Lady Elizabeth de Montfort (died 1354) was born in Beaudesert Castle

Beaudesert Castle

Beaudesert Castle was in the village of Beaudesert to the east of Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire . It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.A motte and bailey castle was built following the Norman conquest possibly on the site of an ancient British fort. A stone castle was built, probably in the 13th...

, Warwickshire, England, which was owned by her father, Peter de Montfort II. She married William de Montacute, 2nd Baron Montacute (or Montagu).

Her marriage was arranged by Eleanor of Castile

Eleanor of Castile

Eleanor of Castile was the first queen consort of Edward I of England. She was also Countess of Ponthieu in her own right from 1279 until her death in 1290, succeeding her mother and ruling together with her husband.-Birth:...

, the first wife of King 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...

. This seems surprising, considering that Elizabeth’s grandfather, Peter de Montfort

Peter de Montfort

Sir Peter de Montfort was an English parliamentarian.In 1257 he was High Sheriff of Staffordshire and Shropshire....

, had kidnapped the young Prince Edward during the Barons' Revolt of 1258–1265. Peter de Montfort (regarded by some as the first Speaker of the House of Commons

Speaker of the British House of Commons

The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...

) then died fighting against Prince Edward 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...

 in 1265. Edward was eager to make peace with the aristocracy

Aristocracy

Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...

 after the battle, and things were fairly well patched up within a few years. His wife’s role in arranging the marriage was part of an elaborate system of arranged marriages designed to reinforce the power of the king and his aristocracy.

Both Elizabeth and William came from wealthy families, and they donated some of their money to various causes. Lady Elizabeth was a major benefactor of Saint Frideswide's Church, now called Christ Church

Christ Church, Oxford

Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...

, which is the cathedral of Oxford University. Her tomb now lies between the Latin Chapel, whose construction she funded, and the Dean’s Chapel, where she was originally buried under its magnificent painted ceiling (now faded by time).

She also donated a large piece of land to St. Frideswide in exchange for a chantry

Chantry

Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...

. This meant that two chantry priests would say daily mass

Mass (liturgy)

"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...

 in black robes bearing the Montacute and Montfort coats of arms. This continued until the Reformation

English Reformation

The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....

. This piece of land, just south of the church is now called Christ Church Meadow. Later, the path through this was named Christ Church Walk and is now a very popular attraction in Oxford.