Margaret de Braose
Encyclopedia
Margaret de Braose, Lady of Trim (1177 – after 1255), was an Anglo-Welsh noblewoman, the daughter of Marcher Lord William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber
and the legendary Maud de St. Valéry
, who was left to starve to death by orders of King John of England
. Margaret founded a religious house, the Hospital of St. John in her mother Maud's memory. Margaret was the wife of Walter de Lacy
, Lord of Trim Castle
in County Meath
, Ireland, and Ludlow Castle
in Shropshire
.
Her paternal grandparents were William de Braose, 3rd Lord Bramber and Bertha of Hereford
, and her maternal grandparents were Bernard de St. Valery and Matilda.
, Ireland
, and Ludlow Castle in Shropshire
. He also owned many estates and manors in Herefordshire
including Ewyas Lacy. He was later appointed Sheriff
of Hereford. It was an advantageous marriage as Walter and her father both held castles and lordships in the Welsh Marches
as well as Ireland, and thus the two men looked after each other's interests in both places.
Together Walter and Margaret had at least six children who included:
coast while attempting to sail to Scotland
. They were dispatched to England where they were both left to starve to death inside the dungeon of Corfe Castle
, Dorset
on the orders of King John. Walter de Lacy's estates were forfeited to the Crown as punishment for having harboured traitors inside his castle.
By 1215, Walter and Margaret were back in the King's favour, and Walter's confiscated estates were restored to him. As a further token of John's favour, Walter was appointed Castellan and Sheriff of Hereford the following year, and Margaret obtained permission to found a religious house in memory of her mother. On 10 October 1216, eight days before his death, King John conceded three carucates of land in the royal forest of Aconbury, Herefordshire
to Margaret for the construction of the Hospital of St. John. King John sent the instructions to her husband Walter by letters patent. Margaret's subsequent attempts to free her foundation from the control of the Hospitallers led her into a lengthy dispute which ultimately involved the Pope.
Margaret died on an unknown date sometime after 1255. She was buried at Priory Church in Holme Lacy
, Herefordshire. Her husband had died in 1241, leaving his vast holdings and lordships to their granddaughters by their son Gilbert, Margery de Lacy, and Maud de Lacy, Baroness Geneville
.
William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber
William de Braose, , 4th Lord of Bramber , court favourite of King John of England, at the peak of his power, was also Lord of Gower, Abergavenny, Brecknock, Builth, Radnor, Kington, Limerick, Glamorgan, Skenfrith, Briouze in Normandy, Grosmont, and White Castle.-Lineage:William was the most...
and the legendary Maud de St. Valéry
Maud de Braose
Maud de Braose, Lady of Bramber was the wife of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, a powerful Marcher baron and court favourite of King John of England...
, who was left to starve to death by orders of King John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
. Margaret founded a religious house, the Hospital of St. John in her mother Maud's memory. Margaret was the wife of Walter de Lacy
Walter de Lacy
Walter de Lacy was Lord of Meath in Ireland and Ludlow in Shropshire in the Welsh Marches.- Life :With his father Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath he built Trim Castle , Trim, County Meath....
, Lord of Trim Castle
Trim Castle
Trim Castle , Trim, County Meath, Ireland, on the shores of the Boyne has an area of 30,000 m². It is the remains of Ireland's largest Anglo-Norman castle...
in County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland, and Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Castle is a large, partly ruined, non-inhabited castle which dominates the town of Ludlow in Shropshire, England. It stands on a high point overlooking the River Teme...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
.
Family
Margaret was born in 1177, the second eldest daughter of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, a powerful Marcher Lord, and Maud de St. Valéry. She was reputed to have had about fifteen siblings, although only eight have been recorded.Her paternal grandparents were William de Braose, 3rd Lord Bramber and Bertha of Hereford
Bertha of Hereford
Bertha of Hereford, also known as Bertha de Pitres , was the daughter of Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford, and a wealthy heiress. She was the wife of William de Braose, 3rd Lord of Bramber to whom she brought many castles and Lordships, including Brecknock, Abergavenny, and...
, and her maternal grandparents were Bernard de St. Valery and Matilda.
Marriage and issue
In November 1200, Margaret married Walter de Lacy, Lord of Trim Castle in County MeathCounty Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and Ludlow Castle in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. He also owned many estates and manors in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
including Ewyas Lacy. He was later appointed Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Hereford. It was an advantageous marriage as Walter and her father both held castles and lordships in the Welsh Marches
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
as well as Ireland, and thus the two men looked after each other's interests in both places.
Together Walter and Margaret had at least six children who included:
- Gilbert de Lacy (1202 – 25 December 1230), married as her first husband Isabel BigodIsabel BigodIsabel Bigod, Lady of Shere was an English noblewoman, the only daughter of Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk. She was the wife of Gilbert de Lacy, of Ewyas Lacy, and John FitzGeoffrey, Lord of Shere.- Family :...
, by whom he had issue. - Pernel de Lacy (1201 – after 25 November 1288), married firstly William St. Omer, and secondly Ralph VI de Toeni by whom she had issue.
- Egidia de LacyEgidia de LacyEgidia de Lacy, Lady of Connacht , was a Hiberno-Norman noblewoman, the wife of Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Baron of Connaught and Strathearn , and the mother of his seven children, including Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster. She was also known as Gille de Lacy...
(born c. 1205), married Richard Mor de BurghRichard Mor de BurghRichard Mór de Burgh, 1st Lord of Connaught , Justiciar of Ireland.-Background:De Burgh was the eldest son of William de Burgh and a daughter of Domnall Mór Ua Briain, King of Thomond. His principal estate was in the barony of Loughrea where he built a castle in 1236 and a town was founded. He also...
, by whom she had issue.
Hospital of St. John
In 1208, Margaret's parents lost favour with their patron, King John of England, who seized all of the de Braose castles in the Welsh Marches. In order to escape from John's vindictive wrath, Margaret's mother, Maud and her eldest brother William fled to Ireland where they found refuge with Margaret and her family at Trim Castle. In 1210, however, King John sent an expedition to Ireland. Maud and William escaped from Trim but were apprehended on the AntrimCounty Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
coast while attempting to sail to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. They were dispatched to England where they were both left to starve to death inside the dungeon of Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is the site of a ruined castle of the same name. The village and castle stand over a gap in the Purbeck Hills on the route between Wareham and Swanage. The village lies in the gap below the castle, and is some eight...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
on the orders of King John. Walter de Lacy's estates were forfeited to the Crown as punishment for having harboured traitors inside his castle.
By 1215, Walter and Margaret were back in the King's favour, and Walter's confiscated estates were restored to him. As a further token of John's favour, Walter was appointed Castellan and Sheriff of Hereford the following year, and Margaret obtained permission to found a religious house in memory of her mother. On 10 October 1216, eight days before his death, King John conceded three carucates of land in the royal forest of Aconbury, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
to Margaret for the construction of the Hospital of St. John. King John sent the instructions to her husband Walter by letters patent. Margaret's subsequent attempts to free her foundation from the control of the Hospitallers led her into a lengthy dispute which ultimately involved the Pope.
Margaret died on an unknown date sometime after 1255. She was buried at Priory Church in Holme Lacy
Holme Lacy
-Etymology:Holme Lacy is not from Old Norse holmr "island" like other places of the name Holme, but from the fairly similar Old English hamm "land in a river-bend". The name was recorded as Hamme in the Domesday Book in 1086...
, Herefordshire. Her husband had died in 1241, leaving his vast holdings and lordships to their granddaughters by their son Gilbert, Margery de Lacy, and Maud de Lacy, Baroness Geneville
Maud de Lacy, Baroness Geneville
Maud de Lacy, Baroness Geneville was a Norman-Irish noblewoman and wealthy heiress who upon the death of her grandfather, Walter de Lacy, Lord of Trim and Ludlow inherited half his estates...
.