Eleanor DE SEGRAVE

   FamilySearch ID: LY76-VYQ
Find A Grave ID: 176619765

  General Notes:

Eleanor de Segrave was born circa 1270 in Leicestershire, the daughter of Nicholas de Segrave, 1st Lord Segrave, and his wife, Matilda (or Maud) de Lucy. Her father, a prominent nobleman, was summoned to Parliament starting in June 1295, formally establishing the Barony of Segrave. Around 1287, Eleanor married Sir Alan la Zouche, 1st Lord Zouche of Ashby (born 1267, the son of Roger la Zouche and Ela de Longespée), who would go on to be Constable of Rockingham Castle. As her marriage portion, or maritagium, Eleanor brought a valuable property into the union, likely the manor of Great Dalby in Leicestershire. The couple had three known daughters: Ellen (who later married Sir Nicholas de Seymour and Sir Alan de Cherleton), Maud (who married Sir Robert, 1st Lord Holland), and Elizabeth (who became a nun at Brewood Priory). Both Eleanor and her husband died in 1314. While the exact cause and date of her death are unknown, the year coincided with the abrupt onset of the crisis that soon led to the catastrophic Great Famine of 1315\endash 1317. This crisis was triggered by extreme wet and "bizarre" weather beginning in the late summer and autumn of 1314. Torrents of rain ruined the staple crop harvest and caused grain to mold, leading to widespread scarcity and eventual famine; Eleanor's demise, occurring at the very beginning of this immense period of mortality and upheaval across England, may have been connected to the escalating societal distress.

Great Famine of 1315 - 1317
The year of her and her husband's deaths, 1314, directly coincided with the onset of the crisis that soon led to the catastrophic Great Famine of 1315\endash 1317, an event that caused immense mortality and upheaval across England and Northern Europe. While the worst starvation and death rates occurred in 1315\endash 1317, the crisis began with an abrupt shift in weather in the autumn and winter of 1314. The year saw an abrupt change with extreme wet and "bizarre" weather beginning in the late summer and autumn. Torrents of rain in late 1314 made it difficult to harvest the staple crops (primarily wheat), and much of the grain that was brought in was too wet to store properly and soon went moldy. By the winter of 1314\endash 1315, people realized that the limited stores they had would have to be eaten, leaving very little grain to be set aside for planting the seed crop in the spring. It is unknown exactly when she died in 1314 or from what ailment, but this may have been a catalyst for her demise.

  Noted events in her life were:

1. She has conflicting death information of Rockingham Castle?, 1314 and Ashby de la Zouch, North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire, England.
Rockingham Castle, Ashby, Leicestershire, England.

Eleanor married Alan DE LA ZOUCHE, son of Roger DE LA ZOUCHE and Ela Eleanor LONGESPÉE, about 1287.⁹⁵⁰ (Alan DE LA ZOUCHE was born on 9 October 1267 in North Molton, , Devonshire, England, died in March 1314 in , , , England and was buried in 1314 in Brackley, South Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire, England.)