Lord Walter Mauny

Walter Mauny was a noble from Hainault who came to England in 1327, with Queen Philipa of Hainault the bride-to-be of Edward III (1327-1377). He proved himself as one of the ablest English captains of the Hundred Years' War, and, of course, his military ability brought him land and wealth.

Between 1332 and 1360, Mauny was almost continuously at war, either on land as one of Edward III senior commanders or at sea as an Admiral. He fought in Scotland, Brittany, Gascony, the Low Countries and at Calais. For his role in the wars of Edward III he received huge tracts of land. His wealth also increased by his marriage to Margaret Marshall, later the Duchess of Norfolk.

At the time of his death Walter Mauny was worth £15,000, 0.55% of net national income of £2.7m at the time. This would be worth £6.1bn in 2010.