Maud de Ufford, Countess of Oxford
Encyclopedia
Maud de Ufford, Countess of Oxford (1345/1346 – 25 January 1413) was a wealthy English noblewoman and the wife of Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford
. Her only child was Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, the favourite
of King Richard II of England
. In 1404 in Essex
, she took part in a conspiracy against King Henry IV of England
and was sent to the Tower of London
; however, she was eventually pardoned through the efforts of Queen consort Joanna of Navarre.
She resided in the picturesque village of Great Bentley
in Essex
.
sometime in about 1345 or 1346. Her parents were Sir Ralph de Ufford, Justiciar of Ireland and Maud of Lancaster, widow of William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster
. Maud was their only child and heiress, although she had a uterine half-sister, Elizabeth de Burgh
, who was the suo jure
Countess of Ulster.
On 9 April 1346, Maud's father died in Kilmainham. Sir Ralph had been an incompetent Justiciar, and was thoroughly disliked by the Irish. Maud, who was a baby, and her mother fled to England. Sometime between 8 August 1347 and 25 April 1348, Maud's mother became a canoness at the Augustine Abbey of Campsey in Suffolk
.
and Maud de Badlesmere
. He would succeed to the title of 10th Earl in 1360; henceforth, Maud was styled as the Countess of Oxford. The marriage produced one son:
Maud's husband died in September 1371. Maud was left very well provided for in terms of dower and jointure; from 1371, she held nearly half the de Vere ancestral estates and she received an annual income of £662. Her principal residence was Great Bentley
in Essex. She was described as a profligate landowner, and later engaged in litigations with her brother-in-law, Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford
over de Vere property.
In 1387, when her son Robert repudiated his first wife, Philippa for Agnes de Launcekrona, a Czech lady-in-waiting of Queen consort Anne of Bohemia
, Maud took Philippa's side against her son. She admitted to holding Philippa "more dear than as if she had been her own daughter", and did not hesitate to curse Robert for his actions. Philippa was afterwards taken into Maud's household. Despite her anger at her son's treatment of his wife, Maud nevertheless visited him in Brabant
following his forced exile by the Lords Appellant
and Parliament
in 1388, where she brought him gifts. She received a pardon on 10 May 1391 for having crossed the sea without licence to Brabant to confer with her son Robert de Vere, late earl of Oxford, and for relieving him with certain gifts. Maud remained in high favour with King Richard after her son's exile, having received on 16 November 1389 a grant of the farm of all the lands "lately her husband's" for twenty years. This was cancelled upon her son's death in 1392, when his uncle Aubrey succeeded as Earl of Oxford.
s of Beeleigh, Colchester, and St. Osyth to depose King Henry IV by way of a French invasion, and replace him with King Richard who was allegedly still alive. It was also alleged that she had caused the white harts of Richard II's livery to be fashioned. She was arrested and sent to the Tower of London in May 1404; however, due to the intervention of Queen consort Joanna of Navarre, she was eventually pardoned by King Henry on 16 November 1404.
Maud died on 25 January 1413 at her residence in Great Bentley, Essex
and was buried at Bruisyard Abbey in Suffolk instead of the monastery of Earl's Colne of which she had been the patron, and where her husband and son were buried.
Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford
Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford 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...
. Her only child was Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, the favourite
Favourite
A favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...
of King Richard II of England
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
. In 1404 in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, she took part in a conspiracy against King Henry IV of England
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
and was sent to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
; however, she was eventually pardoned through the efforts of Queen consort Joanna of Navarre.
She resided in the picturesque village of Great Bentley
Great Bentley
Great Bentley is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of North East Essex, England, located midway between the towns of Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea. It is home to the largest village green in the country, at a size of and has won 'Village of the Year' several times...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
Family
Maud was born in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
sometime in about 1345 or 1346. Her parents were Sir Ralph de Ufford, Justiciar of Ireland and Maud of Lancaster, widow of William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster
William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster
William de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster and 4th Baron of Connaught , was a noble in the Peerage of Ireland.-Background:...
. Maud was their only child and heiress, although she had a uterine half-sister, Elizabeth de Burgh
Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster
Elizabeth de Burgh, Duchess of Clarence, suo jure 4th Countess of Ulster and 5th Baroness of Connaught was a Norman-Irish noblewoman who married Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence.- Family :...
, who was the suo jure
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
Countess of Ulster.
On 9 April 1346, Maud's father died in Kilmainham. Sir Ralph had been an incompetent Justiciar, and was thoroughly disliked by the Irish. Maud, who was a baby, and her mother fled to England. Sometime between 8 August 1347 and 25 April 1348, Maud's mother became a canoness at the Augustine Abbey of Campsey in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
Marriage
Sometime before 10 June 1350, when she was still a child, she married Thomas de Vere, son and heir of John de Vere, 7th Earl of OxfordJohn de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford
John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford 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...
and Maud de Badlesmere
Maud de Badlesmere
Maud de Badlesmere, Countess of Oxford 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.At the age of 11 she was imprisoned in the...
. He would succeed to the title of 10th Earl in 1360; henceforth, Maud was styled as the Countess of Oxford. The marriage produced one son:
- Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, Marquess of Dublin, Duke of Ireland (16 January 1362- 1392), married firstly, Philippa de CoucyPhilippa de CoucyPhilippa de Coucy, Countess of Oxford, Duchess of Ireland was a first cousin of King Richard II of England and the wife of his favourite, Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, Marquess of Dublin, Duke of Ireland....
, and secondly Agnes de LauncekronaAgnes de LauncekronaAgnes de Launcekrona, was the Czech Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen consort Anne of Bohemia who became the second wife of Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, a favourite of King Richard II of England.- Origins :Nothing is known about the origins of Agnes...
.
Maud's husband died in September 1371. Maud was left very well provided for in terms of dower and jointure; from 1371, she held nearly half the de Vere ancestral estates and she received an annual income of £662. Her principal residence was Great Bentley
Great Bentley
Great Bentley is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of North East Essex, England, located midway between the towns of Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea. It is home to the largest village green in the country, at a size of and has won 'Village of the Year' several times...
in Essex. She was described as a profligate landowner, and later engaged in litigations with her brother-in-law, Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford
Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford
Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford was the second son of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford and Maud de Badlesmere, daughter of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Lord Badlesmere....
over de Vere property.
In 1387, when her son Robert repudiated his first wife, Philippa for Agnes de Launcekrona, a Czech lady-in-waiting of Queen consort Anne of Bohemia
Anne of Bohemia
Anne of Bohemia was Queen of England as the first wife of King Richard II. A member of the House of Luxembourg, she was the eldest daughter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, and Elizabeth of Pomerania....
, Maud took Philippa's side against her son. She admitted to holding Philippa "more dear than as if she had been her own daughter", and did not hesitate to curse Robert for his actions. Philippa was afterwards taken into Maud's household. Despite her anger at her son's treatment of his wife, Maud nevertheless visited him in Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
following his forced exile by the Lords Appellant
Lords Appellant
The Lords Appellant were a group of nobles in the reign of King Richard II who sought to impeach some five of the King's favourites in order to restrain what was seen as tyrannical and capricious rule. The word appellant simply means '[one who is] appealing [in a legal sense]'...
and Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
in 1388, where she brought him gifts. She received a pardon on 10 May 1391 for having crossed the sea without licence to Brabant to confer with her son Robert de Vere, late earl of Oxford, and for relieving him with certain gifts. Maud remained in high favour with King Richard after her son's exile, having received on 16 November 1389 a grant of the farm of all the lands "lately her husband's" for twenty years. This was cancelled upon her son's death in 1392, when his uncle Aubrey succeeded as Earl of Oxford.
Conspiracy
In 1404, Maud involved herself in a conspiracy along with the abbotAbbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
s of Beeleigh, Colchester, and St. Osyth to depose King Henry IV by way of a French invasion, and replace him with King Richard who was allegedly still alive. It was also alleged that she had caused the white harts of Richard II's livery to be fashioned. She was arrested and sent to the Tower of London in May 1404; however, due to the intervention of Queen consort Joanna of Navarre, she was eventually pardoned by King Henry on 16 November 1404.
Maud died on 25 January 1413 at her residence in Great Bentley, Essex
Great Bentley
Great Bentley is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of North East Essex, England, located midway between the towns of Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea. It is home to the largest village green in the country, at a size of and has won 'Village of the Year' several times...
and was buried at Bruisyard Abbey in Suffolk instead of the monastery of Earl's Colne of which she had been the patron, and where her husband and son were buried.
Further reading
- Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands, England, Earls
- Linda Clark, Authority and Subversion, Google Books, retrieved on 5 November 2009