Lady of Hay: An enduring classic – an utterly compelling and atmospheric historical fiction novel that will take your breath away!

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Margaret de Braose (died after 1255), married Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath, son of Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath and Rohese of Monmouth. Maud de Braose features in many Welsh folklore myths and legends. There is one legend which says that Maud built the castle of Hay-on-Wye single handed in one night, carrying the stones in her apron. [18] William de Braose (1175- 1210). Starved to death with his mother in Corfe Castle. Married Maud de Clare, daughter of Richard de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and Amice FitzRobert de Meullant of Gloucester, by whom he had issue, including John de Braose. Brimming with romance, adventure and vivid historical detail, Christina Courtenay does for the Vikings what Diana Gabaldon's Outlander and Clanlans does for Scottish history.

Daughter of Bernard III (IV) de Saint-Valery, seigneur de Saint-Valéry and Anora (Eléonore) de St. Valéry Concerning the identification of Maud de St. Valery as daughter of Bernard, this is based somewhat on onomastic evidence (cf. St. Valery names - Reginald, Maud, Lauretta/Loretta introduced into de Braose line with Maud's children) and largely on the identification of Tetbury, co. Gloucs. - a holding of Bernard de St. Valery - as the maritagium of Maud. A friend of mine has a poltergeist, a little girl who hides things - she has never seen her, but she knows she's there. This book is about Jo Clifford, a C20th journalist, who is regressed under hypnosis and finds she has lived before in the C12th, as Matilda, Lady of Hay. Matilda died a terrible death at the hands of King John. She also suffered the abuse of her husband William de Braose and had an illicit love affair with a knight, Richard de Clare.

Of their daughters Loretta, married Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester and another, Margaret, married Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath. Lady Maud de St. Valery was born on c. 1155 in France to Bernard de St. Valery and Matilda MNU de St. Valery. Maud married William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber on c. 1166 and had 9 children: William de Braose; Giles de Braose, Bishop of Hereford; Reginald de Braose; Matilda de Braose; Margaret de Braose; Annora de Braose; Loretta de Braose; john de Braose; and Flandrina de Braose, Abbess of Godstow. She passed away of starvation on 1210 in Corfe Castle dungeon, Dorset, England. The pain and suffering of Matilda's life threaten to take over Jo's, as she finds herself spontaneously regressing and reliving Matilda's life. The plot is complicated by the presence of three men in Jo's life who seem to be the reincarnations of John, William and Richard. Note. Matilda's parentage was uncertain for a long time. Many writers have suggested that she may have been a daughter of Reginald de St Valery. I recently discovered a reference to her in L'Histoire des Ducs de Normandie et des Rois d'Angleterre, ed. Francisque Michel (Paris, 1840), written in the 13th century which describes her as a "daughter of Bernard de St Valery". This appears to have finally settled the matter.

Maud de St. Valéry was also known as the Lady of la Haie and to the Welsh as Moll Walbee. She is said, by the local people who saw her as a supernatural character, to have built Hay Castle single handed in one night, carrying the stones in her apron at Hay-on-Wye, Welsh Marches, England.Victim of a violent crime, Jenna is struggling to move on until her friend finds her a new job house-sitting. But these houses aren’t normal, and nor is what’s inside them! Sources: sussexcastles.com; genie.com; steyningmuseum.org.uk; berkshirehistory.com; England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings 1075-1225 by Robert Bartlett; Oxford Companion to British History Edited by John Cannon; The Story of Britain by Roy Strong; The Plantagenets; the Kings who Made England by Dan Jones; The Life and Times of King John by Maurice Ashley; The Plantagenet Chronicles Edited by Elizabeth Hallam.

Made famous by the de Braose’s spectacular falling-out with King John – and the manner of her death – very little is known of Matilda’s early years; though she probably spent time at her family’s manor of Hinton Waldrist in Berkshire. Matilda refused and Roger of Wendover recorded her response to the soldiers sent to collect the boys, as; “I will not deliver my sons to your lord, King John, for he foully murdered his nephew Arthur, whom he should have cared for honourably.”She was born Maud de St.Valéry in France in about 1155, the child of Bernard de St. Valéry[2][3] and his first wife, Matilda. Her paternal grandfather was Reginald de St. Valery (died c.1162). Maud and William are reputed to have had 16 children. The best documented of these are listed below.

I believe in ghosts, future life, past life, etc. A psychic told me that a ginger cat had walked across the room when I went to see her - that was my beloved soul mate who had to be put to sleep due to cancer in 2009 - oh how I miss him. Maud's long defense of Pain's Castle when it was beseiged by the Welsh earned it the name "Matilda's Castle." It was following Arthur’s murder that things started to go wrong for the Lord and Lady of Bramber. John became increasingly suspicious of de Braose’s loyalty and turned against him. This could have been for several reasons, not least being de Braose’s knowledge of Arthur’s fate. She had many siblings and half-siblings, including Thomas de St. Valery (died 1219), who was a son of Bernard by his second wife Eleanor de Domnart. Thomas married Adele de Ponthieu, by whom he had a daughter, Annora, who in her turn married Robert III, Count of Dreux, by whom she had issue. Thomas fought on the French side, at the Battle of Bouvines on 27 July 1214.[4] A question exists as to which of her father's two wives was Mathilde's mother. Both Charles Crawley of Medlands and Etienne Pattou of Racines et Histoires position her as a daughter of Bernard's second marriage, to Anora (Eleanore), although some sources (see below) position her as the child of his first wife, Mathilde, who died c 1151.Matilda’s fate was more gruesome; she and her son were left to starve to death in John’s dungeons (though whether this was at Corfe or Windsor is unclear). Tradition has it, that when their bodies were found, William’s cheeks bore his mother’s bite marks, where she had tried to stay alive following his death. Whatever the reason, in 1207 King John moved to make a public example of one of his most powerful barons, and punish him for his debts to the Exchequer. John demanded William and Matilda give up their sons as hostages. One of Matilda’s titles was the Lady of Hay and Welsh folklore has her building the Castle of Hay in one night, single-handed, carrying the stones in her skirts. I really really Love your books...!!!!!! =) But here in Sweden,we Only got three (in swedish).. =( I´m always looking on your side,hope everytime that it will say something about a new realese in sweden,(translation)... The ruins of Corfe Castle in Dorset, within whose dungeon Maud de Braose and her son William were starved to death