13/07/2023
Maud de St. Valery, later known as Maud de Braose, Lady of Bramber, was born in France in about 1155, the daughter of Bernard de St. Valéry of Hinton Waldrist and his first wife. Not much is known of her early life, but she was one of many children born from her father's marriages.
Around 1166, Maud married William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, who was the son of William de Braose, 3rd Lord of Bramber, and Bertha of Hereford de Pitres. When King John of England ascended the throne in 1199, Braose became a court favourite and was rewarded with additional titles and properties to add to the many he already owned.
Maud was a dedicated wife and supported her husband's military ambitions. She must have been quite a character, for he put her in charge of Hay Castle and the surrounding territory; hence, she is often referred to as the Lady of Hay. In 1198, Maud proved herself by defending Painscastle in Elfael against a huge Welsh attack led by the Prince of Powys. She successfully held off the marauding forces for three weeks until English reinforcements arrived.
Although records are not clear, they were reputed to have had sixteen children, and of those, history names nine for sure:
Maud, William, Margaret, Reginald, Giles, John, Loretta, Annora, and Flandrina
Despite their previous strong relationship, in 1208, William de Braose fell out with his friend and patron, King John. The reason for the dispute is not known for sure, but it was alleged that Maud made disparaging comments regarding the murder of King John's nephew, Duke Arthur I of Brittany. William also owed the King five thousand marks. King John demanded the couple send their eldest son William to him as a hostage to guarantee their loyalty. Maud refused, and it is said she stated in front of witnesses that "she would not deliver her children to a king who had murdered his own nephew."
Furious, King John seized all of the castles that belonged to William de Braose, sending him into exile. Maud and her eldest son, William, also fled to Ireland, where they found refuge with her daughter Margaret's family. Determined to punish Maud for what she had said in 1210, King John sent an expedition to Ireland, while fleeing Maud and her son William were caught and sent to England.
At first, they were imprisoned at Windsor Castle, but later they were moved to Corfe Castle in Dorset. There, they were placed together in a dungeon. The contemporaneous History of the Dukes of Normandy and Kings of England claims that they both starved to death.
It notes that King John ordered that a sheaf of oats and one piece of raw bacon be given to them, and after that, he left orders that no other food was to be sent to them.
Eleven days later, they were found dead: William was found sitting upright leaning against the wall, and his mother was found dead between his legs. It is thought that William died first, and in her desperate attempt to survive, Maud had eaten strips of flesh from his cheeks. The manner of their deaths outraged the English nobility so much that when King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215, clause 39 stated that: "No man shall be taken, imprisoned, outlawed, banished, or in any way destroyed, nor will we proceed against or prosecute him, except by the lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land."
Her husband, William, died a year later in exile in France.
Maud's daughter Margaret de Lacy founded a religious house, the Hospital of St. John, in Aconbury, Herefordshire, in her mother’s memory, and perhaps feeling guilt eight days before his death, King John conceded three carucates of land in the royal forest of Aconbury to Margaret for the construction of the religious house.
Photo of Corfe Castle, where Maud and William died, photo credit to Jim Champion
Sources:
History of the Dukes of Normandy and Kings of England, Michel Francisque
Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, Douglas Richardson and Kimball G. Everingham
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/mstvalery.html
The Barons de Braose, Blood Feuds, by Lynda Denyer (History of Family de Braose website)
