Mahthild 2

Mahthild ‘of Bywood’ (Devon), fl. 1066
Female
DWP
4 of 5

Name

Mahthild

Summary

Mahthild 2 held three estates in eastern and central Devon TRE with a total assessment of 1½ hides and a value of £2 15s.

Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

Holder 1066

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Devon 24,1 Bywood Mathild Mahthild 'of Bywood' - Walter de Claville - 0.88 0.50 0.50 A Map
Devon 40,4 Cheldon Matheld Mahthild 'of Bywood' - Ansger of Montacute - 0.38 1.25 1.25 D Map
Devon 52,25 Rousdon Mathila Mahthild 'of Bywood' - Oda son of Eadric - 0.25 1.00 1.00 C Map
Totals

Profile

Mahthild 2’s three estates were at Bywood, Cheldon and Rousdon.  Although Cheldon and Rousdon lie 37 miles apart they are only 27 and 14 miles respectively from Bywood, the largest of the three estates, which seems sufficiently close for them all to have been held by the same person.  More problematic is that each estate had passed to a different holder by 1086, which in some instances can indicate that the TRE holders of those estates were also different but is a less reliable indicator when small TRE land-holders are concerned.  In this instance, however, the extreme rarity of the name Mahthild in a pre-Conquest context renders it more likely that these three Devonshire estates were held by the same person.

It is probable that Mahthild 2 was of continental birth, rather than representing a precocious instance of insular name-giving in or before the late 1040s; and although we can only speculate as to how and when she arrived in England, marriage would seem the most obvious vehicle.  It may also be that by 1066 Mahthild was a widow and these estates represent her dower portion, this being the usual situation of an apparently independent female landholder.