Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester

Hugh de Audley was a son of a minor West Country baron. He went to the court of Edward II (1307-1327) as a newly created knight in 1311 where he became a leading figure and in 1317, married Margaret de Clare, widow of the former royal favourite, Piers Gaveston. His wife was a wealthy co-heiress to the estates of her brother, the 9th Earl of Gloucester who had died at Bannockburn in 1314.

Audley enjoyed Edward II's royal patronage and favor, but he became involved in rebellion against the Crown and was captured after the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322. He was imprisoned until 1326 and was not executed only because of his wife’s influence. After the Battle of Boroughbridge he lost most of his estates but when Edward II was overthrown in 1326, his lands were restored. For his services to the new king, Edward III (r. 1327-1377) he was created Earl of Gloucester in 1337, a title which he owed to his wife's inheritance.

At the time of his death he was worth £10,000, around £4.4bn in 2010's money.