John le Strange, 1st Baron Strange of Knockyn

John le Strange, 1st Baron Strange of Knockyn (c.1253-1309), Lord of Knockyn was an English noble. He fought in the wars in Wales, Gascony and Scotland. He was a signatory of the Baron's Letter to Pope Boniface VIII in 1301.

Biography John was the eldest son of John le Strange and Joan de Somery,Cokayne, p.273. and a grandson of Marcher Lord John Lestrange and Roger de Somery II, Baron of Dudley Castle.

His great-grandfather was the Earl William d'Aubigny of Arundel Castle, grandson of Queen Adeliza of Louvain, a direct descendant of Charlemagne through Herbert II, Count of Vermandois.Hilton, Lisa. Queens Consort: England's Medieval Queens from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Elizabeth of York. New York: Pegasus Books, 2010. p. 61, Line of Ida of ChinyBradbury, Jim (2007). The Capetians: Kings of France, 987–1328. Hambledon Continuum, p. 36

Through his great-grandmother Mabel of Chester, wife of William and daughter of Hugh of Cyfeiliog, 5th Earl of Chester, he was also a descendant of Henry I of England and William the Conqueror.Tout, T. F.; Keefe, Thomas K. (23 September 2004). "Hugh [Hugh of Cyfeiliog], fifth earl of Chester (1147–1181)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Le Strange fought in the Edwardian conquest of Wales, the Gascon War, and the Wars of Scottish Independence, along his uncle, Commander Roger le Strange, Baron Strange.Nicholas, p.233.

He was involved in the siege of Caerlaverock Castle along with Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, and the Siege of Stirling Castle in 1304 against Sir William Oliphant.Le Strange records; a chronicle of the early LeStranges of Norfolk and the March of Wales A.D. 1100-1310, London, New York, Longmans, Green, 1916, p. 210-211-215-243

He was a signatory of the Baron's Letter to Pope Boniface VIII in 1301. He is recorded having debts toward Italian bankers, Acius Jacobin of Florence and Pelegrin de Kyatrino of Lucca, as well to Nutus of Florence, King Edward I's merchant.Le Strange records; a chronicle of the early LeStranges of Norfolk and the March of Wales A.D. 1100-1310, London, New York, Longmans, Green, 1916, p. 190-191The Calendars of the Patent and Pipe Rolls, Request to the Mayor and bailiffs of Whytsaund to permit Nutus de Florencia, 1276

During the reign of Edward II of England, Le Strange is recorded having a manor in Warwickshire, held for knight's service to Guy de Beauchamp, 10th Earl of Warwick, a manor in Cambridge for the same reason to Robert Orford, Bishop of Ely, and other manors in Gloucester, Oxford and Salop.J E E S Sharp, A E Stamp, 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Edward II, File 16', in Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem: Volume 5, Edward II (London, 1908), British History Online , accessed 13 August 2025.

Marriages and issue John married firstly to Alianora, daughter of Ebulo de Montibus, governor of Windsor Castle.Geoffrey H. White, editor, STRANGE or LESTRANGE (of Knokyn), The Complete Peerage, volume 12, part 1. Skelmersdale to Towton (1953) Her brother was the governor of both Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle.Michael Ray . 2017. A Vaudois servant of Henry III, Ebal II de Mont (Ebulo de Montibus). By his second wife Joan de Bohun, John had the following issue: John le Strange Hamo le Strange Eubulo le Strange (died 1335), married Alice de Lacy, Countess of Lincoln, widow of Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, of the royal House of Lancaster, and was without issue. He married thirdly Maud, daughter of John de Walton, they had the following issue: John la Strange of Walton d' Eiville Elizabeth le Strange, who married Lord Gruffydd ap Madog of Rhythallt; they were the parents of the Welsh prince Gruffudd Fychan II.LeStrange records; a chronicle of the early LeStranges of Norfolk and the March of Wales A.D. 1100-1310, London, New York, 1916, p. 254 Their grandsons were the last Welsh prince of Wales, Owen Glendower, and his brother Lord Tudor Glendower.

Citations

References Cokayne, George Edward. (1896) "Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom". G. Bell & Son Vol. VII/1. Nicolas, Nicholas Harris, ed. (1828). The Siege of Caerlaverock in the XXVIII Edward I. A.D. MCCC; with the Arms of the Earls, Barons, and Knights, who were present on the occasion; with a Translation, a History of the Castle, and Memoirs of the Personages Commemorated by the Poet. London: J. B. Nichols and Son.