General Notes

BIOGRAPHY: EARLDOM OF KENDAL

BIOGRAPHY: III. 1. 1. JEAN DE FOIX, VICOMTE DE CASTILLON and Lord of Grilly, son of Gaston de Foix, COMTE DE BENAUGES, 1462. Captal de Buch, by Marguerite daughter of Arnald Amanjeu, Sire of Albret,
adhered to the English side in Gascony, as his father and other ancestors had done. He was nominated K.G. 17 May 1446, and about the same time was created EARL OF KENDAL. No record of the creation seems to have been preserved, and he was never summoned to Parliament. On 22 August 1446 the King gave him the castle, &c., of Mauleon de Soule and the bailiwick of La Bort, and the next day granted to his "dear and faithful cousin Jean de Foix, Earl of Kendal," &c., an annuity of 250 marks from the London customs until he should have rents from the earldom of Kendal or elsewhere in England to the same amount. On 3 March 1446/7 the Earl of Kendal received a further large grant of castles and lordships in Guienne, which had belonged to Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. In August 1447 Lord Dudley and another were sent to appease the discords which had broken out among the magnates of Gascony-viz., the Count of Longueville, the Earl of Kendaf, the Lord of Daras and the city of Bordeaux. In 1451 Guienne was lost to the English, and on 29 July the King confirmed to Gaston de Foix, Count of Longueville, and Jean his son, Earl of Kendal, all the lands they had had in the duchies of Normandy and Aquitaine before the intrusion of the King's enemies. In the following year Guienne was recovered for a time, but at the battle of Castillon, 17 July 1453, the Earl of Shrewsbury and many of his captains were killed and his force entirely routed. Jean de Foix., with about 500 others, then took refuge in the city of Castillon, but within three or four days they were compelled to surrender, and Jean was taken prisoner. Jean's father now sold the lordship of Grilly in order to pay his son's ransom. Jean, however, was kept in prison for nearly 7 years, and then released by Charles VII only on promise of paying a very heavy ransom, and committing his son to the care of his kinsman Gaston, Count of Foix, who was to keep him till he should be of age to decide whether he would be French or English. On his release Jean went to England, and on 12 April 1460 had protection while in the King's service with Henry, Duke of Exeter, Admiral. On 7 December following he had licence to export wool, free of duty, in order to pay his
ransom. Soon afterwards Henry VI was deposed, and Jean de Foix, who was much attached to him, made his peace with the new French King Louis XI. He was well received by Louis XI, who on 17 May 1462 not only agreed to pay the rest of the ransom and the prison charges, but to restore various lands and to give others, and make a suitable recompense if his own or his wife's lands or rents in England were forfeited. He also offered to provide a retinue of 100 lances and a pension. Jean did homage and took an oath of fealty to the King against all except the King of England. He surrendered the Garter in 1462. After the death of his father jean became COMTE DF BENAUGES, Captal de Buch, and VICOMTE DE MEILLE. He married Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Kerdeston, by Elizabeth, daughter of Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk. He died shortly after 5 December 1485 (date of his will), and was buried in the church of Castelnau by Médoc. His wife survived him.

BIOGRAPHY: Jean de Foix presumably surrendered his English Earldom when he became a subject of the French King. He left two sons, (1) Gaston, who styled himself Comte de Candale (Kendal), and was father of Gaston, fatber of Frederick, father of Henry, who died sp.m., February 1572/3, leaving a daughter and heir Margaret, styled Comtesse de Candale, who married in 1587 Jean Louis de Nogaret de la Valette, Due D'Epernon, and had issue; (2) jean, Vicomte de Meille, Comte de Curson et de Fleix, ancestor of the Dues de Randan, who styled themselves afterwards Comtes de Candale. Henri François Foix de Candall, Duc de Randan, the last of his name, died in 1714. [CP 7:108-10]