Edmund, 1st Earl of Kent

Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, was the second son of Edward I by his second wife Margaret of France, and was half brother to Edward II. He was born at Woodstock in 1301.

He was created Earl of Kent by Edward II in 1321 and among other offices he was Constable of Dover Castle, Warden of the Cinque Ports, and Keeper of Tonbridge Castle in Kent. He fought in Wales and in the Scottish campaign, and in France was lieutenant of Gascony on behalf of the King.

Believing, erroneously, that Edward II was still alive and held captive (but he had actually been murdered) his plot to release him led to his indictment for treason before Parliament. He was executed in March 1330 outside Winchester castle and was buried in a church there until the following year when his body was moved to Westminster Abbey (by Papal Mandate applied for by his widow and young son Edmund). But the location is not known and there is no gravestone or memorial to him.

His wife was Margaret (died 1349), sister of Lord Wake and widow of John Comyn, and their sons were Edmund 2nd Earl of Kent (died young), and John, 3rd Earl of Kent. Their daughter was Joan, known as "The Fair Maid of Kent", who succeeded John in the title.

Further reading

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004