A Royal Vagabond

Extract

In the royal palace within the Tower of London, Queen Philippa of Hainault, the wife of King Edward III, gave birth to a daughter in March, 1342, and called her Blanche. But soon joy was turned to sorrow, for within the month the baby died, and was buried with pomp in Westminster Abbey, where her effigy in alabaster lies near that of her brother Prince William of Windsor in St. Edmund’s Chapel.

The following year the queen was consoled by the birth of another girl-child and the expenses of “Queen Philippa’s uprising at the Tower’’ are mentioned on 26th April, 1343 (Issue Roll 17 Edward III). This daughter was also named Blanche, in memory of the little one she had lost. Now the only other mention to be found of this “Lady Blanche” is in the Wardrobe account of 19th. Edward III at the date November 13th, 1345; after that she disappears from English history and appears in the history of the Dominican Order under the name of Blessed Euphemia of England.

How much of her story is historical fact and how much is legend it would be difficult to say. We give the account as it has come down to us.

“The living mirror of virtue, grace and beauty,” so her biographer tells us, “the Princess was early enamoured of heavenly things.” She sought advice on prayer and the spiritual life from “certain religious at the court of her father.”

At this time her father’s confessor was Fr. John Woodrowe, O.P., who was engaged during these years with the preparations for the inundation of Dartford Priory, the charter for which had been signed by King Edward in the year 1346.