Maud de Braose, Baroness Wigmore
Encyclopedia
Maud de Braose, Baroness Wigmore (1224 – 1300/23 March 1301) was a noble heiress, and one of the most important, being a member of the powerful de Braose family which held many lordships and domains in the Welsh Marches
. She was the wife of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore, a celebrated soldier and Marcher baron.
A staunch Royalist during the Second Barons' War
, it was she who devised the plan to rescue Prince Edward (the future King Edward I of England
) from the custody of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
.
She is sometimes referred to as Matilda de Braose.
in 1224, the second eldest daughter and co-heiress of Marcher lord William de Braose and Eva Marshal.
Maud had three sisters, Isabella
, wife of Prince Dafydd ap Llywelyn
; Eve, wife of William de Cantelou; and Eleanor
, wife of Humphrey de Bohun.
Her paternal grandparents were Reginald de Braose
and Grecia de Briwere, and her maternal grandparents were William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
and Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke, daughter of Strongbow
and Aoife of Leinster.
On 2 May 1230, when Maud was just six years old, her father was hanged by orders of Llewelyn the Great, Prince of Wales for alleged adultery with the latter's wife, Joan, Lady of Wales
.
recorded that Rog (secundus)...Radulphi et Gwladusae filius wed Matildem de Brewys, filiam domini Willielmi de Brewys domini de Breghnoc. As the eldest son of Ralph de Mortimer
and his Welsh wife, Princess Gwladys Ddu, Roger was himself a scion of another important Marcher family, and had succeeded his father in 1246, upon the latter's death. He was created 1st Baron Wigmore on an unknown date. Maud was seven years his senior, and they had been betrothed since childhood. He was the grandson of Llewelyn, Prince of Wales, the man who had ordered the execution of her father.
Maud's inheritance was one quarter of one third of the barony of Miles of Gloucester and the lordship of Radnor, Wales. On the occasion of their marriage, the honour of Radnor passed from the de Braose to the Mortimer family, and her marriage portion was some land at Tetbury which she inherited from her grandfather, Reginald de Braose. She also had inherited the Manor of Charlton sometime before her marriage, as well as four knight's fees in Ireland, which passed to Roger. Roger and Maud's principal residence was the Mortimers' family seat, Wigmore Castle
in Herefordshire
.
During the Second Barons' War
, she also proved to be a staunch Royalist and was instrumental in rallying the other Marcher lords to the side of King Henry III
. It was Maud herself who devised a plan for the escape of Prince Edward
after he had been taken hostage by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
following the Battle of Lewes
. On 28 May 1265, when the Prince was held in custody at Hereford Castle
, Maud sent a party of horsemen to carry him away to Wigmore Castle while he was out in the open fields, some distance from the castle, taking exercise by racing horses with his unsuspecting guardians as she had instructed him to do in the messages she had smuggled to him previously. At a signal from one of the horsemen, Edward galloped off to join the party of his liberators, where they escorted him to Wigmore Castle, twenty miles away, where Maud was waiting. She supplied the Prince with food and drink before sending him on to Ludlow Castle
where he met up with the Earl of Gloucester who had defected to the side of the King
.
on 4 August 1265, Maud's husband Roger fought on the side of Prince Edward, and personally killed Simon de Montfort. As a reward, Roger was given de Montfort's severed head and other parts of his anatomy, including his genitals. Roger sent these gruesome trophies home to Wigmore Castle as a gift to Maud. The noted medieval historian Robert of Gloucester
confirmed this by recording, To dam Maud the Mortimer that wel foule it ssende. She held a great feast that very night to celebrate the victory, and de Montfort's head was elevated in the Great Hall, still attached to the point of the lance.
in the Stoke Bliss parish church in Herefordshire
, its advowson
having originally belonged to the Mortimers, but was bequeathed to Limebrook Priory by Roger.
Maud died on an unknown date sometime between 1300 and 23 March 1301, and she was buried in Wigmore Abbey
. Her husband Roger had died on 30 October 1282.
All the monarchs of England from 1413, as well as Mary, Queen of Scots, were directly descended from Maud, as is the current British Royal Family
. Queen consorts Anne Boleyn
, Jane Seymour
, Catherine Howard
, and Catherine Parr
were also notable descendants of Maud de Braose through the latter's daughter Isabella, Countess of Arundel. Queen consorts Jane Seymour
and Catherine Parr
also descended from Maud's son, Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer.
Maud de Braose was described by author Linda E. Mitchell as the "perfect example of a woman who obviated the restrictions her sex placed upon her and succeeded in placing herself squarely at the centre of the political milieu in the areas under her domestic control". Mitchell goes on to eulogise her as "one of the great architects of the late medieval March", which were the words used by Welsh historian R. R. Davies to sum up Maud's husband.
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...
. She was the wife of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore, a celebrated soldier and Marcher baron.
A staunch Royalist during the Second Barons' War
Second Barons' War
The Second Barons' War was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward , in the name of Henry III.-Causes:...
, it was she who devised the plan to rescue Prince Edward (the future King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
) from the custody of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
.
She is sometimes referred to as Matilda de Braose.
Family
Maud was born in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 1224, the second eldest daughter and co-heiress of Marcher lord William de Braose and Eva Marshal.
Maud had three sisters, Isabella
Isabella de Braose
Isabella, Princess of Wales and Lady of Snowdon was the eldest daughter of William de Braose, Lord of Abergavenny, and his wife Eva Marshal...
, wife of Prince Dafydd ap Llywelyn
Dafydd ap Llywelyn
Dafydd ap Llywelyn was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. He was for a time recognised as Prince of Wales.- Descent :...
; Eve, wife of William de Cantelou; and Eleanor
Eleanor de Braose
Eleanor de Braose was a Cambro-Norman noblewoman and a wealthy co-heiress of her father, who was the powerful Marcher lord William de Braose, and of her mother, Eva Marshal, a co-heiress of the Earls of Pembroke...
, wife of Humphrey de Bohun.
Her paternal grandparents were Reginald de Braose
Reginald de Braose
Reginald de Braose was one of the sons of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber and Matilda, also known as Maud de St. Valery and Lady de la Haie. Her other children included William and Giles....
and Grecia de Briwere, and her maternal grandparents were William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , also called William the Marshal , was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He was described as the "greatest knight that ever lived" by Stephen Langton...
and Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke, daughter of Strongbow
Strongbow
The term Strongbow may refer to:*Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, a Norman earl also known by the nickname "Strongbow"*Strongbow Cider*Beleg Cúthalion , a character in JRR Tolkien's Quenta Silmarillion...
and Aoife of Leinster.
On 2 May 1230, when Maud was just six years old, her father was hanged by orders of Llewelyn the Great, Prince of Wales for alleged adultery with the latter's wife, Joan, Lady of Wales
Joan, Lady of Wales
Joan, Princess of Wales and Lady of Snowdon was the wife of Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Wales and Gwynedd and effective ruler of most of Wales.-Early life:...
.
Marriage and inheritance
In 1247 Maud married Roger Mortimer of Wigmore. An old manuscript (written in Latin) describing the foundation of Wigmore AbbeyWigmore Abbey
Wigmore Abbey was an Augustinian abbey with a grange, from 1179 to 1530, situated about a mile north of the village of Wigmore, Herefordshire, England.Only ruins of the abbey now remain.-History of the abbey:...
recorded that Rog (secundus)...Radulphi et Gwladusae filius wed Matildem de Brewys, filiam domini Willielmi de Brewys domini de Breghnoc. As the eldest son of Ralph de Mortimer
Ralph de Mortimer
Ranulph or Ralph de Mortimer was the second son of Roger de Mortimer and Isabel de Ferrers of Wigmore Castle in Herefordshire...
and his Welsh wife, Princess Gwladys Ddu, Roger was himself a scion of another important Marcher family, and had succeeded his father in 1246, upon the latter's death. He was created 1st Baron Wigmore on an unknown date. Maud was seven years his senior, and they had been betrothed since childhood. He was the grandson of Llewelyn, Prince of Wales, the man who had ordered the execution of her father.
Maud's inheritance was one quarter of one third of the barony of Miles of Gloucester and the lordship of Radnor, Wales. On the occasion of their marriage, the honour of Radnor passed from the de Braose to the Mortimer family, and her marriage portion was some land at Tetbury which she inherited from her grandfather, Reginald de Braose. She also had inherited the Manor of Charlton sometime before her marriage, as well as four knight's fees in Ireland, which passed to Roger. Roger and Maud's principal residence was the Mortimers' family seat, Wigmore Castle
Wigmore Castle
Wigmore Castle is a ruined castle which is barely visible from the village of Wigmore in the northwest region of Herefordshire, England.- History :...
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...
.
Issue
Roger and Maud together had ten children:- Ralph Mortimer (died before 10 August 1274), Sheriff of ShropshireHigh Sheriff of ShropshireThe High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
and StaffordshireHigh Sheriff of StaffordshireThis is a list of the High Sheriffs of Staffordshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
(1273). - Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Wigmore (1251 – 17 July 1304), married Margaret de Fiennes, daughter of William II de Fiennes and Blanche de BrienneBlanche de BrienneBlanche de Brienne, Baroness Tingry was the wife of William II de Fiennes, Baron of Tingry . She was also known as Dame de La Loupeland, and Blanche of Acre.- Family:...
, by whom he had issue, including Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March. - Isabella Mortimer (died after 1300), married firstly, John Fitzalan, 7th Earl of ArundelJohn FitzAlan, 7th Earl of ArundelJohn FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel was an English nobleman. He was also feudal Lord of Clun and Oswestry in the Welsh Marches.-Family:...
, by whom she had issue; she married secondly, Ralph d'Arderne; she married thirdly, Robert de Hastang. - Margaret Mortimer (died September 1297), married Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of OxfordRobert de Vere, 6th Earl of OxfordRobert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford, by his wife Alice de Sanford. Robert the younger took part in several of the military campaigns of Edward I, Edward II and Edward III in Wales, Scotland and France. He was married to Margaret Mortimer,...
, by whom she had one son. - Roger Mortimer de ChirkRoger Mortimer de ChirkRoger Mortimer de Chirk was a 14th century Marcher lord, notable for his opposition to Edward II of England during the Despenser War.-Background and Early Service:...
(died 3 August 1326 Tower of LondonTower of LondonHer Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
), married Lucy de Wafre, by whom he had one son. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for having participated in the Marcher rebellion (known as the Despenser WarDespenser WarThe Despenser War was a baronial revolt between 1321-2 led by the Marcher Lords Roger Mortimer, Baron Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford against Edward II of England and his favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger.Some historians use the label the "Despenser War" to refer to just...
) in 1321-1322, along with his nephew, Roger, who led the revolt. - Geoffrey Mortimer (died before 1282), he was unmarried.
- William Mortimer (died before June 1297), married as her first husband, Hawise de Muscegros.
- Hugh Mortimer
- Llewelyn Mortimer
- Iseult Mortimer
Rescue of Prince Edward
Maud was described as beautiful and nimble-witted. She, like all medieval women, was expected to govern her husband's estates, manage his business affairs, arbitrate in tenants' disputes, and defend the family property during the times he was absent. These tasks Maud performed with great skill and efficiency.During the Second Barons' War
Second Barons' War
The Second Barons' War was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward , in the name of Henry III.-Causes:...
, she also proved to be a staunch Royalist and was instrumental in rallying the other Marcher lords to the side of King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
. It was Maud herself who devised a plan for the escape of Prince Edward
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
after he had been taken hostage by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
following the Battle of Lewes
Battle of Lewes
The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264...
. On 28 May 1265, when the Prince was held in custody at Hereford Castle
Hereford Castle
Hereford Castle was a castle in the cathedral city of Hereford in Herefordshire, England.- Pre Norman Castle :It stood on a site to the south and east of the modern city overlooking the River Wye...
, Maud sent a party of horsemen to carry him away to Wigmore Castle while he was out in the open fields, some distance from the castle, taking exercise by racing horses with his unsuspecting guardians as she had instructed him to do in the messages she had smuggled to him previously. At a signal from one of the horsemen, Edward galloped off to join the party of his liberators, where they escorted him to Wigmore Castle, twenty miles away, where Maud was waiting. She supplied the Prince with food and drink before sending him on to 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...
where he met up with the Earl of Gloucester who had defected to the side of the King
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
.
Simon de Montfort
At the Battle of EveshamBattle of Evesham
The Battle of Evesham was one of the two main battles of 13th century England's Second Barons' War. It marked the defeat of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and the rebellious barons by Prince Edward – later King Edward I – who led the forces of his father, King Henry III...
on 4 August 1265, Maud's husband Roger fought on the side of Prince Edward, and personally killed Simon de Montfort. As a reward, Roger was given de Montfort's severed head and other parts of his anatomy, including his genitals. Roger sent these gruesome trophies home to Wigmore Castle as a gift to Maud. The noted medieval historian Robert of Gloucester
Robert of Gloucester (historian)
Robert of Gloucester wrote a chronicle of British, English, and Norman history sometime in the mid- or late-thirteenth century. The Chronicle survives in some 16 manuscripts, ranging in date from the early fourteenth to mid-fifteenth centuries, and was of considerable interest to contemporaries...
confirmed this by recording, To dam Maud the Mortimer that wel foule it ssende. She held a great feast that very night to celebrate the victory, and de Montfort's head was elevated in the Great Hall, still attached to the point of the lance.
Legacy
In 1300, Maud is recorded as having presented to a vacant beneficeBenefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
in the Stoke Bliss parish church 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...
, its advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
having originally belonged to the Mortimers, but was bequeathed to Limebrook Priory by Roger.
Maud died on an unknown date sometime between 1300 and 23 March 1301, and she was buried in Wigmore Abbey
Wigmore Abbey
Wigmore Abbey was an Augustinian abbey with a grange, from 1179 to 1530, situated about a mile north of the village of Wigmore, Herefordshire, England.Only ruins of the abbey now remain.-History of the abbey:...
. Her husband Roger had died on 30 October 1282.
All the monarchs of England from 1413, as well as Mary, Queen of Scots, were directly descended from Maud, as is the current British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
. Queen consorts Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
, Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
, Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard , also spelled Katherine, Katheryn or Kathryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn"....
, and Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
were also notable descendants of Maud de Braose through the latter's daughter Isabella, Countess of Arundel. Queen consorts Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
and Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
also descended from Maud's son, Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer.
Maud de Braose was described by author Linda E. Mitchell as the "perfect example of a woman who obviated the restrictions her sex placed upon her and succeeded in placing herself squarely at the centre of the political milieu in the areas under her domestic control". Mitchell goes on to eulogise her as "one of the great architects of the late medieval March", which were the words used by Welsh historian R. R. Davies to sum up Maud's husband.