Vol 1: The Bluets - Lackham Countryside Centre

The Bluets 19
Church treated them as monks—that is, until the Council of
Toledo (656) forbade their acceptance before the age of
ten 61
It is noted that under the rule of the Council of Toledo Alda could not
have been entering Godstow as an oblate until 1159 (if her birth date was
1149), which is too late for the dates for this charter. If this charter
refers to Alda‘s nun’s dowery then she must necessarily have been born
before 1147, at the latest. It is noted that oblates had free permission to
leave the monastery, if they wished, when they reached the age of
puberty 62 and so she could have left the nunnery and married de Spencer
as suggested. However it is not possible for this sister to be a young girl;
Ralph I died around 1112, and even if this is not entirely correct he would
have been close to 100 in 1149, certainly not fathering children.
She cannot be a daughter of Ralph II because that would make the
charter by Ralph III, who is too young to be issuing charters in 1151-1157.
She must, therefore, be a sister to Ralph II and have been born by about
1110, which would make her between 40 and 50 at the time of this
charter. It is possible that she entered Godstow after William de
Spencer died. Unfortunately no trace of William de Spence.r apart from
the reference by Gearhart, has been found 63 either and the supposed
date of his death is unknown. All that can be said with any degree of
conviction is that Ralph II had a sister who was a nun of Godstow, she
might have been called Alda but this cannot be substantiated.
To turn to the children of Ralph II (see Fig. 7 below) and whichever of his
suggested wives was their mother - Ralph II died before 1157 and was
succeeded by his eldest son, Ralph III, who was important man in the
Marches. He took his father‘s place in the Marshal household.
61
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblate_(religion)
61 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblate_(religion)
63
There is a William de Spencer at the right period (born 1100) but he didn‘t
marry a Bluet, he married Alix Ala de Bourgogne.