Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester

Hugh de Kevelioc

The coat of arms of Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester
Born 1147
Kevelioc, Monmouth
Died 30 June 1181
Ethnicity Norman French
Title Earl of Chester
Term 1153–1181
Predecessor Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester
Successor Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester
Spouse Bertrade de Montfort of Evreux
Children Ranulf
Maud of Chester
Mabel of Chester
Agnes of Chester
Hawise of Chester

Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester (1147 – 30 June 1181) was the son of Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester and Maud of Gloucester, daughter of Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester (otherwise known as Robert de Caen, the illegitimate son of Henry I of England, making her Henry's granddaughter).

Contents

Early life

He is thought to have been born Kevelioc in Monmouth. But he may have taken the name of, the cwmwd of Cyfeiliog (in modern Powys) in the southern part of the Kingdom of Powys, Wales.

He was underage when his father's death in 1153 made him heir to his family's estates on both sides of the channel. He joined the baronial Revolt of 1173–1174 against King Henry II of England, and was influential in convincing the Bretons to revolt. After being captured and imprisoned after the Battle of Alnwick, he finally got his estates restored in 1177, and served in King Henry's Irish campaigns.

Marriage

In 1169 he married Bertrade de Montfort of Evreux, daughter of Simon III de Montfort. She was the cousin of King Henry, who gave her away in marriage. Their children were[1]:

  1. Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester
  2. Matilda (Maud) of Chester (1171–1233), married David of Scotland, 8th Earl of Huntingdon
  3. Mabel of Chester, married William d'Aubigny, 3rd Earl of Arundel
  4. Agnes of Chester (died 2 November 1247), married William de Ferrers, 4th Earl of Derby
  5. Hawise of Chester (1180–1242), married Robert II de Quincy

Hugh also had another daughter, Amice of Chester, who married Ralph de Mainwaring. There is no record of Amice's mother or whether she was Hugh's wife or mistress. The issue of Amice's legitimacy has been subject to a longstanding dispute. [2]

One letter from the Pope suggests that Llywelyn Fawr may have been married to an unnamed sister of Earl Ranulph of Chester in about 1192, but there appears to be no confirmation of this.[3] If this was the case it could have been either Mabel or Hawise, or perhaps Amice, and the marriage would have had to have been annulled before any subsequent marriages.

Death and succession

Hugh of Kevelioc died 30 June 1181 at Leek, Staffordshire, England. He was succeeded by his son, Ranulf.

Preceded by
Ranulf de Gernon		 Earl of Chester
1153 - 1181		 Succeeded by
Ranulf de Blondeville

References

  1. ^ The Annales Londonienses record that Ranulphus comes Cestriæ had four sisters primogenita...Matilda...secunda...Mabillia...tertia...Agnes...quarta...Hawisia.
    Charles Cawley, England, earls created 1067-1122
  2. ^ Tracts written in the controversy respecting the legitimacy of Amicia, daughter of Hugh Cyveliok, Earl of Chester, A.D. 1673-1679 (Volume 78) - Leycester, Peter, Sir, 1614-1678
  3. ^ Lloyd, John. E. A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest. Longmans, Green & Co. (1911) pp. 616-7