Tomb of Mabilia de Murdak - Gayton Northamptonshire

The Tomb of Mabilia de Murdak (also spelled Mabilla or Mabila) is a small 14th-century medieval monument. The tomb is part of a collection of stone memorials in the north chapel (or Gayton Chapel), which includes effigies of local nobility tied to dramatic family events, such as murder and pilgrimage.

The tomb features a diminutive freestone effigy of a young girl, approximately child-sized (under 3 feet tall), depicting Mabilia as a veiled infant or toddler. She is shown in a loose gown and mantle, with her hands clasped in prayer, symbolizing innocence and piety, a common motif in medieval child memorials. The figure is finely carved, possibly by a local or regional sculptor, and rests on a simple plinth. 

Discovered in 1830 embedded in the exterior east wall of the chancel (during church restorations), the effigy was relocated and reset above a larger tomb recess in the north chapel. It now overlooks the grander effigy of her aunt (or grandmother) Scholastica de Gayton, who is depicted as an adult woman in a similarly draped gown under a multi-moulded pointed arch. The recess is richly detailed with bold mouldings and foliated designs, typical of early 14th-century English Gothic architecture.

This tomb is a rare surviving example of a medieval child effigy in England, offering insight into 14th-century mourning practices for noble infants amid family tragedy. It contrasts with the more elaborate adult tombs in the church, highlighting themes of lost potential.

Mabilia was the daughter of Thomas de Murdak and Juliana de Gayton, who was herself a daughter of Sir Philip de Gayton (d. 1316), a prominent local knight who undertook a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in the early 14th century. The de Gayton family held significant land in Gayton, and their tombs commemorate a turbulent chapter. Juliana was accused of murdering her first husband, Thomas de Murdak, in 1316 with the aid of servants. She later married one of them, John de Veaux, but the pair were tried for the crime in 1321, leading to Juliana's execution by hanging at Tyburn in London. Mabilia, born before these events, appears to have survived into childhood, and her memorial was likely created around the mid-14th century. Historical accounts of the family scandals have become muddled over time, with some later folklore even conflating Juliana with her sister Scholastica (d. 1354, wife of Godfrey de Meaux) as a "witch" executed by burning.