Matthew FitzHerbert (abt. 1180 - 1231)

Born about 1180 in Sussex, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1231 at about age 51 in England

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Illustrious Men Matthew FitzHerbert was one of 16 Illustrious Men, counselors to King John, who were listed in the preamble to Magna Carta. Join: Magna Carta Project Discuss: magna_carta

Biography

Matthew was the son of Matthew FitzHerbert and Lucy, daughter of Miles of Gloucester and Sybil de Neufmarché.^[1] His birth date is uncertain.

Marriage and Children

Matthew married Joan, daughter of William de Mandeville/Manneville.^[2][3] She brought him Ollonde in Normandy,^[3] Erlestoke in Wiltshire^[2][4] and possibly Stokenham in Devon.^[4] This may possibly have been Joan's second marriage, her first husband being named in a 1904 article in the magazine of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society as Theodore Teutonicus, who was dead by 1202.^[4] The Victoria County History for Wiltshire gives the marriage date as 1200, and states that Theodore, or "Terry the German", proposed marriage to her but there is no evidence that any marriage took place.^[5]

Confirmation of the marriage is found in a reference in the works of the jurist Henry de Bracton to a claim against Matthew and his wife Johanna.^[1] and in Matthew's confirmation, with the consent of his wife Johanna Patrick, of a grant of land to the abbey of Montebourg in France.^[4]

Matthew and Joan had three known children:

• Herbert,^[1][2] who was his main heir^[4][2]
• Peter^[1][2]
• John^[1][2]

Reigns of King John and Henry III

In 1201 he witnessed the confirmation by King John of a royal grant of land near Wallingford, then in Berkshire.^[6]

With the loss of Normandy in 1204, Matthew and his wife Joan lost Ollonde, and their landed interests centred on Erlestoke, Wiltshire.^[3]

In the period 1210-1212 he is recorded as holding a knight's fee at "Stoke" (Erlestoke), Wiltshire and another in Devon.^[1]

Matthew served as one of the Sheriffs of Sussex under both King John (1211-1215) and Henry III (1219-1224).^[7] In 1215, as Sheriff, he ordered the citizens of Chichester to fortify the city.^[8] That year, Matthew was one of the Illustrious Men, King John's counsellors listed in the preamble to the Magna Carta.^[9]

Under Henry III, Matthew was an itinerant Justice for Wiltshire and other counties in the southern half of England.^[10] In 1220 Henry III gave him ten oaks for the rebuilding of the manor house at Erlestoke, Wiltshire.^[5][10] In 1230 Matthew and was ordered to hold an assize of arms in Wiltshire and his brother Peter was ordered to hold one in Berkshire.^[1]

Death

Matthew died early in 1231.^[11] His wife Joan survived him and surrendered the lands she and Matthew had held to her son Herbert.^[4]

Research Notes

Death location was given as "Finch" which does not seem to exist. I replaced with England until better information is available. Millard-1402 19:34, 9 July 2023 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Charles Cawley. Medieval Lands, entry for Matthew FitzHerbert
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} I J Sanders. English Baronies, A Study of their Origin and descent 1086-1327, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1960, p. 42
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} F M Powicke. The Loss of Normandy, Manchester University Press, 1961, p. 509, Google Books
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5} 'The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine', Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Volume 33, 1904 p 30 web
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} H F Chettle, W R Powell, P A Spalding and P M Tillott, 'Parishes: Erlestoke', in A History of the County of Wiltshire (Victoria County History), Vol/ 7, ed. R B Pugh and Elizabeth Crittall (London, 1953), pp. 82-86 British History Online, accessed 12 May 2020
6. ↑ The Magna Carta Project website, entry for Notification of the King’s confirmation to Hugh of Sandford of a moiety of the land of Moreton near Wallingford, as granted by King Richard, citing the National Archives PRO E 159/110 and PRO E 368/106
7. ↑ Wikipedia: Sheriff of Sussex
8. ↑ 'The City of Chichester: General introduction', in A History of the County of Sussex (Victoria County History), Vol. 3, ed. L F Salzman (London, 1935), pp. 71-82, British History Online, accessed 12 May 2020
9. ↑ Frederick Lewis Weis. The Magna Carta Sureties, 1215, 5th edition, Genealogical Publishing Company, 1999, p. xi
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} James Waylen. A History, Military and Municipal of the Ancient Borough of the Devizes, Longman, Brown and Company, 1859, p. 83, Google Books
11. ↑ Calendar of the Fine Rolls 1230-31, Henry III Fine Rolls Project, nos.117, 122, 123, all Feb 1231.

• Charles Cawley. 'Medieval Lands. A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families' © by Charles Cawley, hosted by Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG). See also WikiTree's source page for MedLands. Entry for Matthew FitzHerbert