Maud 'Matilda' le Vavasour, Baroness Butler (c. 24 June 1176 – 1225) was an Anglo-Norman heiress and the wife of

Fulk FitzWarin Fulk FitzWarin ( – c. 1258), variant spellings ( Latinized ''Fulco filius Garini'', Welsh ''Syr ffwg ap Gwarin''), the third (Fulk III), was a prominent representative of a marcher family associated especially with estates in Shropshire (on ...

, a medieval landed

gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

who was forced to become an

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

in the early 13th century, who is allegedly linked to the tale of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

and its origins. By her first marriage to

Theobald Walter, 1st Baron Butler Theobald Walter (sometimes Theobald FitzWalter, Theobald Butler, or Theobald Walter le Boteler) was the first Chief Butler of Ireland. He also held the office of Chief Butler of England and was the High Sheriff of Lancashire for 1194. Theoba ...

, Maud was the ancestress of the Butler

Earls of Ormond Earldom of Ormond may refer to: * Earl of Ormond (Scotland), created twice in the Peerage of Scotland for the House of Douglas *Earl of Ormond (Ireland) The peerage title Earl of Ormond and the related titles Duke of Ormonde and Marquess of Or ...

Family

Maud le Vavasour was the daughter of Robert le Vavasour, deputy sheriff of Lancashire (1150–1227), and his first wife, an unnamed daughter of Adam de Birkin. She had a half-brother, Sir John le Vavasour who married Alice Cockfield, by whom he had issue. Maud's paternal grandfather was William le Vavasour, Lord of

Hazlewood Hazelwood or Hazlewood may refer to: Places Australia *Hazelwood, Victoria, an area in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria; now known as Churchill *Hazelwood Power Station, in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria * Hazelwood North, a town in the Latrobe Valley, ...

, and

Justiciar Justiciar is the English form of the medieval Latin term or (meaning "judge" or "justice"). The Chief Justiciar was the king's chief minister, roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The Justiciar of Ireland was ...

of England. Her maternal grandfather was Adam fitz Peter of Birkin. Maud was heiress to properties in

Edlington Edlington is a town and civil parish in the City of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, lying to the south west of Doncaster and Warmsworth. It has a population of 8,276. The original parish town of Edlington is now known as ''Old Edlington ...

, Yorkshire and Narborough in Leicestershire. She is a matrilineal ancestor of

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...

, Queen of England and second wife to King

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

of England.

Marriages and issue

In or shortly before 1200, Maud married her first husband

(died February 1206), son of Hervey Walter and Maud de Valoignes, and went to live in Ireland. His brother

Hubert Walter Hubert Walter ( – 13 July 1205) was an influential royal adviser in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries in the positions of Chief Justiciar of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. As chancellor, Walter be ...

was

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

. In 1185, Theobald had been granted land by Prince John, who was then Lord of Ireland. He was appointed Butler of Ireland in 1192, and High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1194. Theobald and Maud had three children: * a female (dead by 1240), married as his first wife Sir Gerald de Prendergast by whom she had issue, including Marie de Prendergast, who in her turn married Sir John de Cogan and had issue. She is only known because a later inquisition claimed that Gerald married a "sister of Theobald pincerna", no name is given to her, and no dates. *

Theobald le Botiller Theobald le Botiller, also known as Theobald Butler, 2nd Baron Butler (January 1200 – 19 July 1230) was the son of Theobald Walter, 1st Baron Butler and Maud le Vavasour. He had livery of his lands on 18 July 1222. Marriage and children ...

, chief Butler of Ireland (by 1199 – 19 July 1230), who married firstly Joan du Marais, daughter of Geoffrey du Marais and Eva de Bermingham, and had a son, Theobald Butler (1224–1248), who married Margery de Burgh, daughter of

Richard Mor de Burgh Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and ...

, Lord of Connacht, and

Egidia de Lacy Egidia de Lacy, Lady of Connacht (c. 1180 – 24 February 1240), was a Cambro-Norman noblewoman, the wife of Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Baron of Connaught and Strathearn (c.1180–1242), and the mother of his seven children, including Sir ...

(daughter of Walter de Lacy and Margaret de Braose), and from whom descended the Earls of Ormond. Theobald, chief Butler of Ireland married, secondly, after 4 September 1225,

Roesia de Verdun Roesia de Verdun (c. 1204 - 10 February 1247), also spelled ''Rohese'' and ''Rose'', was a Norman '' femme sole'' heiress, and one of the most powerful women of Ireland in the 13th century. Biography Very little is known about the early life of ...

(1205 – 10 February 1247), daughter of Nicholas de Verdun and Clementia, by whom he had a son and daughter: John le Botiller de Verdon, Lord of Westmeath (1226–1274), who married Margery de Lacy (1229 – after 10 June 1276), by whom he had issue, and Maud le Botiller de Verdon, who married John Fitzalan, Lord of

Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...

and

Clun Clun is a town in south west Shropshire, England, and the Shropshire Hills AONB, Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The 2011 United Kingdom census, census recorded 680 people living in the town.Combined populations for the t ...

. Following the death of Theobald in early February 1206, Maud returned to England into the custody of her father, who, having bought the right of marrying her at the price of 1200 marks and two

palfrey A palfrey is a type of horse that was highly valued as a Horses in the Middle Ages, riding horse in the Middle Ages. It was a lighter-weight horse, usually a smooth horse gait, gaited one that could ambling, amble, suitable for riding over long ...

s, gave her in marriage by October 1207, to

. Fulk was the son of Fulk FitzWarin and Hawise de Dinan, who subsequent to a violent quarrel with

John, King of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

, was deprived of his lands and property by the vengeful king. Fulk then sought refuge in the woods and became an

, with Maud having accompanied him. The legendary figures of

and

Maid Marian Maid Marian is the heroine of the Robin Hood legend in English folklore, often taken to be his lover. She is not mentioned in the early, medieval versions of the legend, but was the subject of at least two plays by 1600. Her history and circums ...

are said to be based on Fulk and Maud.''

Fouke le Fitz Waryn ''Fouke le Fitz Waryn'' is a chivalric romance about the English baron Fulk III FitzWarin, written during the later 13th century, when the actual events of Fulk's life were still in living memory or common report.T. Wright (ed. and transl.), ''The ...

'', edited by Stephen Knight, Thomas H. Ohlgren. Originally published in ''Robin Hood and Other Outlaw Tales''. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Medieval Institute Publications, 1997. Maud died in 1226 and Fulke III married again to Clarice D'Auberville. By FitzWarin, Maud had two sons and three daughters: * Fulk IV * Fulk Glas * Hawise, wife of William Pantulf * Joanna * Mabel

In fiction

Maud is the main protagonist in Elizabeth Chadwick's ''Lords of The White Castle'', which relates in fictional form, her life and adventures as the wife of Fulk FitzWarin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Maud le Vavasour, Baroness 13th-century deaths Maud 12th-century English nobility 12th-century English women 13th-century English women 13th-century English people Year of birth unknown People from the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster People from Blaby District 1176 births 13th-century English landowners 13th-century women landowners