This Day in History: 1340-03-06

On 6th March 1340, John of Gaunt, later to have his northern ‘powerhouse’ at Pontefract Castle, was born in Ghent, Flanders (now Belgium), the third surviving son of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. Baptised at his birthplace, the Abbey of Saint Bavon, Gaunt was taken to England (Woodstock Palace, Oxfordshire) in November of that year along with his brother, Lionel, for fear of a French invasion of Flanders. Attended to by eleven servants, he even had his own cradle-rocker.