t verum testatur amorem
His simul ecclesiae sanctae suffragia prosint
Ut simul in requie caelesti cum Domino sint."

Gilbert de Clare bequeathed to the Abbey the manor called Mythe, on
the hill just outside the town, and Isabelle also left to it many
relics, besides vestments, and much valuable church furniture.

On the death of Gilbert de Clare, his son Richard became a ward of the
King. Marrying Margaret de Burgh, a daughter of the great Earl of
Kent, without permission, he incurred the royal displeasure, and was
eventually forced to divorce his young wife in favour of the lady
chosen for him. He supported the barons against the King, with whom he
had never been in agreement. In 1262 he died, and was buried in the
Abbey. One of his wife's sisters married Robert Bruce, competitor for
the Scottish Crown and grandfather of King Robert Bruce.

His son Gilbert the second, Rufus or Rubens, _i.e._ Red, is another
well-known figure. Like his father, he at first supported the barons,
but soon after the battle of Lewes he took the King's side, and fought
for him at Evesham. Again from pique he deserted him, returning to his
allegiance once more in 1270. He was buried in the Abbey in 1295.

Gilbert de Clare the third, who was born at Tewkesbury in 1291, was
perhaps the most famous of the De Clares. Whilst he was still in early
manhood, he was twice chosen by Edward II. to serve as Regent of
England in his absence, once even before he had attained full age. His
promising career was cut short at Bannockburn in 1314, and the last of
the De Clares was buried in the Choir in 1314, his widow being placed
later by his side.

The lordship of Tewkesbury then passed from the De Clares, who had
held it for ninety years, to Eleanor, Gilbert's eldest sister. By her
marriage in 1321 to Hugh le Despenser, the lordship came into the
hands of the Despensers. This Hugh the younger, or Hugo Secundus as
the Register calls him, was too faithful a supporter of Edward II.,
and he paid for his fidelity with his life in 1326, having been
hanged, drawn, and quartered in Hereford about three weeks after his
aged father had suffered a similar fate at Bristol. His remains were
collected and buried in the tomb at the back of the sedilia, where
Abbot John's tomb was placed at a later date.

The next lord of Tewkesbury was Hugh, the son of Hugh the younger and
Eleanor de Clare. His tomb is to be seen on the north side of the high
altar, with his