stanhopefamilyorigins

                    THE ORIGINS OF THE STANHOPE FAMILY

                               With some account of the associated families of

               Beaumont, Bertram, Colville, Crispin, Everly, Mowbray, and Percy.

                                                                       By

                                                          Michael Stanhope.

                    Dedicated to the memory of Philip Henry Stanhope, 1805-1875.

                                With gratitude to the staff of the British Library.

 

INTRODUCTION

I began this history of the Stanhope family in 2005, many years from when my curiosity about the origin of my family name was first kindled. On rare occasions, when visiting my paternal grandmother's very small cottage, I was amazed to see very large oil paintings of people dressed in ancient ways. There was also the puzzle of the 16th Century furniture, and the enormous horse brasses that so dominated the small hearth. More intriguing still was the little mentioned story of the great hall where these anomalies originated, and of my family's connection to it.

However great my interest in the Stanhope family, I must echo the words of an earlier Stanhope chronicler, and admit this to be a work of limited interest, intended only to appeal to those now or formerly called Stanhope; or those of the families of Beaumont, Bertram, Crispin, Percy, Mowbray, Everly, and Colville, who shared their ancient ancestry, that they might feel a sense of continuity in a changing world, and a sense of pride in their Northern roots. For it seems fitting for descendants of a Northern Race that the lineage and deeds of their forefathers would be of interest to them, and would always be kept in memory: Our children are taught all manner of foreign culture, without trouble taken to make them familiar with their own people.

This account commences with the story of people who lived in the 8th and 9th Century Norway, and, by way of Normandy, established themselves as feudal lords in medieval England. Such Norman lineage was poorly recorded by English scribes, and confusion was increased by the replication of names; a son would often be called after his father or grandfather, a daughter, if recorded at all, after her mother or grandmother. Also, much knowledge of these early times comes from monastic works, and, just like today's newspapers or television newscasts, what was reported depended on the particular bias of those reporting it. It should also be realised that the forgery of charters and the creative composition of family histories was a flourishing business on both sides of the English Channel, both before and after 1066. Therefore, it is not possible to absolutely prove or disprove ancient genealogies by quoting written sources of evidence. We cannot just say what truth there may be in these, and those who would seek to claim or disclaim with certainty any family history are in the wrong field of research.

Thus, I can not be liable as to the utmost accuracy of the information given herein, and no warranty is implied; any reader of it must accept this as a condition of reading it. As with all such accounts, it is an indication of what might have been rather than what definitely was. In the same way, the earlier part of this history includes some dates of birth and death that are estimates based on linking people to recorded events of their time; a process of inference and computation.

This account includes many genealogical tables, detailing our common ancestry, its diversification into various lineages, and connections to families of historical renown, such as those of William the Conqueror, King Alfred, and Emperor Charlmagne.

Lastly, by way of introduction, I in no way wish to serve up a dry account, an arid and meaningless catalogue of unexplained events; one which simply states who begat who. The aim of any history, even a small one as this, should be to stir interest and appreciation, for without that all study of the past is dead and labour lost. Where possible, I will give information about people, both men and women, and their deeds and motives, so that those mentioned may leave a permanent mark in our mind.

 

i. THE JARLS

Until the 880s there were no kings in Norway, though ancient sagas gave this title to a jarl - a Scandinavian earl - who ruled over one of the numerous small territories of Norway. Their principal occupation was to fight other jarls, in the hope of acquiring their land. Land ownership was vitally important. Land was the major provider of wealth, and wealth was the sole means of securing the loyalty of those who fought for you. The present-day Mafia boss would understand the importance of this. The warring jarls also understood that when their quarrels reached stalemate, another tactic, in securing and adding to their land, was to marry a son or daughter advantageously. As you continue to read, you will see the repeated interlinking of a relatively small number of families, so as to protect and acquire land.

The following account of the Jarls of Norway derives from Norse sagas. One point of view is that the sagas are not accurate accounts of history, and contain their fair share of exaggeration. An alternative view is that the sagas accurately portray historical events, being passed from generation to generation in verse before being later committed to parchment without any alteration. [Knut Liestol, Origin of the Icelandic Family Sagas, 1930.] I would expect the truth to lay between thes two extremes, perhaps on the side of their accuracy, for one of the most remarkable features of these sagas is that they offer a consistent account of the families and events associated with them. They can be best viewed as historical novels - embellished, especially when speeches are assigned to leading characters, but not without historical substance.

The preface to the Heimskringla of Snorri Sturlason gives the case for sagas as accurate portrayals of historical events: 'In this book I have had old stories written down, as I have heard them told by intelligent people, concerning chiefs who have have held dominion in the northern countries, and who spoke the Danish tongue; and also concerning some of their family branches, according to what has been told me. Some of this is found in ancient family registers, in which the pedigrees of kings and other personages of high birth are reckoned up, and part is written down after old songs and ballads which our forefathers had for their amusement. Now, although we cannot just say what truth there may be in these, yet we have the certainty that old and wise men held them to be true. [Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla, or The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway, c. 1225, English translation by Samuel Laing, 1844. See also F. W. Horn, History of the literature of the Scandinavian North, from the most ancient of times to the present, 1884.]

n.b. Heimskringla is comprised of a number of sagas, such as Ynglinga Saga, Halfdan The Black Saga, and Harald Harfager's Saga. They will be quoted henceforth, as translated in Laing's work.

 

ii. HALFDAN OLAFSSON

The jarl who I would now like to introduce as an ancestor of the Stanhopes, as well as many other families, including many of the Royal Houses of Europe, is Halfdan Olafsson, 704-772, Jarl of Vestfold, Ringerike, Hadeland, and the Opplands, whose name denotes that he was of half-Danish origin.

Although it is possible to trace his ancestry to much earlier times, if taking as true he was of Yngling lineage, it would seem safer to commence our account with him. 'His ancestry is quite dubious, for his name constitutes a break in the alliterative series of names in the Yngling royal stem - Egil, Ottar, Adils, Eystein, Yngvar, Anund, Ingjald, Olav: Halfdan.' [Thomas D. Kendrick, A History of the Vikings, p. 106, 2004.] It would seem probable that Halfdan was of a powerful family; interlopers in the lands they either conquered, or acquired through marriage.

Halfdan Olafsson married Aasa Eysteinsdottir, 710-766, the daughter of Eystein The Severe Throndsson, 683-724, Jarl of the Opplands, and Sloveig Halfdansdottir, 688-740. The Oppland region occupies central-southern Norway, and does not border on the sea. It contains the Jotunheimen, Rondane, and Dovrefjell mountains. Cutting the high ground are two major valleys, Gudbrandsdalen and Valdres. Oppland remained isolated and sparsely populated throughout the Viking Age, and is still a region of solitude and wilderness. Halfdan 'lived to be an old man, and died in his bed at Toten, from whence his body was transported to Vestfold, and was buried under a mound at a place called Skaereid, at Skiringsale.' [Ynglinga Saga, ch. 49.] Halfdan ordered the building of a pagan temple at Skaerid, and a little more about early Norse beliefs may be of interest, so as to build up a better understanding of our ancestors in our imaginations.

 

iii. THE LAST BATTLE

Chief among the gods is Odin. His wife is called Frigg, and his sons are called Thor and Baldur. Thor, the god of thunder, is the strongest of the gods, and is always at war with the giants. He is armed with his strength belt Megingjord, and the hammer Mjolner, which, like a boomerang, always returns to his hand after a throw.

There are other gods in the family, like Forsete, son of Baldur, who is the god of justice. The silent Vidar rules over the lower regions, where the last battle of Ragnorak will be held.

The Valkyries are other-world-beings who seek out those most worthy to fight with Odin in this battle. They are the Choosers of the Slain; beautiful young women who scout the battlefields on winged horses to choose those who died bravely. They escort these heroes, called the Einherjar, to Valhalla, Hall of the Slain, where they prepare for the battle of Ragnarok.

On the day of Ragnarok, the bravest of the Einherjar will march out of Valhalla to battle the enemies of the gods. Valhalla has five hundred and forty doors. When the battle commences, eight hundred warriors will march shoulder to shoulder out of each door.

Ragnarok will be preceded by Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters. Three such winters will follow each other, with no summers in between. Conflicts and feuds will break out, even between families, and all morality will disappear. This is the beginning of the end.

 

iv. THE DESCENDANTS OF HALFDAN

Halfdan and Aasa had issue Eystein Halfdansson, 725-780, Jarl of Vestfold, Ringerike, Hadeland, and the Opplands. He married Hild Ericsdottir, 730-790, her name deriving from the Old Norse Hildr, meaning battle, daughter of Eric Agnarsson, Jarl of the Vend district of Vestfold. Eric had no son, and, on his death, Halfdan and Eystein took possession of the whole of Vestfold, which Eystein ruled until his untimely death. What happened was that Eystein, not being content with his own fiefdom, had raided the lands of Jarl Skjold of Varna. Skjold was not the sort of man to send for a lawyer. He gave chase in his longship. Eystein was not to be caught, however, being struck by the boom of one of his own ships sailing alongside, thus killing him. 'His men fished up his body, and it was carried into Borre, where a mound was thrown up over it, out towards the sea at Raden, near Vodle. [Ynglinga Saga, ch. 51.] This was of tremendous importance, for what gave future generations legitimacy to rule was that it was their ancestor buried in the mound; a very visible form of importance.

His funeral rites would have been attended by a large number of kinsmen and followers. To this latter class he was their godord, or chieftain. He would share any newly acquired land among them. He was president over their parliament, called Thing, wherein any man who carried arms could speak, and had a right to be judged by his peers. Although kinsmen might be bound by blood, any follower had a right to change their godord. In this way, Eystein was not a feudal lord, but, rather, someone compelled to be a successful provider. His funeral would have been attended by a number of unfree men, who were serfs rather than a slaves, and could own a house and smallholding of their own.

Eystein and Hild had issue:

1. Siegfried Eysteinsson, 745-798, whom is identified as Sigfridi regis Danorum. [Annales Fuldenses, 782.] The family's half-Danish ancestry seems to be confirmed by Siegfried's accession to the Danish throne.

2. Halfdan Eysteinsson, 746-800, Jarl of Vestfold, Ringerike, Hadeland, and the Opplands. He was born in Vestfold at a place called Holtar, the present Holtan in Borre, and is buried under a mound at Borre. He was known as a great warrior who often pillaged and gathered great booty. His nicknames were Halfdan The Mild, signifying his generous nature, and Halfdan The Bad Entertainer. There seems to be a contradiction here, but I think it is easily explained. He was generous to his men by way of rewarding them with money and land, but, when they were guests at his house, they received rather stingy amounts of food and drink. This could have been due to him encouraging their fitness, or, more likely, that his wife, Hlif Dagsdottir, 748-810, whose name derived from the Old Norse Hilfar, meaning shield, ran an extremely economical household. She was the daughter of Jarl Dag of Vestmar.

3. Harald Eysteinsson, 746-804, killed in a battle in the Irish Sea, who married Imhild Von Engern, 760-812, daughter of Warnechin Graf von Engern and Kunhilde von Rügen. Their issue were: Halfdan Haraldsson, 770-810, who was killed in the battle of Walcheren. Harald Haraldsson, who was murdered in 804. Holger Haraldsson, who died in battle in 807.

Halfdan Haraldsson's children were:

Hemming Halfdansson, who was killed in the Battle of Walcheren, 837.

Harald Halfdansson, nicknamed Klak, meaning complainer, who was was killed in the Battle of Walcheren, 844. He was also known by the appelations of Hericus, Heriold, and Heriolt. His children were: Godfried [de Guines] Haraldsson. Rolf Haraldsson. [Annales Bertiniani, 864.] Guthorm Haraldsson, who was killed in battle against Horic I. in 854. Ingebord Haraldsdottir. Thorny Haraldsdottir.

Reginfred Halfdannson, who briefly shared joint regency of Denmark with his brother, Harald. He was killed in battle in 814.

Anulo Halfdansson, killed in battle in 812.

Rorik Halfdansson. He was granted Dorstad by Emperor Lothar in 850, having previously been expelled from this fief. He undertook to protect this part of Frisia from further Viking attack, but lacked the military power to fulfill this obligation. In 857, three years after the accession of Horik II., he gained land around Hedeby, and held most of Northern Frisia. It is often claimed that he was the founder of the Russian State. [N. T. Belaiew, Saga-book of Viking Society, x., pt. ii., p. 267, 1925-7.]

4. Geva Eysteinsdottir, 749-816, who married Duke Wittikind of Westphalia, principal progenitor of the Dukes of Saxony. Their daughter was Hasala von Wettin, 765-827, who married Duke Bruno II. of Saxony, 756-813. Their son was Duke Bruno III. of Saxony, 780-844, who married Susanna de Montfort-sur-Risle, 790-847. They had issue: Count Ludolf I. of East Saxony, 806-864, who married Oda of Thuringia, 816-869. Their daughter was Luitgarde of Saxony, 851-905, who married King Louis II. of France, 846-879 - son of King Charles II. of France, 823-877, and Ermentrude de Orléans, 823-869 - their son being King Charles III. of France, 879-929.

Halfdan and Hlif had three sons:

Firstly, Gudrod The Hunter Halfdansson, 770-810. The Norwegian historian, P. A. Munch, identified this Gudrod with Godefrid [Gottrick] Halfdannson, who was assassinated in 810. He succeeded his uncle as Godefrid, King of the Danes. In the first year of his government the Saxons rebelled, and he raised a powerful army to suppress them, which he soon effected, by giving them a signal overthrow, and obliging them, upon the birth of a Danish prince, to send a present to the king of an hundred milk white horses, in token of their submssiion and vassalage to the crown of Denmark. After many years of conflict, in 827, the kingship of Denmark fell to Godefrid's son, Horic I.

He married Alfhildr Alfarinsdottir, 772-807, a daughter of King Alfarin of Alfheim, a district between the Glommen and Gotha rivers. He got with her half the district of Vingulmark. They had a son named Olaf Gudrodsson, 790-841. 'He was a great warrior, and an able man; and was besides remarkably handsome, very strong and large of growth.' [Ynglinga Saga, ch. 54.] 

Olaf succeeded his father in Vestfold when he was about 20 years old. He died of a wound to his foot, and was buried at Geirstad, which has been identified with the existing Gjerstad, near Skiringsale. Great warrior or not, he lost a great part of his father's possessions, and only ruled over Vestmar - a southern portion of Vestfold. His son was Ragnvald [Mountain High] Olafsson, 809-862.

Gudrod Halfdansson married, secondly, Aasa Haraldsdottir, 788-840. Gudrod proposed marriage to Aasa, daughter of Harald Redbeard, Jarl of Agder, after the death of his first wife, but was refused. Gudrod then invaded Agder, killed Harald and his son, Gyrd, and abducted and married Aasa. Gudrod was killed when his son by Aasa was one year old, by one of his wife's servants, whom she had bribed: 'He lay with his ship in Stiflesund, where they had been drinking hard, so that the king was very tipsy. In the evening, about dark, the king left the ship; and when he had got to the end of the gangway from the ship to the shore, a man ran against him, thrust a spear through him, and killed him. The man was instantly put to death, and in the morning when it was light the man was discovered to be Aasa's page-boy: nor did she conceal that it was done by her orders.' [Ynglinga Saga, ch. 53.]

Aasa was the queen who was buried in the famous Oseberg ship, which has been dated to c. 840.

Gudrod's son by Aasa was Halfdan The Black Gudrudsson, 809-849, so called by reason of his black hair. He was notably stout and strong. After his father's death, his mother took him to Agder, where he became Jarl, when aged eighteen. His first action as jarl was the conquest of all the lands his father had lost, after which time he went to Vestfold and shared that kingdom with his older half-brother, Olaf. His conquests did not end here, however, as is first marriage to Ragnhild Haraldsdottir, daughter of Harald Gulskeg, Jarl of Sogn, brought him that territory, which is situated in the west of Norway.

He died, aged 40, after falling through the ice as he rode over Rykinsvik bight.

He had married, secondly, Ragnhild Sigurdsdottir, 825-860, daughter of Sigurd The Stag Helgasson, 805-855, and Thorny Haraldsdottir, 810-872, daughter of the above mentioned Harald Klak Halfdansson, Gudrod's second cousin. Sigurd The Stag was the son of Helge Hvasse, 780-820, and Aslaug Sigurdsdottir, 790-837; daughter of Sigurd Dragon Eye Ragnarsson, 770-825. Halfdan The Black Gudrudssonson and Ragnhild Sigurdsdottir were the parents of Harald Halfdansson, 839-c.921, a.k.a Harald Harfager, King of Norway. He succeeded his father as Jarl of Vestfold when he was about 10 years old.

Secondly, Sigurd Halfdansson, who was killed in the Battle of Bardowick. 810. King Godefrid's brother is named Sigurd in Europäische Stammtafeln. [ES II. 104.] His son was Hemming Sigurdsson, who was killed in battle in 812. The Gesta Francorum states that he succeeded his uncle in 810. Another son of Sigurd Halfdansson was Sigfrid Sigurdsson. Einhard's Annales record that, at the news of the death of Hemming, Sigfid and his second cousin, Anulo, both claimed the succession, and that the faction supporting Anulo was victorious, with his brothers Harald Klak and Reginfred being installed as joint rulers of Denmark.   

Thirdly, Ivar Halfdansson, 777-840, Jarl of the Opplands. He married Solveig Eysteinsdottir, 790-855, daughter of Eystein Hognasson, Jarl of Trondheim. Trondheim is situated in central Norway, which is a dramatic fjiord-riven plateau.

Ivar and Solveig's son was Eystein Ivarsson, 815-872, Jarl of the Opplands. He married his close kinswoman  Aseda Ragnvaldsdottir, 830-875, who was the daughter of the above mentioned Ragnvald Mountain High Olafsson, and Thora Sigurdsdottir, 815-875, of Jutland. Thora Sigurdsdottir was the sister of Aslaug Sigurdsdottir, see above, being a younger daughter of Sigurd Dragon Eye Ragnarsson, who was the son of the legendary Ragnar Lobrok, 748-794, ruler of lands in Denmark and Sweden:

The English Chronicles state that a fleet of Vikingar was wrecked on the coast of Northumbria in 794. The Lodbrokar-Quida names the leader of this fleet as Ragnar Lodbrok, who was put to death by being thrown into a pit of adders, on the orders of a Saxon noble named Ella. n.b. This Ella should not be confused with the King Ella who began to reign in Northumberland seventy years afterwards. 'It would seem that this apparent anachronism can only be reconciled by the supposition that the Ella spoken of in the Icelandic sagas was some other Saxon prince of that name, all those of the blood royal being called kings by the Saxons.' ...... It is probable that the chieftain whose exploits have been confounded with the more ancient Ragnar, was a prince of Jutland, whose real name was Ragenfred, who was expelled from his dominions during the reign of Harald Klak, became a sea-king, and subsequently invaded France during the reign of Louis-le-Debonare.' [Henry Wheaton, History of the Northmen, pp. 150-151, 1831. Henry Wheaton quotes as authority: Suhm, Historie af Danmark, tom. iii. p. 676. Muller, Saxos og Snorros Kilder, p. 158. Geijr, Svea Rikes Hafder, tom. i. p. 595.]

Eystein Ivarsson and Aseda Ragnvaldsdottir had issue:

1. Ragnvald Eysteinsson, 845-894, a.k.a. Rognwald or Raungwalder, whose wife was Ragnhild Hrolfsdottir, 848-910, a.k.a. Hildir, daughter of Hrolf Nefja, 820-870, and mother of Rolf Ragnvaldsson. Ragnvald also had several concubines, lesser wives, the first of which was his cousin Emina Gudrodsdottir, 850-900.

2. Sigurd Eysteinsson, 850-892, who was the first Jarl of Orkney, and was also known as Sigurd The Mighty.

3. Malahule Eysteinsson, 852-920, who became widely known as Malahule of More.

4. Schwanhilde Eysteinsdottir, 855-900, who was one of the wives of her second cousin, King Harald of Norway. Their g.g.g. grandaughter, Thora Thorbergsdottir, was the wife of Harald Hardraada, 1015-25/9/1066, King of Norway, who was killed in at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, near York, attempting to gain the Crown of England. Their son was Olaf III., 1045-1093, King of Norway.

* Emina Gudrodsdottir was the daughter of Gudrod Ragnvaldsson, 829-865, brother of Aseda Ragnvaldsdottir, son of the above mentioned Ragnvald Olafsson and Thora Sigurdsdottir. It has been wrongly misinterpreted that Emina was a slave. Harald Harfager's Saga, ibid., does not state Hrollager Ragnvaldsson's mother was a slave, only that she was a concubine/lesser wife of Ragnvald: 'Earl Ragnvald had also three sons by concubines, the one called Hallad, the second Einar, the third Hrollaug; and all three were grown men when their brothers born in marriage were still children.' Marriages to near relatives were often contracted to further strengthen alliances between powerful families. Emina Gudrodsdottir was the mother of Hrollager Ragnvaldsson.

* Likewise, Einar is often mentioned as a son of Groa, a slave of Ragnvald. A common form of mistranslation of early Norse works arises from a noun being used instead of an adjective. Laing's translation of Heimskringla correctly states that Einar's mother's kin were 'slavish'. This adjective can be interpreted in any number of ways, and does not necessarily imply that he was the son of a slave. It was a a most virulent form of abuse to call an individual or race slavish at a time when servility was so disparaged. It seems most likely that Einar's maternal ancestors were of a conquered people.

* It can be noted that Norwegian Vikings were essentially farmers. They did not spend all of their time plundering. They lived in scattered settlements along the coastal fringes, which were the only areas fit for agriculture. The eastern coastal regions supported the growing of wheat and barley, whilst the colder western regions lent themselves to the rearing of sheep and cattle, which, for purposes of mutual warmth, were often allowed into the farmstead. The farmstead had gently curving walls, like an upturned boat. Its outer wall comprised of free standing stones; wooden planks formed the inner wall, with the cavity being filled with grass and moss. There was an overhanging wooden roof. The windows were of transparent mica. At the centre of the house was the earth, raised up on stones, around which the family gathered to listen to tales of heroism. Sleeping compartments were behind wooden doors, locked from within. For men, much of the year was taken up by fishing and hunting, whilst women tended the farm.

 

v. NORSE WOMEN

Before more is said, I feel it is important to redress the lack of mention of women in many genealogical histories. Women in Norse society had a very important role. As mentioned, marriages were essentially made for economic gain, and were not often love-matches, although it is possible that some great objection might have swayed a doting father. The first stage in the marriage process was a proposal to the girl's legal guardian, usually her father. If he favoured it, the girl's consent might be sought. There followed a betrothal ceremony during which the guardian shook hands before witnesses with the suitor. The girl was not present. At this meeting, the size of the girl's dowry was fixed, as well as the size of the price, called mundr, paid to the girl's family by the groom. In Norway, the minimum amount of mundr was twelve ounces of silver, called the poor man's price. The mundr matched to some degree the size of the dowry. It remained the property of the wife, and would form part of the inheritance of her children.

A girl was both a part and possession of her family, and her reputation was highly valued. Attention paid to a girl was severely frowned upon. If a proper proposal of marriage did not follow such attention, revenge might be sought by the girl's male relatives.

A Norse women held complete power in her household. She would also manage their land when her husband was away marauding. If her husband mistreat her, she could divorce him and return to her family. On another level, she was also well groomed and bathed regularly. She would wear a linen or woollen chemise, and probably drawers and hose, kept up with ties, and a long overdress, belted about the middle, from which would hang a knife, purse, and, if she was housekeeper, a bunch of keys. She would often wear a shawl. Brooches were worn either side of the chest, with pendants suspended between them. Unmarried girls wore their hair loose, perhaps with a band across the head. Married women wore it tied in a knot at the back of the head, covered by a tall, curving, or pointed head-dress. They all used eye make-up, and neck and arm rings, to adorn themselves.

When her husband died, as was an occupational hazard, the Norse lady inherited his estate. On her death, it passed to her eldest son, and, if she had no son, it went to her daughter. On occasion, she might have spoken in the Thing, or at least the suspicion is that she greatly influenced her husband in what he said. In extreme cases, she might have fought in battle. She certainly influenced the education and social grooming of her children.

The report of Al-Ghazal, Muslim ambassador from Cordova, probably in Ireland, in 845, stressed the frank and independent behaviour of high-ranking Norse women, which was presumably contrary to what he was used to. Women in widowhood could be rich and important landowners. In 10th. Century Ireland, a woman called The Red Girl was the leader of a group of Vikings. The proud and vengeful woman who urges her menfolk to battle features in many stories.

I would like to think that when her husband was buried at Borre, awaiting his passage to Valhalla, Hild might shed a tear for the loss she felt. She might have remembered him participating in spectator sports of the day - running, jumping, ski-ing, skating, and horse racing, on which wagering took place. She would have seen him cremated in in his finest clothes, and surrounded by those possessions needed to allow him to live well in the afterlife. His might have been burried in a boat grave, with him being buried with the greatest symbol of rank, his ship. Hild would have been proud of the manner of her husband's death - in battle - for in pre-Christian times it was the manner of death that was so important. Consider the lines of the eddic poem Havamal, which is presented as the words of Odin: 'Cattle die, kinsmen die, a man dies likewise himself / One thing I know that never dies: the verdict over each dead man.'

 

vi. RAGNVALD THE WISE

Ragnvald Eysteinsson, Jarl of More and Romsdal, nicknamed The Wise and The Mighty, whose insignia was a wolf's head, campaigned with his second cousin, Harald, to unify Norway. They were assisted by the Earls of Lade. Lade is situated in the eastern part of Trondheim, bordering on Trondheimsfjiord.

In the 9th. Century, a powerful group established themselves around Trondheimsfjord, called the Hlaoajarlar, Earls of Lade, after their lands situated in present-day Trondheim. These people originated in Halogaland, a vast strip of northern territory stretching to the borders of Finland and Russia. Its name means land of the aurora. Settlement was sparse, and life revolved around hunting and fishing. The result of these activities, especially whaling, made the men in control of Halogaland vastly rich. It was of vital interest to the warrior chieftains of Trondheim to protect their trade routes to Halogaland. The unification of Norway came about to protect these trade routes from pirate-jarls.

c. 868 Ragnvald fought on the side of his kinsman against these pirate-jarls, and was rewarded with the territories of More and Romsdal. This was after the Battle of Solskel, in which Jarl Hunthiof of More and Jarl Novke of Romsdal were defeated. More and Romsdal are in western Norway, bordering on the Atlantic Ocean.

c. 875 Harald and Ragnvald also conquered lands in Shetland, Orkney, Hebrides, and the Isle of Man. On the journey back to Norway, Haraldr gave the Earldom of Shetland and Orkney to Ragnvald as recompense for the death of his son, Ivar, during the campaign. [This is the traditional account, however there is every possibility that Ragnvald seized these territories independently of Harald.] Ragnvald gave these lands to his brother, Sigurd. Gaelic annals recording the wasting of Pictland in the reign of Domnall mac Custantin, 889-900, are probably referring to the activities of Sigurd and his ally, Thorstein the Red, son of Olaf Hvitr of Dublin. They made great incursions into Caithness and Sutherland. [W. F. Skene, Chronicles of the Picts, 1867.]

c. 884 The unification of Norway was a gradual process, but the the Battle of Hafrsfjord has traditionally been regarded as the decisive battle. Most modern scholars agree that the Battle of Hafrsfjord took place during the 880s: 'A great battle began, which was both hard and long; but at last King Haraldr gained the day. There King Eirik fell, and King Sulke, with his brother Earl Sote. Thor Haklang, who was a great berserk, had laid his ship against King Harald's, and there was above all measure a desperate attack, until Thor Haklang fell, and his whole ship was cleared of men. Then King Kjotve fled to a little isle outside, on which there was a good place of strength. Thereafter all his men fled, some to their ships, some up to the land; and the latter ran southwards over the country of Jadar.' [Harald Harfager's Saga, ch. 19.]

c. 891 Ragnvald's son, Rolf Ragnvaldsson, was banished from Norway. He joined the war band of his uncle, Malahule Eysteinsson, who would not submit to Harald's rule, and who had been campaigning in France for a number of years. This war band ultimately wrested control of Normandy from France, Rolf becoming more widely known as Rolf The Ganger, 872-931, first Duke of Normandy. Rolf's crime was that 'One summer, as he was coming from the eastward on a viking's expedition to the coast of Viken, he landed there and made a cattle foray. As King Harald happened, just at that time, to be in Viken, he heard of it, and was in a great rage; for he had forbid, by the greatest punishment, the plundering within the bounds of the country. [Harald Harfager's Saga, ch. 24.]

c. 892 Sigurd Eysteinsson defended Orkney against the Scottish Earl Maelbrigte - nicknamed Maelbrigte Tusk because of his protruding teeth - defeating him. He had the severed heads of the defeated strapped to his mens' saddles, his saddle bearing Maelbrigte's head. When Sigurd went to spur his horse, to commence what I suppose was a victory parade, his calf was pierced by a tooth sticking out of Maelbrigte's mouth! This proved fatal. Sigurd died of an infection. He was laid in a mound at Cyderhall - Sigurd's Howe - near Dornoch. Sigurd's son, Guthorm Sigurdsson, briefly succeeded his father by one winter, but died without issue.

The manner of Guthorm's death is not recorded. However, the sagas portray this to be a time of much conflict, with sons of Harald Harfager being actively engaged in open hostilities against Ragnvald Eysteinsson's family, of whom they were jealous. It can be noted that Ragnvald had initially fought against his second cousin, only joining him when that seemed to be the sensible option. As a result of Harald's forced redistribution of land in Norway, Ragnvald's family had become immensly rich and politically powerful. In this latter respect, note Sigurd Eysteinsson's alliance with the Vikings of Dublin. Ragnvald's family were now a serious threat to Harald, especially if allying themselves with the Earls of Lade, who had not acknowledged Harald's hegemony. The death of Sigurd would have been a propitious time for Harald to place one of his sons as Jarl of Orkney, thus creating a loyal outpost to his kingdom. It would seem entirely probable that Guthorm Sigurdsson was an early casualty of Harald's political intent.

c. 893 When Ragnvald heard of Guthorm's death, he sent one of his sons, Hallad Ragnvaldsson, to be the third Jarl. He did not defend Orkney well against what the sagas portray as repeated Viking attacks, and returned to Norway in disgrace. [Harald Harfager's Saga, ch. 22.]

c. 894 Ragnvald, seeking to secure Orkney, summoned three of his sons to a war-counsel. It was decided that that his eldest son, Hrollager Ragnvaldsson, would campaign in Iceland; the one-eyed Turf-Einar Ragnvaldsson, 866-910, would sail for Orkney, and Thorer The Silent Ragnvaldsson, 873-925, would remain in Norway. [Harald Harfager's Saga, ch. 27.] Turf-Einar was a redoutable warrior. The stakes had risen. Harald's sons, Halfdan Haaleg and Gudrod Ljome, sons by Snaefrid Svasedottir, surrounded Ragnvald in his house one night, and burnt him and sixty of his men to death. Gudrod claimed Ragnvald's lands, and Halfdan sailed to Orkney to slay Turf-Einar. It would seem improbable that such an outrage could have happened without Harald's permission.

Turf-Einar was taken by surprise when attacked by Halfdan Haaleg, and fled to the mainland, but returned a short while after ready for battle. He defeated Halfdan in a sea battle, after which, 'Einar and his men lay all night without tents, and when it was light in the morning they searched the whole island and killed every man they could lay hold of ....... Earl Einar went up to Halfdan, and cut a spread eagle upon his back, by striking his sword through his back into his belly, dividing his ribs from the backbone down to his loins, and tearing out his lungs; and so Halfdan was killed ....... Then Earl Einar took possession of the Orkney Isles as before. Now when these tidings came to Norway, Halfdan's brothers took it much to heart, and thought that his death demanded vengeance; and many were of the same opinion.' [Harald Harfager's Saga, chs. 30-32.]

Harald Harfager, being aware of the risks posed by a protracted conflict, did not share that opinion. He forced Gudrod to relinquish Ragnvald's lands, giving them to Ragnvald's son, Thorer, to whom he also gave his daughter, Alof, in marriage. This marriage was by way of weregild - man price - a reparational payment. He went to Orkney with a great force - how could he not ? - but only levied a token fine of sixty gold marks in payment of Haldan's death. [Harald Harfager's Saga, ibid.] Before leaving Turf-Einar, to better fix an idea of him and his descendants in our minds, I would like to give an example of the old Norse language, as developed on Orkney, and similar to that spoken in the high fells of North Yorkshire up to the 16th. Century; though I am not sure that these words or anything closely resembling them were ever said by Turf-Einar!

The Lord's Prayer

Favor i ir i chimrie, Helleur ir i nam thite,

gilla cosdum thite cumma, veya thine mota vara gort

o yurn sinna gort i chimrie,

ga vus da on da dalight brow vora

Firgive vus sinna vora sin vee Firgive sindara mutha vus,

lyv vus ye i tumtation, min delivera vus fro olt ilt, Amen

* Thorer and Alof had issue: Jorund Thorersson, who settled in Iceland, and took land near Lake Udarvatu, living on a farm he called Grund. His son Mar Jorundsson settled a farm called Marstad. Jorund's uncle, Hrollager Ragnvaldsson, established his farm at Felzhverfi. [S. Laing, Journal of a Residence in Norway, p. 261, 1851.]

 

vii. HROLF RAGNVALDSSON

Ragnvald's son, Hrolf Ragnvaldsson, 872-931, Rolf The Ganger, became a prominant war leader in France during the Viking incursions of 910. He became known as Rollo, first Duke of Normandy. Rollon and its contracted form Rollo are latinized forms of Roul, the Old French form of Rolf. Rolf and its Old Norse cognate Hrólfr are contracted forms of Hrodwulf, which derives from the Old Germanic elements hrod, meaning famous, and wulf, meaning wolf. That a son of Ragnvald Eysteinsson would be named Hrolf is entirely consistent with the insignia of his family, which was, as said, a wolf's head. Old Norse names did have a meaning that was apparent to those who used them, not a meaning that was totally unknown and irrelevant to them, as are the meanings of most modern names.

Hrolf was named as Rollon in a charter of Charles III., 14/3/918, which referred to him and his followers as Northmen of the Seine. [Charter of Charles the Simple, ap. Bouquet, ix., p. 536.] That Hrolf was the same person as Rollo is sometimes questioned because of the difference between the two names: The Franks firstly gave Rolf an Old French form of his name, which they later latinized.

Another argument for Hrolf not being Rollo is the apparent discrepancy between Norman and Norse accounts. Norman sources give Rollo a brother named Gurim, while the sagas give Hrolf several brothers, none of them named Gurim. A brief comment might be approprate. The name Gurim would have been transcribed from the Old-Norse name of Gorm, a derivative of Guthorm. Although the sagas do not mention a brother of Rolf called Gurim, they do mention a cousin of his called Guthorm, the previously mentioned Guthorm Sigurdsson, second Jarl of Orkney. Norman accounts describing Gurim's death and Rolf's expulsion from Norway, at the behest of a king of Dacia, seem entirely consistent with the account of the feud between the families of King Harald and Ragnvald Eysteinsson. Dacia, be it noted, was a term used by Frankish writers to denote Scandinavia in general.

Norman accounts also lay claim to Duke Richard I., Hrolf's grandson, being related to a king of Dacia named Haigrold. A contemporary of Duke Richard I. was Haigrold Greycloak, grandson of Harald Harfager. Duke Richard was related to Haigrold Greycloak in the sense of them both being direct descendants of Halfdan Eysteinsson. Thus, Norman and Norse accounts seem quite compatible, and again support the notion of Rolf Ragnvaldsson being the historical Rollo.

Hrolf gained a small cession of territory, around Rouen, in 911, from Charles III., King of France, in return for providing protection against fellow Scandinavian raiders, and giving feudal allegiance to the king. This is affirmed in the above mentioned charter. There were further grants of land, after much fighting, in 924 and 933. Early chroniclers confused Hrolf with Hund, leader of a war band that attacked Neustria in 896, and who submitted to baptism in 897 as a condition of a peace treaty with Charles III. [Annal Vedast, an. 896, 897, Chron. Normanm ap. Pertz, i. 536.] Any mention of Hrolf operating in France before 910 would seem to be a result of this confusion.

Hrolf and his men - principally including his uncle, Malahule of More, and his half-brother, Hrollager Ragnvaldsson - had no intention of being subservient. He began dividing the acquired land among his chieftains with the intention of creating a settled homeland, giving his uncle land centred around Caen in the county of Calvados.

A further condition of the agreement between Charles and Hrolf, that Hrolf was baptized a Christian, his baptismal name was Robert, did not last. Before he died, he reverted to the gods of his ancestors, who awaited him in Valhalla. As any who made such a radical renounceation of the powerful faith of the times, he was given a bad press. It was put about that he had gone mad; what other reason could there be for his lapse into paganism?

These were uncertain times for the Norse settlers. Superior French power limited their expansion to the north-east. Fiercely independent Scandinavian settlers restricted their move westward. The very survival of the Norse colony was often in doubt, especially after the assassination in 942 of Rolf's son, William Longsword, Duke of Normandy.

n.b. What is not supported by any contemporary or recent evidence are claims that Rolf had a number of sons and daughters in addition to William Longsword. The only possible addition, according to Dudo de Saint-Quentin, Guillaume de Jumieges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, is Gerloc, a.k.a Adele, wife of Guillaume, Count of Poitou. 19th Century attempts to identity additional children, such as Crispina, a proposed mother of Crispin de Bec, see below, by Grimaldus, Prince of Monaco, are without any known foundation. [Dudo de Saint-Quentin, De Moribus et Actis Primorium Normanniae Ducum, edited by Jules Lair, Mémoires de la Société des Antiquaires de Normandie, 1865 . See also William of Jumieges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, The Gesta Normannorum Ducum, 2 volumes, edited and translated by Elisabeth van Houts, 1992-1995.]

The Crispin/Grimaldi genealogy was composed in 1646 by Charles de Venasque-Ferriol, secretary of Honore II, Prince of Monaco. He was assisted by Jean Le Laboureur, the historian; Renee du Bec-Crispin, and her husband, Jean Baptiste de Budes, comte de Guebriant. Their composition bore the title of Historica Et Genelogica Grimalda Gentis Arbor.

The powerfiul families who composed the Historica had a desire to obtain a Carlolingian descent. Charles III, Prince of Monaco [1856-89], branding this pedigree as untrue - there was no Prince of Monaco until the 13th. Century - gave an order to his successive archivists, Cais de Pierlas, Saige, and Labande, to write a correct one, founded on authentic documents, and not falsified as this one. The only relationship between the Crispins of Normandy and the family of Grimaldi is that they both had the same armorial bearings, both of whom bore fusily argent and gules, but, with so simple a coat, no great importance can be attached to it.

 

TABLE I.

1 Halfdan Olafsson 704-772 m. Aasa Eysteinsdottir 710-766.

2 Eystein Halfdansson 725-780 m. Hild Ericsdottir 730-790.

3 Halfdan Eysteinsson 745-800 m. Hlif Dagsdottir 748-810.

4 Ivar Halfdansson 777-840 m. Solveig Eysteinsdottir 790-855.

5 Eystein Ivarsson 815-872 m. Aseda Ragnvaldsdottir 830-875.

6 Ragnvald Eysteinsson 845-894 m. Emina Gudrodsdottir 850-900.

7 Hrollager Ragnvaldsson 865-920 m. Emina d'Avranches 865-935.

 

* Hrolf Ragnvaldsson was probably less of a significant figure than later Norman historians made him to be. He was one Scandinavian leader among several who vied for outright control of the relatively small amount of territory ceded to them. Although history tends to be written as if evolves around the actions of individuals - making it easy for people to identify with and understand - these leaders would have had the essential support of other powerful men.

* It is possible that Hrolf Ragnvaldsson's wife was Poppa de Senlis, daughter of Gui, Count of Senlis, whose ancestry can be traced to the Emperor Charlmagne. Gui, Count of Senlis, married a sister of Herbert I., Count of Vermandois, and had issue: Bernard, Count of Senlis, and, possibly, Poppa de Senlis, named in some accounts as the wife of Hrolf. [J. Dhondt, Etudes sur la Naissance de Principautés Territoriales au France, 1948]

* The title of duke was first given to early chieftains of Normandy by later Norman historians.

 

viii. THE DESCENDANTS OF HROLLAGER

One of the chieftains that Rolf gave land to was his half-brother, Hrollager Ragnvaldsson, 865-920, who married  Emina d'Avranches, 865-935, probable daughter of Judith Carolingienne, 843-870, daughter of King Charles 11 of France, 823-877, and Baldwin I, 840-878, Count of Flanders. [Alexandre Mazas, Histoire des Comtes de Flandre, pp. 378-380, 1843.]

Judith had previously married two Kings of Wessex, father and son, Ethelwulf and Ethelbald. She eloped with Baldwin, much to the disapproval of her father. He later relented, however, and made Baldwin the first Count of Flanders. Through their descendant, Matilda of Flanders, who married William the Conqueror, the line of the Anglo-Norman Kings of England can be traced. [Sir Francis Palgrave, The History of the Anglo-Saxons, 1831.]

In marrying a grandaughter of Charles 1I., King of France, Hrollager was affording that family protection against fellow Scandinavian raiders, and other French dynastic families, at a time of great instability and conflict. Such alliances were common. Hrollager's uncle, Malahule, married Maude de St. Pol, 865-950, a daughter of Hernequin, 825-882, Count of Boulogne et St. Pol, tenant-in-chief and probable uncle of Baldwin I, 840-878, Count of Flanders. [Mazas, ibid.] Hernequin had married Bertha de Ponthieu, 835-895, receiving Boulogne and lands around Abbeville from her father in maritagium. He died at the Battle of Wimeru in 882, defending Boulogne against rebel Frankish forces commanded by Isembert. Cart. de Carcassonne, II, 859, mentions an Isembert as a fidelis of Charles the Bald. A little later he is called a viscount and missus [Cart. de Carcassonne, I., 71-72.] He was buried in l'abbaye de Samer, where is wife became a nun. He was succeeded as Count of Boulogne et St. Pol by his son, Regnier. The father of Maude de St. Pol is often given as Adalof. This Adalof was Earl of Boulogne, and was the youngest son of Baldwin II. of Flanders, and Aelfthryth, the daughter of king Alfred; he was, consequently, cousin to Ethelstan. [Bouquet, ii. 74; and Lappenberg, ii. 107.] Baldwin had married Aelfthryth between 893 and 899. [F. M. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, p.344, 2001.] Adalof's elder brother was Arnulf the elder, Count of Flanders, whose birth can be estimated to c. 897. [Cart. Abbaye De Samer-Aux-Bois.] Given this, Adalof was probably born c. 899., and could not have been the father of Maude de St. Pol, who was the mother of Richard de St. Saveur, who fought against William Longsword in 933. Regnier's sister, Maude, was given, as maritagium, lands in St Pol, as guarantee against Viking attacks.

Thus, by this hypothesis, Malahule married Baldwin's cousin, and Hrollager married Baldwin's daughter. These close family associations are confirmed by the land grants to Malahule by Baldwin 11., Count of Flanders, the probable brother of Emina D'Avranches, which were centred around present-day Lille, in Flanders, Northern France. Please note: Hernequin and Baldwin could also have been brothers. [Gustave Sauvage, Histoire de Saint-Pol, p. 4, 1834.]

The strong connection between the descendants of Eystein Halfdansson and Charles II. was established through Eystein's daughter, Geva, whose g.g. grandaughter, Luitgarde of Saxony, married , as said, Louis II. of France, the son of the said Charles. See ch. iv. Thus, it was not a case of Eystein Halfdansson's descendants allying themselves hapazardly with any Frankish faction - they gave their support to those connected by blood, members of their pan-European family, who, not inconsequentially, would also reward them well.

Another example of this connection was the marriage of Frederuna von Ringelheim, 900-10/2/917, and King Charles III. of France, 17/9/879-7/10/929. She was the daughter of Reginhilde von Friesland, 883-929, and Theoderic, Count of Ringelheim, 872-916. Reginhilde was the daughter of [n.b.] Godfried de Guines, 840-885 and Gisela de Lotharingia, 855-907, Abbess of Nivelles, daughter of Hlothar II., roi de Lotharingie, 827-869, a.k.a. Lothar II. [Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Sixth Series, p. 15, 2003.] He was recorded as a member of the Danish Royal Family - 'Godefridus rex Danorum.' [von Simson, ed., The Annales of St. Vaast, p. 47, 1909.]

Godfried was an ally of Charles II.; he was given Gisela, a cousin of Charles, to marry, and Frisia to rule, as guarantee of securing his support against further Viking incursions: 'From the islands of Betau and Walcheren, where they had established themselves in 837, they ascended the Scheldt, the Meuse, and the Wahal, and devastated Flanders, Lower Lorraine, and Holland. For some time they remained masters of Friesland, which Harald Klak Halfdansson had received as a fief from Louis I. Thus, Charles was confirming the gift of his father on Harald's son. [Chrysanthe Ovide Des Michels, A Manual History of the Middle Ages, p. 138, 1841. See also Carl Christian Rafen, et. al., Inscriptions Runiques du Slesvig, p. 384, 1861.]

Godfried and his descendants held Guines as tenants-in-chief of the Counts of Flanders, marrying into families to which they were already related - those of Huges II., Comte de St. Pol, and Siger de Gramines, Chambellan de Flandre. [Pierre Jean M. Collet, Notice Historique sur fitéat Ancien de L'Ardresis, pp. 161-162, 1833.] They would not have held Guines if there had not been a strong familial connection with the Counts of Flanders. That is how they did things in those days. Of the ancestors of Baldwin I., Count of Flanders - 'It is impossible to find a place in history for Baldwin's assumed father. Vredius, chief among the critical genealogists of Flanders, has converted 'Odoacre' into a word of command - 'Houd-u-wacker' - hold thyself stoutly. The fanciful tales we have noticed are palpably recent, not older than the thirteenth century.' [Sir Francis Palgrave, The History of Normandy and England, p. 532, 1851.]

It is not improbable that Godfried and Baldwin were both sons of Harald Klak, whose family had long established close connection with the Royal House of Saxony: It can be noted that the previously mentioned Duke Wittikind, who took as wife Geva Eysteinsdottir, and who was progenitor of the Royal House of Saxony, sought refuge with his wife's kinsfolk when driven out of his domains by the Franks. It can also be noted that Harald Klak initially held territories between the middle Rhine and Moselle, before being given the additional fiefs of Oldenburgh and Nordalbingia by Louis I. [Suhm, Historie of Danmark, vol. ii., pp. 1-2, 1784.] The following statement seems to confirm Baldwin's connection to lands held by Harald Klak: 'Baldwin's family stemmed from the middle Rhine and Alsace, while the Count himself had received duties in Flanders.' [Pierre Riché, The Carolingians who Forged Europe, p. 196, 1993.] A territorial connection usually stemmed from a familial one.

A great-grandaughter of Baldwin II. married a great-grandson of Hrollager. This is highly significant, for marriages and tenurial relationships were almost invariably the result of previous family connections. This process kept wealth within a network of closely interconnected families, making marriages between cousins and between second cousins commonplace. Such connections also prevented territorial disputes; they were, in effect, peace treaties. Another reason for such marriages was to give each family an insurance policy against ducal or monarchial authority, for, if you fell out of favour, powerful family connections might be the means of preserving land and life. They were also the conduit through which individuals advanced in life, with extended family members being expected to assist their kinsfolk to gain important positions or grants of land. In this way, it is best to view these families as members of a kinship group.

Hrollager and Emina had issue: Hrolf Turstain, 885-962, whose baptismal name was Robert. Hrolf Turstain, when marrying his second cousin, Gerlotte de Blois, 895-950, great-grandaughter of Charles 1I., King of France, was reinforcing the links established by his father: Gerlotte de Blois was the daughter of Theobald, Count of Blois and Chartres, and Richilde de Main, a.k.a. Bourges, grandaughter of King Charles 11 of France, and great-great grandaughter of Emperor Charlmagne. This genealogy is detailed in works by notable French antiquaries. [d'Anisy and de Sainte-Marie, Recherches sur le Domesday ou Liber Censualis d'Angleterre, p. 244, 1842.]

The connection between these families persisted in post-Conquest England, where a descendant of Hrolf Turstain first styled himself de Stanhope, after the land he held in the Palatinate of Durham as tenant of the Bishop; a member of the family of  Blois. Also, as will be shown, a g.g.g. grandson of Rolf Turstain married Maud de Blois, sister of King Stephen of England, and cousin of the above mentioned Bishop of Durham.

Hrolf Turstain followed his uncle to Normandy, via Flanders, and founded the important Norman families of Avranches, Briquebec, Crispin, and Montfort-sur-Risle. His first son was Anslech de Bastembourg, 908-990, Lord of Briquebec and Montfort-sur-Risle, ancestor of the Bertran/Bertram family, see extended genealogies. n.b. In the rebellion of Richard de St. Saveur, son of Malahule of More, against Duke William Longsword, in 933, Anslech is mentioned by Wace as one of the three Barons who alone remained faithful to the Duke, his second cousin, by rendering him military service at the seige of Rouen; and, on the assassination of Duke William, he was appointed by the barons of Normandy and Bretagny as one of the three guardians to his young son, the Duke Richard. [Wace, Roman de Rou et des ducs de Normandie, ed. Andresen, 1877-1879.]

The support given by Anslech to William Longsword, and that of his descendants to William's descendants, points to a close family connection, and supports the case for Hrollager and Rolf Ragnvaldsson being half-brothers. They formed one stem of the Eysteinsson family. They would often be in conflict with another stem - that of Malahule's - whose descendants challenged the right of their 'cousins' to supreme authority on the basis of their shared and equally noble ancestry. The early connection between these families was reiterated by the later marriage of Richard de St. Saveur's g.g. grandaughter to Anslech de Bastembourg's g.g. grandson, Robert Bigod, see extended genealogies.

Other sons of Hrolf Turstain and Gerlotte de Blois, as given by d'Ainsy and de Sainte-Marie, ibid., were:

Guillaume de Bec, 918-1000, ancestor of the Crispin family.

Ansfrid Le Danois, qui fut, suivant quelques historiens, le premier vicomte d'Exmes ou d'Hyesmes. Il conserva cette charge jusqu'en 978, époque où la vicomtefut temporairement eulevée à sa famille et donée à Roger de Montgommery, grand-père de Roger, qui fut plus tard comte d'Alencon, ainsi que d'Arundel et de Shrewsbury, en Angleterre.'  

That Guillaume de Bec was the progenitor of the family of Bec-Crispin is shown in charters of the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, diocèse d'Avranches, c. 990, relating to the foundation of its priory at Abbayette near Lindivy, and in charters relating to the Benedictine Priory of Saint-Ymer-en-Auge et de Briquebec. The lineage of the early Crispins, and those closely related to them, was recorded in these charters, and notable French antiquaries, such as d'Anisy and de Sainte-Marie, used them as a basis for their work. Guillaume de Bec's ancestry and progeny are also recorded, as given above, in the work of the Duchess of Cleveland. [The Battle Abbey Roll: With Some Account of the Norman Lineages, pp. 43-44, 1889]: 'Hrollager's three grandsons each became the founder of an illustrious Norman stock. From the eldest, Anslac de Bastembourg, came the Bertrams, second, William, the barons of Bec-Crespin, and from the third, Ansfrid the Dane, who was Viscount of Exmers, or Hiesmes, before 978, the house of Avranches. He was the first Viscount of Hiesmes that is on the record, and his descendants inherited this dignity, as well as the surname of Le Gotz or Gois. Toustain Le Gois, his grandson, was Chamberlain to Duke Robert.'

As stated by d'Anisy and de Sainte-Marie, it is accurate to describe Guillaume/William as the immediate ancestor of the Seigneurs du Bec-Crespin. It was at a much later date - temp. Guillaume Crespin IV. - that those of their lineage became the Barons of Bec-Crespin. It should also be noted that he was the first of his lineage to hold the name of William, a distinction wrongly given to his great-grandson, William Crispin I.

Guillaume de Bec, c. 960, gave land to the Benedictine Priory of Saint-Ymer-en-Auge et de Briquebec; a confirmation charter sanctioned by Duke Richard I., and witnessed by Count Robert de Vermandois. This connection, suggestive of a close family tie, and later ties of marriage, suggests that Guillaume de Bec's wife was one of three sisters of Robert de Vermandois; the children of Herbert 11., 884-23/2/943, Count of Vermandois, and Adela de France, 895-931, a.k.a Hildebranda, daughter of Robert 1, 866-15/6/923, King of France.

These three sisters were:

1. Adele de Vermandois, 913-10/10/958. Adele married Arnulf the elder, 889-27/3/965, Count of Flanders, Hrolf Turstain's cousin, whose men assassinated Duke William Longsword. Arnulf was the son of Baldwin 11, 863-10/9/918, Count of Flanders, Guillaume de Bec's cousin, and Aelfthryth de Wessex, 868-929, daughter of King Alfred the Great of England, 849-26/10/899, and Ealhswith of Gaini, 852-5/12/905.

2. Luitgarde de Vermandois, 914-2/9/978, widow of William Longsword. She married Guillaume de Bec's uncle, Theobald de Blois 11, 905-15/1/975, brother of the above mentioned Gerlotte, and ally of Rollo in defending against repeated Viking incursions. [Theodore Andrea Cook, The Story of Rouen, p. 46. 1901.]

3. Bertha de Vermandois, 920-990, who married her distant cousin, Guillaume de Bec. One of his fiefs was Bec-de-Mortagne, situated some three miles from Colleville-sur-Mer. As will be shown, it is from this latter commune of the Seine-Maritime that a branch of the Crispin family took its name. An act of Guillaume, son of Robert, granted tithes at Lisieux to Mont-Saint-Michel 'for the souls of his father and wife, Bertha.' The early Crispin family had strong associations with Lisieux. See later.

Guillaume de Bec and Bertha de Vermandois had issue:

Crispin de Bec, 945-1010, a.k.a. Crespin-Ansgot, who married his second cousin, Heloise de Guines, 958-1015. Heloise de Guines was the daughter of Siegfried, Count of Guines, 912-965, and Elftrude de Flandre, 932-990, g.g. grandaughter of King Alfred, and daughter of the above mentioned Arnulf the elder and Adele de Vermandois. [W. H. Turton, The Plantagenet Ancestry, 1928.] Siegfried was the grandson of the previously mentioned Godfried de Guines and Gisela de Lotharingia.

 

TABLE II.

Emperor Charlmagne 747-814 m. [3] Hildegarde of Vinzgau 757-783.

Emperor Louis I. 778-840 m. [1] Ermengarde Haysbe 778-818.

Adelaide de Tours 824-866 m. Robert The Strong Count of Anjou 820-866.

Robert I. King of West Francia c. 860-923 m. [1] Aelis g.g.g. grandaughter Charlmagne.

Adele de France 895-931 m. Herbert II. Count of Vermandois 884-943.

Bertha de Vermandois 920-990 m. Guillaume de Bec 918-1000.

 

TABLE III.

Emperor Charlmagne 747-814 m. [3] Hildegarde of Vinzgau 757-783.

Emperor Louis I. 778-840 m. [2] Judith of Bavaria 805-843.

Charles 1I King of France 823-877 m. Richilde de Provence 842-910.

Rothilde de France 865-928 m. Hugh Count of Bourges 860-892.

Richilde de Main 880-925 m. Theobald Count of Blois 870-904.

Gerlotte de Blois 895-950 m. Hrolf Turstain 885-962.

Guillaume de Bec 918-1000 m. Bertha de Vermandois 920-990.

Crispin de Bec 945-1010 m. Heloise of Guines 958-1015.

 

TABLE IV.

Emperor Charlmagne 747-814 m. [3] Hildegarde of Vinzgau 757-783.

Emperor Louis I. 778-840 m. [2] Judith of Bavaria 805-843.

Charles I1 King of France 823-877 m. Richilde of Provence 842-910.

Judith Carolingienne 857-870 m. Baldwin I. 840-878 Count of Flanders.

Baldwin 11 863-918 Count of Flanders m. Aelfthryth de Wessex 868-929.

Arnulf the elder 897-964 Count of Flanders m. Adele de Vermandois 913-959.

Elftrude de Flandre 932-990 m. Siegfried 912-965 Count of Guines.

Heloise of Guines 958-1015 m. Crispin de Bec 945-1010.

 

TABLE V.

King Alfred the Great 849-899 m. Eahlswith of Mercia 852-905.

Aelfthryth de Wessex 868-929 m. Baldwin 11 863-918 Count of Flanders.

Arnulf the elder 897-964 m. Adele de Vermandois 913-959.

Elftrude de Flandre 932-990 m. Siegfried 912-965 Count of Guines.

Heloise of Guines 958-1015 m. Crispin de Bec 945-1010.

 

ix. FIVE SONS

Crespin-Ansgot had five sons:

1. Gilbert Crispin, of more anon.

2. Raoul de Bec, who was the father of Goisfrid de Bec, otherwise known as Goisfrid the Marshal, and of Turstin, called in Domesday, 'filius Ralf.' The bearings of Goisfrid's family were Lozengy, and the most ancient known coat of arms of the Marshals was a Bend Lozengy.

3. Hellouin de Bec, a.k.a. Herluin. Hellouin founded the Abbey of Bec toward the 37th. year of his life, i.e. 1034. 'Son père tirait son origine de ces Danois qui les premiers conquirent la Normandie, et sa mère était liée de proche parenté avec les ducs de la Gaule Belgique, que les modernes appellent le pays de Flandre. Son père s'appelait Ansgot, et sa mère Héloïse. Gilbert, comte de Brionne, petit-fils de Richard I., duc de Normandie, par son fils le prince Godefroi, fit élever Herluin auprès de lui, et le chérissait particulièrement entre tous les seigneurs de sa cour.' [Francois Guizot, Collection des mémoires relatifs à l'histoire de France, p. 146, 1826..] A notion of the some of the fiefs held by Hellouin's family is given in the following text: 'Bonneville sur le Bec, Eure, est dans le canton Montfort-sur-Risle. Nous avons le texte de la charte de donation [Lanfr. op., Docum, t. ii., p. 350, Oxford, 1844.] Hellouin y donne, en présence et de l'aveu de se deux frères, le tiers qui lui appartenait de la terre de Bonneville et de se dépendances, les terres du Petit-Quevilli, Seine-Inférieure, et de Surci, Eure, ainsi que la terre de Cernai-sur-Orbec, Calvados. Cette charte ne peut remonter moins haut que les premiers mois de 1035. cf. w. Genet,. dans D. Bouquet, t. xi,. p. 35.' [Charles Remusat, Saint Anselme de Cantobéry, p. 27, 1856.]

4. Odo de Bec.

5. Roger de Bonneville.

In a charter of Hellouin, 994-1078, after describing himself as 'Herluinus filius Ansgoti,' he adds, 'adstantibus et laudantibus fratibus meis Odone et Rogero.' These brothers gave concessions of paternal inheritance to Le Bec, in lieu of which Roger received a horse worth 100 shillings, and Odo placed his son in le Bec. [G. R. Evans, The works of Gilbert Crispin, Abbot of Westminster, p. 190, 1986.] It can be noted that these brothers were previously deprived of their land by their liege lord, Gilbert de Brionne, as a result of his jealousy of the popularity of Hellouin, which he considered as a sleight to to himself. A sad reminder of the absurdity of the human condition.

That Hellouin was seen by some to have descended from his knightly position in Gilbert de Brionne's household, to which he had been fostered by his father, is represented by the following text: 'In the wooded valley of the Rille, not far from Rouen. A rude old soldier, named Herluin, had with some trouble obtained permission of his feudal lord to devote himself and his patrimony to religion; and had retired to this spot with his mother and a few companions, over whom he presided as superior. All day long he was employed in building: most of the night he spent in learning to read, and in getting the Psalter by heart; his mother baked for the monks, washed their clothes, and performed all the menial offices of the house. Herluin was with his own hands building the bakehouse of the monastery. [Richard William Church, Essays and reviews, p. 138, 1834.] It can be noted that Herluin's mother, because of her status, would not have performed these tasks for her family prior to Hellouin's new vocation.

 

x. NOBILITY OF NORMANDY 

The three sons of Hrolf Turstain and Gerlotte de Blois:

1. Anslech de Bastembourg, a.k.a. Oslac de Briquebec, 910-974, tutor to Duke Richard of Normandy, who married Gillette de Beaumont, 922-960, probable daughter of the aforementioned Bernard the Dane, who brought with her, as maritagium, estates in Flanders and Liseux. Their son was Turstain de Bastembourg, 945-1021, 'père de Guillaume, tige des Bertran.' [Gustave Saige, Cartulaire de la seigneurie de Fontenay le Marmion, p. 29, 1895.] 'It is deserving of observation that the senior branch of the family held the extensive barony of Bricquebac in Normandy for eight successive generations. The last died as late as the 14th Century, leaving his large possessions, and the castle of Bricquebec, which one of his early ancestors had built, to his eldest daughter, who carried them by marriage to William Paisnel [Paganel], Baron of Hambie.' [Memoirs Chiefly Illustrative of the History and Antiquities of Northumberland, Royal Archeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. ii., pp. 48-50, 1859.]

2. Ansfrid I., The Dane, 915-978, who married Helloe de Beulac, 942-1000.

3. Guillaume de Bec, 918-1000, who married Bertha de Vermandois, 920-990.

 

x. a. ERTEMBERGE DE  BRIQUEBEC AND TORF DE HARCOURT

The daughter of Anslech and Gillette was Ertemberge de Briquebec, 935-985, who married her possible uncle, Torf The Rich de Harcourt, son of Bernard The Dane. [The incestuous nature of many early Crispin family marriages is well documented - see Ivo Carnot, Epist. 45.] Touroude of Pont-Audemer, eldest son of Torf and Ertemberge, married Duvelina, sister of Gonnor de Crepon, spouse of Duke Richard of Normandy. [Robert of Torigni, G.N.D, Book VIII., ch. 36-37.]  

Turulf and Duvelina had issue:

1. Humphrey de Vieilles, a.k.a. Onfroi de Vieilles/Vaux/Vetulis, who married Auberée de la Haye/Haie, obit. 28/12/1045. [Her family bore three bunches of quickset, signifying a connection the Thorn Clan of Malahule of More, whose emblem was a thorny hedge. [Martin de Albuquerque, ed. Notes and Queries, p. 413, 1861.] Their son was Roger de Beaumont, a.k.a. Belomonte, Baron de Beaumesnil, who married Adeline, sister of Huges II., Comte de Meulent. [La Roque, Hist. de la M. d'Harcourt. T. III.. p. xxv.] Roger became a monk at St. Pierre de Préaux, which was founded by his father on his own domains, which became known as Beaumont-le-Roger. This abbey was in the diocese of Lisieux, on land originally granted to Bernard the Dane. The land was gifted to Humphrey de Vieilles by his brother, Ralph, in his capacity of administrator of Bernay Abbey, situated in one of the heartlands of Crispin family power, at the behest of the ducal family, who wished to secure his support. The fief of Neuborg was obtained in the same manner. [L. F. Dubois, Histoire de Lisieux, p. 53, 1845.] Humphrey de Vieilles remained loyal to the young Duke William, and, as a consequence, in 1036, had his estates plundered by those opposed to his succession, led by Roger de Toeni, descendant of Malahule. A force led by Roger de Beaumont drove the attackers back, slaying Roger de Toeni and two of his sons.

Humphrey de Vieilles was lord of Vaux-sur-Seine, near Mantes, canton Meulan.

Land in Bailleul-en-Vimeu was among the many endowments that Humphrey de Vieilles invested on the abbey, as evidenced by its cartulary, c. 1050. The topographical name Beaumont was first mentioned in an act of the Abbey of St. Martin de Tours, 855, as Bellus Mons, that is, the high ground to the south of Bailleul-en-Vimeu, part of the Château Coquerel Estate. 

Roger de Beaumont left his domains to his sons:

Robert I. de Beaumont, obit. 1118, who became Comte de Meulent, as heir to Hugues, his mother Adeline's brother. He was granted the Earlship of Leicester by Henry I. He married Elizabeth de Vermandois, great-grandaughter of King Henry I. of France. Their son was Robert II. de Beaumont, obit. 1168, Earl of Leicester, who married Amicia, daughter of Ralph de Waier, Earl of Norfolk. Their son was Robert III. de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester, High Steward of England, who married Petronilla de Grentemesnil, descendant of Ansfrid the Dane. Their son, William de Beaumont, being the aforementioned ancestor to the Hamiltons of Scotland.

Henry de Beaumont, who was made Earl of Warwick. He married Margaret, daghter of Geoffrey, Earl of Morton, and had two sons - Roger and Robert de Neuborg, and a daughter, Elizabeth, who was the grandmother of Isabel, wife of the illustrious William Marshal, a.k.a. Guillaume le Maréchal, who became the Earl of Pembroke through marriage to Isabel de Clare, descendant of Gilbert de Brionne. His brother, John Marshal, had a mistress named Alice de Colleville, descendant of the Crispin family.

2. Josseline of Pont-Audemer, who married Hugh de Montgomery, of Mont Gomeri, near Lisieux, around which the Crispin family held vast tracts of land; suggesting the Montgomery family to be a branch of the Crispins. Their son was Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, Arundel, and Chichester, who held Orbec in Normandy. [L. C. Loyd, Origins of some Anglo-Norman Families, pp. 68-9, 1975.] 'The children of Count Hugh and Josseline, were, I. Roger, who succeeded ; II. Robert ; III. William ; and IV. Gilbert, who lost his life undesignedly at the hands of his sister-in-law, Mabel, A.D. 1064. In her hatred of the family of the Giroie, she had desired to make away with Ernauld d'Echafour, son of William Giroie. She invited him on his return from Poland to pay her husband a visit, and prepared for him poisoned meat and drink. The design was discovered to him in time, and on arriving at her house, he declined partaking of any refreshment. But Gilbert, who accompanied Ernauld, ignorant of Mabel's plans, took unhesitatingly the cup, and without dismounting from his horse drank the wine, and died within three days. Gilbert may have been the father of 1. Aimeria, wife of Reginald de Baliol, whose family originated in Bailleul-en-Vimeu; who appears among the witnesses to the charter of foundation of the Abbey of Shrewsbury; and in Roger de Montgomerie's charter to St. Evroult, 1083, he mentions " Reginald de Baliol and Aimeria his wife my niece." [ n.b. Reginald's great-grandson, Ingram, was styled Lord of Harcourt.] Reginald's brother, Warin the Bald, was Viscount of Shrewsbury under Roger. 2. Gilbert, Roger's constable, " the constable," who is mentioned in the grant to the monasteries of 1083. Roger de Montgomerie, Count of Montgomerie, and Viscount d'Exmes in Normandy, and subsequently Earl of Shrewsbury, Arundel, and Chichester, in England, the eldest son of Count Hugh, was one of the most powerful and influential nobles at William's court.' [Thomas Harrison Montgomery, A Genealogical History of the family of Montgomery, p. 13, 1863.]

3. Emma de Harcourt. She married Rudolf de Varennes, who held considerable lands on the Seine above Rouen, and in the Pays de Caux, who took is name from Varenne, a hamlet on the River Varenne, near Dieppe. Emma de Harcourt and Rudolf de Varennes were the parents of Rudolf II. de Varennes, and William de Varennes, a.k.a. William de Warren, Earl of Surrey, who first came to prominence in the Battle of Mortemer, 1054, after which he received the castle so named from Duke William, forfeited by his kinsman, Roger de Mortimer. He also received Bellencombre, caput of the Warenne family in Normandy. [John Le Patourel, Feudal Empires: Norman and Plantagenet, p. 9, 1984.]

* Other issue of Turulf of Pont-Audemer and Duvelina were: Herbrand, Gilbert, Richard, and Ilbert.

* Waleran, the first recorded Comte de Meulent, was believed to be a decendant of the aforementioned Bernard the Dane. [La Roque, ibid.] Comtes de Meulent: 'Waleran ou Galeran' - first recorded Count, obit. 965. Two sons - Gauthier, received 'Mantes et Chaumont', and was the progenitor of the Mauvoisin family, a dau. of which m. William Crispin II. See later. Robert, Waleran's s. and h., obit 990. His s. and h. was Robert II., who married a dau. of Gauthier II., dit le Blanc, comte de Vexin. They had 3 sons - Huges, Galeran, and Richard de Neaufle, a dau. of whom m. a member of William Crispins family. [Tabular. S. Petrie-Carnot, bibl. du roi, mss, p. 423.] Huges, 'caput ursae', 'comte de Meulent en 997', m. Helvise, sister of Herluin de Conteville*, possible son of Ansfrid II. [Cartulary Columbens.] Helvise was made a Saint in 1032. [SS Ben, saecul. 6 part. 1., p. 365.] Galeran succeeded his br. in 1015, whose children had died. He m. Ode, sister, 'if it can be believed', of the Saint Helvise.' [Chronicles Saint-Nigaise de Meulent.] His s. and h. was Huges II., whose sister, Adeline, m., as said, Roger de Beaumont.

* Saher de Quincey, of Cuinchy, arr. Béthune. The arms of the families of Framecourt, Fiennes, d'Angeville, and Béthune were anciently quartered. [CRH., Belg. 1847.] These families originated in the vacinity of St. Pol, Flanders. Framecourt was probably a phonetic corruption of the nearby and older vil of Fresnicourt.

* William de Valoignes: Humphrey de Vieilles and Auberée de la Haye were the parents of Albreda de Préaux. She married Eudes de Rie, of Ryes, near Bayeaux. They were the parents of Hubert de Rie I., ambassador of William the Conqueror, who married Agnes de Toeni, daughter of Ralph de Toeni II. and Adeliza de Barcelona. Ralph de Toeni II. was the great-grandson of Malahule of More and Maude de St. Pol. Hubert de Rie and Agnes de Toeni were the parents of Hubert II. de Rie, who was the father of Albreda de Rie. She married Peter [Piers] de Valoignes, Sheriff of Essex. He was also styled Peter de Ponthieu de Valoignes; his ancestry having stemmed, as Maude de St. Pol's, from the Comtes de Ponthieu. Valoignes is situated near Briquebec, maritagium of Ertemberge de Briquebec. Peter de Valoignes and Albreda de Rie were the parents of Roger de Valoignes, who married Agnes Fitzjohn of Knaresborough Castle; their issue being Philip de Valoignes, Chamberlain of Scotland, father of the aforesaid William de Valoignes, and Theobald de Valoignes, whose great-great grandaughter, Mabel Purcel, married Geoffrey de la Freyne, of Kilmenan, Ireland.

* Alann Fergant's son, Conan III. married Maude Plantagenet, daughter of Henry I. and Sybilla Corbet; their daughter, Constance, married Alan de la Zouche, Earl of Bretagne, whose great-great grandson, Alan de la Zouche, married, as stated, Helen de Quincey. In 26 Henry III,  the latter Alan de la Zouche received a military summons to attend the King into France, and in ten years afterwards had the whole county of Chester, and all North Wales placed under his government. In the 45th year of the same reign he obtained a charter for a weekly market at Ashby-La -Zouche, in Leicestershire, and for two fairs in the year at Swavesey. About the same time he was constituted warden of all the King's forests south of Trent, as also Sheriff of Northamptonshire. In the 46th year of Henry III, he was made Justice Itinerant for the cos. of Southampton, Buckingham, and Northampton; and upon the arbitration made by Louis, King of France, between Henry III and the barons, he was one of the sureties on the behalf of the King. Three years afterwards, he was constituted Constable of the Tower of London, and Governor of the castle at Northampton. n.b. It can be noted that the family of St. Saveur had close ties with Alan Fergant's family, taking refuge with them in times of hostility.

 

x. b. ANSFRID I. AND HELLOE DE BEULAC

The four children of Ansfrid and Helloe were:

1. Toussaint de Bertrande, 957-1021. He married Juliane Murdac, 960-1005, daughter of Geoffrey Murdac of St. Denis, ancestor of the Murdochs.

2. Ansfrid II., 963-1035. His son was Toustain de Gois, 989-1041, a.k.a. Turstenus de Goys, Vicomte d'Exmes, 1034, seigneur d'Exmes, Vicomte d'Argentan, and governor of Falaise during William's minority. [Chronique de Normandie, par Mesgissier, fol. 34.] He married Judith de Monterolier, 994-1050. Their two sons were: Robert Bigod, 1015-1071, ancestor of the Dukes of Norfolk, and Richard D'Avranches, 1025-1083, ancestor of the Earls of Chester. He married, as said, Emma de Conteville, 1029-1077; their son Hugh D'Avranches, 1045-27/7/1101, 1st. Earl of Chester, bearings: wolf's head erazed argent in a field azure, married Ermentrude de Clermont, 1053-1094, and had issue: Richard D'Avranches, 1090-1120, 2nd. Earl of Chester, who married Maud de Blois, 1097-25/11/1120, daughter of Stephen, Count of Blois, 1046-19/5/1102, and Adela, 1062-8/3/1137, daughter of William the Conqueror. Maud de Blois was the sister of King Stephen of England, 1095-25/10/1154.

3. Hugh I. de Montfort-sur-Risle, 965-1020. His son was Hugh II de Montfort-sur-Risle, 1010-1066, who married Alice de Beaufou, 1020-1070, daughter of Richard de Beaufou, see above. Their daughter was Alice de Montfort-sur-Risle, 1050-1091. She married Gilbert de Gaunt, 1035-1095, Lord of Folkingham, nephew of the Conqueror.

Their children were:

Emma de Gaunt, 1076-1132, who married Baron Alan de Percy, 1069-1120, son of Baron William de Percy, 1034-1096, and Emma de Porte, 1051-1110.

Walter de Gaunt, 1082-1139, a man of great piety and humanity. [Leland, Collect., vol. i., p. 92.] He married Maud of Brittany, daughter of Stephen I, Count of Brittany, and Hawise. Their daughter, Alice de Gaunt, 1122-1180, married [2] Roger de Mowbray, her first husband being Ilbert de Lacy II., obit. 1141.

Hugh de Gaunt, 1085-1125, who married Adeline de Beaumont, daughter of Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan, 1st Earl of Leicester.

4. Anceline de Bertrande, 956-994, who married, see below, Turketil de Harcourt, 951-1015, second son of Torf. [William Harcourt-Bath, A History of the Family of Harcourt, 1931.] Their son was Ansketil de Harcourt; he was the first who assumed the name of Harcourt, from the bourg of Harcourt near Brionne. [Ctl. Abbey of Bernay, 1014.] He married Eve de Boessey le Chapel. Their second son, Robert de Harcourt I, married Colette de Argouges. Their son was William de Harcourt, Lord of Harcourt, Caileville, Beauficel, and Lord of the Manor of Stanton-under-Bardon. He married Hue de Amboise. Their son was Robert de Harcourt II., ancestor of the Dukes of Harcourt, peers of France and the Counts of Aumale, Counts of Tankerville, Viscounts de St. Sauveur.

 * There has always been justifiable speculation that Ansfrid II. was also the father of Osmond de Conteville, Viscomte de Vernon, and Herluin de Conteville. Such a scenario would explain the marriage of Richard D'Avranches to [his cousin?] Emma de Conteville. We know that Arletta, the mother of the Conqueror, married secondly Herluin de Conteville, by whom she had issue Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, Robert, Comte de Mortain, and the said Emma de Conteville. The fief of Conteville could reasonably be presumed to have been the one situated near Bailleul-sur-Therain, near St. Pol, area of extended family possession.

* A third son of Torf and Ertemberge was William de Torville. 

 

x. c. ANCELINE DE BERTRANDE AND TURKETIL DE HARCOURT

The daughter of Anceline de Bertrande and Turketil de Harcourt was Leceline de Harcourt, 971-1035. She married Godfrey de Brionne, 953-1015. He was the son of Duke Richard I. of Normandy, 933-20/11/996, and Gonnor de Crepon. Godfrey and Leceline had a son, Gilbert de Brionne, 989-1040. [Elizabeth Van Houts, The Normans in Europe, p. 69, 2000. See Ordericus Vitalis,The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, trsl. Thomas Forester, vol. i., p. 149, 1853.] n.b. He is often confused with Gilbert Crispin. In the foundation charter of Bec Abbey, he describes himself as 'Gislebertus Brionensis Comes, primi Ricardi Normannorium ducis nepos, ex filio Consule Godefrido.' i.e., grandson of Duke Richard I. of Normandy, by his son, the magistrate, Godfrey. [Francisque Michel, Gesta regnum Britanniae, p. 77, 1862.] Although not being the same personage as Gilbert Crispin, it is, however, likely that he was very closely connected to the Crispin family. Early Lotharingian land charters, Arch. Savoy, variously record Godfrey as Gudofrey Crispin de Crepon, Godfred Crispin von Arnes, Crispin d'Arnes, and Godrick, baron of Luneburg in Saxony. This latter location had strong connections to Scandinavia, in that its salt mines provided the preservative for the Scandinavian fish harvests. The ancestry of his mother is unknown, albeit supposed pedigrees were composed over proceeding centuries, with the earliest sources solely reporting her to be of royal Scandinavian ancestry. That Godfrey was variously titled Crispin was instrumental in the confusion surrounding his son, Gilbert. It may also suggest that Godfrey's mother was of the Crispin family, but to what degree can only be conjectured. This would be entirely compatible with the custom of marriage within kinship networks, and the closeness of this particular alliance is shown by a daughter of Duke Richard and Gonnor de Crepon, Mathilde de Normandie, marrying Guillaume de Bec's cousin, Eudes II., Comte de Blois. It is also shown by a further example: 'Count Gilbert of Brionne, grandson of Richard I. of Normandy, through the duke's son, Count Godfrey, had Hellouin [Crispin de Bec's son] brought up fittingly at his home among all the nobles of his court.' [Van Houts, ibid.] Gilbert de Brionne also married into this network of closely related families. He married Gilbert Crispin's second cousin. For an account of Gilbert de Brionne's descendants see Michael Altschul, A Baronial Family in Medieval England: The Clares, 1217-1314, 1965. Another son of Duke Richard and Gonnor de Crepon was Robert of Normandy, 955-1037, who married Havline de Rouen, 960-1030. Their daughter, Alix de Brionne, 975-1045, was the mother of Gunnor d'Anjou, wife, as will be shown, of Gilbert Crispin. Their son, Richard de Evreux, 986-1067, had issue: Agnes de Evreux, Gunnor's cousin, who married, as will be shown, Simon de Montfort.

 

x. d. GODFRIED AND SIEGFRIED

In Flanders, between 851 and 864, Scandinavian raiders regularly sailed up the river Schelde and attacked the district around the city of Ghent. They met with little resistance, and were employed as mercenaries in the conflicts between the various Frankish factions. After their defeat in England by Alfred the Great, they again turned their attention to Flanders. Godfried was one of the leaders of the so called Great Army that attacked Flanders in 879. Louis III. finally defeated them at the battle of Saucourt, in 881. Not to be discouraged, the war-bands returned to Flanders and Dutch Limburg. From their base of Asselt, north of Roermond, they raided the towns of Cologne and Bonn in Germany, and Liége and Tongeren in Limburg. [B. von Simson, ibid..] Please note, an original fief of Bernard the Dane was Haccourt, near Liége.The Ferrières family were anciently of Ferrières, also of Liége, pointing to a close familial relationship.

The new emperor, Charles II., sent an army to Asselt, where Godfried chose to negotiate. He became a so called vassal of the emperor, and, after being baptised, married, as said, Gisela, daughter of Lothar II. He received some of the territories ceded to his uncle, Rorik. He was granted 'comitatus et beneficia, quae Rorich Nordmannus Francorium regibus fidelis Kinnim tenuerat.' - i.e. the Kennemerland peninsula. [B. von Simson. ibid.] He was also the recipient of Rorik's fief of Ghent, situated on the north bank of the Waal, which was noted as 'ex rebus iuris nostri ex beneficio Hrorici.' [T. Schieffer, ed., MGH, Diplomata Karolinorum, III., P. 405, 1966.] Ghent had been a domain of Duke Wittikind, a.k.a. Wittikind de Gand. 'Godfried settled at Ghent, and took possession of the castle of Heslau.' [Wolfgang Menzel, The History of Germany, p. 291, 1824-1825.]

However, the emperor felt threatened by Godfried and Godfried's brother-in-law, Hugh. In June 885, Godfried was summoned for talks on the island of Betuwe, where the Rhein and the Waal diverge. This turned out to be a conspiracy - Gisela was lured off the island - and Godfried was murdered by Count Everard and his men. Hugh was blinded, spendind the rest of his life in the Monastery of St. Boniface. [Eduard Hlawitschka, Lotharingien und das Reich, pp. 17-19, 1968.]

Godfried's army was not large. The Annales specifically state that he had been recruiting war-bands from Scandinavia, with the purpose of gaining greater concessions of territory from Charles II. Charles, having prevented Godfried's plans, recruited the same war-bands to protect his lands against other Scandinavian raiders. Malahule of More was an early recruit, as said, to the defense of Flanders. His nephew, Hrollager Ragnvaldsson, follwed his uncle to Flanders, probably in 896, after the dissolution of the Great Army, where his family were granted fiefs in the region of Ghent.

Godfried and Gisela had issue: Reginhilde de Friesland, a.k.a. Rheinghildin de Frise, wife, as said, of Count Theoderic of Ringelheim, a.k.a. Dietrich/Dietricus of Ringelheim, a direct descendant of Duke Wittikind. Their issue were:  Frederune of Ringelheim, who married, as said, King Charles III. of France. Mathilda of Ringelheim, wife of Henry the Fowler, 876-2/7/936, a.k.a. Henry I., King of Germany. Almalrad of Ringelheim, who married Everard, Count of Hameland, a domain of Wickman de Hameland. Siegfried, Count of Ringelheim: 'Henry the Fowler bestowed the government [of Brandenburg] on Siegfried, Count of Ringelheim.' [Robert Beatson, A Political index to the histories of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, p. 494, 1806.] n.b. It was this Siegfried who was to become known as Siegfried de Guines, who held Brandenburg simultaneously. [J. Dhondt, Recherches sur l'histoire Boulonnais, ix., x.., in Memoires de l'Academie d'Arras, 4th. series, pp. 1-35, 1941/42.] It should be noted that Siegfried would not have been known by the appelation de Guines during his lifetime; the County of Guines being formed at a later date. It can be further noted that Siegfried's son, Otto, by his first marriage, to Magdalen, Countess of Ascaniae, was Count of Ringelheim and Oldenburgh, which was, as previously noted, a possession of his great-great grandfather, Harald Klak.

 

xi. THE CRISPINS

One of Crispin's and Heloise's sons was Gilbert Crispin I., 985-1045, 'who because of the shape of his hair was to be known as Crispin. For in his early youth he had hair that was brush-like and stiff and sticking out, and in a manner of speaking bristling like the needles of a pine tree. This gave him the name of Crispin, from 'crispus pinus, 'pine hair'. Gilbert Crispin I. was also noted by Milo Crispin as being 'of renowned origin and nobility.' [Milo Crispin, How The Holy Virgin Appeared To William Crispin The Elder And On The Origin Of The Crispin Family, ed. Migne, cols. 735-744, 1856.] Duke Robert I. established Gilbert Crispin at Tillières to defend this important border castle for him.

Gilbert married Gunnor d'Anjou, 1000-1090, second cousin, as said, of William the Conqueror. Gunnor d'Anjou was the daughter of Baldric the Teuton, 969-1035, Lord of Bacqueville-en-Caux, great-grandson of Robert de Vermandois, and Alix de Brionne, 975-1045, niece of Gilbert de Brionne, 989-1040. [W. Pickering, Histories of Noble British Families, vol.ii. 1846.] By present-day standards, it might seem unusual that a niece is so much older than her uncle, but such chronologies were by no means rare in the societies under question, wherein marriages between very young girls and much older men were common.

Baldric the Teuton, together with his brother Wigere, were allies of the Dukes of Normandy. They were the sons of Wigelius de Courci, the son of Adelaide de Vermandois, 933-975, Crispin de Bec's cousin, and Charles, Duke of Lorraine, who was the son of Charles III, King of France. Adelaide de Vermandois was the daughter of Adelaide, Countess of Burgundy, 914-967, and the aforementioned Count Robert of Vermandois, 911-968.

Marriages did not just happen. They were, as said repeatedly, almost invariably the result of previous family connections. So, when Crispin de Bec married Heloise de Guines, he was reinforcing such ties; as was the case when Gilbert Crispin married Gunnora d'Anjou, his close kinswoman.

Baldric the Teuton and Alix de Brionne also had issue a number of renowned sons, all of whom the Conqueror assisted to prosper:

1. Nicholas de Bacqueville. He succeeded to his father's fief of Bacqueville-en-Caux. He married a niece of the Duchess Gunor. He was the father of William de Martel, Lord of Bacqueville, whose descendants in France bore the name Martel. That this was the case is shown by his grandson, also named William Martel, in 1133, granting to the Abbey of Tyron, 'by and with the consent of Albreda his wife, Eudo his brother, and Geoffrey and Roger his sons, all his right and title to the Priory of St. Mary de Bacqueville.'

2. Fulk d'Aunou, so named from his fief of Aunou le Faucon, arrondissement of Argentan.

3. Robert de Courci, the third son of Baldric the Teuton, assumed the name of de Courci from his inheritance of Courci-sur-Dive, and transmitted it to his immediate descendants. His son, Robert de Courci II., took the title of Baron of Courci, with possession of one of the most important baronies in the duchy, which contained 56 fiefs. Another son, Richard de Courci, married a lady named Guadelmodis, and was the Sire de Courci present at Hastings. For his services he received from the Conqueror the barony of Stoke in the county of Somerset, and the manors of Newnham, Setenden, and Foxcote, in Oxfordshire. At least, he held them at the time of Domesday. He was a great friend of Hugh de Grentemesnil I.; some of their children became related in marriage.

4. Richard de Nevil was the first of the famous name of Nevil, derived from his fief of Neuville-sur-Tocque, in the department of the Orne, canton Gacé. The name and parentage of his wife remains unknown; but it is known that he left four sons, Gilbert, Robert, Richard, and Ralph. Baldric's fifth son was

5. Baldric de Balgenzais, who took his name from lands he held in Bouquency. [Beaugency.] 

6. Vigerius de Apulensis, was named after his uncle, and was also called Apulensis, having been born, it is presumed, in Apulia.

Gunnor also had two sisters: Elizabeth, married to Fulk de Boneval, and Hawise, the wife of Erneis Tesson.

Gilbert and Gunnor had issue, cousins to many of the nobility of Normandy, and cousins once removed of William the Conqueror:

1. Gilbert Crispin 11., 1016-1078, Castellan of Tillières, who distinguished himself at the Battle of Hastings, jointly leading a large company with Henry de Ferrers.

2. William Crispin I., 1018-1077, who died in Abbot Herluin's time, and was Vicomte of the Vexin. [Milo Crispin, ibid.]

3. Robert Crispin, 1020-1071, 'the youngest brother, having left Normandy wandered through many provinces until he arrived at Constantinople where he was welcomed with honour by the Emperor and made a name for himself with all, and where also, as is said, died of poison due to the envy of the Greeks.' [Milo Crispin, ibid.] Robert Crispin, a.k.a Frankopoulos, was a Norman mercenary. He was the leader of a band of his countrymen, stationed at Edessa, under the command of the Byzantine general, Isaac Komnenos, Duke of Antioch. He fought against the invading Seljuk Turks, and was poisoned shortly after the Battle of Manzikert. [C. Gravett, and D. Nicolle, The Normans: Warrior Knights and their Castles, 2006.] Robert did not choose a roving life - 'Robert du Bec-Crespin, expulsé de la Normandie par Guillaume le Conquérant.' [A. T. Barabé , Recherches Historiques, p. 223, 1863.]

4. Emma Crispin, 1022-1075, who married Pierre de Condé. Emma's descendants, who bore the name of Condie or Cundet, inherited 'various estates in Lincolnshire'. [Memoirs Illustrative of the County and City of Lincolnshire, Archeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, p. 255, 1850.] Through her g.g. grandaughter, Isolda de Bardolph, stems a lineage resulting in Lady Jane Grey, tragic and short-lived Queen of England.

5. Hesilia Crispin, 1025-1080, the wife of her cousin twice removed William Malet, see ch. xii..

They had issue:

1. Robert Malet. [Charter of Henry, Duke of Normandy, and Comte Anjou, dated at Devizes in 1152.] This granted to Ranulf, Earl of Chester, 'totum honorem de Eia, sicut Robertus Malet avunculus matris suae melius et plenius unquam tenuit. Et foeudum Alani de Lincalia ei decli quit fuit avunculus matris suae, et foedum Ernisii de Burun sicut hereditatem.' Alani de Lincalia, a.k.a. Alan of Lincoln, may have been the son of Hesilia Crispin by a second husband. Ranulph, Earl of Chester, and Alan of Lincoln, were recognised as being of the expansive Crispin lineage. [Rot. Magn. Scacc., 31 Hen. I.] It may also be fairly assumed that Ernisii de Buron, a.k.a. Erneis de Buron, would not have been foedum hereditatem without also having a familial relationship.

2. Gilbert Malet, whose son was William Malet II. [Two Cartularies of the Benedictine Abbeys of Muchelney and Athelney, ed. E.H. Bates, Somerset Rec. Soc. 14, 1899: see Subsidiary Indices i., ii.]

3. Beatrix Malet, who married William, Vicomte Arques, and had issue: Emma d'Arques, who married [1] Nigel de Monville - they founded Folkestone Priory - [2] Manasser, Count of Guines. [Vivien Brown, Eye Priory Cartulary, p. 6, 1992.] It can be noted that Robert Malet was involved in the continuing defense of York from insurgent attack: He held the manor of Bishopthorpe in York. Sheriff Erneis de Buron held nearby Copmanthorpe. It may be of further interest to note that Robert Malet founded the Priory of Eye in 1089, as a sister-house of the Abbey of Bernay. Bernay was, as noted, a stronghold of the Crispin family, with Gibert Crispin I. witnessing the Abbey of Bernay's foundation charter in 1025. [Fauroux, Recueil, no. 35.]

4. Lucy Malet. She was the wife of Ivo de Tailbois. In a charter of her husband, dated 1085, she gave the church of Spalding to the Priory of St. Nicholas of Angers. Ivo de Tailbois, obit. 1114, was buried in the Priory Church of Spalding. [Memoires Illustrative of the County and City of Lincoln, Arch. Inst. GB&I, 1848.] 'A strong confirmationof of the consanguinity of Lucy to the house of Malet is the circumatances that the manor of Aulkborough, co. Lincoln, belonging to Ivo de Tailbois at the Domesday survey, had previously belonged to William Malet; and the severance of it from the barony of his son can only be explained by a gift in frank-marriage by the father in his lifetime.' [J. Gough Nichols, The Topographer and Genealogist, p. 15, 1846.] Lucy Malet and Ivo de Tailbois had issue: Beatrix de Tailbois, who married Ribald of Middleham, brother of Alan, Earl of Richmond. Matilda de Tailbois, wife of Hugh Fitz-Ranulph, brother of Ranulph, Earl of Chester. Lucy de Tailbois, Countess of Chester, who m. [1] Roger de Romara, [2] the aforementioned Ranulph, Earl of Chester. Issue by Roger de Romara: William, Earl of Lincoln. Issue by Ranulph, Earl of Chester: Ranulph de Gernons, Earl of Chester, who in 1152, as shown above, obtained the inheritance of two 'uncles of his mother', namely Robert Malet and Alan de Lincoln. He was poisoned to death in the following year by William Peverell III., who had designs on the Earl's wife! The result was a forfeitsure of the Peverell estates to the Crown. William, Earl of Cambridge. Alice, wife of Richard Fitz-Gilbert, descendant of the aforementioned Gilbert de Brionne, ancestor of the Clares, Earls of Gloucester and Hertford. Agnes, the wife of Robert de Grentemesnil.

William Crispin I., the middle brother, was 'of outstanding manners, the best known of all; with military fame he rose above almost all his contemporaries. His famous prowess made many envious. William, duke of the Normans, called William Crispin to the castle of Neaufles and gave him, and his son after him, the castle and the vicomte of the Vexin. There William established his home to ward off French invasions. He revisited, however, the land he held elsewhwere in Normandy in the district of Lisieux.' [Milo Crispin, ibid.]

'The Norman and French forces met at Mortemer [before Lent, 6 Feb., 1054]. The Normans were led by Count Robert of Eu assisted by Hugh of Gournay, Hugh of Montfort, Walter Giffard, William Crispin, Roger of Mortemer .... There at dawn battle was instantly joined and continued on both sides with bloodshed until noon. Finally, the defeated French took to flight including their standard-bearer, Odo, the King's brother. In this battle, the greater part of the French nobility was slain; the remainder were kept in custody throughout various Norman villages.' [Excerpt from Obert, Count of Eu. By his wife, Countess Lescelina.]William Crispin I. also fought on the side of the Norman dukes against fellow Normans in the Norman Civil War that followed the succession of William The Conqueror, whose lowly birth was used by some as an excuse to try to usurp his power. Those leading the rebellion included Neil II. de Saint Saveur, g.g. grandson of Malahule of More.

The military prowess of the Crispins was well esteemed: 'And like the Fabii, or the Anicii or Manlii, carried the tokens of fame [insignia] among the Romans, so the Crispins knew even greater fame among the Normans and the French.' Milo Crispin, ibid. William Crispin I. had a wife named Eve de Montfort, 1009-1099, 'who suited him well on account of her origin and manners. Eve de Montfort bore him Gilbert, abbot of Westminster, William Crispin II., and many others.' [Milo Crispin, ibid.] Eve de Montfort died in a fire at Le Bec in 1099, aged 90, and was buried there, next to her husband. It is recorded of her that she had to do penance for her love of lapdogs! [Adolphe Porée, Histoire de L'Abbaye du Bec, 1901.] Eve de Montfort was the sister of Norman frontier lord Simon de Montfort, 1020-1087. [W. Frolich, trsl., The Letters of Anselme of Canterbury, 1990-1994, nos. 22, 98, 118, and 147.] They were the children of Amauri 1 de Montfort, 993-4/2/1031, and Bertrade de Gometz, 994-1051. Amauri 1 de Montfort was the possible son of William de Hainault, 967-1003. [Marjorie Chibnall, ed. & trans., The Ecclesiastical History of Orderic Vitalis, Vol. IV, 1969-80.] There was an existing close association between the families of Hainault and Crispin, in that William de Hainault was a direct descendant of Baldwin I., Count of Flanders. William Crispin I. and Eve de Montfort, as said, were the parents of William Crispin II., 1050-1133, Vicomte of the Vexin. He is reported in some accounts as being present at the Battle of Hastings, 1066, as a young squire. He was alive in 1132, being noted in charters as holding Colleville as tenant of Ranulph of Chester, his distant kinsman.

He was an Anglo-Norman lord who held land in Wetherby, Wheldrake, Coxwold, and Goodmanham in Yorkshire, and in Ancroft in Northumberland, as mesne-tenant of William de Percy. Goodmanham [Godmundin] is a small village situated 2 miles to the north-east of Market Weighton. It was the main pagan site of worship in the north of England, housing the Temple of Delgovine - the place of God's image - dedicated to Odin.William Crispin 11. also held land, principally, in Normandy: 'William Crispin the younger gave the tithe of the mill and of his desmene which he had in Le Mesnil-Hubert, the church and tithe of Druicort, what Robert Malcovernant held of him, one house in Livarot with all its customs, half of the church and tithe of Bournainville.' [David Bates, ed., Regum Anglo-Normannorum, the Acta of William I, 1066-1087, 1998.]

According to Mathieu - Reserches Sur Les Premiers Comtes De Dammartin, 19, 60, 1996. - a probable wife of William Crispin 11. was Agnes Mauvoisin, 1065-1140, who was the daughter of Eustachia Dammartin. She was the daughter of Manasser, Count of Dammartin, 1000-1037, and Constance Capetien, 1010-1067, daughter of Robert II., 972-1031, King of France. She married Raoul Mauvoisin, Seigneur of Rosny, and Viscount of Mantes. He was a part of the Hastings invasion force, before becoming a monk at Gassicourt, dying in 1074. An act of Agnes, daughter of Eustachia, daughter of Count Manasser, granted tithes at Rosny 'for the souls of her mother and husband, William.' The association of Rosny and the name Manasser strongly suggests a connection with the Mauvoisins of Rosny. The Mauvoisins were the most powerful family in the marches of Francia, between Vernon and Mantes. Eustachia Dammartin's brother, Hugh II. de Dammartin, 1034-1103, married Rohesia de Clare, 1055-1121, daughter of Richard Fitzgilbert, 1030-1090, and Rohese Giffard, 1040-1135. Richard Fitzgilbert was a direct descendant of Gilbert de Brionne. See ch.ix. [Michael Altschul, ibid.]

 

TABLE VI.

8 Hrolf Turstain 885-962 m. Gerlotte de Blois 890-950.

9 Guillaume de Bec 918-1000 m. Bertha de Vermandois 920-990.

10 Crispin de Bec 945-1010 m. Heloise of Guines 958-1015.

11 Gilbert Crispin I. 985-1045 m. Gunnor d'Anjou 1000-1090.

12 William Crispin I. 1018-1084 m. Eve de Montfort 1009-1099.

13 Wlliam Crispin II. 1050-1133 m. Agnes Mauvoisin 1065-1140.

 

TABLE VII.

Emperor Charlmagne 747-814 m. [3] Hildegarde of Vinzgau 757-783.

Emperor Louis I. 778-840 m. [1] Ermengarde Haysbe 778-818.

Adelaide de Tours 824-866 m. Robert The Strong Count of Anjou 820-866.

Robert I. King of West Francia 860-923 m. [1] Aelis g.g.g. grandaughter Charlmagne.

Adele de France 895-931 m. Herbert II. Count of Vermandois 884-943.

Robert de Vermandois 911-968 m. Adelaide Countess of Burgundy 914-967.

Adelaide de Vermandois 933-975 m. Charles Duke of Lorraine 918-962.

Wigelius de Courcie 950-1000 m. Emma de Roucy 952-1010.

Baldric the Teuton 969-1035 m. Alix de Brionne 975-1045.

Gunnor d'Anjou 1000-1090 m. Gilbert Crispin 1 985-1045.

 

* Milo Crispin was in all probability one of the many others he wrote about. [Judith A. Green, Lords of the Norman Vexin, 1989.] He married Maud d' Oilley, daughter of Robert d' Oilley, a companion of the Conqueror, 1st Castellan of Oxford, and the daughter and heir of the Saxon Wigot of Wallingford, a kinsman of King Edward. Their ancestors, due to Saxon mispronounciation of Ouille, were the Wells of Essex, Dorset, and Somerset. [Raphael Holinshed, Chronicle of England, Scotland, and Irelande, 1577.] The probable daughter of Milo Crispin and Maud d'Oilley was Matilda de Wallingford, who married Brian Fitzcount, 1100-1153, illigitimate son of Alan Fergant, Count of Brittany; a great favourite of Henry I., and supporter of Matilda against Stephen.

* Eve de Montfort's niece, Bertrade de Montfort, 1059-14/2/1117, daughter of Simon de Montfort and Agnes d'Evreux, 1030-1087, William Crispin's second cousin, married Fulke d'Anjou IV., 1033-14/4/1109, Count of Anjou. Fulke d'Anjou IV and Bertrade de Montfort were the great-granparents of King Henry II of England. [Vernon M. Norr, compiler, Some Early English Pedigrees, 1958-1968.]

* William Crispin II. also held other land in Yorkshire: in Arnodestorp, Burnby, Clifton, Dunnington, Easthorpe in Londesborough, Elvington, Fyling, Grimston in Dunnington, Hayton, Hinderwell, Ianulfestrop, Kirkleatham, Kipling, Marshe-by-the-Sea, Nafferton, Pockthorpe, Scoreby, Sutton upon Derwent, and Warter. [Domesday Book, folio 322v.]

 

xii. FROM CRISPIN TO COLLEVILLE

It became the custom of Norman landowners to change their name to that of the new lands they acquired. It was not always a case of a complete change of name, though, for, in many cases, families simply acquired an additional name. In fact, many poweful families had quite a stock of names, and would use any one of them at the same time. This was even more confusing after The Norman Conquest, when families used both their Norman and English names to signify their various landholdings. We have already mentioned that the Crispin family were entrusted with the fortresses of Tillières and Neaufles. They soon gained substantial property in surrounding lands, including the border castle of Damville, and land in Colleville-sur-Mer, situated close to Graville-Sainte-Honorine, the centre of Malet power in Normandy. This latter acquisition being granted to them after the Battle of Mortemer, 1054. They held Colleville as tenants of William Malet, Sire de Graville, who came from Graville-Sainte-Honorine, between Le Havre and Harfleur. He was probably descended from Gerard, a Scandinavian prince, and companion of Duke Rollo, who gave his name to the fief of Gerardville, or Graville, near Le Havre. n.b. Like the Crispins, William Malet was of the ducal family of Normandy, being a grandson of Aethelred II of England, 968-1016, and Emma of Normandy, 980-1052.

Emma was the daughter of Richard I of Normandy, and sister of Godfrey de Brionne and Duke Richard II., and, thus, was great-aunt of William the Conqueror. In 1002, she became King Aethelred's second wife, thereby creating the dynastic link between England and Normandy, which, in part, was the pretext for the Norman invasion of England in 1066. n.b.