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Marshall was
initially given the border castles of Chepstow and Usk when he married,
but when King Richard's brother, John, became king, he granted Marshall
the prestigious Earldom of Pembroke, and finally 5 years later, Goodrich
Castle. While improvements were doubtless made to the castle, King
John's reign became tempestuous, ending in the signing of the Magna
Carta in 1215. As a loyalist, William Marshall was very busy
handling the French invasion led by Prince Louis and the coronation of
nine-year-old Henry III, after John died in 1216. Marshall and
Isabella did, however, have time to have 5 sons and 5 daughters.
The sons all became Earls of Pembroke but they also died childless, and
Goodrich Castle passed briefly to John de Munchensi, the son of
Marshall's youngest (but late) daughter, Joan. When John died
childless, the castle passed to his young sister, Joan de Munchensi.
King Henry III arranged for Joan to marry a young knight from the
Poitiers, France area, who happened to be his half-brother. The
knight's name was William de Valence, and under William and Joan's care,
Goodrich would reach the pinnacle of favor and renovation. When
William died in 1296, the improvements to the castle were completed by
his widow and their son, Aymer de Valence.
In addition to the towers and curtain wall, the barbican
and gatehouse, as well as the spurs of several drum
towers, were added or improved.
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