The New Murrey and Blue blog

Antony Woodville, quite early in his career, had an affair with Gwenllian Stradling which led to the birth of a daughter, Margaret Woodville.

As it turned out, although he subsequently married twice, this was his only child. Or certainly, his only child who grew up.

The Stradlings were a long-standing Glamorgan gentry family, based at St. Donat’s, and naturally intermarried with all the other Glamorgan gentry, most of whom descended from the original bunch of Norman knights who had conquered the coastal area as early as 1090. (The hilly parts to the north, generally known as Morgannwg – the Welsh name for Glamorgan – were absorbed later. Morgannwg was different in character, as it retained most of its Welsh gentry families instead of having them displaced by land-hungry Normans and their feudal system.)

Sadly, we know nothing of Gwenllian apart from her name, but her mother was Annes ferch John,  daughter of John “Gwyn” ap Gwilym of Rhiw’rperrai, Llanfedw, near Caerphilly. (One of those Morgannwg Welsh gentries just mentioned.) She was a descendant of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn (abt.1025-1075), Brenin of Gwynedd and Powys.

It may be that Gwenllian died when her child was born, or soon after. It would have been no disgrace for a Woodville (circa 1461) to marry a Stradling, but the likelihood is that Antony wanted or needed an heiress, which she was not.

Where Margaret grew up is not known, but quite possibly she was absorbed into the Woodville household as just another daughter of the house. In any event, she was married in 1479 to Sir Robert Poyntz of Iron Acton (1450-1520).

Poyntz was a member of a long-established Gloucestershire gentry family and held significant public office. For example, he was sheriff of the county on seven occasions. He was also Warden of the Forest of Dean and Constable of St. Briavels, offices which in earlier times had been held by men of much higher rank, such as Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester.

The couple had ten children together, but when Richard III became King of England Poyntz lost favour and offices, no doubt due to his Woodville connections. He joined the Buckingham rebellion and had to flee to a sanctuary. Pardoned, he nevertheless joined Henry Tudor at Bosworth and in time drew the rewards of victory, becoming firmly established in his sphere of influence.

Margaret predeceased her husband, but her exact date of death is not known. She had been generously dowered by her father, which perhaps explains why she was not mentioned in his will.

Poyntz died in 1520 and is buried in Gaunt‘s chapel in Bristol now known as the Lord Mayor’s Chapel. His and Margaret’s heraldry can still be seen there, and it is likely she is buried in the same location, although there is no direct evidence, as far as I am aware, that this is the case.