William the Marshal

William Marshal (aka Marshall) got his surname from being the Marshal to the King of England. Thus the name derives from an office which evolved from the once important job of managing horses and stables to an office giving the “power to order, judge, and determine all matters touching arms, ensigns of nobility, honour, and chivalry; to make laws, ordinances and statutes for the good government of the Officers of Arms; to nominate Officers to fill vacancies in the College of Arms; [and] to punish and correct Officers of Arms for misbehaviour in the execution of their places,” William Marshal was also made 1st Earl of Pembroke and was then referred to as the Earl Marshal.

William Marshal has been dubbed “England's greatest knight.” He played an important role in establishing Magna Carta as a pillar of English law. He became regent of the kingdom when the nine-year-old Henry III succeeded to the throne. He was invested in the order of Knights Templar shortly before his death and is buried in Temple Church, London. If you visit Temple Church, you can see his tomb effigy.

Decendants of John Throckmorton can claim William Marshal as an ancestor. This includes many with Marshall surname or ancestry, since there were a number of Throckmorton-Marshall marriages.