John Giffard baron Giffard of Brimsfield, was an English nobleman prominent in the Second Barons' War

Second Barons' War

The Second Barons' War was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward , in the name of Henry III.-Causes:...

 and in Wales. His initial gift of land in Oxford led to the foundation of Gloucester College, Oxford

Gloucester College, Oxford

Gloucester College, Oxford was a Benedictine institution of the University of Oxford, from the late thirteenth century until the Dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century. It was never a typical college of the University, in that there was an internal division in the College, by staircase...

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Involvement in military actions

With others of Simon de Montfort

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...

's party he in 1263 besieged the sheriff of Gloucester in Gloucester Castle

Gloucester Castle

Gloucester Castle was a castle in the cathedral city of Gloucester in the county of Gloucestershire.- Early Norman Motte & Bailey Castle :It began as a motte castle during the reign of William the Conqueror when 16 houses were demolished to make way for it. It was enlarged by William Rufus who...

. Also in that year he with others abducted Peter of Aigueblanche

Peter of Aigueblanche

Peter of Aigueblanche was a medieval Bishop of Hereford. A nobleman from Savoy, he came to England as part of the party accompanying King Henry III's bride Eleanor of Provence. He entered the royal service, becoming bishop in 1241...

, the Bishop of Hereford

Bishop of Hereford

The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury.The see is in the City of Hereford where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Ethelbert which was founded as a cathedral in 676.The Bishop's residence is...

, confining him to Eardisley Castle

Eardisley Castle

Eardisley Castle was in the village of Eardisley in Herefordshire, England, some 11 km north-east of Hay-on-Wye .This was an 11th century motte and bailey castle with a moat around the bailey filled by a stream...

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In 1264 he controlled Kenilworth Castle

Kenilworth Castle

Kenilworth Castle is located in the town of the same name in Warwickshire, England. Constructed from Norman through to Tudor times, the castle has been described by architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant...

, and successfully attacked Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century,...

, occupied by William Maudit, 8th Earl of Warwick

William Maudit, 8th Earl of Warwick

William Maudit , 8th Earl of Warwick was an English nobleman and participant in the Barons' War....

. Captured at the Battle of Lewes

Battle of Lewes

The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264...

, he changed sides, and fought for Henry III at the Battle of Evesham

Battle of Evesham

The Battle of Evesham was one of the two main battles of 13th century England's Second Barons' War. It marked the defeat of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and the rebellious barons by Prince Edward – later King Edward I – who led the forces of his father, King Henry III...

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He was subsequently a staunch king's man, for Henry and Edward I of England

Edward I of England

Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...

. He fought at the decisive Battle of Orewin Bridge

Battle of Orewin Bridge

The Battle of Orewin Bridge was fought between English and Welsh armies on December 11, 1282 near Builth Wells in mid-Wales...

 (1282). Edward granted him Welsh castles, including Carreg Cennen

Carreg Cennen

Castell Carreg Cennen is a castle near the River Cennen , in the village of Trapp, four miles south of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The castle's location has been described as spectacular, due to its position above a limestone precipice.- Description :Carreg Cennen Castle consists of a...

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Family

He was the son of Elias Giffard IV of Brimpsfield, Gloucestershire and his second wife, Alice, sister of Sir John Mautravers, of Lytchet Matravers, Dorset. He married Maud de Clifford, daughter of Sir Walter de Clifford

Walter III de Clifford

Walter III de Clifford was a Welsh Marcher Lord during the reign of King John of England.Walter II de Clifford was a Welsh Marcher Lord and High Sheriff in England, son of Walter I de Clifford ....

, of Clifford, Hertfordshire and widow of William III Longespée. Their son John (1287–1322) was executed by Edward II

Edward II of England

Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...

 as a rebel, and Brimpsfield Castle

Brimpsfield Castle

Brimpsfield Castle was a castle in the village of Brimpsfield in the county of Gloucestershire, England, between Gloucester and Cirencester.It is likely that the first castle was built after the Norman invasion. Then, in the 12th or 13th century, it was rebuilt in stone. The owner, John Giffard,...

 was destroyed. Their daughter Katherine married Nicholas Audley, 3rd Baron Audley

Nicholas Audley, 3rd Baron Audley

Nicholas Audley, 3rd Baron Audley was born in the Heighley Castle, Staffordshire, England to James Audley, 2nd Baron Audley, his only surviving son ....

. Their daughter Eleanor married Fulk le Strange, 1st Baron Strange. John married secondly, in 1286, Margaret, widow of Sir John de Neville, of Hallingbury, Essex.