John Deydras
John Deydras (died 1318), also known as John of Powderham, was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of Edward II. He was executed by hanging and his body was burnt. Background By 1318, Edward II of England was increasingly unpopular in England as a result of his style of government and his defeats while fighting Robert the Bruce of Scotland. Opposition was growing to his rule, when a young clerk in Oxford, John Deydras, also known as John of Powderham, issued claims that he was in fact the rightful heir to the throne. Deydras' claims and execution Deydras arrived at Beaumont Palace in Oxford in early 1318, and claimed it for his own. He was, he said, really the King of England, and observers noted that he closely resembled Edward, being tall and good-looking. Unlike the king, Deydras, however, was missing an ear. Deydras explained that as a baby, the royal servant charged to look after him had allowed him to be attacked by a sow while he was playing in the castle courtyard, which had bitten off his ear. Knowing that she would have been severely punished by the King, she had replaced him with a