Ela Longespee
Encyclopedia
Ela Longespee, Lady of Ashby (1244 – c. 19 July 1276) was a wealthy heiress and daughter of Stephen Longespee, Justiciar of Ireland. She was the wife of Sir Roger La Zouche, Lord of Ashby.
, Wiltshire
, the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Stephen Longespee, Justiciar of Ireland, Seneschal of Gascony
, and Emmeline de Ridelsford.Her paternal grandmother was Ela, Countess of Salisbury
, who had founded Lacock Abbey
, and for whom she was named. Ela had a younger sister, Emmeline, who became the second wife of Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly
in 1273.
, she married Sir Roger La Zouche, Lord of Ashby, the son of Sir Alan La Zouche and Helen de Quincy. Their marriage produced one son:
Ela died on about 19 July 1276 at the age of 32. Her younger sister Emmeline, co-heiress to their father and the wife of the 3rd Lord of Offaly, did not bear any children; thus when she died in 1291, her property was inherited by Maud La Zouche, Baroness Holland, the daughter of Ela's only son, Alan.
Family
Ela was born in 1244 at SalisburySalisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Stephen Longespee, Justiciar of Ireland, Seneschal of Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
, and Emmeline de Ridelsford.Her paternal grandmother was Ela, Countess of Salisbury
Ela, Countess of Salisbury
Ela of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury was a wealthy English heiress and the suo jure Countess of Salisbury, having succeeded to the title in 1196 upon the death of her father, William FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of Salisbury...
, who had founded Lacock Abbey
Lacock Abbey
Lacock Abbey in the village of Lacock, Wiltshire, England, was founded in the early 13th century by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, as a nunnery of the Augustinian order.- History :...
, and for whom she was named. Ela had a younger sister, Emmeline, who became the second wife of Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly
Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly
Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly was a Norman-Irish peer, soldier, and Justiciar of Ireland from 1272 to 1273.-Career:...
in 1273.
Marriage and issue
In about 1266 in NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, she married Sir Roger La Zouche, Lord of Ashby, the son of Sir Alan La Zouche and Helen de Quincy. Their marriage produced one son:
- Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of AshbyAlan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of AshbyAlan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of Ashby was born at North Molton, Devonshire, the only son of Roger La Zouche and his wife, Ela Longespee, daughter of Stephen Longespee and Emmeline de Ridelsford. He received seisin of his father's lands after doing homage on October 13, 1289...
(19 October 1267 – 25 March 1314), married Eleanor de Segrave, by whom he had three daughters.
Ela died on about 19 July 1276 at the age of 32. Her younger sister Emmeline, co-heiress to their father and the wife of the 3rd Lord of Offaly, did not bear any children; thus when she died in 1291, her property was inherited by Maud La Zouche, Baroness Holland, the daughter of Ela's only son, Alan.