Eva Marshal, Baroness Abergavenny

Eva Marshal, Baroness Abergavenny (1203-1246) was an English noblewoman and the wife of the powerful Marcher baron William de Braose, 10th Baron Abergavenny.

Family

Eva was born in 1203, in Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales, the fifth daughter [Charles Cawley Medieval Lands, Earls of Pembroke 1189-1245( Marshal)] and tenth child of William Marshal and Isabel de Clare, 3rd Countess of Pembroke. Her paternal grandparents were John Marshal and Sibyl of Salisbury. Her maternal grandparents were Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, known in history as Strongbow and Aoife of Leinster. She was the youngest of ten children, having had five older brothers and four older sisters. Eva and her sisters were described as being handsome, high-spirited girls. [Thomas B. Costain "The Magnificent Century", pe 103] Sometime before 1221, she married William de Braose, 10th Baron Abergavenny by whom she had four daughters. William was the son of Reginald de Braose and his first wife Grecia de Briwere. He was much hated by the Welsh who called him "Gwilym Ddu" or "Black William".

List of children

# Isabella de Braose (b.1222). Married Prince Dafydd ap Llywelyn. She died childless.
# Maud de Braose (1224-1301. Married Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore, and they had issue, including Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer.
# Eleanor de Braose (1226-1251). Sometime after August 1241, she married Humphrey de Bohun. They had two sons, Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford and Gilbert de Bohun, and one daughter, Alianore de Bohun. She is buried in Llanthony Priory.
# Eve de Braose (1227- 28 July 1255. Married William de Cantelou, and had issue.

Widowhood

Eva's husband Baron Abergavenny was publicly hanged by Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Wales on 2 May1230 after being discovered in the Prince's bedchamber together with his wife Joan, Lady of Wales. Following his execution, Eva held de Braose lands and castles in her own right. She is listed as holder of Totnes in 1230. It is recorded on the Close Rolls (1234-1237) that Eva was granted 12 marks by King Henry III to strengthen Hay Castle. She died in 1246 at the age of 43. Eva was the direct ancestress of Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn, and Jane Seymour. She has numerous descendants to this day.

References

# Charles Cawley "Medieval Lands, Earls of Pembroke 1189-1245 (Marshal)"
# de Braose family genealogy
# The Complete Peerage
# "The Magnificent Century" by Thomas B. Costain, Doubleday and Company, Inc. 1959