Maud le Vavasour

Maud le Vavasour (24 June 1176- before 1226) was the wife of Fulk FitzWarin, [ [http://www.thepeerage.com/p19585.htm#i195845 peerage.com] ] a medieval landed gentleman who was forced to become an outlaw in the early 13th century. The legend of Robin Hood is allegedly based on him.

By her first marriage to Theobald le Botiller FitzWalter, Maud was the ancestress of the Butler Earls of Ormond.

Family

Maud le Vavasour was born on 24 June 1176 in Yorkshire, England to Robert le Vavasour, High Sheriff of Lancashire (1150- 1234), and his first wife Juliana de Ros. She had a brother Sir John le Vavasour who married Alice Cockfield, by whom he had issue. Maud's paternal grandparents were William le Vavasour, Lord of Hazelwood, and Justiciar of England, and Matilda Perry. Her maternal grandparents were Gilbert de Ros and Matilda de Cauz.

Marriages and children

In 1189, Maud married her first husband Theobald le Botiller FitzWalter (died 1206), son of Hervey Walter and Maud de Valoignes, and went to live in Ireland. His brother Hubert Walter was Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1185, Theobald had been given land by Prince John, who was then Lord of Ireland. He was appointed Butler of Ireland in 1192. [Charles Cawley"Medieval Lands", Earls of Ormond] Theobald and Maud had three children:
# Maud le Botiller (born 1192), married Geoffrey de Prendergast, by whom she had issue, including Marie Prendergast, who in her turn married Sir John de Cogan and had issue.
# Beatrice le Botiller
# Theobald le Botiller, chief Butler of Ireland (January 1200- 19 July 1230), who married firstly Joan du Marais, daughter of Geoffrey du Marais and Eva de Bermingham, and had a son Theobald le Botiller (after 1216- 1248), who married Margery de Burgh, daughter of Richard de Burgh 1st Earl of Ulster and Egidia de Lacy (daughter of Walter de Lacy and Margaret de Braose), and from whom descended the Earls of Ormond. Theobald le Botiller, chief Butler of Ireland married secondly, after 4 September 1225, Rohese de Verdon (1205- 10 February 1247), daughter of Nicholas de Verdon and Joan de Lacy, 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 upon her marriage to John Fitzalan became the 6th Countess of Arundel, and from whom descended the Fitzalan Earls of Arundel.

Following the death of Theobald in 1206, Maud returned to England, and on 1 October 1207, married her second husband Fulk FitzWarin son of Fulk FitzWarin and Hawise de Dinan, who subsequent to a violent quarrel with King John of England, sought refuge in the woods and became an outlaw. Maud accompanied him. The legendary figures of Robin Hood and Maid Marion are said to be based on Fulk and Maud.

By FitzWarin, Maud had a son and a daughter:
# Sir Fulk FitzWarin (1208-14 May 1264), married firstly, Clarice d 'Auberville, by whom he had a daughter, Mabel FitzWarin (1248- 1296), who in turn married firstly John de Crevequer, and secondly, Sir John Tregoze, Baron Tregoze (1245- 1300), son of Robert II Tregoze, Lord of Ewyas Harold, and Juliane de Cantelou, and had issue. Fulk married secondly, Constance de Toeni (1225- 1265), by whom he had a son, Fulk FitzWarin and a daughter, Hawise FitzWarin, both of whom married and had issue.
# Hawise FitzWarin (born 3 February 1210), married firstly William Pantulf, by whom she had issue, and secondly, Hubert Huse.

Death

Maud le Vavasour died sometime before 1226. She had numerous descendants including the Earls of Ormond, the Earls of Arundel Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn as well as the British Royal Family.

In fiction

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

References