She was the youngest daughter of Hugh le Despenser the younger and his wife Eleanor de Clare.
[1] Her father is famous for being the favourite of Edward II of England; he was executed as a result of his position and actions.
The exact date of her birth is disputed; it is possible that she (or her brother John) was born in December 1325.
Not much else is known about her youth until August 1338, when she was sent to the care of her maternal aunt Elizabeth de Clare after her mother Eleanor's death the previous year.
[2] In August 1338, she married Maurice de Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley, who was ironically a grandson of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, the man largely responsible for the execution of Elizabeth's father Hugh.