John (Plantagenet) of Eltham (1316-1336)
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Profile last modified 16 May 2024 | Created 10 May 2011

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John (Plantagenet) of Eltham is a member of the House of Plantagenet.

Contents

1 Biography

1.1 Life

1.2 Note: Conjecture with death

1.3 Burial

1.4 Sources

Biography

This profile represents the person known as John of Eltham, second son to king Edward II of England and his queen Isabella of France. He should not be confused with John of Gaunt.

Life

John was born, 15 August 1316, at Eltham Palace, Kent, near Greenwich. He appears in the work by Doyle[1]

He was made Warden of the City of London, 15 October 1326 and then Warden of the Tower of London, when only 10. He was created, 6 October 1328, Earl of Cornwall; a title often associated with the royal family.

He was named "Guardian of the Realm", by his brother, Edward III, when he was out of the country. He was asked to open Parliament in Edward's absence.

He was one of the Commanders of the English army at Halidon Hill in 1333. He is regarded with some brutality in Scottish history and is known to have burnt down Lesmahagow Priory and killed those, seeking sanctuary, inside. Fordun didn't treat him well in history supporting the fact that he broke sanctuary.

He was Warden of the Northern Marches in 1335 and Commander of the English Army in Scotland in 1336. He is noticed, in the Scottish record, as being in command of several thousand men in Ayrshire, Carrick and the region of the Clyde (now Glasgow) in about June and July, possibly August, 1336.

He is said to have died of fever at Perth (likely Scone), Scotland, in 1336, although see note below.

Although a number of marriages were proposed none eventuated and he died without marrying and with no known children.

His arms are provided: "Les armes d'angleterre a un bordure des armes le Roy de ffrance"[2] (en) Arms of England and, in a bordure, the arms of King of France.

Note: Conjecture with death

In his study of the Peerage, Cokayne[3] developed a rumour of the day, on no authority, that John was murdered by his brother, the king, Edward III.

While the source of the original rumour and why Cokyne chose to support, without evidence, are unknown it has become a popular myth amongst genealogists. We can explore the myth and draw our own conclusions based on factual evidence available.

Much of the record of the day is incomplete. However, John, was known to have been in Ayr in June and early July and possibly near Glasgow in late July early August. This can be found in requisitions in the parliamentary record. However he wasn't with the force when they went to Aberdeen later in August and September. He is said to have died on 14 September.

It is not entirely clear where Edward III was at the time. He had been at Halidon Hill in 1333 and Michael Brown in his work "The Wars of Scotland, 1214-1371" suggest that Edward was at Perth, in 1336, where he "Fortifies Perth and ravages the north-east". In reality he was at Perth and he sent John to the south-west (Ayr and Carrick) and he sent a force to Aberdeen. He was at Scone. He does not appear, and neither does John, at the dealings between Edward Balliol and John Macdonald of the Isles (John of Islay) in August and September 1336.

By late '36 the French had worked to seize Aquitaine and had begun raiding the English southern coast. Edward had, in John, a trusted partner and well regarded commander, certainly more than capable of managing the northern front and who had command, according to some sources, Fordun primarily, of 5/6,000 men. John was Warden of the Northern Marches and Commander of the Army in Scotland, a position he had just (May 1336), been given. John was hated by the Scots but that wouldn't have mattered to Edward. Edward already had his son, Edward, The Black Prince, although he was still a boy. Edward III had, in Edward Balliol, an incompetent partner and one, even with an uncertain alliance with John Macdonald, that was hated in Scotland and with little support. Edward knew he was heading for a war against France and, it seems unlikely that he would have John, a capable and trusted commander in the north, murdered.

The fact that there was a delay returning his, John, body to England suggests that Edward was not there (in Scotland). The notice, in Eltham's work[4], also provides a clue. It was apparently "several months" before he was buried. Although Eltham attributes this to "campaign" this seems unlikely as the "campaign" of the day amounted to patrolling in force. Sources suggest he died in Perth, which suggests Scone Palace, the Royal Palace just outside of the town. It might be he died of wounds received during action during the Carrick campaign in June 1336 but this is not noticed. He seems to have died shortly after Edward III left.

It is certainly possible he died from illness, possibly the plague that had already arrived and would in a couple of years create havoc in Scotland, or died of illness associated with an earlier wound, say Halidon Hill, thus the "fever" noticed.

It seems plausible that Edward Balliol had him murdered but the retribution would have been fierce.

The work "An Historical Description of Westminster Abbey: Its Monuments and Curiosities" printed in London in 1827 for the Abbey is worth noting as they provide "His funeral was so magnificent and costly"; likely representative of an honourable funeral; yes it might also suggest remorse from Edward but this seems unlikely.

What is most probable is that John took ill, either from the plague or wound related, not long after Edward left Scotland. The body was not moved for "several monts" and there would have been reluctance to bring the body south, if he had the plague, but they would never have burnt it. Thus messages were sent and guidance sought from Edward who was likely in southern England or Aquitaine. This delay amounted to "several months".

Thus this profile represents that John died of an illness. If there is evidence to the contrary and source material to back it up please post a comment on the profile.

Burial

(Royal Tombs of Medieval England) After his death, his funeral was delayed several months, most likely due to the campaign, and appears to have taken place the following January. According to John of Reading, the prince was buried at Westminster in the chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr, now known as the chapel of St. Edmund, reinterred seven years later in a bay of the Confessor's Chapel and later reburied in the chapel of St. Thomas on the orders of his mother, Queen Isabelle. The reburial, if not the date, appears to be confirmed by a royal warrant from his brother Edward III dated 24 August 1339 instructing the prince's body to be moved to a 'more suitable place among the royals.' John's tomb today stands against the north-east screen of the chapel of St. Thomas, and features an alabaster effigy and Purbeck marble tomb-chest with alabaster cladding.

Sources

↑ The official baronage of England, showing the succession, dignities, and offices of every peer from 1066 to 1885, with sixteen hundred illustrations; Doyle, James Edmund; London, 1886, Vol 1, page 439.

↑ Ashmole Manuscript. 15 (A)

↑ The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom : extant, extinct, or dormant; Cokayne; George Edward; London, 1910; Vol 3, page 434

↑ Royal Tombs; Eltham; Part 2, page 124

"Royal Ancestry" 2013 by Douglas Richardson Vol. I. p. 78

The official baronage of England, showing the succession, dignities, and offices of every peer from 1066 to 1885, with sixteen hundred illustrations; Doyle, James Edmund; London, 1886, Vol 1, page 439.