Dianne Myers

The Bohuns, 1199 – 1275

My thesis is a biographical study of the life of Humphrey de Bohun IV (c.1199-1275), the 2nd earl of Hereford and 7th earl of Essex. Humphrey de Bohun inherited the earldom of Hereford in 1221 after the death of his father and the earldom of Essex in 1236 from his mother. My research shows that Humphrey had a long and varied career. He was a loyal and committed man – to his family, his beliefs and king. A Marcher lord during the reign of Henry III, most of his estates were concentrated in the Welsh marches and in Wilshire, including the castle of Caldicot in Monmouthshire, a share of the honour of Trowbridge, the honour and castle of Pleshey in Essex, and through marriage, various lands in Kent. His life was not without grief. As a result of wounds received at the battle of Evesham in 1265, Humphrey suffered the loss of his son and heir, Humphrey the Younger. Shortly before the Earl’s death in 1275, he gave Pleshey to his son Henry and bestowed the remainder of his estates to his grandson, Humphrey VI.

Dianne has BA and a Master of Letters with Merit in History, both from the Sydney University, Australia.