Ancient funerall monuments within the vnited monarchie of Great Britaine, Ireland, and the islands adiacent with the dissolued monasteries therein contained: their founders, and what eminent persons haue beene in the same interred. As also the death and buriall of certaine of the bloud royall; the nobilitie and gentrie of these kingdomes entombed in forraine nations. A worke reuiuing the dead memory of the royall progenie, the nobilitie, gentrie, and communaltie, of these his Maiesties dominions. Intermixed and illustrated with variety of historicall obseruations, annotations, and briefe notes, extracted out of approued authors ... Whereunto is prefixed a discourse of funerall monuments ... Composed by the studie and trauels of Iohn Weeuer.

Kings Langley.

So named of the Kings house thereunto adioyning, wherein Edmund Plantaginet,* 1.1 the fifth sonne of King Edward the third, was borne; and thereupon surnamed Edmund of Langley. Hereby was a religious House for preaching Friers, founded by Roger the sonne of Robert Helle, an Eng∣lish Baron,* 1.2 valued to be yeerely worth at the suppression, one hundred and fifty pound fourteene shillings eight pence; in the Church of this monaste¦rie the foresaid Edmund was interred. He was Lord of Tindale, Earle of Cambridge, and Duke of Yorke. He married Isabell, second daughter and one of the heires of Peter, King of Castile and Leon, who died before him in the yeare 1393, and was buried in this Friery; by whom hee had issue Edward Earle of Rutland, Duke of Albamarle and Yorke; Richard Earle of Cambridge, and a daughter, whose name was Constance. He had a se∣cond wife whose name was Ioane, daughter of Thomas Holland, Earle of Kent; who after his death was married to William Lord Willoughby of Eresby, to Henry Lord Scroope, and to Henry Bromflet, Lord Vescy. He is reckoned for one of the Knights of the Garter, and in the absence of his fa∣ther in France, is said to be Protectour of the Realme of England. Hee is much commended for his affabilitie and gentle deportment, as also for his valour; of which will you heare my often alledged Author, Io. Harding.

* 1.3Sir Edmond Langley full of gentylnesse: Sir Thomas Woodstok full of corage.

For his valour in another Chapter thus.

At whiche battaill, duke Iohn of Gaunt indede, And his brother Edmond then faught full sore: Were neuer twoo better knightes then thei indede, That better faught vpon a feld afore. It was but grace that thei escaped thore. Thei putte theimselfes so fer furth ay in prees That wounded wer thei bothe full sore, no lees.

This renowned Duke deceased (saith Stow) in the yeare 1402. the third of Henry the fourth, and was here buried neare to his wife, with two of his brethren, who died young.

* 1.4Here sometime lay entombed the body of Pierce Gaueston (a Gascoigne borne) Lord of the Isle of Man, and Earle of Cornwall. A man in such fauour with Edward the second (hauing before ensnared his youth by the allurements of a corrupt life) that hee had from the said King whatsoeuer could be poured vpon him. For though it might seeme incredible (saith Speed out of the booke of Dunstable) he both gaue him his Iewels and an∣cestors treasure, and euen the Crowne it selfe of his victorious father: not sticking to professe (if it lay in him) hee should succeed him in the king∣dome. But his insolencie, and presumption vpon the kings fauour, made him so farre to forget himselfe, as that he scorned the best of the Nobilitie, as much as they hated him: miscalling and giuing them scoffes, with bitter iests; which left behinde them a sowre remembrance, and the sting of re∣uenge.

Of all which my old timer who flourished about those dayes, thus speaketh more seriously in Prose.* 1.5

Perys went into the kyngys Tresorye in ye Abbey of West∣minstre (saith he) and yer toke away a tabil of gold wyth the tres∣sel, and * 1.6 oyer ryche Iuwels, the whyche wer sumtym king Ar∣thurys: and hem he toke to a merchant yat het Aymery of Fris∣comband, and bar hem ouer the see into Gascoigne, and yay wer neuer brought ayen, yat was gret harme to yet Reme. And this Sure Perys gretly despysyd the Lordys of ye londe, and atte yat tym Sure Perys * 1.7 clupyd Robard of Clare ye Erle of Gloucetre Hore sone and ye Erle of Penbrok, Ioseph ye Iew, and ye Erle of * 1.8 Nycol, Sure Henry de Lacy Brokbely, and * 1.9 Gowy of War∣wike Blak hound of Ardern, and also he clupyd ye nobi•• and gen∣tyl Erle of Lancastre * 1.10 Eherle, and oyer meny despytes he s••yd to ye Lordys of Englonde wherfor yay weryn sore agreuyd. And so much agrieued they were, that they surprised him in the night at a viliage or mannour called Dathington, or Deddington, betweene Oxford and Warwick, from whence Guy Earle of Warwick tooke him to his Castle of Warwicke, where in a place called Blacklow (afterward Gaueshead) his head was stricken off the nineteenth of Iune, 1311. at the commandement and in the presence of the Earles of Lancaster, Warwicke, and Hereford, as of one that had beene a subuerter of the Lawes, and an open Traitour to the kingdome. A violent and vnaduised part of these Lords, to put to death an Earle so dearly loued of the King, without any iudiciall procee∣ding by triall of his Peeres: which caused a lasting hatred betwixt the King and his Nobles, and was the beginning of the second ciuill warre of Eng∣land. Some two yeares after this Tragedie, King Edward caused the bo∣die of his Gaueston to be transferred, with great pompe, from the place of his former buriall (which was among the Friers Preachers at Oxford) to this Friery of his owne foundation (saith Stow.) Where he in person with the Archbishop of Canterbury, foure Bishops, many Abbots, and princi∣pall Churchmen did honour the Exequies, but few were present of the Nobilitie; whose great stomacks would not giue them leaue to attend. This was the end of that fatall great Fauourite Gaueston, who, for that hee was the first Priuado (saith Sam. Danyel in the life of Ed. the second) of this kinde euer noted in our History, and was aboue a King in his life, deserues to haue his character among Princes being dead. Which is thus deliuered.

Natiue he was of Gascoine,* 1.11 by birth a Gentlman; and for the great ser∣vice his father had done to this Crowne, intertained and bred vp by king Edward the first, in companie with his sonne this Prince, which was the meanes that inuested him into that high fauour of his; Hee was of a good∣ly personage, of an haughtie and vndauntable spirit, braue and hardie at Armes, as he shewed himselfe in that Turneament which he held at Wal∣lingford, wherein he challenged the best of the Nobilitie, and is said to haue foiled them all; which inflamed the more their malice towards him. In Ireland where he was Lieutenant, during the short time of his banish∣ment, he made a iourney into the mountaines of Dublin; brake and sub∣dued the Rebels there, built Newcastle in the Kernes country, repayred

castle Keuin, and after passed vp into Munster and Thomond, performing euery where great seruice with much valour and worthinesse: Hee seemes to haue beene a Courtier, which could not fawne nor stoope to those he lo∣ued not, or put on any disguise vpon his Nature to temporize with his ene∣mies. But presuming vpon his fortune (the misfortune of such men) grew in the end to that arrogancie as was intollerable; which the priuacie of a Kings fauour usually begets in their Minions;* 1.12 whose vnderstanding and iudgement being dazed therewith, as is their sight, who stand and looke downe from off high places, neuer discerne the ground from whence they ascended. And this extraordinarie fauour shewed to one, though he were the best of men, when it arises to an excesse, is like the predomination of one humour alone in the body, which endangers the health of the whole, and especially if it light vpon vnworthinesse, or where is no desert; and com∣monly Princes raise men rather for appetite, then merit: for that in the one they shew the freedome of their power, in the other they may seeme but to pay their debt. This old Latine rime was made in those dayes, vpon the death of this Gaueston: by a Monke of S. Maries Yorke.

* 1.13Dum Petrus seuit propriam mortem sibi neuit Nunc patet vt nevit, truncatus ense quieuit.

Besides his honours before remembred, he was Protector or Gardian of the Realme, during the Kings aboad in France, about his marriage with Isabell, the daughter of Philip the faire French King; which indeed was an office but of eighteene dayes continuance, as appeares by the sequele.

* 1.14Petrus de Gaueston comes Cornubie constituitur Custos Anglie quandiu Rex fuerit in partibus transmarinis, &c. Teste R. apud West. 26. Decemb. Ann. 1. Ed. 2.1 pars. pat.

Hic transfretauit Rex ad partes transmarinas, prout patet in rotulis clan∣sarum & sinium, circa 20. Ianuar. et redijt circa 8. Feb. Ann. 1. Ed. 2.

The same yeare he honoured him with the Lieutenancie of Ireland.

* 1.15Rex misit Petrum de Gaueston comitem Cornubie ad partes Hiber••ie, & constituit ipsum Locumtenentem in partibus eiusdem, quamdiu, &c. Teste R. apud Redings, 16. Iunij, Ann. 1. Ed. 2.

To conclude then with a late writer.

.... Great men too well grac'd, much rigor vse, * 1.16Presuming Fauorites mischiefe euer bring: So that concluding I may boldly speake. Minions too great argue a king too weake.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Foundation 〈…〉〈…〉.
• * 1.2

  Edmund Planginet Duke of Yorke, Isabell his wife.
• * 1.3

  Cup 182▪ 18.4
• * 1.4

  Pierce Gaueston Fade of Cornwall.
• * 1.5

  Rob. Glocest.
• * 1.6

  other
• * 1.7

  called.
• * 1.8

  Lincolne.
• * 1.9

  Guy▪
• * 1.10

  earle or chu••le.
• * 1.11

  Pierce Gaueston described.
• * 1.12

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.13

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.14

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. Turr. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.15

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.16

  S. Dan••••ll.