Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk

Margaret, in her own right Countess of Norfolk (sometimes surnamed Brotherton or Marshal;c. 1320–24 March 1399), was the daughter and eventual sole heir of Thomas of Brotherton, eldest son of Edward I, by his second marriage. In 1338 she succeeded to the earldom of Norfolk and the office of Earl Marshal.

Margaret (b. about 1320), was the daughter of Thomas of Brotherton and Alice de Hales (d. in or before 1330). Her paternal grandparents were Edward I and Margaret (1279?–1318), daughter of Philippe III of France (d.1285). Her maternal grandparents were Roger de Hales of Hales Hall in Loddon, Roughton, Norfolk and Alice. She had a brother and sister:

In 1335 aged 15 (the typical age of marriage for maidens of that era), she was married to John Segrave, 4th Baron Segrave, and proceeded to have four children - two sons and two daughters - by him. In 1350, she sought a divorce on the ground that they had been contracted in marriage (in other words betrothed) before she was of marriageable age, and that she had never consented to cohabit with him. She made known her intention of traveling to the continent in order to plead personally with the Pope for a divorce. King Edward III prohibited her from leaving England, but she set off incognito anyway, having taken care to obtain a safe conduct from the King of France.

The following year (1351) Edward III charged her with having crossed the English Channel in contravention of his prohibition. The inquisition, regarding this incident, shows that Margaret unlawfully crossed the Channel and met with a servant of her future husband, Sir Walter de Mauny, who broke his lantern with his foot so she could pass unnoticed and acted as her guardian during her sojourn in France. This incident and the involvement of her future husband's retainer may indicate the real motivation for Margaret seeking a divorce.