Maurice "The Resolute" de Berkeley Lord of Berkeley

  General Notes:

~Weis Ancestral Roots . . . 26:28, married to Isabel, the daughter of Richard Fitz Roy and his wife Rohese de Douvres (Dover). Isabel is the granddaughter of King John, of England. ¹⁶⁰

~ Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, pp 232-233 ⁷³⁷

  Noted events in his life were:

• Dates & Events. ¹⁴¹
Maurice de Berkeley, Lord of Berkeley, son and heir of Thomas de Berkeley, and son of Joan de Somery. He also is called Maurice the Resolute. He had livery of his father's estate on 14 Dec 1243. He became Sir Maurice de Berkeley when he was knighted sometime before 1242. Sir Maurice had been in the King's service in the wars with France and in North Wales.

Maurice was among the Barons who opposed King Henry II in 1264. He was present at the award of Kenilworth in 1267, at the Council of Marlborough, 52 Henry III and at the various assemblies from 1254 until 1279.

Maurice married Isabel, the daughter of Richard Fitz Roy, the illegitimate son of King John, by Rohese, daughter and heir of Robert de Dover. Isabel died 7 Jul 1276 or 1277. and was buried at St. Augustine's. Maurice died 4 Apr 1281 at the age of 63. He too was buried with his with at St. Augustine's. His Post Mortem Inquisition took place on 5 Apr 1281.

~Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, (Berkeley), Vol.II, p. 127

• Background Information. ⁸⁹⁹
Maurice, son of Thomas de Berkeley, is considered to be a great agriculturist, and he laid out and beautified the gardens around Berkeley Castle. He also build a deer-park, and diverted a nearby small river in order to make fish ponds. He is reported to have discovered the fertilizing properties of marl, and used it as manure.

Murice had accompanied his father, Thomas de Berkely, in the wars in France, and was with Prince Edwards expedition against the Welsh for numerous years. He was given a grant of 40 marks yearly pension out of the Exchequer until the King could better provide for him. When he married Isabel, he obtained a charter for free warren in his lordship of Wendon in Essex, with the right to hold a weekly market and yearly fair there. Maurice sided with the Barons and lost his estates until pardoned by Henry III, the King, having a respect to "his beloved niece," in respect to Maurices wife.

~The Great Governing Families of England, pp. 219-220

Maurice married Isabel Fitz Roy, daughter of Richard Fitz Roy and Rohese of Dover, before 12 Jul 1247 in Berkeley Castle, Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England.¹⁴¹ (Isabel Fitz Roy died on 7 Jul 1276 in Castle Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England ¹⁴¹ and was buried in 1276 in St. Augustine's, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England ¹⁴¹.)