William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu
William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, was an English knight created by King Henry V 1st Count of Eu, in Normandy.
Life
William was born 2 March 1375, the son of Sir William Bourchier and Eleanor de Louvain, daughter and heiress of Sir John de Louvain, feudal baron of Little Easton in Essex.Career
William fought at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. In 1417 he was in the retinue of King Henry V during his second expedition to France, and played a significant role in the capture of Normandy. In 1419, William was appointed Captain of Dieppe and was granted powers to receive the submission of the town and Comté of Eu. The French count of Eu had refused to pay homage to King Henry V of England and thus had been held prisoner in England since Agincourt. In June 1419, Henry V awarded six captured French counties to his more significant English supporters, and the County of Eu was granted to William Bourchier, thus making him 1st Count of Eu.Marriage and children
William married Anne of Gloucester, Countess of Stafford, daughter of the Plantagenet prince Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester. The Wrey baronets, who were the heirs of the Bourchier Earls of Bath, quartered the arms of Wrey with the arms of Bourchier and Bohun, and the Royal Arms of England. They had the following children:- Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex
- William Bourchier,, jure uxoris 9th Baron FitzWarin
- John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners,
- Thomas Bourchier,, Archbishop of Canterbury and cardinal
- Eleanor Bourchier,, wife of John de Mowbray, 3rd Duke of Norfolk.