Q. Was she ought weddid to ony wight? A. Yea-Sir-Q. To whom? Yf I shuld not lye To Gilbert of Clare, the Erle by right
Of Gloucestir-Q. Whos Son was he?-A.Sotheley An other Gilbertis-Q. This Ginealogye
I desyre to knowe, wherefore telle me Who was his fadir, if it plese the !
A. This Gilbertis fadir was that noble knight Sir Richard of Clare: to sey all and sum Which for Freris love that Giles hight, And his book clepid, "De Regemine principum ;" Made furst Frere Augustines to Inglonde cum, Therein to duelle, and for that dede,
In heven God graunte hym joye to mede
Q. But letirally who was telle me,
This Richardis wiff whom thou preisest so? A. The Countis of Heriford and Mauld hight she, Which whan deth the knotte had undoo Of temporal spousaile, betwixt hem twoo. With divers parcels encresid our fundatioun, Liche as our monumentys make declaratioun.
Q. Of the furst Gilbert who was the Wyff? A. Dame Mauld, a Ladye ful honourable Borne of the Ulsters as she with ryff Hir Armes of glas in the Est gable, And for to God thei wolde ben acceptable
Hir Lord and she with an holy entent, Made up our Chirche fro the fundament- Now to Dame Johan turne we ageyn Latter Gilbertis Wyff, as to forne seyd is Which lyeth here-Q. Was she baryn? A. Nay Sir-Sey me what fruite was this? A brawnshe of right grete joye I wis-
Q. Man or Woman?-A. A Lady bright; Q. What was hir Name-A. Elizabeth she hight. Q. Who was hir husband-A. Sir John of Burgh, Eire of the Ulstris; so conjoyned be Ulstris Armes & Gloucestris thrurgh & thrurgh, As shewith our Wyndowes in housis there, Dortour, chapiter hous, and Fraitour, which she Made oute of the ground, both plauncher andwal- Q. And who the rofe?-A. The alone did al- Q. Had she ony Issue-A. Yea Sir sikerly- Q. What?-a doughter-Q. What name had she? A. Liche hir Modir Elisabeth sothely- Q. Who evir the husbonde of hir might be, A. King Edwards Son the third was he, Sir Lionel, which buried is hir by, As for such a Prince too sympilly- Q. Left he onye fruite this Prince mightie ? A. Yea Sir, a doughtour and Philip she hight, Whom Sir Edmond Mortimer weddid truly, First Erle of the Marche, a manly knight, Whos Son Sir Roger by title of right,
Right thus did cese of the Marchis blode The heire male-Q. Whider passid the right Of the Marchis Londis? and in whome it stode I wold fayne lerne, if that I might. A. Sir Roger myddil Erle that noble knight
Tweyn doughtris lefte of his blode roial; That ones issue deide, that otheris hath al. Q. What hight that Lady whose issue had grase This Lordeschip to atteyne-A. Dame Ann I wys To the Erle of Cambridgge and she Wyff was- Which both be dede, God graunte them blys- But hir Son Richard which yet livith, ys Duke of Yorke by discent of his fadir, And hath Marchis londis by right of his modir- 2. Is he sole or married this Prynce mighty? A. Sole: God forbede it were grete pite- Q. Who hath he wedded?-A. A gracious Lady. Q. What is hir name I the prey telle me? A. Dame Cicile Sir-Q. Whos doughter was she? A. Of the Erle of Westmorelonde I trowe the yengest, And yet grase her fortuned to be the hyest 2. Is ther ony fruite betwix hem twoo ? A. Yea, Sir, thonks be God ful glorious- 2. Male or female?-A. Yea Sir bothe twoo- Q. The nombir of this progeny gracious
And the names to know I am desyrous, The ordere eke of byrth telle yf thou kan, And I will evir be even thyn owen man?
A. Sir aftir the tyme of long bareynes God first sent Anne which signyfyeth grase In token that all her hertis hevynes, He, as for bareynes wold from hem chase. Harry, Edward and Edmond ech in his plase Succedid, and aftir tweyn doughtris cam Elisabeth and Margarete, and afterwards William.
John aftir William nexte borne was Which he passid to goddis Grase. George was nexte, and aftir Thomas Borne was; which sone aftir did pase By the path of deth; to the hevenly plase- Richard liveth yit, but the last of all Was Ursula to hym whom God liste calle. To the Duke of Excestre Anne married is In hir tendre youthe: but my Lord Herry God chosen hath to enherite heven blis, And lefte Edward to succede temporally Now Erle of MarcheandEdmond of Rutlondsothely Conute, bith fortunabil to right hygh mariage. The othir foure stond yit in their pupillage.
Long mote he liven to goddess pleasuance, This hygh and myghty Prynce in prosperitie
The above is an exact copy from the original roll in English, most of which is written in the old English letter. There is a Latin roll of the same annexed to it, which, on account of the length, cannot be inserted.
In this Priory church, which is now used as a barn, lies buried Joan of Acres. She was the second daughter of king Edward I. by queen Eleanor, and born in the first year of her father's reign at Ptolomias, a city in the Holy Land, commonly called Acres, where her mother remained during the wars that Edward I. had with the Saracens. At the age of eighteen she married, and outliving her first husband mentioned in the roll, married again to Ralph de Monte-hermer, who had been her former husband's servant. She died at her manor of Clare, on the 10th of May, A. D. 1305. Here likewise was interred the body of Edward Monte-hermer, the eldest son of Ralph Monte-hermer and Joan of Acres. Having
obtained the king's favour, he had the title of earl of Gloucester and Hertford bestowed upon him.
Lionell, or Leonell, duke of Clarence and earl of Ulster in Ireland, was also buried in the chancel of this Priory church, together with his first wife Elizabeth, who was daughter and heiress of William de Burgh, earl of Ulster, as it appears from the roll before mentioned. Elizabeth died A. D. 1963. Lionell was the third son of Edward III.
"In all the World was then no Prince hym lihe Of hie stature and of all semelinesse Above All men within his hole kyngrihe By the Shulders, he might be seen doutlesse; As a Mayde in halle of gentillnesse, And in All places sonne to Retorike, And in the field a Lyon marmoreke."
Not long after the death of his first wife Elizabeth, he married Violenta, the sister of John Galeas, duke of Milan, with whom he received a large marriage portion. The manner in which this marriage was celebrated deserves particular notice.-Attended by a great company of English nobility, he went over to Milan, where the wedding was celebrated in such a sumptuous way as has perhaps never been
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