Crispin, Helena
935 - 971 (36 years)1. Crispin, Helena was born in 935 in Alkborough, Lincolnshire, England; died in 971 in Eye, Suffolk, England. Other Events and Attributes:
- FSID: GQ2G-ZP8
Family/Spouse: de Malet, William. William (son of de Malet, Robert and Crispin, Elisée) was born in 933 in Alkborough, Lincolnshire, England; died in 970 in England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 2. de Malet, Lady Eadgyth was born in 956 in Alkborough, Lincolnshire, England; died in 1028 in Kingdom of Mercia, England.
Generation: 2
2. de Malet, Lady Eadgyth (1.Helena1) was born in 956 in Alkborough, Lincolnshire, England; died in 1028 in Kingdom of Mercia, England. Other Events and Attributes:
- Nickname: Edith
- FSID: GW75-Y9L
Family/Spouse: de Bukenhall, Sir Thorold. Thorold was born in 949 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; died in 1041 in Lincolnshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 3. of Mercia, Lady Godiva was born on 5 Sep 980 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England; died on 10 Sep 1067 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England; was buried on 10 Sep 1067 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England.
Generation: 3
3. of Mercia, Lady Godiva (2.Eadgyth2, 1.Helena1) was born on 5 Sep 980 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England; died on 10 Sep 1067 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England; was buried on 10 Sep 1067 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. Other Events and Attributes:
- Appointments / Titles: Kingdom of Mercia, England; Countess of Mercia
- FSID: LKPY-T6N
Notes:
Also known as Godgifu or God's Gift.
Only had one child Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia.
https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-1-436580281-2-1852/godiva-godgifugodgyfu-of-mercia-born-countess-of-mercia-in-myheritage-family-trees
Godiva, Countess of Mercia (/ɡəˈdaɪvə/; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English Godgifu, was an English noblewoman who, according to a legend dating at least to the 13th century, rode naked – covered only in her long hair – through the streets of Coventry to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation that her husband imposed on his tenants. The name "Peeping Tom" for a voyeur originates from later versions of this legend in which a man named Thomas watched her ride and was struck blind or dead.
Godiva was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. They had one known son, Aelfgar.[2][3][4][5][6]
Godiva's name occurs in charters and the Domesday survey, though the spelling varies. The Old English name Godgifu or Godgyfu meant "gift of God"; Godiva was the Latinised form. Since the name was a popular one, there are contemporaries of the same name.[6][7]
If she is the same Godiva who appears in the history of Ely Abbey, the Liber Eliensis, written at the end of the 12th century, then she was a widow when Leofric married her. Both Leofric and Godiva were generous benefactors to religious houses. In 1043 Leofric founded and endowed a Benedictine monastery at Coventry[8] on the site of a nunnery destroyed by the Danes in 1016. Writing in the 12th century, Roger of Wendover credits Godiva as the persuasive force behind this act. In the 1050s, her name is coupled with that of her husband on a grant of land to the monastery of St. Mary, Worcester and the endowment of the minster at Stow St Mary, Lincolnshire.[9][10][11] She and her husband are commemorated as benefactors of other monasteries at Leominster, Chester, Much Wenlock, and Evesham.[12] She gave Coventry a number of works in precious metal by the famous goldsmith Mannig and bequeathed a necklace valued at 100 marks of silver.[13] Another necklace went to Evesham, to be hung around the figure of the Virgin accompanying the life-size gold and silver rood she and her husband gave, and St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London received a gold-fringed chasuble.[14] She and her husband were among the most munificent of the several large Anglo-Saxon donors of the last decades before the Norman Conquest; the early Norman bishops made short work of their gifts, carrying them off to Normandy or melting them down for bullion.[15]
19th-century equestrian statue of the legendary ride, by John Thomas, Maidstone Museum, Kent. The manor of Woolhope in Herefordshire, along with four others, was given to the cathedral at Hereford before the Norman Conquest by the benefactresses Wulviva and Godiva – usually held to be this Godiva and her sister. The church there has a 20th-century stained glass window representing them.[16]
Her signature, Ego Godiva Comitissa diu istud desideravi [I, The Countess Godiva, have desired this for a long time], appears on a charter purportedly given by Thorold of Bucknall to the Benedictine monastery of Spalding. However, this charter is considered spurious by many historians.[17] Even so, it is possible that Thorold, who appears in the Domesday Book as sheriff of Lincolnshire, was her brother. (See Lucy of Bolingbroke.)
After Leofric's death in 1057, his widow lived on until sometime between the Norman Conquest of 1066 and 1086. She is mentioned in the Domesday survey as one of the few Anglo-Saxons and the only woman to remain a major landholder shortly after the conquest. By the time of this great survey in 1086, Godiva had died, but her former lands are listed, although now held by others.[18] Thus, Godiva apparently died between 1066 and 1086.[7]
The place where Godiva was buried has been a matter of debate. According to the Chronicon Abbatiae de Evesham, or Evesham Chronicle, she was buried at the Church of the Blessed Trinity at Evesham, which is no longer standing. According to the account in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, "There is no reason to doubt that she was buried with her husband at Coventry, despite the assertion of the Evesham chronicle that she lay in Holy Trinity, Evesham."[7]
William Dugdale (1656) says that a window with representations of Leofric and Godiva was placed in Trinity Church, Coventry, about the time of RichardGodiva married de Mercia, Sir Leofric III in 999 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. Leofric (son of of Mercia, Sir Leofwine III and of Mercia, Lady Alwara) was born on 14 May 968 in Chester, Cheshire, England; died on 31 Aug 1057 in Bromley, Staffordshire, England; was buried after 31 Aug 1057 in St Marys Priory and Cathedral, Coventry, Warwickshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 4. of Mercia, Ælfgar was born on 12 Aug 1002 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; was christened in 1002 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England; died in 1062 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; was buried in 1062 in Saint Michael's Cathedral, Coventry, Warwickshire, England.
Generation: 4
4. of Mercia, Ælfgar (3.Godiva3, 2.Eadgyth2, 1.Helena1) was born on 12 Aug 1002 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; was christened in 1002 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England; died in 1062 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; was buried in 1062 in Saint Michael's Cathedral, Coventry, Warwickshire, England. Other Events and Attributes:
- FSID: LZ8J-9XT
- Appointments / Titles: Between 1051 and 1052, East Anglia, Norfolk, England; Earl of East Anglia
- Appointments / Titles: Apr 1053, Kingdom of Wessex (England); Earl
Notes:
Ælfgar (died c. 1060) was the son of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, by his famous mother Godgifu (Lady Godiva). He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on the latter's death in 1057. He gained the additional title of Earl of East Anglia, but also was exiled for a time.
Ælfgar married Aelfgify, sister of William Malet, Lord of Eye.
They had 4 children:
- Burgheard, died returning from Rome 1060, buried at Reims
- Edwin, Earl of Mercia
- Morcar, Earl of Northumbria
- Ealdgyth, married (1st) Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Wales (2nd) Harold Godwinson, King of England.
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from www.geni.com
Ælfgar
Also Known As: "Algar III Earl of Mercia", "Aelfgar", "Alfagar of Mercia"
Birthdate: circa 1002 (57)
Birthplace: Mercia, England
Death: between 1059 and 1063 (53-65)
Mercia, England
Place of Burial: Coventry, Warwickshire, England
Immediate Family:
Son of Leofric III, earl of Mercia and Lady Godiva
Husband of Ælfgifu
Father of Ealdgyth; Eadwyne, Duke of Mercia; Morcar, Earl of Northumbria and Burgheard
Occupation: Earl of East Anglia and Mercia, Earl of Mercia, King of Mercia
Aelfgar, Earl (d 1062), was the son of Leofric of Mercia and his wife Godgifu, the 'Lady Godiva' of legend. Bitter jealousy existed between the ancient Mercian house and the new and successful family of Godwine. When, in 1051, Godwine and his sons gathered their forces against the king and his foreign favourites, Aelfgar and Leofric were among the party which stood by Eadward at Gloucester, and on the outlawry of Harold his earldom of East Anglia was given to Aelfgar. The new earl ruled well, and the next year, on the restoration of Godwine's house, cheerfully surrendered the government to Harold. On the death of Godwine in 1053, the West Saxon earldom was given to Harold, and East Anglia was again committed to Aelfgar. In 1055, at the Witenagemont held in London, Aelfgar was accused of treason, and was outlawed 'for little or no fault at all,' according to all the Chronicle writers, save one. The Canterbury writer, however, who was a strong partisan of Harold, says that Aelfgar owned his guilt, though he did so unawares. He fled to Ireland and engaged eighteen ships of the Northmen. He crossed to Wales and made alliance with Gruffydd of North Wales. With Gruffydd and a large host of Welshmen, Aelfgar and his Norse mercenaries invaded Herefordshire. Ralph, the king's nephew, the earl of the shire, met the invaders with an army composed both of Frenchmen and English. He foolishly compelled his English force to go to battle on horseback, contrary to their custom. He and his Frenchmen fled first, and the battle was lost. Aelfgar and his allies entered Hereford. They sacked and burnt the minster and the city, slaying some and taking many captive. To check this invasion the whole force of the kingdom was gathered under Earl Harold and Aelfgar and his allies were chased into South Wales. In 1055 Aelfgar made peace with Harold, was reconciled to the king and restored to his earldom. On the death of Leofric, in 1057, Aelfgar received his father's earldom of Mercia. The position of his new earldom as regards Wales and Ireland encouraged his restlessness, and the weakness and instability of King Eadward the Confessor made rebellion no serious matter. It was probably while the only force capable of maintaining order in the kingdom was removed by the pilgrimage of Harold, that Aelfgar was, in 1058, outlawed for the second time. His old allies were ready to help him. Gruffydd and a fleet of the Northmen, which seems to have been cruising about on the look-out for employment, enabled him to set his outlawry at defiance and to retain his earldom with the strong hand. IN one good deed Aelfgar and Harold acted together. On the surrender of the see of Worcester by Archbishop Aldred in 1062, both the earls joined in recommending Wulfstan for the bishopric. Soon afterwards, probably in the same year, Aelfgar died. His wife's name was Aelfigifu. He left two sons, Eadwine and Morkere, who played a conspicuous part in English history. A charter of the abbey of ST Remigius at Rheims records that Aelfgar gave Lapley to that house for the good of the soul of a son of his named Burchard, who was buried there. His daughter, Aldgyth, married her father's ally Gruffydd, and, after the deaths of Aelfgar and Gruffydd, married as her second husband Harold, her father's old enemy. [Dictionary of National Biography I:148-149]
Aelfgar, of age 1051, d. shortly after 1062, Earl of East Anglia 1053, Earl of Mercia 1057, banished 1058; m. Aelfgifu, by whom 3 known sons: Eadwine, Morkere, and Burchard, whose issue are unknown, and a daughter Aldgyth [as well as Edith or Aldgyth]. [Ancestral Roots, Line 176a-3]
______________________________
Earl of East Anglia 1053; Earl of Mercia 1057.
From Gen-Med Archives, June 19, 1999; author: Leo van de Pas:
"In 1055, he was forced to seek the protection of Gruffyd in Wales, in that year Gruffyd and Alfgar burned down St.Aethelbert's minster and all the town of Hereford. In 1058 Alfgar, without having given reason, was outlawed, and went to Ireland and Wales where he got himself a great band and then travelled to Hereford. After a violent battle Alfgar was reinstated and given back all that had earlier been taken from him."
Bet. 1051-1052 in East Anglia, Norfolk, England; When the Godwins were exiled from England in 1051 Ælfgar was given the Earldom of East Anglia, which had been that of Harold Godwinson. When Harold returned in 1052, the property was restored to him..
Apr 1053; Harold became Earl of Wessex after his fathers death April 1053, and the earldom of East Anglia returned to Ælfgar.
1058; Ælfgar was exiled by King Edward in 1055 but was reinstated later the same year.Ælfgar married Mallet, ÆlfgifuEngland. Ælfgifu (daughter of of Northumbria, Morcar and of Northumbria, Ealdgyth) was born in 997 in Kingdom of Wessex (England); died in 1092 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; was buried in 1092 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 5. of Mercia, Lady Ealdgyth was born in 1040 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; died in 1066 in Chester, Cheshire, England; was buried in 1066 in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England.
Generation: 5
5. of Mercia, Lady Ealdgyth (4.Ælfgar4, 3.Godiva3, 2.Eadgyth2, 1.Helena1) was born in 1040 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; died in 1066 in Chester, Cheshire, England; was buried in 1066 in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England. Other Events and Attributes:
- FSID: 9CW5-JNL
- Appointments / Titles: 1054; Queen Consort of England; Queen Consort of Wales
Notes:
05 Aug 1063 in Snowdonia, Wales; After escaping a surprise attack by the forces of Harold Godwinson in 1062, Gruffydd lost his head to Harold's brother in Snowdonia on 5 August 1063.
Jan 1066 in London, England; Ealdgyth married for a 2nd time to Harold Godwinson (King of England). The marriage was likely politically motivated and is believed to have occurred shortly before or after he became king in January 1066.
14 Oct 1066 in Hastings, Sussex, England; Ealdgyth's second husband, King Harold Godwinson, died on 14 October 1066 in the Battle of Hastings against William the Conqueror
14 Oct 1066 in Cheshire, England; At the news of Harold's death, Ealdgyth's brothers went to London to fetch her and immediately sent her to Chester for shelter. It is unknown what happened to her thereafter.
NOT THE SAME AS EDITH SWANNECK: Ealdgyth was the wife of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn and 2nd wife of Harold Godwinson, while Edith Swanneck was the mistress/consort of Harold Godwinson BEFORE his marriage to Ealdgyth
1041 Capture of Wife of Hywel
Some historians hold that Gruffydd had a liaison with the wife of Hywel ab Edwin, taken as part of "the spoils of war" in 1041.
Wolcott states that in 1041 that during a battle with King Hywel ap Edwin of Deheubarth, Gruffudd ap Llewelyn seized Hywel's wife. The 3 principal versions of the Brut differ as to what Gruffudd had in mind when he took the lady.
- Took her for his own, i.e. took her for a mistress;
- Took her as his own wife
- Took her and controlled her. This version might describe his simply taking the lady hostage, a common occurrence in warfare during that era. Since we believe he already had a wife, and knew the lady was a daughter of Earl Leofric we suspect she was taken as a bargaining chip in the event Mercia interfered with his plans to take Deheubarth and, indeed, all of Wales.
Edith or Ealdgyth, was the daughter of Aelfgar, who became Earl of East Anglia in 1053 and Earl of Mercia in 1057, dying shortly after 1062.
Wolcott emphasizes that while many suppose that Aeldgyth was the same lady Gruffudd had taken from Hywel in 1041, the chronology does not fit. The lady widowed in 1063 bore 2 sons to Harold before 1066, but the lady taken from Hywel would have been in her mid or late 40's by then.
First Marriage to Gruffudd
Gruffudd married, first, about 1057, as her first husband, Edith (or Ealdgyth Ealgyth Aldgyth), daughter of Aelfgar (of Elgar), King of Mercia, son of Leofric, son of Leofwine, the earl of Mercia who died before 1032. Her grandmother was Lady Godiva.
Edith married, about 1057, Gruffudd ap Llywelyn.
After his first wife Nest died, probably in childbirth, Gruffudd married Ealdgyth about 1055 . The marriage of Gruffudd and Eadgyth would have been about 1055 when Gruffudd and Aelfgar were known to be allies.
The number of Ealdgyth's children with Gruffydd is also in some dispute. While Nesta is her daughter, there is some uncertainty about the mother of Maredudd and Idwal.
m.1(c. 1050 or 1056/7) Gruffydd ap Llywelyn of Wales (d. 1063).[2] Issue: 1 proven:
(unproven) Maredudd "Meredith" ap Gruffydd (d. 1068 or later; or 1070).
(unproven) Idwal ap Gruffydd (d. 1068 or 1070).
Nesta.
m. Osbern FitzRichard
Per https://www.geni.com/people/Ealdgyth/6000000000115658521, Ealdgyth was butied in Spalding, Lincoln, EnglandEaldgyth married ap Llywelyn, Gruffydd in 1054 in Rhuddlan, Flintshire, Wales. Gruffydd (son of ap Seisyll, King Llewelyn and verch Maredudd, Queen Angharad) was born in 1007 in Flynn on-Fair, St. Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales; died on 5 Aug 1063 in Bannockburn, Stirlingshire, Scotland; was buried after 5 Aug 1063 in Abbey-Cwmhir, Radnorshire, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 6. verch Griffith, Guenta was born in 1050 in Dol, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France; died in 1084 in Wales.
Generation: 6
6. verch Griffith, Guenta (5.Ealdgyth5, 4.Ælfgar4, 3.Godiva3, 2.Eadgyth2, 1.Helena1) was born in 1050 in Dol, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France; died in 1084 in Wales. Other Events and Attributes:
- Appointments / Titles: Princess of Wales
- FSID: G8ZS-9TQ
Family/Spouse: FitzAlan, Fledaldus. Fledaldus (son of Seneschal, Allan and de Lumley, Margaret Filia Rex) was born in 1046 in Dol, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France; died in 1106 in Dol, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 7. FitzFlàald, Sir Alan was born in 1076 in Dol, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France; died in 1121 in Oswestry Castle, Oswestry, Shropshire, England; was buried in 1121 in Shropshire, England.
Generation: 7
7. FitzFlàald, Sir Alan (6.Guenta6, 5.Ealdgyth5, 4.Ælfgar4, 3.Godiva3, 2.Eadgyth2, 1.Helena1) was born in 1076 in Dol, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France; died in 1121 in Oswestry Castle, Oswestry, Shropshire, England; was buried in 1121 in Shropshire, England. Other Events and Attributes:
- Military: Mercenary for King Henry I of England
- Appointments / Titles: Lord
- Appointments / Titles: Sir Knight
- Life Event: Oswestry, Shropshire, England; Chevalier (Knight) breton et baron de Oswerty
- Life Event: Shropshire, England; Sheriff of Shropshire
- Life Event: Dol, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France; Steward of Dol
- FSID: K2NQ-X1C
- Religion: Founder of the Sporle Priory
- Life Event: 1086; Witness to Mezuoit Charter in France
- Military: 1097; Took part in the First Crusade
Notes:
After an anonymous work of 1874 drew attention to a strong connection between Alan Fitz Flaad and Brittany, and confirmed Flaad's relationship to Alan the Seneschal, J. Horace Round definitively established and publicized Alan Fitz Flaad's true Breton origins
Alan had two wives, the first one died about 1114 and is not known by name, they had one child together, he then married Avelina before 1126 and had the rest of the children known. Do not merge those wives please. Check sources below.
Alan fitz Flaad was a Breton knight, probably recruited as a mercenary by Henry, son of William the Conqueror, in his conflicts with his brothers. After Henry became King of England, Alan became an assiduous courtier and obtained large estates in Norfolk, Sussex, Shropshire, and elsewhere in the Midlands, including the feudal barony and castle of Oswestry in Shropshire.
Progenitor of Stewart Kings of Scotland and FitzAlan Earls of ArundelAlan married de Hesdin, Lady Avelina in 1114 in Dol, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France. Avelina (daughter of de Hesdin, Sir Ernulf and Baladon, Lady Emmelina) was born in 1088 in Hesdin-l'Abbé, Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France; died in 1126 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England; was buried in 1126 in Paisley Abbey, Renfrewshire, Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 8. FitzAlan, William I was born on 8 Jan 1105 in Shropshire, England; died in 1160 in Oswestry, Shropshire, England; was buried in 1160 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.
Generation: 8
8. FitzAlan, William I (7.Alan7, 6.Guenta6, 5.Ealdgyth5, 4.Ælfgar4, 3.Godiva3, 2.Eadgyth2, 1.Helena1) was born on 8 Jan 1105 in Shropshire, England; died in 1160 in Oswestry, Shropshire, England; was buried in 1160 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Other Events and Attributes:
- Appointments / Titles: Oswestry, Shropshire, England; Lord
- FSID: LCTX-HJN
Notes:
William FitzAlan (1105–1160) was a nobleman of Breton ancestry. He was a major landowner, a Marcher lord with large holdings in Shropshire, where he was the Lord of Oswestry, as well as in Norfolk and Sussex. He took the side of Empress Matilda during the Anarchy and underwent considerable hardship in the Angevin cause before regaining his lands and former status. William's younger brother, Walter fitz Alan (d. 1177), became ancestor of the royal House of Stuart.
Background and early life
William was born around 1105. He was the eldest son and heir of Alan fitz Flaad, a Breton noble whose family were closely associated with the sacred environs of Dol-de-Bretagne, close to the border with Normandy and a short distance south-west of the great abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. Alan was a close ally of Henry I of England (1100-1135), who was determined to insert reliable supporters into strategically key areas after the disloyalty of Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, who had a strong support network in the Marches. Alan received extensive fiefs in Shropshire and Norfolk from around the beginning of Henry's reign and more as he proved his worth. Much of the Shropshire land was taken from the holdings of Rainald de Bailleul, ancestor of the House of Balliol, as was land around Peppering, near Arundel in Sussex.[1]
William's mother was Avelina de Hesdin. Her father was Ernulf de Hesdin (also transcribed as Arnulf), a crusader baron from Hesdin in Artois, which was a fief of the County of Flanders and only loosely attached to France. Ernulf built up large holdings in Staffordshire and Gloucestershire. After his death in the First Crusade, Avelina's brother, also called Ernulf, inherited his lands and titles.
Baron and rebel
William succeeded his father around 1114, probably still aged under 10. He was appointed the High Sheriff of Shropshire by Adeliza of Louvain, the second wife of Henry I.[2] His first notable appearance is as a witness to King Stephen's charter to Shrewsbury Abbey in 1136.
As Sheriff of the county, William was also castellan of Shrewsbury Castle. In 1138, he joined in the revolt against Stephen and garrisoned the castle against the king. After resisting the attacks of the royal army for a month,[2] he fled with his family in August 1138, leaving the castle to be defended by his uncle, Ernulf de Hesdin. When the town fell, Stephen acted in anger, hanging Ernulf and 93 others immediately, frightening the local people and magnates into transferring their allegiance to him.[2]
William was deprived of his lands and titles and spent the next fifteen years in exile, until the accession of Henry II to power in place of Stephen in 1153–4.[2][3] He was a close supporter of the Angevin cause, accompanying the Empress or her son on numerous occasions. He was present with Empress Matilda at Oxford in the summer of 1141,[4] and shortly after at the siege of Winchester Castle. He remained in attendance on her at Devizes, witnessing the charter addressed to himself by which she grants Aston to Shrewsbury Abbey. In June 1153 he was present with Henry FitzEmpress, then Duke of Normandy, at Leicester. It was during this period that his younger brother, Walter, used the family's royal connections to make a new career in Scotland under David I of Scotland, an uncle of the Empress.
William's active support did not end with Henry's accession to the throne. In July 1155, when the king marched against Hugh de Mortimer, a turbulent Marcher lord who had been a key supporter of Stephen, and recaptured the castles at Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth, William FitzAlan was the chief beneficiary. At Bridgnorth 'the king restored his lands' and William there received the feudal homage of his tenants. Thus he regained his paternal fief. He was also restored as High Sheriff of Shropshire in 1155, holding the post until his death in 1160.
Benefactor
It was probably between 1130 and 1138 that FitzAlan made the first recorded grant to Haughmond Abbey: a fishery at Preston Boats on the River Severn, near Shrewsbury.[1] It is possible that there was a hermitage or a small religious community at Haughmond even in his father's time, and a small church from this earlier period has been revealed by excavations on the site, so it is not clear that William was the founder of the abbey. However, it was he who set it on a secure financial basis, with a series of important land grants in Shropshire and Sussex, which were reciprocated by other magnates in the region. Haughmond received lands from the Empress, confirmed by Stephen and Henry II. William continued to make benefactions to it when he returned from exile, including the wealthy portionary church of Wroxeter, declaring his intention to increase the number of priests there too. He also made grants to nearby Lilleshall Abbey, another Augustinian house.[5] Though not the founder of Wombridge Priory, a smaller Augustinian house, he sanctioned its foundation by the Hadley family, his vassals.[6] It was, however, Haughmond that became the FitzAlan shrine, with all heads of the family after William buried there for a century and a half.[1]
Death and burial
William died around Easter 1160. He was buried at Shrewsbury Abbey, according to Eyton, noted in the Haughmond Abbey history ("After William FitzAlan (I), who left his body for burial in Shrewsbury Abbey").[1]
Family and heritage
William's first wife was Christiana. She was the niece of Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, an illegitimate son of Henry I, and thus cousin to William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester, who was a principal supporter of the Empress. She was the mother of his heir and other children.
William's eldest son and heir was also called William FitzAlan.
Christiana, their daughter married Hugh Pantulf, 4th Baron of Wem, a later High Sheriff of Shropshire.
His wife Christiana died before William regained his ancestral estates in 1155. Henry II therefore gave him the hand of Isabel de Say.[7] She was the sole heiress of Helias de Say, who held the lordship of Clun[8] and was an early benefactor of Haughmond Abbey. Clun was to pass to the FitzAlans on the death of Helias, but he outlived William, so it passed to his son, the second William. Isabel brought prestige as well as land.
The FitzAlans remained important Marcher lords and magnates in central England for several centuries. A strategic marriage with their Sussex neighbours, the d'Aubigny family, brought the FitzAlans the rich and important Earldom of Arundel. This they held from 1243 until 1580. It was as earls of Arundel that William FitzAlan's descendants made their most important mark on the history of England.
In literature
The taking of Shrewsbury in 1138 by King Stephen, including the escape of William FitzAlan and the hanging of the supporters who did not escape, was the historical background for the novel One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters.[9] Agents of FitzAlan are characters in a few of the later novels in The Cadfael Chronicles.
Buried:
AbbyWilliam married of England, Christiana in 1140 in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. Christiana was born in 1120 in England; died in 1153 in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 9. FitzAlan, Christiana was born in 1145 in Oswestry, Shropshire, England; died in 1227 in Wem, Shropshire, England.
Generation: 9
9. FitzAlan, Christiana (8.William8, 7.Alan7, 6.Guenta6, 5.Ealdgyth5, 4.Ælfgar4, 3.Godiva3, 2.Eadgyth2, 1.Helena1) was born in 1145 in Oswestry, Shropshire, England; died in 1227 in Wem, Shropshire, England. Other Events and Attributes:
- FSID: LH5H-7RJ
Christiana married Pantulf, Hugh in 1170 in Wem, Shropshire, England. Hugh (son of de Pantulf, Ivo and de Verdun, Alicia) was born in 1145 in Wem, Shropshire, England; died on 28 Dec 1224 in Wem, Shropshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 10. Pantulf, Joan was born in 1194 in Oxenton, Gloucestershire, England; died in DECEASED in England.
Generation: 10
10. Pantulf, Joan (9.Christiana9, 8.William8, 7.Alan7, 6.Guenta6, 5.Ealdgyth5, 4.Ælfgar4, 3.Godiva3, 2.Eadgyth2, 1.Helena1) was born in 1194 in Oxenton, Gloucestershire, England; died in DECEASED in England. Other Events and Attributes:
- Life Event: Joan Pantulf d/p Hugh Pantulf & Christiana FitzAlan she had a sister Juiana - 1211 - Philip Haudenby (Holdenby) & Jusliana his wife, held certain lands in Haldenby, which after for death should have descended as his inherirance to ROBERT Trian , her nephew were summoned for enduring to defraud the said Robert, by the adoption of a child and passing the child (Albert Hartstone) as their own
- Life Event: William De Trian was her first husband, William Bouqueto her second, and Philip D\'Aubigny her third.
- FSID: LBPZ-4RC
- Birth: 1194, Oxenton, Gloucestershire, England
Notes:
Joan Pantulf
d/p Hugh Pantulf & Christiana FitzAlan
she had a sister Juiana - 1211 - Philip Haudenby (Holdenby) & Jusliana his wife, held certain lands in Haldenby, which after for death
should have descended as his inherirtance to ROBERT Trian , her nephew
were summoned for enduring to defraud the said Robert, by the adoption of a child and
passing the child (Albert Hartstone) as their own
William De Trian was her first husband, William Bouqueto her second, and Philip D'Aubigny her third.Family/Spouse: de Trian, William. William (son of de Trian, Robert) was born in 1160 in Kent, England; died in 1207 in England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 11. de Trian, Eustache was born in UNKNOWN in Iron Acton, Gloucestershire, England; died in 1253 in Lincolnshire, England.
Generation: 11
11. de Trian, Eustache (10.Joan10, 9.Christiana9, 8.William8, 7.Alan7, 6.Guenta6, 5.Ealdgyth5, 4.Ælfgar4, 3.Godiva3, 2.Eadgyth2, 1.Helena1) was born in UNKNOWN in Iron Acton, Gloucestershire, England; died in 1253 in Lincolnshire, England. Other Events and Attributes:
- FSID: LBP7-HKB
Notes:
Eustachia Trian, Heir of brother
d/o William Trian, of Oxenton, Gloucester & Joan Haudenby
b- Oxenton, Gloucester, England
m- 1- 1203 - Robert Neville d- 1220
(nephew of Stepfather Philip Aubigny)
m- 2- after 1220 -Ralph de la Haye
d- 1253
1214 - heir of brother Robert Trian - Oxenton, Gloucester & Holdenby, Northampton & Brampton, Northamptonshire, & land Tarring Neville, Sussex
25 April 1214 - order to Bishop of Wincester to give seisin to ROBERT Neville, the manor of Oxenton, Gloucester, which was held by Robert Trian, his wife Eustachia's brotherEustache married de la Haye, Ralph V in 1221. Ralph (son of de la Haye, Ralph IV and Burwell, Sarah) was born in 1185 in Burwell, Lincolnshire, England; died in Jun 1254 in Burwell, Lincolnshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 12. de la Haye, Joane was born in 1222 in Burwell, Lincolnshire, England; died on 6 May 1265 in Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire, England.
Generation: 12
12. de la Haye, Joane (11.Eustache11, 10.Joan10, 9.Christiana9, 8.William8, 7.Alan7, 6.Guenta6, 5.Ealdgyth5, 4.Ælfgar4, 3.Godiva3, 2.Eadgyth2, 1.Helena1) was born in 1222 in Burwell, Lincolnshire, England; died on 6 May 1265 in Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire, England. Other Events and Attributes:
- FSID: LZN4-53B
Notes:
Joane was the widow of Ralph, son of Hugh
Joane married FitzHugh, Ralph in 1245. Ralph (son of FitzRalph, Lord Hugh and de Gresley, Agnes) was born in 1222 in Greasley, Nottinghamshire, England; died in 1258 in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 13. FitzHugh, Eustacia was born in 1249 in Gainford, Durham, England; died in May 1310 in England; was buried in May 1310 in York, Yorkshire, England.