A PLAQUE has been unveiled 800 years to the day after the death of one of the most important figures in Chepstow and the nation’s history.

The tribute designed and created by local potter Ned Heywood commemorates the man dubbed the ‘Greatest Knight’ – William Marshal, Lord of Striguil (Chepstow) and Earl of Pembroke, who was born around 1147 and died on May 14, 1219.

Marshall greatly expanded Chepstow Castle, which had been begun in 1067, just after the Norman Conquest.

He acquired the castle, and a lot of land in England and Wales, through his marriage to Isabel of Striguil, one of the wealthiest heiresses at the time.

He built the current gatehouse, probably including the doors, which are the oldest surviving in Europe and have been shown, using tree ring dating, to date to his time there, and also strengthened the castle defences in the middle bailey.

Marsall, whose tomb is in the Temple Church in London, has been hailed as the greatest knight in history, winning 500 tournaments in northern France, and playing a crucial role in the signing of Magna Carta in 1215, acting as a go-between between King John and the barons. His signature is the second on the document after the king’s.

When King John died in 1216, Marshall even acted as King of England in the position of regent for the young King Henry III and fought off a French claimant to the throne at the Battle of Lincoln when he was 70 years old.

He is also thought to have been the inspiration for Lancelot in the medieval Arthurian tales.

The plaque unveiled on Tuesday, May 14, will be cemented in place in a few weeks on a wall facing Chepstow Castle.