Joan de Valence

Joan de Valence, born c. 1230, was the granddaughter of William Marshall, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who served five successive Kings of England. William's five sons, each in turn becoming Earl of Pembroke, all died childless. So his inheritance was divided among his daughters; Joan Marshal, the fourth daughter, married Warin de Munchensi, and Joan was the product of this union. Thus, Joan was a very wealthy heiress and ward of the king, who married her off to his half brother, William de Valence. Her portion of her grandfather’s wealth included the castle and lordship of Pembroke, an earldom in Wexford, Ireland, plus several properties—towns, honours, and castles—spread across Wales, England, and Ireland.

She was, by all existing accounts, a charming woman with much wit who successfully juggled her roles as wife, mother, and lady of the manor(s) in a time wrought with civil war. Henry III was said to be in much awe of her, and his son Edward I even feared her fierce nature. Later, as a widow, she took on the role of magnate, deftly weaving a network of politics through alliances with family and friends. She was not afraid to speak out and demand her rights, especially after the death of her husband, when she had no male guardian to speak for her. In 1304 she was in Court over her right to the lordship of Wexford, and she appealed to King Edward I personally to intervene on her behalf, which he did and ordered she be given the possession of the lordship of Wexford. There is no definitive account of how many children she had; the number varies between five and seven. She travelled frequently, moving from one of her houses or castles to another all through the year, entertaining and hosting lavish feasts and celebrations.

Joan’s accounts for 1297 reveal that on Easter Sunday that year, the household at Goodrich Castle, where they were staying at the time, celebrated the end of the fasting season of Lent with:

"3 quarters of beef and 1½ bacons, 1½ unsalted pigs, half a boar, half a salmon, all from the castle's store, half a carcass of beef costing 10 shillings, mutton at 15 pence, 9 kids at 3s 8d, 17 capons and hens at 2s 7d, 2 veal calves at 2s 6d, 600 eggs at 2 shillings, pigeons at 2 pence with 24 other pigeons from stores in Shrivenham, cheese at 4 pence and a halfpenny for transport by the boat, all told, 22s 6d halfpenny."

Countess Joan died sometime after September 1301.

Pic. the ruins of Goodrich Castle

Source:

Joan de Valence: The Life and Influence of a Thirteenth-Century Noblewoman, Linda E. Mitchell.