughter of Sir Richard Foliot. Alfonso was a younger son of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford, and brother of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford. When the younger Earl Robert's son died without issue in 1329, the earl obtained licence from the king to entail his estates on his nephew, John.[2] It was in this way that John de Vere, when his uncle died 17 April 1331, became Earl of Oxford. He had made homage and received livery by 17 May.[3]

In 1336 he married Maud de Badlesmere, who was the second of the four daughters of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere, of Badlesmere in Kent and Margaret de Clare. Maud was a co-heiress of her brother Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere. When Giles died in 1338, this brought a significant part of the Badlesmere inheritance into de Vere's hands. The marriage also forged a strong bond with William Bohun, Earl of Northampton, who had married Badlesmere's third daughter, Elizabeth de Badlesmere and thus became Oxford's brother-in-law.[1][4] The two campaigned together, sat on the same commissions and died the same year.[1]¹ 7th Earl of Oxford.

     Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford (c. 1240 – 1296) was the son and heir of Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford. Robert was born c. 1240. He was among the followers of Simon de Montfort during the Second Barons' War, and was with Simon's son, Hugh, when Edward I attacked Kenilworth Castle prior to the Battle of Evesham. de Vere's title and property were forfeited, but restored shortly afterwords by the Dictum of Kenilworth. When he died in 1296, he was succeeded by his son Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford.¹

     Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford (c. 24 June 1257 – 17 April 1331) was the son and heir of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford, by his wife Alice de Sanford. Robert the younger took part in several of the military campaigns of Edward I, Edward II and Edward III in Wales, Scotland and France. He was married to Margaret Mortimer, daughter of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore. He also officiated at the Coronation of Queen Isabella, wife of Edward II, in 1308. His only son Thomas died before him, and when Robert died in 1331, he was succeeded by his nephew John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford.¹

     Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford (c. 1336 – September, 1371) was the son and heir of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford. Thomas took part in several of the military campaigns of Edward III. At some point before 1350, he married Maud de Ufford, daughter and heir of Sir Ralph de Ufford and Maud of Lancaster. After Thomas’s death, Maud was indicted for involvement in a plot against King Henry IV, but was later pardoned. When Robert died in 1331, he was succeeded by his son Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford.¹

     Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford (c. 1338 – 15 February 1400) was the second son of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford and Maud de Badlesmere, daughter of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Lord Badlesmere.

In 1360 he was made steward of the royal forest of Havering in Essex. In 1367 was retained to 'abide for life' with the Black Prince, with a substantial allowance. He was knighted, made constable of Wallingford Castle in 1375 and also given the honours of Wallingford and St. Valery, though he gave up Wallingford in 1378 for Hadleigh Castle. Edward III used him as an ambassador in seeking peace with France. In 1381, de Vere became a Chamberlain of the Royal Household and member of the privy council. In 1388 his nephew, Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland and 9th Earl of Oxford was deemed a traitor, causing Aubrey to lose his post of chamberlain. However, after Robert’s death in 1392, the king gave Aubrey the title of Earl of Oxford allowing him to take a seat in parliament. Aubrey’s son, Richard became the 11th Earl of Oxford on his death.¹

     11th Earl of Oxford. Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford (c. 1385 – 15 February 1417) was the son and heir of Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford. His father died in 1400, and Richard succeeded on 21 December 1406. He was married twice, first to the daughter of John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, Alice Holland, who died before 1400. His second wife was the daughter of Sir Richard Sergeaux, Alice Sergeaux, who died in 1406. They had two children:

John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford
Robert de Vere, whose grandson, John, became the 15th Earl of Oxford.¹

     2nd Lord Tiptoft. John Tiptoft (or Tibetot), 2nd Baron Tibetot (July 20, 1313 – April 13, 1367), English nobleman, was the son of Pain Tiptoft, 1st Baron Tibetot and Agnes de Ros.

He brought his retinue to fight in Edward III's Flanders campaign of 1338–1340.[1] He was appointed Keeper of Berwick-upon-Tweed on 16 April 1346 and Chancellor of Berwick on 21 May 1346.

He married Margaret de Badlesmere, daughter of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Lord Badlesmere, and had two children:

Robert Tiptoft, 3rd Baron Tibetot (1341–1372)
John Tiptoft, died without issue
He married a second time to Elizabeth Aspall, daughter of Sir Robert Aspall, and had one child:

Sir Pain Tiptoft (d. c. 1413).¹

     2nd Baron Badlesmere.

     3rd Lord Beaumont.