The eldest daughter of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault was born at the royal palace of Woodstock on June 16th 1332. She was named Isabella after her paternal grandmother, Isabella of France. Isabella was the second of her parents’ many children and a first half-cousin once removed of Joan, the Fair Maid of Kent. […]
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Always wear your silk pyjamas!
On the night of the 22nd July 1338 the king of England, Edward III and his queen, Philippa of Hainault, suffered the indignity of being seen in their night attire by the townspeople of Antwerp. They would not, of course, have been wearing pyjamas as in the fourteenth century both men and women wore long […]
Continue readingThomas Holand’s Lucky Day
On 28th June 1346 Edward III sailed out of Portsmouth amidst great secrecy – or as much secrecy as he could hope to achieve with a fleet of some 750 ships and an army of between 7,000 and 10,000 men. Half of the men were archers. As well as fighting men there were also surgeons, […]
Continue reading5 Weddings and a Funeral
It could be said that Joan’s life was one long scandal from beginning to end. After all this was a woman who managed to have five weddings before the age of 34! But although that in itself was a little unusual it was not particularly scandalous. In an era when a girl might be married […]
Continue readingHusband Number Two
William Montagu (Montacute or Montague or Monteacuto) was the second husband of Joan of Kent. The pair were married around January 1341. He was thirteen, probably a year younger than Joan. William was the son and heir of William Montagu, Earl of Salisbury who was one of the king’s closest friends. Young William’s mother was […]
Continue readingThe Early Years
Joan would have spent the first two and a half years of her life in the care of nursemaids chosen for her by her mother, Margaret. As well as the nursemaids she would have had the company of her brother, Edmund who was probably the older of the two children. The children’s nursery may well […]
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