Margaret de Neville, also Margaret de Longvillers and domina Margareta de Nevill (c. 1252 – February 1318/1319) was an English landowner in Yorkshire and Lancashire during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Her inheritance helped to consolidate the power and influence of the

House of Neville The Neville or Nevill family (originally FitzMaldred) is a noble house of early medieval origin, which was a leading force in English politics in the later Middle Ages. The family became one of the two major powers in northern England and played a ...

Biography

Margaret de Longvillers (also spelt Lungvilliers) was born in Farnley,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, either in or prior to 1252.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volumes''. Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd (1999), vol. 1, p.13. She was the daughter and heir of John de Lungvilliers and inherited land in

Hornby Hornby may refer to: Places In England * Hornby, Lancashire * Hornby, Hambleton, village in North Yorkshire * Hornby, Richmondshire, village in North Yorkshire Elsewhere * Hornby, Ontario, community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canad ...

as well as other property in Lancashire, the West Riding of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, upon his death in 1255. This included estates at

Cononley Cononley ( or ) is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Cononley is in the Aire Valley south of Skipton and with an estimated population of 1,080 (20 ...

Farnhill Farnhill is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near Sutton-in-Craven and about south-east of Skipton. Farnhill is also across the canal from Kildwick and there is a church in Kildwick. ...

, Gargrave,

Cleckheaton Cleckheaton is a town in the Metropolitan borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Bradford, east of Brighouse, west of Batley and south-west of Leeds. It is a ...

, Farnley and Armley. Margaret married

Geoffrey de Neville Geoffrey de Neville (died c. 1225) was an English nobleman who served as King's Chamberlain and Seneschal of Gascony and Périgord. Life Neville was a younger son of Alan de Neville and a daughter of the lord of Pont Audemer. Neville is fir ...

(son of

and Joan of Monmouth) prior to 1267. It was their marriage that consolidated the wealth and position of the

. Margaret and Geoffrey had six surviving children. After the death of her husband c.1285, Margaret worked vigorously to keep control of her estates. However this control was on the condition of being granted a licence by the crown should she remarry. In 1285 she "had writ for livery" at Hornby Castle. In 1288/9 she settled the manor of

Hutton Magna Hutton Magna is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. Situated south east of Barnard Castle. Lying within the historic boundaries of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the village along with the rest of the former Startforth Rura ...

on herself for life. In 1293 a licence was granted to her so it is likely she remarried. In 1294 she was obliged to provide military service in Gascony, and in 1300 against the Scots. The ''Coucher Book of Bolton Abbey'' has some of her charitable giving recorded in it. When leaving her name there instead of describing herself as 'wife of ...' or 'daughter of ...' Margaret de Neville used her own names, both " domina Margareta de Longvl" and "domina Margareta de Nevill". Margaret de Neville died in 1318 or 1319 and was possibly buried at Bolton Abbey. At her funeral 1440 gallons of ale were distributed to the poor. The prior of

Bolton Priory Bolton Priory, whose full title is The Priory Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert, Bolton Abbey is a Grade I listed parish church of the Church of England in Bolton Abbey (village), within the Yorkshire Dales National Park in North Yorkshire, Engl ...

was an executor of her will. After her death there was a dispute over who would inherit the manor of Farnley.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neville, Margaret de People from Leeds 13th-century English women Margaret de 13th-century women landowners People from Farnley, Leeds 1250s births 1310s deaths 13th-century English landowners