Richard’s Castle, on the border of Shropshire and Herefordshire, was founded by a Norman knight called Richard Scrob or FitzScrob. This is how it received its name.
The manor eventually passed from Richard’s line and was owned by a junior branch of the Mortimers, the Mortimers of Attleborough. In 1264, Hugh Mortimer was forced to surrender it to Simon de Montfort, but the family eventually regained possession.
The last member of the male line was another Hugh Mortimer (abt 1271-1304.) What is remarkable about this last Hugh was that he was allegedly murdered by his wife by means of poison.
The family name of this wife, Maud or Matilda, is not known with any certainty. WikiTree suggests ‘Hereford’. The Complete Peerage, vol. 9 p. 265 and notes names her as a niece of William le Marshal, but does not cite a source. A letter from Edward II as Prince of Wales refers to ‘nostre chere cosine Dame Maud de Mortimer du Chastel Richard’ and tells his sister the Countess of Hereford that it is her duty to use her influence on behalf of Dame Maud.
Of course, medieval kings were sometimes free with terms like ‘cousin’ and ‘kinsman/woman’. It does not necessarily imply a close, blood relationship. However, one possibility is that Maud was a relation of Edward’s mother, Eleanor of Castile. It was not unknown for foreign-born queens to bring dependant relatives to England in their entourage.
This can only be speculation. What is known is that Maud was indicted at Hereford in 1304 for the poisoning of her husband and then the following summer was indicted at Westminster for inciting and sending her chamberlain William de Billebury and 10 others to murder Hugh de Kyngeshemede. She refused to plead and was sent to prison, but eventually received the King’s pardon on both counts.
The estates were divided between the surviving two daughters. Richard’s Castle itself passed to a cadet branch of the Talbots.
Sources:
Castles of Wales, Richard’s Castle
The New Murrey and Blue blog 
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