Beaumont / Newburgh, Lords of Gower

Blazon Shield: Lozengy Or and Azure, a bordure Gules semé of plates.

The Beaumonts were a Norman family who established themselves in England after the Norman Conquest. Robert, son of Roger de Beaumont, fought with William the Conquerer at the Battle of Hastings and went on to become Earl of Leicester. His younger brother, Henry, was created Earl of Warwick in 1088 and was given the Lordship of Gower by King Henry I in about 1107. Henry had previously been given the lordship of Le Neubourg in Normandy by his father, and it is from this that the alternative name of Newburgh comes for this branch of the family.

The Beaumont earls of Warwick continued as lords of Gower until the lands were taken by King John from the twelve year-old 5th earl, Henry, in 1204, and given to William de Breos. This created a long-lasting rivalry between the two families.

Two coats of arms are recorded for this branch of the family. One (which is listed in Burke's General Armory is lozengy with a red border charged with plates (white roundels). The other is chequey with an ermine chevron. This latter coat may have been adopted after the family had lost Gower but continued to be used as a quartering by earls of Warwick until the end of the 15th century.