Elizabeth de Clare, the youngest daughter Gilbert, 9th Earl of Clare,
was born in 1294. Elizabeth
married John de Burgh, son of the Earl of Ulster, when she was 14
but he died five years later. While Elizabeth was waiting for her
inheritance, the marcher lord, Theobald Verdun kidnapped her and took
her to his castle at Alton where he married her against her will.
However, Theobald Verdun died six months after the wedding.
Edward
II decided to keep Elizabeth in custody at Bristol Castle. The
following year, she was granted her share of the Clare inheritance
when she agreed to marry Roger Damory, another one of the king's supporters.
In
1322 Roger Damory changed sides and fought for the Earl of Lancaster
at Boroughbridge. Damory was captured during the battle and was later
executed for treason. Elizabeth had remained loyal to Edward and she
was allowed to keep her estates. The king now decided it would be
better if Elizabeth remained a widow.
Elizabeth was one of the
richest women in England. However, unlike a lot of rich people, Elizabeth
believed it was important to help the poor. Her accounts show that
in one five-month period she gave help to over 5,000 different people.
Of these, 800 received a daily allowance from Elizabeth.
Elizabeth de Clare disagreed
with the view that serfs should not go to school. She arranged for
a large number of people who lived in her villages to be educated.
She also paid for those boys who showed talent to be educated at Oxford
and Cambridge universities.
In 1336 Elizabeth supplied
the money for the foundation of Clare College, Cambridge. This provided
an education for twenty scholars. As well as donating a considerable
amount of money she also became involved in deciding what the students
should study. Students at Clare College attended lectures on law,
medicine, religion and the arts.
Elizabeth de Clare died
in 1360.
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