My quest for discovering the lives of forgotten medieval women continues. This week, I discovered in an old printed source the story of Margaret Mallefaunt of 1439.
Margaret lived in Wales during the early reign of Henry VI, who had inherited the throne aged just nine months old when his father Henry V died unexpectedly overseas on a military campaign. We might think of lawlessness during the Wars of the Roses which fractured into action in the 1450s. But as it turns out, there were already threats being posed to women earlier in the period. Margaret's case was debated in the parliament of that year where Henry's councillors listened to her petition.
Margaret, who was the wife of a soldier named Thome Mallefaunt, complained about 'Lewse Leyson alias Lewse Gethei late of Glamorgan in the Marches of Wales who was in the lyf of her husband most trusted of any man near to him'. Lewse offered to take Margaret to see her mother, Jane Astley, knowing of her husband's recent death but keeping it a secret from her. Margaret agreed, knowing he was one of her husband's best friends, and they set off from her home in Pembrokeshire. Soon after their journey began he handed Margaret 'a counterfeit letter declaring Griffith ap Nicholas and divers other enemies lay in wait for her'. Continuing the journey, they changed course and eventually came to a park called Park le Bruce in Gower. It was here that Margaret was ambushed. The Lord of Gower burst out of the park with a group of armed men, having conspired with Lewse himself to seize her. They 'came with swerdes drawen and made a great affray and assalt upon the said Margaret, and yer smoten herr upon hur arme, and yer beaten hur servantes etc. and had her forth ynte the Monteyns, yer kept her without mete or drink 'till she was nigh dede, seeing that she had wheye to drink att diverse places till the wendisday nexte after, at which day he brought her on Gilbert Turbevoyle's place with ynne ye Lordship of Glamorgan & hur ther kept a prisoner'. The account states that she was 'menaced' while imprisoned and coerced to marry Lewse.
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| Mourning Woman, Netherlands c1480. Met Museum, Public Domain. |
Sadly the kidnapping of wealthy widows did happen during the medieval period, and Margaret was not the only one. Margery de la Beche of Beaumys Castle in Berkshire was forced to marry a man against her will in 1347 having been widowed twice. Early in the sixteenth century Muriella Calder of Cawdor Castle in Scotland was also kidnapped in an offender's attempt to marry her into his family. Medieval and Tudor law stated that the wealth of a couple rested legally in the husband's hands. It was entirely possible for a wealthy woman to marry a man and the husband sell her lucrative estates. We can only imagine Margaret's disbelief when she realised she had been seized by her husband's loyal friend who would have been known well to the couple.
The petition also states that Gilbert Turbevoyle's wife was also involved in the conspiracy, helping Lewse to achieve the immoral marriage. It mentions that 'complaint is made of the working and assent of the said Gilbert and his wife, and with the governance of one Sir Hough, Vicar of the church of Twygeston in Wales with many more, brought and led the said Margaret to the said Church of Twygeston, and there would have make her against her will to take the said Lewse to husband the which she ever refused'.
With the now-widowed Margaret reeling from shock, treachery and fear, her refusal to co-operate only escalated the situation. She was imprisoned at Gilbert's home in Twygeston 'in to a chamber within a strong Towr'. There, she was 'ravished' by Lewse 'against her will', probably in a last-ditch attempt to try to argue that their union had been consummated. Then, 'she with wise governance' was brought from there and taken to her mother in London. It seems as if with this last statement someone discovered what had happened to Margaret and rescued her. After listening to the petition, those present ordered Lewse to appear in Somerset, where the case was to be tried, to explain himself.
Margaret's story is brutal and shocking but only goes to show how the early laws around marriage and property left room for the appalling and violent treatment of widows by greedy predators. It is even more heartbreaking that this was devised by a man who she and her husband had known and, for all she knew, was faithful and loyal to them both. I haven't been able to discover what happened to Margaret next, but she seems to have been taken to safety and her attackers held to account for their actions. Her story makes difficult reading for us today but it does reveal the dangers widowed women could be subject to in the medieval period.
You might also like: Elizabeth Dunham, the Women Who Stole from the Bank of England and The Medieval and Tudor Brothels of Southwark.
Source: Archaeologica Cambrensis, 1846 via archive.org
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