Matilda Maketh Joy

The Dance of Salome by Bennozzo Gozzoli, 1461-2

Matilda Makejoy was a professional acrobatic dancer, also called a salatrix, who performed at the courts of Edward I and Edward II. Very little is known of her background, except she must have been trained from an early age: she first danced before Prince Edward of Caernarfon at Ipswich in 1296, aged thirteen. The prince rewarded her with two shillings.

In early 1298 Matilda was part of a troop of dancers and musicians shipped over to Flanders, in the wake of the truce between Edward I and his rival, Philip the Fair of France. The entertainers performed before Edward and his allies, Count Guy of Flanders and Duke Jan II of Brabant, at the Christmas feast at Ghent. 

A Flemish poet, Lodewijk van Velthem, described the merry-making:

"...that these three rich lords held large feasts, with dinners and plays."

According to van Velthem, the allies competed to see who could hold the most magnificent feast. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Edward won first prize: he was a king, after all, and richer than any count or duke.

As a salatrix, Matilda would have 'made vaults' i.e. performed rhythmic movements to music, interspersed with spectacular gymnastic displays. These would have included jumps, leaps and somersaults, cartwheels, splits, handstands and walkovers. She would sometimes make use of props such as balls, bells, sticks or even knives and swords.

Matilda's companions were no less interesting. They included a 'citharist' supplied by Hugh Cressingham, Edward's treasurer of Scotland: Hugh was sadly absent from the party, since he had been (allegedly) flayed and turned into a belt by William Wallace. A cither was a type of necked string instrument; the pic below shows a man playing a cythara, from the Stuttgart Psalter. The Welsh variant was called a crwth. 

Other players are listed as Grease-Coat, Maggot and Pearl in the Eye, the latter possibly signifying blindness. They were probably sent home soon after the Christmas festivities, although Matilda remained in royal service until at least 1311, when she and two musicians, Richard Pilke and his wife, performed at Ipswich and Framingham Castle. Afterwards she vanishes from the record, perhaps (we may hope) into a comfortable retirement.