And now a post about a remarkable woman, without whom Hugh’s
rise to power (and later notoriety) would probably have never
happened. This is a very, very long post (which is why it took
so long to write!), so you might want to grab a cup of coffee
(or something stronger) before you read it. I have divided it
into sub-sections to make it a bit easier to digest. Girlhood
and Marriage Eleanor de Clare came into the world in November
1292 at Caerphilly castle in south Wales. Her father was the
tempestuous Gilbert ‘the Red’ de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and
Hertford and her mother was Joan of Acre, the second eldest
surviving daughter of Edward I. Eleanor already had an elder
brother - another Gilbert - the heir to the Gloucester Earldom,
and she was soon to be joined by her younger sisters Margaret
(who was two years younger), and Elizabeth (three years
younger). In 1295, Eleanor’s father died at the age of 52. A
year later Joan was given Bristol Castle in which to live and
bring up her children. However in early