Matilda D'Oyly

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MatildaD'Oyly (also known as MaudD'Oyly) was an eleventh-century Saxon noble. She was sometimes called Matilda of Wallingford. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and ancestry

D'Oyly was the daughter of Robert D'Oyly [1] and his wife Aldgytha, daughter of Wigod. [3] She was an only child. [1]

Civil war

During the civil war known as the Anarchy, D'Oyly backed Henry I’s daughter, the Empress Matilda, in her struggle against her cousin, King Stephen. She defended Wallingford Castle against Stephen from 1139 to 1152. In 1141, after escaping from Oxford, the Empress sought refuge in Wallingford. [1]

Marriages

In 1084, D'Oyly married Miles Crispin. They remained married until his death in 1107. [1]

In around 1114, D'Oyly remarried to Brian Fitz Count. [1]

Legacy

Matilda's seal is the earliest extant impression of a non-royal secular noblewoman’s seal, from a chater that was written between 1122 and 1147. [2] The seal is currently held by the College of St George at Windsor Castle. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Matilda of Wallingford". College of St George. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  2. 1 2 Johns, Susan M. (2003). Noblewomen, Aristocracy and Power in the Twelfth-Century Anglo-Norman Realm. Glasgow: Manchester University Press. pp. 74, 126–129. ISBN   0719063043.
  3. "History of Wallingford". Wallingford Museum. Retrieved 2025-02-18.