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Sir Richard Malins (1805–1882), )

Sir Richard Malins was a lawyer at Temple and Lincoln's Inn in London, but showed "undue loquicity" according to a Times obituary, which notes that his decisions were frequently reversed on appeal. He was elected as a Conservative MP for Wallingford in July 1852, standing as a supporter of agricultural protection, and held the seat until July 1865, when he was defeated by Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke. Malins spoke frequently in parliament, including his opposition to the Divorce Bill of 1857. He took two bills through parliament into law: the Infants' Marriage Settlements Act, in 1855, and the Married Women's Reversionary Property Act in 1857: these were known as 'Malins's acts'.

Barbara Hastings Mallowan (1908–1993)

Sir Max Edgar Lucien Mallowan (1904–1978)

British archaeologist who made major contributions as an excavator and educator. While working at an excavation at Ur, he met the novelist Agatha Christie, who he later married. They lived at Winterbrook House on the Reading Road out of Wallingford. From 1932 to 1938, Mallowan, while working for the British Museum, excavated several relatively little-known archaeological sites which included Arpachiyah, Chagar Bazar, and Tell Brak. Mallowan also worked in the Near East, primarily at Nimrud. Later he became Professor of West Asiatic Archaeology at the University of London. He wrote several books on his archaeological experience. When Christie died, he married his mistress, Barbara Parker, also an archaeologist.

Max Mallowan, on the cover of a biography by Henrietta McCall

Margaret of Anjou (1429-1482)

Margaret, the Queen of Henry VI, was the fifth child of René Count of Anjou, and Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine, and was born at Nancy . William de la Pole arranged her marriage to Henry. When the king began to suffer from mental illness in 1448, she ruled with de la Pole, then minister of the crown, until 1450 when de la Pole was ordered to leave the country, and murdered on his way abroad. When Henry VI was executed in 1471, Margaret was imprisoned at Wallingford Castle , where her warder was Alice de la Pole, wife of John. She was eventually freed when her father René paid a ransom.
http://www.britannia.com/bios/manjou.html
http://tudorhistory.org/people/anjou/

Margaret of Anjou

William Henry Margetson (1861-1940)

Painter, illustrator and designer, who lived in Wallingford, having moved to Blewbury in 1914. His wife, born Helen Hatton, was also an artist.
http://en.easyart.com/art-prints/artists/William-Henry-Margetson-4857.html
http://www.artinaclick.com/artist/bio.asp?fk_artist=7250
http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/art.asp?aid=3157

Thomas Marshall (d. 1539)

Mother of Henry II, cousin of King Stephen, against whom she fought a civil war for the English throne, to which she had a strong claim as Henry I's only surviving child. When Stephen was captured in 1141 she was declared Queen or "Lady of the English". However, she is said to have treated Londoners in a haughty way, and Stephen's supporters rose again. Her supporters included Brien FitzCount who was based at Wallingford Castle. She famously escaped from besiegement at Oxford Castle and fled across a snowbound landscape to Wallingford in 1142.
http://www.btinternet.com/~timeref/hpr162.htm
http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon25a.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/matilda_queen.shtml
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/matilda.html
http://www.yorkist.com/bios/scroll15.html

Empress Matilda

Matilda la Leche fl. 1232

Matilda la Leche (the description la leche indicating she was a medical practitioner), of Wallingford was assessed for taxes in 1232. This makes her one of the earliest female doctors to be recorded in the UK.

Maurice of Berkeley (1271-1326)

Maurice III 'The Magnanimous' De Berkeley 7th Lord Berkeley  took part with Audely and Mortimer in the rebellion directed against Edward II's favourites, the Despensers. In 1322 he was tricked into to going to meet the King at Cirencester with a promise of safe conduct, but was seized and committed to prison in the castle of Wallingford, and all his property seized by the King. Maurice remained in prison at Wallingford, although several attempts were made to rescue him, until May 1326, when he died there. His remains were at first interred at Wallingford, but later moved.
http://www.rotwang.co.uk/hob_chapter_02.html

James McClure (1939–2006)

James H. McClure was born in South Africa, where he worked as a journalist. He came to England in 1965 and worked for "The Oxford Times", but later became a writer of crime fiction. His first novel, "The Steam Pig", won the CWA Gold Dagger in 1971. Many of his novels featured Afrikaner Lieutenant Tromp Kramer and Zulu Detective Sergeant Mickey Zondi. He lived in Wallingford.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_H._McClure

A book by James McClure

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (1208 –1265)

In 1238 Montfort married Eleanor, daughter of King John and Isabella and sister of Henry III. Montfort led the barons in opposition to Henry III, and gained control of Wallingford Castle, where in 1264 he imprisoned both Henry and Prince Edward, later to be Edward I. Edward was transferred to Kenilworth Castle, and later escaped. Montfort was killed at the Battle of Evesham by Edward’s forces.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/overview_middleages_04.shtml
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/NORmontfort.htm

Simon de Montfort

Mark Morrell (1771–1843)

Mark Morrell and his brother James (c. 1773-1855), brewers, were born in Wallingford. Their father Mark Morrell (1737–1787) was a subtenant of mills at Wallingford, as was his father. Mark Morrell senior had been a part-time brewer, but as Wallingford was already dominated by the Wells family brewery, they moved to Oxford, setting up the Morrells Brewery that ran in the city until 1998.

Roger de Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (1287 –1330)

Plotted with Queen Isabella, his lover, against her husband, Edward II and the influence of Hugh the younger Despsenser and his father. He ordered an unsuccesful attack on Wallingford Castle in 1323 to rescue Maurice of Berkeley. Isabella, to whom Edward II given Wallingford Castle, later made Mortimer constable of the Castle. Mortimer is thought to have been responsible for Edward’s death.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Mortimer,_1st_Earl_of_March
http://www.mortimer.co.uk/family/medieval.htm