In 1221 it appeared that Richard Butler was wounded in his own home by persons unknown. However, his wife accused William Rous a former
servant.

Matilda said that one evening she had gone for a walk in the garden with her maid while her husband stayed in the house and his daughter
washed his feet. Matilda had heard a noise and had returned to the house but at the door she had seen William Rous and another man with
swords drawn standing close to her husband. The men had chased them, Matilda managed to escape and hide but the maid was caught and tied
up. Richard had been seriously wounded and took some time to die because Matilda was summoned to the County Court twice before he died.
She failed to appear both times.

The jury did not believe this story because by all accounts hers was not a happy marriage. Richard and Matilda were always at strife and
Richard often beat Matilda accusing her of “light” behaviour. Matilda frequently went off to her father′s house or to
Robert Wayfer′s house (husband of her aunt) and Robert and William Wayfer and John Fuestone had taken Matilda back to Richard and
had threatened him.

The County Court believed that Matilda had bribed William Wayfer and John Fuestone to kill Richard but this affair was adjourned to the
King′s Court at Westminster because it was difficult and Matilda had refused to submit to trial by jury. Meanwhile Matilda remained
in custody of the Sheriff whilst bail was granted to the child Amice.

We have no record of what happened to these two men. It is likely they were exiled and perhaps made a pilgrimage to the “Holy Land”.

However, on 27 December 1221 The Sheriff of Gloucester was ordered to deliver Matilda to Elyas Giffard (grandfather) and Osbert Giffard
(Lord Brimsfield, her uncle). These with William Earl Marischal, William Earl of Salisbury, Osbert Giffard, Gilbert Giffard (uncle) and
Elyas de Cailleway(father) had sworn that before Easter Matilda would assume the habit of a Black Nun or that of the Convent of Semperingham
and that she would remain there for the rest of her life.

The power of influential friends and family shows up here. Perhaps being sent to a nunnery was the severest punishment for a woman of her class.

William Earl Marischal was the son of the Guardian of the Kingdom.
William Earl of Salisbury was William Longswood, son of Henry II by Rosamond Clifford (The fair Rosamund)
The Sheriff Ralph Musard was also related to the family by marriage. He was the brother of Isabella Musard, wife of Elyas Giffard.