Margaret de Clare
d. 1333
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About
Margaret de Clare was a daughter of Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond, and she married Bartholomew, Lord Badlesmere. In 1321 she refused Queen Isabella entry to Leeds Castle and had her escort shot at, which brought a royal army to the gates and is generally taken to be one of the sparks of the war that followed. She is said to have become the first woman imprisoned in the Tower of London. Her daughter Maud married the seventh Earl of Oxford, and so this family descends from her.
Research notes
✓ DOCUMENTED (Entered 23 Jul 2026 under the relaxed rule (standard, undisputed peerage/royal account; provenance so noted).): MARGARET DE CLARE (b. ~1287), dau. of Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond; m. Bartholomew, Lord Badlesmere. THE LEEDS CASTLE AFFAIR IS HERS: in Oct 1321, in her husband's absence, she REFUSED QUEEN ISABELLA ADMISSION to Leeds Castle and her archers fired on the royal party - the King besieged the castle and Margaret was sent to the Tower, reputedly the first woman imprisoned there. Mother of Maud, Countess of Oxford (our line). Direct ancestress. Added 23 Jul 2026.