Philipa de Beauchamp ★

1340s–1350s

Born before 1344, daughter of Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick, and Katherine Mortimer. Married Hugh de Stafford, later 2nd Earl of Stafford, on or before 1 March 1350; they had at least seven children.

1380s

Died on 6 April 1386 and was buried at Stone Priory, Staffordshire.

Family Background

Philippa de Beauchamp was born before 1344, daughter of Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick, and Katherine Mortimer, granddaughter of the powerful Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March.

Marriage

On or before March 1, 1350, Philippa married Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford, son of Ralph de Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford, and Margaret de Audley, elevating her to Countess of Stafford.

Children

Philippa and Hugh had at least seven children: Margaret, who married Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland; Ralph, killed on a Scottish expedition in 1385; Thomas, who became 3rd Earl but died in 1392 without issue; William, who became 4th Earl and died at nineteen in 1395; Katherine, who married Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk; Edmund, who became 5th Earl and fathered Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham; and Joan, who married Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey.

Death

Philippa died April 6, 1386, and was buried at Stone Priory in Staffordshire. Her death, coming soon after the loss of their eldest son, probably drove her husband Hugh to undertake a pilgrimage toward Jerusalem, during which he too died later that year at Rhodes.