Isabel Fitz Gilbert de Clare

     Isabel Fitz Gilbert de was born in 1172. She was described as pleasant, gentle, and attractive. She was the daughter of Richard de Clare 2nd Earl of Pembroke and Aoife MacMurrough. After her brother Gilbert's death in 1185, she became one of the wealthiest heiresses in the kingdom, owning besides the titles of Pembroke and Striguil, in her own right, much land in Wales and Ireland. She also inherited the numerous castles on the inlet of Milford Haven, guarding the South Channel, including Pembroke Castle. As an heiress King Henry II made Isabel a ward of the crown. Isabel Fitz Gilbert de married William Marshall 4th Earl of Pembroke., son of John Marshall and Sybilla de Salisbury, in 1189. She and William were blessed with 10 children. Isabel departed this life in 1220 in Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Dyfed, Wales, at Pembroke Castle. She was buried in Village of Tintern, Monmouthshire, Wales, in Tintern Abbey. Tintern Abbey was built and an order of Cistercian monks were established and funded there by the de Clare family.