Marshal (noble family)

Anglo-Norman family

Marshal

li Mareschal (Norman), le Marechal (French)

Family of Earls and Marshals

Arms of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke

Country| England’s territory at the time of the Plantagenets
Etymology| Marshal, Frankish: “a person who tended horses”
Place of origin| Normandy
Founded| 12th century (first known member)
Founder| Gilbert Giffard
Final ruler| Ansel Marshal (as Earl of Pembroke), John Marshal (as Baron Marshal)
Final head| Hawise and Ellen Marshal, daughters of William Marshal, 1st Baron Marshal
Titles|

List

* Lord Marshal
* Earl of Pembroke
* Earl Marshal of Ireland
* Baron Marshal

The Marshal family was a noble family of Anglo-Norman origins. They arrived in England from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. Their name, Marshal, was a Frankish term for “a person who tended horses”. By 1066 the term was used for a position in royal and aristocratic households.

## History[edit]

The first known member of the Marshal family is Gilbert Giffard, who was a tenant of Glastonbury manor in Winterbourne Monkton in Wiltshire, and held a position as a marshal to the king of England.[1] The surname "Giffard" is a common Norman sobriquet, and it means "chubby-cheeks". While it is unlikely that Gilbert was related to Walter Giffard, he may have been related to the Giffards of Brimpsfield.[2]

When he died, his son, John FitzGilbert[3] (died 1165), inherited his position. John was a man that fought for Empress Matilda (Daughter of Henry I) in her unsuccessful struggle to gain the throne from her cousin, King Stephen.[4][5] Siding with Matilda costed him an eye, which he lost when the enemies set fire to Wherwell Abbey, where he was hiding. John later won the hereditary title of Lord Marshal.[6]

John’s first son was John Marshal (II), who inherited his position as Lord Marshal and retained it until his death in 1194. He only had one known son, also called John Marshal (III), but he was illegitimate, so the title went to his brother instead.[7] The title will be later claimed by a descendant of this illegitimate line, William Marshal, 1st Baron Marshal.

John (II)’s brother was the well-known William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. He was formally appointed Lord Marshal by Richard the Lionheart. William served five English kings in his lifetime: Henry II, Henry "the Young King", Richard I "The Lionheart", John Lackland, and Henry III, to whom he became regent in 1216. In 1199 he became the Earl of Pembroke, having married Isabel de Clare.[8]

After William died in 1219,[8] the titles of Lord Marshal and Earl of Pembroke eventually passed on to all of his sons, as none of them had any legitimate issue:

* William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
* Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke
* Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke
* Walter Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke
* Ansel Marshal, 6th Earl of Pembroke

After Ansel’s death, the title of Earl of Pembroke became extinct (but it was re-created in 1247), and the title of Lord Marshal was given to his sister Maud’s husband, Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk. The current Duke of Norfolk still holds the title.

However, another of William’s titles, Earl Marshal of Ireland, was not inherited by his children, but by the previously mentioned John Marshal (III), his nephew. The title was held by that line of the family until the death of John Marshal, 2nd Baron Marshal, when it was given to John’s sister Hawise’s husband, Robert Morley, 2nd Baron Morley, in absence of any other family members.

## Family tree[edit]

* Gilbert Giffard, Marshal of England[8]
* John (I) Marshal / FitzGilbert[8], Lord Marshal, married (1) Adelina[9] Pipard and (2) Sybil of Salisbury[10]
* Gilbert, died by September 1166 (by Adelina)[10]
* Walter, died before his father (by Adelina)[10]
* John (II) Marshal, Lord Marshal, married a daughter of baron Adam du Port (by Sybil)[9][10]
* John (III) Marshal of Hockering, Earl Marshal of Ireland (illegitimate; his mother was Alice de Colleville)[9][11]
* William Marshal, Earl Marshal of Ireland[11]
* William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, married Isabel de Clare (by Sybil)[4]
* William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, married (1) Alice, daughter of Baldwin of Bethune and (2) Eleanor Plantagenet; had no issue[9]
* Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, married Gervaise de Dinan; had no issue[9]
* Matilda Marshal (also Maud), married (1) Hugh Bigod and (2) William de Warenne[9]
* Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke, married Marjorie (daughter of William I of Scotland)[9]
* Isabel Marshal, betrothed to Rhys ap Maelgwn, son of Maelgwn ap Rhys (illegitimate; unknown mother)[9]
* Walter Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke, married Margaret de Quincy; had no issue[9]
* Isabel Marshal, married (1) Gilbert de Clare and (2) Richard of Cornwall[9]
* Sybil Marshal, married William de Ferrers[9]
* Eva Marshal, married William de Braose[9]
* Ansel Marshal, 6th Earl of Pembroke, married Maud, daughter of Humphrey de Bohun; had no issue[9]
* Joan Marshal, married Warin de Munchensi; they were the parents of Joan de Munchensi[9]
* Gilbert Marshal of Sundon and Mundham (illegitimate; mother belongs to the “Essex family”)[9]
* Henry Marshal, Bishop of Exeter (by Sybil)[9][12]
* Ansel Marshal, household knight (by Sybil)[9]
* (probably) Maud[citation needed], married William le Gros[9]
* Margaret, married (1) Ralph de Somery and (2) Maurice de Gaunt (by Sybil)[9]
* Matilda, married Robert de Pont de l’Arche[9]
* William Giffard, held a clerical office [9]
* (possibly) William, held a clerical office in “Cheddar Church”[9]

## References[edit]

1. ^ N. E. Stacy, Feb. 1999, Henry of Blois and the Lordship of Glastonbury. English Historical Review.
2. ^ Crouch, David (2002). William Marshal : knighthood, war and chivalry, 1147-1219. Internet Archive. London ; New York : Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-77222-9.
3. ^ Classical Numismatic Group (2012-05-23). CNG Auction 90 [Part II].
4. ^ a b "William Marshal, 1st earl of Pembroke | Facts & Biography | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
5. ^ Chadwick, Elizabeth (2009-10-11). "LIVING THE HISTORY: Biography of John Marshal". LIVING THE HISTORY. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
6. ^ "Marshal, John (d. 1165), marshal". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/18122. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
7. ^ Nicolas, Nicholas Harris (1825). Vol. 2: A synopsis of the peerage of England : exhibiting, under alphabetical arrangement, the date of creation, descent and present state of every title of peerage which has existed in this country since the conquest. In two volumes / by Nicholas Harris Nicolas, Esq. of the Inner Temple, barrister at law; fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. State Library of Pennsylvania. Printed by J. Nichols and Son for C. and J. Rivington, St. Paul's Churchyard and Waterloo Place, and 17 others.
8. ^ a b c d Thomas Leckie Jarman (1930). William Marshal First Earl Of Pembroke And Regent Of England 1216 1219.
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "THE MARSHAL FAMILY OF HAMSTEAD". Royal Historical Society Camden Fifth Series. 47: 1–39. doi:10.1017/S0960116315000044.
10. ^ a b c d william marshal. Internet Archive. 1933.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: others (link)
11. ^ a b Round, John Horace (1911). The king's serjeants & officers of state, with their coronation services. Robarts - University of Toronto. London J. Nisbet.
12. ^ "Marshal, Henry (d. 1206), bishop of Exeter". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-94379. Retrieved 2023-11-21.

## Sources[edit]

* Stacy, N.E. (1999). Henry of Blois and the Lordship of Glastonbury. Oxford University Press.
* Crouch, David (2002). William Marshal: knighthood, war and chivalry, 1147-1219. Routledge.
* William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2023.
* Sir Harris Nicolas, Nicolas (1825). A synopsis of the peerage of England: exhibiting, under alphabetical arrangement, the date of creation, descent and present state of every title of peerage which has existed in this country since the conquest. Unknown publisher.
* Leckie Jarman, Thomas (1930). William Marshal First Earl Of Pembroke And Regent Of England 1216 1219. B. Blackwell.
* Painter, Sidney (1933). William Marshal. The Johns Hopkins Press.
* The Marshal family of Hamstead. Cambridge University Press. 2015.