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Ancestors of Robert Erwin William Juch

Thirty-First Generation

(Continued)


1221483966. Thomas de St. Valery was born about 1155 in Normandy, France. He died 1218. Thomas married Adela de Ponthieu about 1178 in France. [Parents]

1221483967. Adela de Ponthieu was born about 1162 in Normandy, France. She died 15 Nov 1251. [Parents]

They had the following children:

610741983 F i Leonore de St. Valery was born about 1185.

1221484086. Guillaume III de Montferrat died 1188. He married Judith of Austria on 1154.

1221484087. Judith of Austria. [Parents]

They had the following children:

610742043 F i Alice de Montferrat.

1221484288. Humphrey III de Bohun was born 1109 in Hereford, England. He died 6 Apr 1187 in England. Humphrey married Margaret de Gloucester. [Parents]

1221484289. Margaret de Gloucester 1 was born 1122 in Gloucester, Glouchestshire, England. She died 2 6 Apr 1187. [Parents]

They had the following children:

610742144 M i Humphrey IV de Bohun Earl of Hereford, Constable of England was born 1143 and died 1182.

1221484290. Henry Dunkeld Earl of Huntingdon 1, 2, 3, 4 was born 5 1114 in Scotland. He died 2, 6, 7 12 Jun 1152 in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England. Henry married 5 Adelaide de Warren on 1139. [Parents]

1221484291. Adelaide de Warren "Ada" 1 was born about 1120 in Surrey, England. She died 1 1178 in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England. [Parents]

They had the following children:

F i
Aufrica Huntingdon was born in Scotland.
M ii
William "The Lion" Huntingdon King of Scotland 1, 2 was born 1 1143 in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England. He died 3 4 Dec 1214 in Stirling Castle, Stirlingshire, England.

Born in 1143, William the Lion was the younger brother of Malcolm IV. A year after his accession, he went to Normandy with Henry II and later spent Easter 1170 at Windsor. In 1174, however, he joined Henry II's son in his rebellion against his father, and invaded England. He was captured at Alnwick, Northumberland and brought to Henry II with 'his feet shackled beneath the belly of his horse.' He was then held prisoner first in Yorkshire, later at Northampton and finally in France. He was released by the terms of the Treaty of Falaise of 8 December 1174, having been forced to agree to do homage to Henry II 'for Scotland and for all his other lands', and surrender key Scottish castles such as Edinburgh and Stirling.

As William's feudal lord, Henry now had the right to arrange his marriage, and he gave him Ermengarde de Beaumont, whose father was the son of an illegitimate daughter of Henry I. William eventually recovered Scotland from the English king's feudal overlordship, however, when Henry II was succeeded by Richard I. Richard, determined to raise money for his third Crusade, surrendered his feudal superiority over Scotland for 10,000 merks by the Quitclaim of Canterbury on 5 December 1189 and Scotland was an independent country once more. In 1196-7, William established his sovereignty in Caithness.

Under William, the development of feudal institutions continued; in part, the Scottish monarchy's government closely resembled England's. William established royal burghs in eastern Scotland up to moray Firth, and extended the use of sheriffs in the same area. Perth and Stirling became major centres of royal administration.

William I was a vigorous royal patron of the Scottish Church - he founded Arbroath Abbey, Angus in or before 1178. In 1182 Pope Lucius III sent him the Golden Rose and in 1188 Pope Clement III took the Scottish Church under his special protection. In 1192, the Pope granted a Bull to William that recognised the separate identity of the Scottish Church (previously the Church in Scotland had been brought under the authority of the Archbishop of York), and its independence of all ecclesiastical authorities apart from Rome. Gervase of Canterbury described William as 'a man of outstanding sanctity ... much preferring to have peace than the sword and to provide for his people by wisdom rather than iron'. William died at Stirling on 4 December 1214, aged 71, and was buried at Arbroath
M iii
David Huntington Earl of Huntingdon 1 was born 2 1144 in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England. He died 2 17 Jun 1219.
610742145 F iv Margaret Huntingdon was born 1144 and died 1201.
F v
Ada Huntingdon 1 was born 1146 in Scotland. She died before 1222.
F vi
Marjory Huntingdon was born 1152 in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England. She died about 1213.

1221484294. William de Say 1 was born about 1126 in Kimbolton, Norfolk, England. He died before 1 Aug 1177. William married Aufrica Huntingdon. [Parents]

1221484295. Aufrica Huntingdon was born in Scotland. [Parents]

They had the following children:

F i
Maud de Say was born about 1155 in Kimbolton, Norfolk, England.
610742147 F ii Beatrix de Say was born about 1160 and died before 19 Apr 1197.

1221484300. John d'Eu Count of Eu was born about 1113 in Leicestershire, England. He died 26 Jun 1170. John married Alice d'Aubigny on 1141/1168. [Parents]

1221484301. Alice d'Aubigny was born about 1145 in Castle Arundell, England.

They had the following children:

610742150 M i Henry d'Eu Lord Hastings was born about 1145 and died Mar 1182/1183.

1221484302. Hamelin Plantagenet 5th Earl of Surrey is printed as #76322888.

1221484303. Isabel de Warenne Heiress of Surrey is printed as #76322889.

They had the following children:

F i
Ida (Isabel) Plantagenet 1, 2 was born 1154 in Norfolk, England. She died 1189/1259.
610742151 F ii Maud Plantagenet was born 1163 and died about 1212.
M iii
William de Warenne 6th Earl of Surrey 1 was born 1166 in Surrey, England. He died 2 27 May 1240 in London, Middlesex, England.

William de Warren (Plantagenet), Earl of Warren and Surrey, sided at the commencement of the contest between King John and the barons and for a long time thereafter with his royal kinsman, but eventually joined the banner of Lewis of France. On the death of King John, however, he returned to his allegiance and swore fealty to King Henry III, at the solemn nuptials of which monarch he had the honor of serving the king, at the banquet, with his royal cup in the Earl of Arundel's stead, who, being in minority, could not perform that office as he had not be engirt with the sword of knighthood. His lordship m. 1st, Lady Maud de Albini, dau. of the Earl of Arundel, but by her ladyship had no issue. Hem. 2ndly, Maud, dau., of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, and widow of Hugh Bigot, Earl of Norfolk, by whom he had John, his successor, and Isabel. He d. in 1240, and was s. by his son, John de Warren (Plantagenet), Earl of Warren and Surrey. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1883, p. 569, Warren, Earls of Surrey]
M iv
Jeffrey Warren was born about 1160 in Norfolk, England.
F v
Adela de Warenne was born about 1164 in Surrey, England. She died about 1220.
F vi
Suzanne Plantagenet de Warenne was born about 1166 in Surrey, England.

1249921192. Gilbert "Crispin" Count of Eu and Brionne was born about 979 in Brienne, Normandy, France. He died 1040. Gilbert married Gunnora d'Aunou on 1021 in Tillieres, Eure, France. [Parents]

1249921193. Gunnora d'Aunou was born about 999 in Tillieres, Eure, France. [Parents]

They had the following children:

F i
Esilia (Elsie) Crispin was born 1022 in Tillieres, Eure, France. She died 1087 in Eye, Suffolk, England.
M ii
Baldwin FitzGilbert 1 was born about 1022 in Brionne, France. He died 1 1095 in Okehampton, Devonshire, England.

Baldwin de Brionis, who, for the distinguished part he had in the Conquest, obtained from King William the Barony of Okehampton, the custody of the co. of Devon, and the government of the castle of Exeter in fee. He m. Albreda, dau. of Richard, surnamed Gos, Count of Avranche, and had, with other issue,
I. Richard, surnamed de Redvers.
II. Robert, governor of Brione.
I. Emma, m. 1st to William Avenal, and 2ndly, to William de Abrincis.

[Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, London, 1883, p. 140, Courtenay, Barons Courtenay, Earls of Devon]
624960596 M iii Richard FitzGilbert de Clare was born about 1024 and died 1090.

1249921194. Walter Giffard Count of Longueville was born about 1010 in Longueville, Normandy, France. He died 1084 in France. Walter married Ermentrude (Ermengarde) Fleitel. [Parents]

WALTER GIFFARD
The Conqueror and His Companions
by J. R. Planché, Somerset Herald. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1874..

Here we have the name of an illustrious Norman, the progenitor of a race from which the noblest families in England are proud to trace their descent; and, strange to say, beyond this fact little or nothing is known about his own family which can be supported by credible authority. Even the origin of the name of Giffard, Gifford, or Giffart, as it is indifferently spelt, has yet to be definitively settled.

The story that has been so often told about it, viz., that it signified a free-handed or liberal giver, is without any substantial foundation, and is, I believe, one of the many which have been so detrimental to the study of genealogy and heraldry, by misleading the inquirer or checking research altogether. It is upon the authority of William of Jumièges thatt this Walter Giffart, the companion of the Conqueror, the first we know of that name, has been set down as a son of Osborn de Bolbec by his wife, indifferently called Avelina and Duvelina, sister of Gonnor, wife of Richard, Duke of Normandy. Granting this to be true, as we have no documentary evidence to contradict it, the appellation of Giffart or Gifford, appears to be one of those sobriquets founded on personal peculiarities so commonly applied to distinguish certain members of a family previous to the general establishment of hereditary surnames.

Instances of the practice are familiar to the veriest schoolboy, and in the preceding memoir I have mentioned Lambert the Bearded, Eustace with the Eye, and Eustace with the Whiskers. Hence the complimentary suggestion of " Free-Giver," which I should be happy to leave undisputed could it be borne out by etymology. The family, however, was Norman, not Saxon; and it is in the Norman-French, or Low-Latin of the eleventh century, that we must look for its derivation. The word occurs in both those dialects. In Roquefort's Dictionnaire de la Langue Romane, "Giffarde" is rendered "Joufloue, qui a des grosses joues - servante de cuisine," the word being derived from giffe "the cheek," giffle also signifying in the same language "un soufflet," or blow on the cheek. An old French poet, Gautier de Coisiny, complains that women of every class paint themselves, even the torchepot, " scullion," and the Giffarde, " kitchen maid or cook." So in the new Dictionnaire Franco-Normand, by M. George Métivier, we have "Giffair, rire comme un jouflou." And, to myy great satisfaction, I find that this esteemed philologist has come to the same conclusion as myself, for under that word he has " Giffe, Giffle, Joue. Telle est l'origine de l'illustre famille Normande de Giffard, nom répandu très au-delà de cette Province (Jersey, of which Mons. Métiviervier is a native) et de nos îles." Vide also Ducange, sub voce "Giffardus,"" who has a similar interpretation, "Ancilla coquina." It is almost impossible to resist the conviction that Giffard, in the language of that day, signified a person with large cheeks, and was in consequence applied to a cook, who is popularly represented as fat and rubicund.

I beg to apologize to those of my readers who may not take any interest in such disquisitions, and hasten to the sayings and doings of Walter Giffard, with whom the name, whatever it meant, could not have originated, as an Osborne and a Berenger Giffard were his contemporaries, proving that the sobriquet of an individual had become the appellation of a family.

We first hear of him in 1035, as a companion of Hugh de Gournay in the abortive attempt of Edward son of King Ethelred to recover the crown of England (vide vol. ii. p. 113), and next in 1053, when he was left by Duke William in command of the forces blockading the Castle of Arques, and at that period was Lord of Longueville, and already past the prime of life, judging by his account of himself only thirteen years afterwards. In the following year Wace informs us he was entrusted by the Duke with the defense of the district of Caux, in which Longueville is situate, on the occasion of the invasion of Normandy by Henry, King of France. Subsequently he appears to have made a pilgrimage to St. Iago de Compostella, in Spain, or may perhaps have been sent there by the Duke on some mission to Alfonso King of Galicia, to whom William afterwards affianced his daughter Agatha, after the breaking off of the match with the Saxon Prince Edwin. All we learn from Wace is that in the great battle William's first horse had been brought to him by Giffard from Spain, "the gift of a king who had a great friendship for him." The Lord of Longueville accompanied his sovereign to England, having furnished his fleet, according to the List published by Taylor, with thirty vessels and a hundred men.

Previous to the battle, Raoul de Conches, the hereditary standard-bearer of Normandy, having prayed quittance of service on that day, that he might fight with greater freedom in the field, the Duke called to him Walter Giffard, and desired him to bear his gonfanon, who also requested to be excused the honor on the plea of being too old and too feeble. "For the mercy of God, sire," said the old knight, "look upon my white and bald head; my strength is impaired, and I am short of breath," and in answer to the Duke's passionate reproaches, urged that he had a large contingent of men-at-arms in the field, whom he was bound to lead into action, and at the head of them he was ready to die in his sovereign's cause. Whereupon the Duke excused him, and assured him that he loved him more than ever, and that if he survived that day it should be the better for him (Walter) as long as he lived.

We hear of no special exploit performed by him during the battle, Benoîtt de St.-More merely saying that he was struck down in the mélée, andnd rescued apparently by William himself. At its close, however, after Harold had been mortally wounded, this brave old Lord of Longueville, with his bald head and his white locks, is accused of assisting to mutilate the body of the heroic King!

It would be an indignity to the noble veteran to defend him against so infamous a charge, and fortunately there is no need to do so, for it is unsupported by any evidence, and the accuser stands convicted of falsehood and exaggeration sufficient to deprive him of any character for honesty whatever.

When the fight was over, and the victorious Duke had ordered a space on the top of the hill to be cleared of the dead and dying, that his tent might be pitched there, and signified his intention to sup and sleep on the spot, Walter Giffard galloped up to him. " Sire," he said, "what are you about? You are surely not fitly placed here among the dead. Many an Englishman lies bleeding and mingled with the slain, but yet living, and though wounded, only waiting to rise at night and escape in the darkness. They would delight to take their revenge, and would sell their lives dearly, no one caring who killed him afterwards, so he but slew a Norman first, for they say we have done them great wrong. You should lodge elsewhere, guarded by one or two thousand men whom you can best trust. Let a careful watch be set this night, for we know not what snares may be laid for us. You have made a noble day of it, but I like to see the end of the work." The Duke, however, adhered to his original determination. (Roman de Rou) There can be no doubt, I think, that this Walter Giffard who fought at Hastings was the person to whom William the Conqueror, in 1070, gave the earldom of Buckingham; for, old as he is said by Wace to have represented himself at that period, he lived nineteen years afterwards, and was one of the Commissioners entrusted by William to superintend the compilation of the great survey of England, and I can find no reason whatever for the ordinary assertion that his son, the second Walter, was the first earl.

There is evidence that in 1079 he founded the priory of St. Michel de Bolbec, and he is reported to have died about 1081, which we may fairly understand to be 1085, the year in which Domesday was begun and completed.

The wife of this Walter was Ermengarde, a daughter of Gerrard Flaitel, by whom he had a son, the second Walter, Earl of Buckingham, who died in 1102, and with whom he has been confounded. He had also a second son named William, who was Chancellor to William Rufus, made Bishop of Winchester by Henry I, 1107, and died in 1128, and a daughter, named Rohais or Rohesia, wife of Richard Fitz Gilbert, from whom descended the great house of Clare.

1249921195. Ermentrude (Ermengarde) Fleitel was born 1014 in Longueville, Normandy, France. [Parents]

They had the following children:

M i
Walter Giffard Earl of Buckingham 1st was born about 1038. He died 15 Jul 1102.
M ii
William Giffard Bishop of Winchester was born about 1038 in Longueville, Normandy, France.
624960597 F iii Rohese Giffard was born about 1035 and died after 1133.

1249921196. Renaud de Clermont.

He had the following children:

624960598 M i Hugh de Clermont Count of Clermont was born about 1030 and died 1101.

1249921198. Hildouin III de Montdidier Count of Montdidier and Ronci was born 1021 in Montdidier, Somme, France. He died 1062. Hildouin married Alix (Adelaide) de Roucy. [Parents]

1249921199. Alix (Adelaide) de Roucy was born about 1014 in Roucy, Aisne, France. She died 1031. [Parents]

They had the following children:

624960599 F i Margaret de Roucy was born about 1035.
F ii
Beatrice de Montdidier was born about 1051 in Montdidier, Somme, France. She died after 1129.

1249921600. Richard de Courcy died 1098. He married Guadalmode. [Parents]

RICHARD DE COURCI
The Conqueror and His Companions
by J. R. Planché, Somerset Herald. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1874..

I have just mentioned Robert, the son of this Richard, and son-in-law of Hugh de Grentmesnil, and shall conclude this chapter with a notice of this memorable family, the direct male descendant of which wears at the present day the coronet of a baron, one of the very few instances that can be quoted of an unbroken line of nobles in the same family from the Conquest.

Wace simply mentions "Cil de Corcie" amongst those knights who "that day slew many English." Courci is in the arrondissement of Falaise, and I have just described its siege by Robert Court-heuse in 1091, at which time it was held by Richard de Courci, the companion of the Conqueror. He was the son of Robert de Courci, who was one of the six sons of Baldric the Teuton, or German, Lord of Bacqueville-en-Caux, and held the office of Archearius under Duke William. He married a niece of Gilbert Comte de Brionne, grandson of Richard first Duke of Normandy, name unknown, by whom he had six sons and two daughters, and here we have an example of the difficulty the general reader would experience in endeavoring to form an idea of the family and connections of many important personages with whose names he incidentally meets in the popular histories of England. Robert, the third of these six sons, alone bore the name of De Courci: all the rest assumed surnames similarly derived from their particular properties or the place of their birth. The eldest, Nicholas, succeeding to his father's fief of Bacqueville-en-Caux, was thence called Nicholas de Bacqueville. The second son, Fulk, was named Fulk d'Aunou from his fief of Aunou le Faucon, arrondissement of Argentan. Richard, the fourth son, was the first of the famous name of Nevil, derived from his fief of Neuville-sur-Tocque, in the department of the Orne and the canton of Gacé. Baldric, fifth son, was surnamed de Balgenzais, from his fief off Bouquence or Bouquency. The youngest, Vigerius or Wiger, was named after an uncle, and also called Apulensis, having been born, it is presumed, in Apulia. Who, meeting with the names of these noble and powerful Normans in their study of English history, would, without such an explanation, suspect they were all sons of the same father, and cousins of William the Conqueror on their mother's side? Elizabeth, named after her aunt, who was a nun at St. Amand, married Fulk de Boneval; and Hawise was the wife of Robert Fitz Erneis, who fought and fell at Senlac.
It was Robert, the third son of Baldric the Teuton, as I have said, who assumed the name of De Courci from his inheritance of Courci-sur-Dive, and transmitted it to his immediate descendants. His son Richard married a lady named Guadelmodis, and was the Sire de Courci present at Hastings and Senlac. 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 the great survey.

We hear no more of him during the reign of the elder William, though it is improbable he could have remained quiescent during all the commotions that were constantly convulsing the duchy; but whether he fought or not we may be satisfied that he remained loyal to the Conqueror, and to his successor William Rufus, whose opportune arrival in Normandy caused Robert Court-heuse and Robert de Belesme to raise the siege of Courci, as before related.

Both he and his friend and neighbor Hugh de Grentmesnil, who was now connected with him by the marriage of their children, were considerably advanced in years, and like Hugh, the Lord of Courci, may not have mingled in the mêlée; but it is strange not to find Robert's nameme mentioned amongst the gallant defenders of his own property and that of his father-in-law.

Besides this Robert, whose line was not of long endurance, Richard had a second son named William, from whom descended the famous John de Courci, Earl of Ulster, and the present Lord Kingsale, who enjoys the enviable privilege of wearing his hat in the presence of his sovereign, traditionally granted by King John to the said Earl of Ulster in reward for the following service.

Philip Augustus, King of France, having proposed to King John to settle the difference between the Crowns of England and France respecting their pretensions to the Duchy of Normandy by single combat, had appointed on his side a champion. King John, who had unwarily fixed the day, could find no one of sufficient strength or prowess to oppose the Frenchman but the Earl of Ulster, who, at the instigation of Hugh de Lacy, had been dispossessed of his estates, and was a prisoner in the Tower. Having accepted the challenge for the honor of his country, he appeared in the lists on the appointed day, and so terrified the French champion by his gigantic form and warlike demeanor that, on the third sounding of the trumpets, he wheeled about, broke through the lists, and galloping to the coast took ship for Spain, leaving De Courci victor without a blow. To gratify King Philip, who desired an exhibition of his extraordinary strength, the Earl directed a massive suit of mail surmounted by a helmet to be placed on a block, and at one stroke he cleft amour and helmet asunder, his sword entering so deep into the wood that no one present could pull it out with both hands, but he did in an instant with one. King John being well satisfied with his extraordinary service restored him to his titles and estates, and bade him ask besides anything it was in his power to grant, to which the Earl replied, that he had titles and estates enough, but desired that he and his successors, the heirs-male of his family, might have the privilege, their first obeisance being paid, to remain covered in the presence of him and his successors the Kings of England, which was granted accordingly. There is about as much truth in this story as there was in the one formerly told by the warders in the Tower of London, who were wont to show a remarkably large suit of plate amour of the time of Henry VIII as being that of the very redoubtable John de Courci aforesaid.

The King of France, Philip Augustus, never set foot in England. William II, King of Scotland, never saw King John, save on the one occasion when he did homage to him at Lincoln. De Courci was never restored to his estates by John, and no one knows when a privilege, as worthless as it is unmannerly, was conferred, or by whom or on what authority it was first claimed and exercised.

Almericus, the twenty-third Baron Kingsale, astonished King William III by presenting himself with his hat on, but had the good taste to reverse the custom by remaining uncovered after the first assertion of his privilege.

George II good-humouredly observed to Gerald, cousin and successor of Almericus, that, although his lordship had a right to wear his hat before him, he had no right to do so before ladies.

Let us trust that good sense and good taste will combine to abolish an absurd custom, for the observance of which no credible authority can be produced - no dignity lost by its discontinuance.

1249921601. Guadalmode.

They had the following children:

624960800 M i Robert de Courcy died about 1131.

1249921602. Count Hugh I de Grandmesnil Sheriff of Leicester was born about 1030 in of Grentemesnil, Calvados, France. He died 22 Feb 1094. Hugh married Adeliza (Aelis) (Alice) de Beaumont. [Parents]

HUGH DE GRENTMESNIL
The Conqueror and His Companions
by J. R. Planché, Somerset Herald. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1874..

Of this noble Norman we have considerable information afforded us by Orderic, in consequence of his being one of the founders of the Abbey of Ouche, better known as that of St. Evroult, in which the historian was professed a monk by the venerable Abbot Mainer, in the eleventh year of his age, by the name of Vitalis (Vital), and in which monastery he lived fifty-six years.

From him we learn that Hugh de Grentmesnil was one of the sons of a Robert de Grentmesnil (now known as Grandmesnil, in the arrondissement of Lisieux) by Hawise de Giroie, which Robert was mortally wounded in the battle between Roger de Toeni and Roger de Beaumont, already mentioned, vol. i., pp. 19, 217.

He fought on the side of De Toeni, and being carried off the field, lingered for three weeks, and then died and was interred without the Church of St. Mary at Norrei, between Grandmesnil and Falaise. His issue by Hawise de Giroie was two sons, Robert and Hugh, between whom he divided his property.

Robert became a monk in the abbey he had assisted to re-edify. Hugh, who was "eminent for his skill and courage," was, through the machinations of Mabel de Montgomeri, banished by Duke William without any real cause of offence in 1058, but recalled from exile in 1063, and entrusted with the custody of the Castle of Neufmarché-en-Lions, from which the Duke, onn equally slight grounds, had expelled Geoffrey de Neufmarché, the rightfull heir; and nobly forgetful of past injustice, did the valiant Hugh justify the trust reposed in him, restoring in the course of a year the disturbed district to perfect tranquility. We next find him amongst the principal combatants in the great battle, but he surely cannot be the person described by Wace as "a vassal of Grandmesnil," who was in great peril during the action in consequence of his horse becoming masterless through the breaking of his bridle-rein in leaping over a bush. He was near falling, and the English perceiving his flight ran towards him with their long axes, but the horse taking fright, and wheeling suddenly round, bore his rider safely back into the ranks of the Normans. Hugh was certainly a vassal of the Duke of Normandy, but a baron of his reputation and power would scarcely be so described by Wace. Mons. Le Prévost, however,, appears by his note on the passage to consider it refers to Hugh himself, and Mr. Taylor follows him without comment. It may perhaps be argued that there is nothing in the incident itself to give it sufficient importance to be recorded by the poet unless the person endangered was some one of consequence. At all events, Hugh de Grentmesnil was certainly present at Senlac, and no doubt did his devoir, as he was wont to do; for in 1067 we find him one of the principal persons joined with William Fitz Osbern and Bishop Odo in the government of England, during the King's absence in Normandy, and besides the donation of one hundred manors in this country, sixty-five of which were in Leicestershire, he was appointed Viscount (i.e., sheriff) of that county and Governor of Hampshire.

He was one of the Norman nobles who interceded with the Conqueror in favor of Robert Court-heuse, and effected a temporary reconciliation. On the accession of Rufus he espoused the cause of the young duke; but like many others of his rank and country, weary of his vacillations, and disgusted by his general conduct, he ultimately took part against him.

In 1090 we find him in Normandy, in his old age, strenuously opposing the aggressions of the detestable Robert de Belesme, who had erected strongholds at Fourches and at La Conebe, on the river Orme, whence he made inroads on his neighbors, and harried all the country round.
Hugh de Grentmesnil and Richard de Courci, whose domains lay nearest to him, and most exposed to his depredations, were the first to take arms against him. Both these knights were now grey-headed, but their spirit was unbroken, and their intimate connection strengthened the bond of friendship between them, Richard de Courci, the son of Richard, having married Rohesia, daughter of Hugh. Matthew, Count of Beaumont-sur-l'Oise, brother-in-law of Hugh, William de Warren, second Earl of Surrey, with many other knights, hastened to their support, eager to exhibit their prowess in such a field. Theobald, son of Walter de Breteuil, called "the White Knight," because his steed and appointments were all white, and his brother-in-arms Guy, called "the Red Knight" for a similar reason, were slain in some of these encounters; but Robert de Belesme finding that he was unable to cope alone with his brave and resolute opponents, prevailed on the Duke of Normandy, by humble supplications and specious promises, to march to his assistance. In the month of January, 1091, the Duke accordingly laid siege to Courci-sur-Dive; but unwilling to come to extremities with his great nobles, took no measures for closely investing the place. De Belesme, however, used every means by force and stratagem to get possession of the castle. He caused a huge machine, called a belfry (berfradum), being a wooden tower containing a number of stages or floors, and moving on wheels, to be constructed and rolled up to the castle walls, filled with soldiers, who could leap from it on to the battlements, or fight hand to hand with the defenders; but the device proved in vain, for as often as he attempted an assault, a powerful force from Grentmesnil hastened to the rescue, and drew him off from the attack.

In one of these conflicts the garrison during a rally took prisoners William, son of Henry de Ferrers (who fought at Hastings), and William de Rupière, whose ransoms were a great assistance to the besieged; but, onn the other hand, the besiegers captured Ivo, one of the sons of Hugh de Grentmesnil and Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, the latter of whom did not long survive the horrors of the dungeon to which De Belesme consigned him.

An oven had been built outside the fortifications, between the castle gate and De Belesme's belfry, and there the baker had to bake the bread for the use of the garrison, the siege having been begun so suddenly that the inhabitants of Courci had no time to construct one within the walls. The thickest of the fight was therefore often around this oven, for the men of Courci stood in arms to defend their bread while De Belesme's followers endeavored to carry it off. This led occasionally to a general engagement, in which there was much slaughter, without special advantage to either side; but in one of them, the besiegers having repulsed their assailants, set fire to the belfry, and succeeded in destroying it.

Hugh de Grentmesnil, who did not bear arms himself, on account of his advanced age, was much distressed by the long continuance of the siege, and in consequence sent the following message to the Duke of Normandy: - "I long served your father and grandfather, and suffered much in their service; I have also always been loyal to you. What have I done? In what have I offended you? How have I merited at your hands this hostility? I openly acknowledge you as my liege lord, and on that account will not appear in arms against you; but I offer you two hundred livres to withdraw when it may suit your pleasure for one single day, that I may fight Robert de Belesme!" Orderic has not acquainted us with the reply of Court-heuse to this manly appeal of the chivalric old warrior, who, as he mentions his service to the Duke's grandfather, could not at this period have been much under eighty.

At all events, neither the letter nor the mediation of Gerrard, Bishop of Séez, who took up his abode at the Convent of Dive during the siege, inn the hope of restoring peace in his diocese, had any effect upon either the Duke or Robert de Belesme; but the arrival of King William (Rufus) with a great fleet caused them to decamp with all haste and disband their forces, each man returning to his own home.

Three years afterwards, Hugh de Grentmesnil was again in England, and worn out with age and infirmity, finding his end approaching, assumed, in accordance with the common practice of the period, the habit of a monk, and expired six days after he had taken to his bed, 22nd of February, 1094, according to our present calculation, and presumably in the city of Leicester.

His body, preserved in salt and sewn up in the hide of an ox, was conveyed to Normandy by two monks of St. Evroult, named Bernard and David, and honorably buried by the Abbot Roger on the south side of the Chapter House, near the tomb of Abbot Mainer.

Arnold de Tillieul, his nephew, caused a marble slab to be placed over his grave, for which Orderic tells us he himself furnished the Latin epitaph in heroic verse, with which he obliges his readers; but as it is simply laudatory I will not inflict it on mine, observing only that it is a relief to feel that in this instance the praise appears to have been truly deserved, as I find nothing recorded of Hugh de Grentmesnil that does not redound to his credit.
In his youth we are told he married a very beautiful lady, Adeliza, daughter of Ivo, Count of Beaumont-sur-l'Oise, by his first wife Judith, with whom he had Brokesbourne, in Herefordshire, and three lordships in Warwickshire.

She died at Rouen seven years before her husband, and was buried in the Chapter House of St. Evroult, (A charter of her son Ivo indicates that she was buried at Bermondsey.) having had issue by him five sons and as many daughters - namely, Robert, William, Hugh, Ivo, and Aubrey; Adeline, Hawise, Rohais, Matilda, and Agnes - none of whom except Robert lived to an advanced age, and he, although thrice married, died without issue in 1136. Hugh died young. William, Ivo, and Aubrey forfeited their reputation for bravery by their dishonorable and ludicrous escape from Antioch, which obtained for them the name of ropedancers. With the exception of Hawise, who died unmarried, his daughters became the wives of noble knights: Adeline, of Roger d'Ivri, Rohais, of Robert de Courci, Matilda, of Hugh de Montpincon, and Agnes, of William de Say.

1249921603. Adeliza (Aelis) (Alice) de Beaumont was born 1034. She died 11 Jul 1091 in Rouen, France and was buried in Chapter House of St. Evroult. [Parents]

They had the following children:

M i
Robert de Grandmesnil was born about 1062. He died 1136.
M ii
Baron Ivo de Grandmesnil was born about 1064 in Normandy, France. He died about 1118 in Pilgramage to Holy Lands.
624960801 F iii Rohese de Grandmesnil.

1249923024. William Maudit Camerarius of Hanslope married Isabel de St. Liz on 1105/1212.

1249923025. Isabel de St. Liz was born 1147/1186. She died 1156/1266. [Parents]

They had the following children:

624961512 M i William Mauduit was born 1109/1152 and died 1148/1233.

1249923032. Henry de Newburgh 1st Earl of Warwick was born about 1048. He died 20 Jun 1119. Henry married Margaret de Perche. [Parents]

1249923033. Margaret de Perche was born about 1067 in Morlaign, Normandy, France. [Parents]

They had the following children:

624961516 M i Roger de Newburgh Earl of Warwick was born about 1101 and died 12 Jun 1153.

1887470080. Ralph Basset Lord Colston was born 1076 in Drayton, Staffordshire, England. He died 1120 in Abbey Adington, Drayton Basset, Staffordshire, England. Ralph married Alice de Buci in Drayton, Staffordshire, England. [Parents]

1887470081. Alice de Buci was born about 1050. [Parents]

They had the following children:

943735040 M i Richard Basset was born about 1088 and died 1144.

1887470082. Geoffrey de Ridel Baron Blaye was born about 1075 in of Witering, Northamptonshire, England. He died 25 Nov 1120 in Northamptonshire, England. Geoffrey married Geva d'Avranches about 1096 in of Witering, Northamptonshire, England.

1887470083. Geva d'Avranches was born about 1076 in of Chestershire, England. [Parents]

They had the following children:

943735041 F i Matilda de Ridel was born about 1097 and died 1139.

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