maximum test » William "Guillaume Fils Osbern" fitz Osbern 1st Earl of Hereford (1016-1071)

Persoonlijke gegevens William "Guillaume Fils Osbern" fitz Osbern 1st Earl of Hereford 

• Roepnaam is Guillaume Fils Osbern.
• Hij is geboren in het jaar 1016Poitiers
  Poitou-Charentes France.
• Gedoopt (op 8-jarige leeftijd of later) door het priesterschapsgezag van de LDS-kerk in SUBMITTED.
• Beroepen:
• unknown in Earl of Hereford.
• Earl of Hereford.
• Comte, d'Hereford, de Hainaut, Sieur, de Breteuil, Grand Maître d'hôtel.
• Earl of Hereford.
• unknown in Co-regent of England under William the Conqueror.
• Woonachtig: East Hereford.
• Hij is overleden op 22 februari 1071, hij was toen 55 jaar oudCassel
  Nord-Pas-de-Calais France.
• Hij is begraven in het jaar 1071Cormeilles
  Upper Normandy France.
• Een kind van Osbern fitz Arfast en Emma d'Ivry

Gezin van William "Guillaume Fils Osbern" fitz Osbern 1st Earl of Hereford

Hij is getrouwd met Adeliza de Toeni.

Zij zijn getrouwd rond 1055Castle Ivry
Normandy France.

Kind(eren):

1. Emma FitzOsbern  ± 1054-1095 

Notities over William "Guillaume Fils Osbern" fitz Osbern 1st Earl of Hereford

Source #1: Weis, p. 58 - see Complete Peerage IV 672-73 chart; V 736; VII 520, 527-30; IX 568-574 and note n 574 - a companion of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings, 1066; Earl of Hereford.

Source #2: Marcellus Donald Alexander R. von Redlich, "Pedigrees of Some of the Emperor Charlemagne's Descendants" (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co, Inc, 1988 reprint of 1941 edition), pp. 133-134

Name Suffix: Earl of Hereford Nearest closest friend Of William the Conqueror. William FitzOsbern was a military adventurer on a grand scale. He was the son of Osbern one of William's murdered guardians, he became a close friend and stewart to William then a Duke. At the Council of Lillebonne in 1066 he urged the Norman barons to invade England and later played a leading role in the campaign commanding, the right wing at Hasting. He was rewarded with vast estatesin England, notably in the Welch Marches. He re/built the Castles of Wigmore,Clifford, and Chepstowe. ---------------------------------------

The firstEarl of Hereford after the Norman Conquest and son of Osborne de Crepon, Steward of the House hold and Server to William, Duke of Normandy. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Hastings thereby winning his Earldom and also hadthe Isle of Wigh t given him; was slain in battle against Robert de Frison, Count of Flanders. Some say he was called Earl of Bretteville, or Britolio, inNormandy. Source : The Royal Ancestry of Deacon Levi Tenney, book found on GenealogyLibrary.co m and 2. [Banks' Extinct Peerage, Vol III., page 351

William FitzOsbern was a military adventurer on a grand scale. The son of Osbern the Seneschal, one of William the Conqueror's murdered guardians, he became a close friend and steward of the duke. At the Council of Lillebonne in 1066 he urged the Norman barons to invade Englandand later played a leading role in the campaign commanding, accordingto the twelfth century writer Wace, the right wing at Hastings. His importance was signalled by the vast English estates with which he was rewarded, notably in the Wesh Marches. Within six months of Hastings, FitzOsbern was earl of Hereford and, with Odo of Bayeux, viceroy of England during William's absence in Normandy (March-December 1067). Heavily engaged in defence and assault against the Welsh, he assumed the task vital to rulers of the English since the seventh century. FitzOsbern set about his responsibilities with particular vigour and acumen. He became notorious for his generosity to his knights, lavishing special legal immunities and large wages on those who served him, this dispersal of treasure incurring, so William of Malmesbury two generations later claimed, the disapproval of the king. To reward his knights further, he settled many of them on lands previously belonging to the church. Uninhibited in exploiting his power over laity as well as clergy, he built a number of castles, for example at Clifford, Wigmore and Chepstow, with local forced labour. Such a policy was merely a continuation of earlier public obligations to contibute to the construction of ramparts which had been fully employed by rulers at least as far back as Ethelbald and Offa of Mercia in the eighth century. Now it provokeda revolt by an English dissident, Edric the Wild, in Herefordshire who allied with Welsh princes. Two years later, in 1069, FitzOsbern helped King William suppress the Northern insurrection and dealt with more trouble from Edric. He attracted further hostile comment from ecclesiastical writers by apparently advising a financially hard-pressed king in 1070 to seize treasure from the English monasteries. The main source for FitzOsbern's life, Orderic Vitalis, is torn between admiration at his material success and disapproval of his methods. Of the former there was no doubt. At Christmas 1070 he was in Normandy helping administer the duchy. Earl in 1071 he was sent to Flanders to protect the regent, Richildis, and her son, Arnulf, the young count (and William's nephew), against a rival claimant, Robert 'le Frison', Arnulf's uncle. To secure FitzOsbern's aid, Richildis offered him her hand in marriage. The air of chivalric romance was caught by the contemporary observation that FitzOsbern travelled to Flanders 'as if to a game.' If so, it proved fatal. He was killed in the decisive battle with Robert 'le Frison' at Cassel in February 1071.
FitzOsbern's dramatic career showed that the immemorial skills of warrior and warlord remained as central to the success of William the Conqueror as to that of any of the great fighting kings and heroes of theearly Middle Ages. Whatever their political or administrative talents, which now seem rather less compelling than once they did, the French invaders of 1066 secured their conquests by violence, often crude and extreme. But it should be noticed the FitzOsbern secured his military support by rewards of cash and privileges as much as by grants of land: he relied on a paid host, not a 'feudal' levy in the classic sense. His life also suggests that in the eleventh as in other centuries, there was only a fine line separating art and nature: a murdered father; personal bravery; cruel conquest; great wealth and friendship with the great won by the sword; international fame for arms; a dowager in distress; the offer of marriage as well as power; and a death in the defence of a widow and orphan. Compared to the images manufactured by Norman apologists for King William himself, FitzOsbern may appear a throwback to a nastier, more vicious age. Yet in achieving great power and strength and the expenditure of large sums of money, FitzOsbern andhis master, ruthless opportunists both, had much in common.
[SOURCE: Who's Who in Early Medieval England, Christopher Tyerman, Shepheard-Walwyn, Ltd., London, 1996]

William FitzOsbern was a military adventurer on a grand scale. The son of Osbern the Seneschal, one of William the Conqueror's murdered guardians, he became a close friend and steward of the duke. At the Council of Lillebonne in 1066 he urged the Norman barons to invade Englandand later played a leading role in the campaign commanding, accordingto the twelfth century writer Wace, the right wing at Hastings. His importance was signalled by the vast English estates with which he was rewarded, notably in the Wesh Marches. Within six months of Hastings, FitzOsbern was earl of Hereford and, with Odo of Bayeux, viceroy of England during William's absence in Normandy (March-December 1067). Heavily engaged in defence and assault against the Welsh, he assumed the task vital to rulers of the English since the seventh century. FitzOsbern set about his responsibilities with particular vigour and acumen. He became notorious for his generosity to his knights, lavishing special legal immunities and large wages on those who served him, this dispersal of treasure incurring, so William of Malmesbury two generations later claimed, the disapproval of the king. To reward his knights further, he settled many of them on lands previously belonging to the church. Uninhibited in exploiting his power over laity as well as clergy, he built a number of castles, for example at Clifford, Wigmore and Chepstow, with local forced labour. Such a policy was merely a continuation of earlier public obligations to contibute to the construction of ramparts which had been fully employed by rulers at least as far back as Ethelbald and Offa of Mercia in the eighth century. Now it provokeda revolt by an English dissident, Edric the Wild, in Herefordshire who allied with Welsh princes. Two years later, in 1069, FitzOsbern helped King William suppress the Northern insurrection and dealt with more trouble from Edric. He attracted further hostile comment from ecclesiastical writers by apparently advising a financially hard-pressed king in 1070 to seize treasure from the English monasteries. The main source for FitzOsbern's life, Orderic Vitalis, is torn between admiration at his material success and disapproval of his methods. Of the former there was no doubt. At Christmas 1070 he was in Normandy helping administer the duchy. Earl in 1071 he was sent to Flanders to protect the regent, Richildis, and her son, Arnulf, the young count (and William's nephew), against a rival claimant, Robert 'le Frison', Arnulf's uncle. To secure FitzOsbern's aid, Richildis offered him her hand in marriage. The air of chivalric romance was caught by the contemporary observation that FitzOsbern travelled to Flanders 'as if to a game.' If so, it proved fatal. He was killed in the decisive battle with Robert 'le Frison' at Cassel in February 1071.
FitzOsbern's dramatic career showed that the immemorial skills of warrior and warlord remained as central to the success of William the Conqueror as to that of any of the great fighting kings and heroes of theearly Middle Ages. Whatever their political or administrative talents, which now seem rather less compelling than once they did, the French invaders of 1066 secured their conquests by violence, often crude and extreme. But it should be noticed the FitzOsbern secured his military support by rewards of cash and privileges as much as by grants of land: he relied on a paid host, not a 'feudal' levy in the classic sense. His life also suggests that in the eleventh as in other centuries, there was only a fine line separating art and nature: a murdered father; personal bravery; cruel conquest; great wealth and friendship with the great won by the sword; international fame for arms; a dowager in distress; the offer of marriage as well as power; and a death in the defence of a widow and orphan. Compared to the images manufactured by Norman apologists for King William himself, FitzOsbern may appear a throwback to a nastier, more vicious age. Yet in achieving great power and strength and the expenditure of large sums of money, FitzOsbern andhis master, ruthless opportunists both, had much in common.
[SOURCE: Who's Who in Early Medieval England, Christopher Tyerman, Shepheard-Walwyn, Ltd., London, 1996]

William FitzOsbern was a military adventurer on a grand scale. The son of Osbern the Seneschal, one of William the Conqueror's murdered guardians, he became a close friend and steward of the duke. At the Council of Lillebonne in 1066 he urged the Norman barons to invade Englandand later played a leading role in the campaign commanding, accordingto the twelfth century writer Wace, the right wing at Hastings. His importance was signalled by the vast English estates with which he was rewarded, notably in the Wesh Marches. Within six months of Hastings, FitzOsbern was earl of Hereford and, with Odo of Bayeux, viceroy of England during William's absence in Normandy (March-December 1067). Heavily engaged in defence and assault against the Welsh, he assumed the task vital to rulers of the English since the seventh century. FitzOsbern set about his responsibilities with particular vigour and acumen. He became notorious for his generosity to his knights, lavishing special legal immunities and large wages on those who served him, this dispersal of treasure incurring, so William of Malmesbury two generations later claimed, the disapproval of the king. To reward his knights further, he settled many of them on lands previously belonging to the church. Uninhibited in exploiting his power over laity as well as clergy, he built a number of castles, for example at Clifford, Wigmore and Chepstow, with local forced labour. Such a policy was merely a continuation of earlier public obligations to contibute to the construction of ramparts which had been fully employed by rulers at least as far back as Ethelbald and Offa of Mercia in the eighth century. Now it provokeda revolt by an English dissident, Edric the Wild, in Herefordshire who allied with Welsh princes. Two years later, in 1069, FitzOsbern helped King William suppress the Northern insurrection and dealt with more trouble from Edric. He attracted further hostile comment from ecclesiastical writers by apparently advising a financially hard-pressed king in 1070 to seize treasure from the English monasteries. The main source for FitzOsbern's life, Orderic Vitalis, is torn between admiration at his material success and disapproval of his methods. Of the former there was no doubt. At Christmas 1070 he was in Normandy helping administer the duchy. Earl in 1071 he was sent to Flanders to protect the regent, Richildis, and her son, Arnulf, the young count (and William's nephew), against a rival claimant, Robert 'le Frison', Arnulf's uncle. To secure FitzOsbern's aid, Richildis offered him her hand in marriage. The air of chivalric romance was caught by the contemporary observation that FitzOsbern travelled to Flanders 'as if to a game.' If so, it proved fatal. He was killed in the decisive battle with Robert 'le Frison' at Cassel in February 1071.
FitzOsbern's dramatic career showed that the immemorial skills of warrior and warlord remained as central to the success of William the Conqueror as to that of any of the great fighting kings and heroes of theearly Middle Ages. Whatever their political or administrative talents, which now seem rather less compelling than once they did, the French invaders of 1066 secured their conquests by violence, often crude and extreme. But it should be noticed the FitzOsbern secured his military support by rewards of cash and privileges as much as by grants of land: he relied on a paid host, not a 'feudal' levy in the classic sense. His life also suggests that in the eleventh as in other centuries, there was only a fine line separating art and nature: a murdered father; personal bravery; cruel conquest; great wealth and friendship with the great won by the sword; international fame for arms; a dowager in distress; the offer of marriage as well as power; and a death in the defence of a widow and orphan. Compared to the images manufactured by Norman apologists for King William himself, FitzOsbern may appear a throwback to a nastier, more vicious age. Yet in achieving great power and strength and the expenditure of large sums of money, FitzOsbern andhis master, ruthless opportunists both, had much in common.
[SOURCE: Who's Who in Early Medieval England, Christopher Tyerman, Shepheard-Walwyn, Ltd., London, 1996]

[s2.FTW]

[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #1241, Date of Import: May 8, 1997]

Steward to William the Conqueror. Fought at Hastings in 1066; received large estates in England; made Earl of Hereford; killed at the Battle of Cassel.

!EARL OF HEREFORD[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #1241, Date of Import: May 8, 1997]

Steward to William the Conqueror. Fought at Hastings in 1066; received large estates in England; made Earl of Hereford; killed at the Battle of Cassel.

!EARL OF HEREFORD

Basic Life Information

William FitzOsbern Earl of Hererford

Battle of Hastings, Steward to WTC, WTC's chief military strategist and castle builder

b abt 1030 in Poiters, France
resided Carisbrook Castle
d 22 Feb 1071, Battle of Cassel, Flanders, protecting WTC from assassin? buried Abbey of Cormeilles, Normandy

Parents: Osborn de Crepon & Albreda de Bayeau

Spouse: Adelisa de Toeni
Child: Emma FitzOsborne m Ralph de Guarder
Child: Roger de Breteuil, inherited Clifford Castle, all English holdings
Child: William, oldest, Lord of Breteuil and all Normandy holdings

Spouse 2: Richilde von Egisheim (no issue) m abt 1070

<http://www.packrat-pro.com/stevens/to.htm>

WILLIAM FITZ OSBERN
The Conqueror and His Companions
by J.R. Planché, Somerset Herald. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1874.

Of the three great names at the head of this chapter [Wm F.O., Roger de Montgomeri, Robt de Beaumont], that of William Fitz Osbern claims precedence as the nearest personal friend of the Conqueror, and the chief officer of his household. Son of that Osbern the son of Herfast, otherwise Osbern de Crépon, who was foully murdered in the bed-chamber of his young sovereign by William de Montgomeri, he succeeded him in his office of Dapifer and the favour of the Duke. No particular feat of arms is recorded of him, though he must have fought in some, if not all, of the battles in Normandy during the twenty years or more which immediately preceded the invasion of England, from that of Val-ès-Dunes in 1047 to that of Varaville in 1060, and was probably with the Duke in his expeditions against Conan in Brittany and his invasion of Maine in 1063. We have proof at least of his presence at the siege of Domfront in 1054, when he was sent with Roger de Montgomeri to demand an explanation from Geoffrey Martel of his conduct in marching into Normandy and seizing Alençon. It is not, however, till the memorable year 1066 that he becomes a prominent person in the history of Normandy and of England. He appears to have somewhat resembled his master in character, combining great valour with much readiness of wit and astuteness of policy. We have seen him entering the hall of the Palace at Rouen "humming a tune," and rousing the moody Duke from his silent and sullen consideration of the news from England by bidding him bestir himself and take vengeance on Harold, who had been so disloyal to him; to call together all that he could call, cross the sea, and wrest the crown from the perjured usurper. William followed his advice, as most people do when they have already determined on taking the course suggested, and "Osbern, of the bold heart," was very likely aware of that fact when he ventured to express his opinion. The call was made first of the Duke's relatives and most confidential friends, and then of the whole baronage of Normandy. It is at this last and large assembly at Lillebonne that the audacity and cunning of Fitz Osbern become strongly apparent.
Considerable hesitation, and in some instances direct objection, being displayed to the adoption of the project, and the council breaking up into groups to discuss it, the wily Dapifer flitted about from one influential chief to the other, suggesting the danger of driving their feudal lord to extremities; that they should rather anticipate his wishes than suffer him to ask their aid in vain, and that it would be much worse for them eventually, should the Duke have to complain that his enterprise had failed in consequence of their defection. Puzzled and irresolute they at length requested him to speak to the Duke in the name of the whole body, and say not only that they feared the sea, but also that they were not bound to serve him beyond it.
Having thus contrived to be elected their spokesman, he, with the greatest effrontery, assured the Duke that they were unanimous in their determination to support him. That to advance him they would go through fire and water. They would not only cross the sea, but double their service. He who should bring twenty knights would cheerfully bring forty; he who was bound to serve with thirty would come with sixty, and the barons who had to serve with one hundred men would join him with two hundred. As to himself, he promised to furnish sixty ships laden with fighting men. The barons were as indignant as astounded at this unwarrantable declaration. Many openly disavowed him; all was tumult and confusion. "No one could hear another speak; no one could either listen to reason or render it for himself" (Roman de Rou).
The Duke then withdrawing to one side of the hall, sent for the barons one by one, and assuring them of his love and grace, pledged himself that if they would support him, as Fitz Osbern had stated, by doubling their service on this occasion, that they should not be called on in future for service beyond what was the custom of the land, and such as their ancestors had always rendered to their feudal lord. The Duke's eloquence was successful, and, as before stated (page 51), each baron's promise was recorded by scribes ready at hand as soon as it was made.
In Taylor's List, the number of ships furnished by Fitz Osbern, whose name stands first upon it, agrees with that mentioned by Wace. "Habuit a Willielmo Dapifero, filio Osberni LX naves." No knights are mentioned.
We next hear of him on English ground. While the Duke of Normandy was haranguing his forces on the morning of the battle, "William Fitz-Osber" rode up and interrupted him, saying, "Sire, we tarry here too long, let us all arm ourselves. Allons! Allons!" Wace, who recounts this incident, says, Fitz Osbern's horse was "all covered with iron." This is one of the instances in which he has been guilty of an anachronism, no such practice existing in the days of the Conqueror (vide the Bayeux Tapestry), but at the time that he composed the Roman de Rou, the fashion had been imported from the East by the Crusaders, and the horses were often coated with chain from the tail to the nostrils. In the disposition of the army, he was selected by the Duke to be a leader of the wing composed of the men of Boulogne and Poix, but we hear of no special incident connected with his name in the course of the battle.
The reward of his great and long-continued service was promptly bestowed upon him. The earldom of Hereford and the lordship of the Isle of Wight being the principal honours; the manor of Hanley, in Worcestershire, and several in Gloucestershire and other counties, which, in consequence of his dying before the great survey, cannot now be identified.
In addition to these substantial benefits, King William, on his return to Normandy in 1067, made him governor of his newly built Castle of Winchester: an office of great responsibility, as Winchester at that period was a city second only in importance to London. Its palace was the favourite residence of Edward the Confessor and the early Norman kings. It possessed a mint and a treasury, in which the riches and regalia of the sovereign were deposited, and was consequently to be most jealously guarded. The Conqueror also associated him with Bishop Odo, in the vicegerency (sic; viceregency) of the realm during his absence. Fitz Osbern having the chief administration of justice in the north, and Odo in the south of the kingdom.
On the defeat of Edgar Athelin and his confederates at York by the Conqueror in 1068, William Fitz Osbern was appointed governor of that city, and in the following year was hastily summoned to relieve the cities of Shrewsbury and Exeter, simultaneously attacked by the Welsh and the disaffected men of Cheshire, Devonshire, and Cornwall. He was too late to save Shrewsbury, which the insurgents, under Edric the Wild, had burned and abandoned; but reaching Exeter at the moment when a sudden sally of the garrison had driven back the besiegers and thrown them into confusion, the Earl, in conjunction with Count Brian of Brittany, fell upon them and put them nearly all to the sword.
In 1070, he was sent to Normandy by King William in order to assist Queen Matilda, the duchy being at that time in a very disturbed state. About the same period war broke out in Flanders between Richilde, widow of Count Baldwin VI -- called De Mons, and mother of his eldest son and heir, Ernulph -- and Robert, surnamed the Frison, who claimed the regency during the minority of Ernulph, in conformity with the will of his deceased brother. Matilda, taking the side of her sister-in-law, sent the Earl of Hereford with what forces she could spare to her aid. The Earl was then a widower, and either from love or ambition, became a suitor for the hand of the still fair Countess of Flanders.
Richilde, either responding to his affection, or from a desire to attach the valiant Norman more thoroughly to her interest, married him, and made him titular Count of Flanders.
He did not long, however, enjoy his dignity, for, on the 22nd of February, 1071, a sanguinary engagement took place at Ravenchoven, near Cassel, between the forces of Robert the Frison and those of the Countess Richilde and her ally, Philip I, King of France, in which both her son, young Count Ernulph, and her husband, the Earl of Hereford, who fought by his side, fell together.
According to Meier, the death-blow of William Fitz Osbern was dealt by one of his own knights, named Gerbodon, who had previously unhorsed him, but we are left in doubt as to the motive of the felon. The Earl's body was carried by his men-at-arms to the Abbey of Cormeilles, in Normandy, of which he was the founder in 1060, and buried there "amid much sorrow." His first wife, Adelina or Adeliza, was the daughter of Roger de Toeni. The date of her death is uncertain, but it probably took place some few years before the Conquest. She was buried at the Abbey of Lire, on the river Risle, in Normandy, which was also founded by Fitz Osbern as early as 1046; perchance on the occasion of his marriage, as Cormeilles may have been on that of her death. The dates are at least suggestive.
By Adelina de Toeni he had three sons and two daughters. The eldest son, William, succeeded him as Lord of Breteuil and Pacy, and in all his other possessions in Normandy. The second, Ralph, was shorn a monk, when young, in the Abbey of Cormeilles; and the third, Roger de Breteuil, had the earldom of Hereford and all the land his father held in England. The eldest daughter, Emma, married Ralph, Earl of Norfolk, of whom much hereafter. The name of the second and that of her husband are at present unknown, but she became the mother of Raynold de Cracci. (It is clear, therefore, that Dugdale and the other genealogists are in error, who give to Roger de Toeni for wife Alicia, a daughter of William Fitz Osbern, independently of the fact that in that case she would have been his own grand-daughter. Adela, by Pere Anselm called Helene, the widow of Roger de Toeni, and mother of Adeline or Alicia, wife of Will. Fitz Osbern, married secondly Richard Count of Evreux, vide chapter viii., p. 249.) A natural daughter of William de Breteuil, named Isabel, married Ascelin Goel, and was the direct ancestress of the Lovels of Tichmarsh. (Vide vol. ii, ch. vii)

[Weis 58] a Companion of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings, 1066.

[1880] WSHNGT.ASC file (Geo Washington Ahnentafel) # 2181334

[BIGOD-Mel Morris,10Gen Anc.FTW]

TITL Garner, Lorraine Ann "Lori"
PUBL P.O. Box 577, Bayview, ID 83803
Her sources included, but may not be limited to: Burke's Landed Gentry, Burke's Dormant & Extinct Peerage, Burke's Peerage of American Presidents, Debrett's Peerage, Oxford histories & "numerous
other reference works"
very good to excellent, although she has a tendency to follow Burke's
REPO
Hardcopy notes of Lori Garner Elmore.
CALN
MEDI Letter
ALIA William /Fitzosbern/ de Brteuil Earl Hereford
TITL Garner, Lorraine Ann "Lori"
PUBL P.O. Box 577, Bayview, ID 83803
Her sources included, but may not be limited to: Burke's Landed Gentry, Burke's Dormant & Extinct Peerage, Burke's Peerage of American Presidents, Debrett's Peerage, Oxford histories & "numerous
other reference works"
very good to excellent, although she has a tendency to follow Burke's
REPO
Hardcopy notes of Lori Garner Elmore.
CALN
MEDI Letter
DATA
TEXT d 1071
TITL University of Hull Royal Database (England)
AUTH Brian Tompsett, Dept of Computer Science
PUBL copyright 1994, 1995, 1996
usually reliable but sometimes includes hypothetical lines, mythological figures, etc
REPO
WWW, University of Hull, Hull, UK HU6 7RX (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)
CALN
MEDI Electronic
DATA
TEXT d 1071
_FA1
PLAC 1st Earl of Hereford. Acceded 1067.
TITL University of Hull Royal Database (England)
AUTH Brian Tompsett, Dept of Computer Science
PUBL copyright 1994, 1995, 1996
usually reliable but sometimes includes hypothetical lines, mythological figures, etc
REPO
WWW, University of Hull, Hull, UK HU6 7RX (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)
CALN
MEDI Electronic
_FA2
PLAC Interred: Abbey of Cormeilles.
TITL University of Hull Royal Database (England)
AUTH Brian Tompsett, Dept of Computer Science
PUBL copyright 1994, 1995, 1996
usually reliable but sometimes includes hypothetical lines, mythological figures, etc
REPO
WWW, University of Hull, Hull, UK HU6 7RX (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)
CALN
MEDI Electronic
_FA3
PLAC Viceroy of England.
TITL University of Hull Royal Database (England)
AUTH Brian Tompsett, Dept of Computer Science
PUBL copyright 1994, 1995, 1996
usually reliable but sometimes includes hypothetical lines, mythological figures, etc
REPO
WWW, University of Hull, Hull, UK HU6 7RX (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)
CALN
MEDI Electronic
_FA4
PLAC Norman companion with William the Conqueror.

GIVN William
SURN FITZOSBERN
AFN V9T3-46
REPO @REPO32@
TITL Ancestral File (TM)
AUTH The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
PUBL June 1998 (c), data as of 5 JAN 1998
ABBR Ancestral File (TM)
_MASTER Y
DATE 21 OCT 1999
TIME 01:00:00

WILLIAM FITZOSBERN, SEIGNEUR DE BRETEUIL, son and heir of Osbern, steward of Normandy, by Emma, daughter of Ralph, COUNT OF IVRY (g), took a leading part in the events leading up to and in the Battle of Hastings. He was thereafter rewarded with great estates in England, namely, the Isle of Wight arid the County of Hereford, becoming EARL OF HEREFORD. He divided Herefordshire into casteleries, and attracted many knights to his service by liberal pay, even making a special law that none should pay for any offence more than 7 shillings. He was in command of the army during William's absence in 1067, and his representative in the north. In 1068 he was in Normandy with the Duke, and in 1068/9 was governor of York. To him (in 1070) is credited the searching of the monastefies in England for treasure deposited there. In 1070, or early in 1071, he was sent to Normandy to assist Queen Maud in the administration of the Duchy, and so became involved in the troubles in Flanders, where the Queen was supporting her nephew Arnolf's succession to his grandfather, Baldwin, Count of Flanders. The Earl joined Philip of France with 10 knights only and went off to Flanders, where he was killed, 18 February 1070/1.
Clifford castle stands on an eastward flowing section of the River Wye near to the current boundary between England and Wales. The castle was founded by Earl William Fitz Osbern in the period between his being made earl of Hereford soon after Christmas 1066 and his death at the battle of Cassel in Flanders on 22 February 1071. In that time it is likely that his engineers found the natural knoll lying alongside the steep drop to the River Wye near a ford. This gave the site its later name, the cliff by the ford or Clifford. Fitz Osbern's men scarped and ditched the knoll they found into what is today a motte with a secondary platform to the West.

Alice [de Toeni] married William fitz Osbern, 1st Earl of Hereford,of the creation made shortly after the Conquest. [Burke's Peerage]

-----------------------------

William Fitz Osbern, a Companion of William the Conqueror at theBattle of Hastings, 1066, Earl of Hereford. [Ancestral Roots]

------------------------------

EARLDOM OF HEREFORD (I) 1067

WILLIAM FITZOSBERN, SEIGNEUR DE BRETEUIL, son and heir of Osbern,steward of Normandy, by Emma, daughter of Ralph, COUNT OF IVRY (g),took a leading part in the events leading up to and in the Battle ofHastings. He was thereafter rewarded with great estates in England,namely, the Isle of Wight arid the County of Hereford, becoming EARLOF HEREFORD. He divided Herefordshire into casteleries, and attractedmany knights to his service by liberal pay, even making a special lawthat none should pay for any offence more than 7 shillings. He was incommand of the army during William's absence in 1067, and hisrepresentative in the north. In 1068 he was in Normandy with the Duke,and in 1068/9 was governor of York. To him (in 1070) is credited thesearching of the monastefies in England for treasure deposited there.In 1070, or early in 1071, he was sent to Normandy to assist QueenMaud in the administration of the Duchy, and so became involved in thetroubles in Flanders, where the Queen was supporting her nephewArnolf's succession to his grandfather, Baldwin, Count of Flanders.The Earl joined Philip of France with 10 knights only and went off toFlanders, where he was killed, 18 February 1070/1.

He married, 1stly, Adelise, daughter of Roger DE TONI, standard-bearerof Normandy. She died 5 October 1070? and was burried in the Abbey ofLire, which her husband had founded. He married, 2ndly shortly beforehis death, Richilde, widow of Baldwin (VI), COUNT OF FLANDERS, andpreviously, as is stated, of Herman, COUNT OF HAINAULT, daughter andheir of the Count of Egisheim [Alsace]. The Earl died as aforesaid in1071, and was buried in the Abbey of Cormeilles, which he had alsofounded. His widow appears to have died 15 March 1086/7. She wasburied with her 2nd husband in the Abbey of Hasnon, which they hadfounded. [Complete Peerage VI:447-9, XIV:380, (transcribed by DaveUtzinger)]

(g) Ralph, Count of Ivry, was (on the mother's side) brother of thehalf blood to Duke Richard I.

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The following additional information on William FitzOsbern wasprovided in a post-em by Curt Hofemann:

Companion of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings [Ref:Weis AR7 53:25]
in command of the van of the Norman army at Hastings [Ref: Watneyp400]

Fitzosbern, William, earl of Hereford (d. 1071). Norman lord. Closelyassociated, as lord of Breteuil, with William I in Normandy, he wasgranted earldom of Hereford (1067) after the Norman conquest. Heextended Norman influence westwards and built strong castles atWigmore, Clifford, Ewyas Harold, Monmouth and Chepstow. The Herefordcharter, the model for numerous charters granted to Welsh boroughs,was based on that of Breteuil. [Ref: Dict of Brit History, pg 139]

FitzOsbern, Earl William. Also Earl of Hereford. Son of Osbern Siewardof Normandy; brother of Osbern, Bishop of Exeter. Married Adeline,sister of Ralph de Tosny. Large estates in west and Isle of Wight,broken up when his son, Roger, rebelled. Regent, with Odo of Bayeux,1067. [Ref: Domesday Online]

FitzOsbern, William, 1st Earl Of Hereford, Seigneur De Bréteuil, d.Feb. 20, 1071, Cassel, Flanders, French GUILLAUME D'OBBERN, Normansoldier and lord, one of William the Conqueror's closest supporters.

The son of Osbern (or Obbern) de Crépon, seneschal of Normandy,FitzOsbern himself became seneschal of Normandy and in 1060 was giventhe lordship and castle of Bréteuil. He took a leading part both inthe preparations for the Norman invasion of England and in the Battleof Hastings (1066) and was rewarded with a grant of the Isle of Wightand the earldom of Hereford, both vitally important for the defense ofEngland.

After the Conquest, FitzOsbern held a position of the highestresponsibility. In 1067 he commanded the army in King William I'sabsence, was put in charge of a new castle at Norwich, and was madethe king's special representative in the north. In the criticalrebellion of 1068-69 he was governor of York. In 1071, having beensent to Normandy to help Queen Matilda, he became involved in theFlemish succession dispute and was killed at the Battle of Cassel inFlanders in 1071.

He founded the abbeys of Cormeilles and Lire in Normandy andintroduced the "laws of Bréteuil" to Hereford, whence they became amodel for many western English, Welsh, and Irish boroughs.

On his death, his estates were divided between his twosons--William (or Guillaume), the elder, succeeding to the Normanfiefs, and Roger Fitzwilliam, the younger, succeeding to the earldomof Hereford and the English estates. The latter conspired against KingWilliam I and in 1075 forfeited his estates and was imprisoned for theremainder of his life. [Ref: Ency Britannica online]

In addition there is a lengthy article on him: WILLIAM FITZ OSBERNfrom "The Conqueror and His Companions" by J.R. Planché, SomersetHerald. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1874. (to be used with caution, asindicated by the transcriber) at

http://www.patpnyc.com/conq/fitzosb.shtml

Regards,
Curt

Earl William Fitz-Osborne was the Lord of Breteuil in Normandy, a cousin to William the Conqueror, and Lord High Steward of Normandy by heredity right. He was the first Norman Earl of Hereford and Lord High Constable of England.

{geni:about_me} William FitzOsbern, Earl of Hereford.
Son of Osbern de Crépon and Emma d'Ivry
Married:
Adelisa
Richilde (no children)

Children with Adelisa:
1. Guillaume (William)
2. Roger
3. Emma
4. (daughter)
Illegitimate child:
5. Raoul

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_FitzOsbern,_1st_Earl_of_Hereford
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillaume_Fitz_Osbern

http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/NORMAN%20NOBILITY.htm#OsbernCrepondied1040
http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLISH%20NOBILITY%20MEDIEVAL.htm#GuillaumeFitzOsbernHereforddied1071

GUILLAUME FitzOsbern (-killed in battle Cassel, Flanders 22 Feb 1071, bur Abbaye de Cormeilles). Guillaume de Jumièges names "Guillaume fils d'Osbern, proche parent du duc Guillaume", recording that he built the monasteries at Lire and Corneilles[23]. He is named as brother of Osbern, son of Emma, in his donation to Sainte-Trinité de Rouen dated 1038 or after, made jointly with his mother and brother[24]. "Willelmi filii Osberni" witnessed two charters dated 1035 or after and 1038 or after[25]. "…Guillelmi filii Osberni…" witnessed the charter dated 1054 under which Guillaume II Duke of Normandy confirmed the donation of "terram…Sancta Columba…dedit Niellus clericus" to the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel[26]. "…Willelmi filii Osberti, Rotgerii de Monte Golmerii, Richardis vicecomitis Abrinchensis…" witnessed the charter dated [1055/56] under which Guillaume II Duke of Normandy "in pago…Constantino, villam…Flotomannum" to Saint-Florent de Saumur[27]. "…Guillelmus filius Osberti…Guillelmus filius Guillelmi filiii Osberti…" witnessed the charter dated to [1060] under which Guillaume II Duke of Normandy granted "Brenerias" to the abbey of Bayeux[28]. "Willelmus filius Osberti…" witnessed the charter dated 29 Aug 1060 under which "milite…Richardo…fratribus Willelmo…atque Balduino" donated "Gausberti Villa" to Chartres Saint-Père[29].

The Chronique de Normandie, based on le Roman de Rou, records that William I King of England made "le Conte Rogier de Montgomery et Guillaume le filz Osber" his two "Marechaulx d´Engleterre" after the conquest of England[30]. "Willelmi filii Osberni" signed a charter of "Erchenbaldo filio Erchenbaldi vicecomitis" dated 1067 or after[31]. "Willelmus comes filius Osberni dapiferi" made a donation to Sainte-Trinité de Rouen dated 1068[32]. He was rewarded for his part in the conquest of England with estates in the Isle of Wight and county of Hereford, thereby becoming Earl of Hereford.

GUILLAUME FitzOsbern, son of OSBERN de Crépon & his wife Emma d'Ivry (-killed in battle Cassel, Flanders 22 Feb 1071, bur Abbaye de Corneilles[152]).

Orderic Vitalis calls him nepos of Hugues Bishop of Bayeux[153]. Seigneur de Breteuil. He founded the monasteries of Lyre in [1046] and Corneilles in [1060] "on his own estates"[154]. He is named as brother of Osbern, son of Emma, in his donation to Sainte-Trinité de Rouen dated 1038 or after, made jointly with his mother and brother[155]. "Willelmi filii Osberni" witnessed two charters dated 1035 or after and 1038 or after[156]. "…Guillelmi filii Osberni…" witnessed the charter dated 1054 under which Guillaume II Duke of Normandy confirmed the donation of "terram…Sancta Columba…dedit Niellus clericus" to the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel[157]. "…Guillelmus filius Osberti…Guillelmus filius Guillelmi filiii Osberti…" witnessed the charter dated to [1060] under which Guillaume II Duke of Normandy granted "Brenerias" to the abbey of Bayeux[158]. "Willelmus filius Osberti…" witnessed the charter dated 29 Aug 1060 under which "milite…Richardo…fratribus Willelmo…atque Balduino" donated "Gausberti Villa" to Chartres Saint-Père[159]. "Willelmi filii Osberni" signed a charter of "Erchenbaldo filio Erchenbaldi vicecomitis" dated 1067 or after[160]. "Willelmus comes filius Osberni dapiferi" made a donation to Sainte-Trinité de Rouen dated 1068[161]. He fought at the battle of Hastings. William I King of England rewarded him for his part in the conquest of England with the grant of estates in the Isle of Wight and the county of Hereford, whereby he became Earl of Hereford.

Florence of Worcester records that King William left "fratrumque suum Odonem Baiocensem episcopum et Willelmum filium Osberni quem in Herefordensi provincia comitum" when he went to Normandy 21 Feb [1067][162]. Florence of Worcester records that "Willelmi Herefordensis comitis" seized treasure from monasteries in England 17 Feb [1070][163]. King William I appointed him regent of Normandy in [1071][164]. The Chronicon Lyrensi records that "Willelmus filius Osberni" was killed by "Roberto Frison die Dominica Septuagesimæ" in 1072 and buried "Apud Cormelias"[165]. He was killed supporting the accession of Arnoul III Count of Flanders, whose mother he had married as his second wife, against Robert I "le Frison" Count of Flanders.

Robert of Torigny's De Immutatione Ordinis Monachorum records that "Willermus filius Osberni Normanniæ dapifer et cognatus Willermi ducis" was buried "apud Cormelias"[166].

m firstly ADELISA de Tosny, daughter of ROGER de Tosny & his wife Godechildis --- (-Abbaye de Lire). Guillaume de Jumièges names "Adelise fille de Roger du Ternois" as wife of "Guillaume fils d'Osbern, proche parent du duc Guillaume", recording that her husband buried her in the monastery of Lire which he had built[167]. Robert of Torigny's De Immutatione Ordinis Monachorum records that "Willermus filius Osberni Normanniæ dapifer et cognatus Willermi ducis…Aelizam uxorem suam filiam Rogeri de Toeneio" was buried in the monastery of Lire[168].

m secondly (after Jul 1070) as her third husband, RICHILDE, widow firstly of HERMAN Comte de Hainaut and secondly of BAUDOUIN VI Count of Flanders, daughter of --- (-Messines 15 Mar 1087, bur Abbaye de Hasnon). The question of the parentage of Richilde is discussed fully in the document HAINAUT dealing with her first husband's family. The Annals of Winchester record the marriage in 1070 of “comitissam Flandriæ” and “rex…nepoti suo Willelmo filio Osberni”[169]. Her third marriage is shown in the Complete Peerage which cites Annales Flandriæ stating that Richilde was taken in battle where her new husband FitzOsbern was killed[170].

Earl Guillaume & his first wife had four children:

1. GUILLAUME (-Bec 12 Jan [1103], bur Monastery of Lire[171]). Guillaume de Jumièges names "Guillaume et Roger l'Obstiné" as the two sons of Guillaume FitzOsbern and Adelisa[172]. "…Guillelmus filius Osberti…Guillelmus filius Guillelmi filiii Osberti…" witnessed the charter dated to [1060] under which Guillaume II Duke of Normandy granted "Brenerias" to the abbey of Bayeux[173]. "Willelmus filius eius" subscribed the donation of "Willelmus comes filius Osberni dapiferi" to Sainte-Trinité de Rouen dated 1068[174]. Son of Guillaume Earl of Hereford according to Orderic Vitalis[175], who also refers to him as nepos of Guillaume Comte d'Evreux[176]. On the death of his father, William I King of England granted him the succession to the estates in Normandy, whereby he became Seigneur de Breteuil et de Pacy[177]. He was captured in an attack on Conques, during the war between Raoul de Tosny and Guillaume Comte d'Evreux triggered by the enmity between their wives, and ransomed for 3,000 livres and the promise to make his cousin Roger de Tosny his heir[178]. An addition to the chronicle of Robert of Torigny records the death "apud Beccum V Id Jan" in 1183 of "Willermo filio Osberni comite Herefordiæ…filiis ipsius…Willemus maior natu" and his burial "in claustro Lirensis cenobii"[179]. The Chronicon Lyrensi records the death "apud Beccum V Id Jan" in 1098 of "Willelmus filius Willelmi filii Osberni" and his burial "in claustro Lirensis Cœnobii" which had been built by his father[180].

m ADELINE de Montfort-sur-Risle, daughter of HUGUES II de Montfort-sur-Risle & his second wife ---. She is named as wife of Guillaume by Orderic Vitalis, who also names her father and specifies that the couple were childless[181]. Guillaume had two illegitimate children by an unknown mistress or mistresses:

a) EUSTACHE de Pacy (-Pacy [Feb] 1136[182]). Orderic Vitalis records that he was the son of Guillaume "by a concubine", that he challenged the claims of William de Gaël and Renaud de Grancey to his father's estates and established himself as Seigneur de Breteuil et de Pacy, which was recognised by Henry I King of England who gave him his daughter's hand in marriage[183]. He rebelled against Henry I King of England, his father-in-law, in 1119, forfeited Breteuil but was allowed to retain Pacy[184]. m (1103) JULIANE, illegitimate daughter of HENRY I King of England & his mistress [Ansfride] . She is named as the daughter of King Henry I by Orderic Vitalis, who specifies that the king arranged her marriage[185]. According to the Complete Peerage[186], it is "not unlikely that she was the daughter of Ansfride" as her presumed full brother Richard interceded with King Henry on her behalf in 1119[187]. After her husband's rebellion in 1119, the king (her father) besieged her in Breteuil castle, from where she "was forced to leap down from the walls…and fell shamefully with bare buttocks into the depths of the moat", and fled to her husband at Pacy[188]. She and her husband were later pardoned. She became a nun at Fontevraud Abbey[189]. Eustache & his wife had four children:

i) GUILLAUME (-1153). He succeeded his father as Seigneur de Pacy. Orderic Vitalis records that he attacked Breteuil[190], which had been given to Raoul de Gaël. Robert of Torigny records the death in 1153 "sine liberis" of "Willermo de Paccio" and states that the castle of Pacy passed to "Roberto filio Roberti comitis Legecestriæ"[191].

ii) ROGER . The primary source which confirms his parentage has not yet been identified.

iii) daughter . Orderic Vitalis records that she and her sister were given as hostages by their father in exchange for the son of Ralph Harenc. After Eustache blinded the boy, King Henry allowed Ralph to blind the two girls and cut off the tips of their noses[192].

iv) daughter . Orderic Vitalis records that she suffered the same fate as her sister[193].

b) ISABEL . She was the daughter of Guillaume according to Orderic Vitalis[194]. She must have been illegitimate as the same chronicler states in a later passage that her father's marriage was childless[195]. The charter recording the donation of "femina Hildeburgis…" to the abbey of Saint-Martin de Pontoise names "Elisabeth" as wife of her son "Ascelinus…Goellus" and their sons "Robertus et Willelmus"[196]. m ASCELIN Goel, son of ROBERT d'Ivry & his wife Hildeburgis de Château-Gaillard. He seized the castle of Ivry-la-Bataille (Eure) from Guillaume de Breteuil and surrendered it to Robert Duke of Normandy. The resulting war with Guillaume ended with the latter's capture and agreement to Ascelin's marriage to his daughter[197].

2. ROGER de Breteuil (-after 1087). Guillaume de Jumièges names "Guillaume et Roger l'Obstiné" as the two sons of Guillaume FitzOsbern and Adelisa[198]. On the death of his father, William I King of England granted Roger the succession to the estates in England, whereby he became Earl of Hereford. He conspired with his brother-in-law Raoul de Gaël Earl of Norfolk at Exning, Cambridgeshire in 1075, at the marriage of his sister, and rebelled against King William I during the latter's absence in Normandy. They raised an army but were prevented from crossing the River Severn by the Bishop of Worcester and the Abbot of Evesham. On the king's return to England, Earl Roger was imprisoned and his estates forfeited. He remained captive for the rest of his life[199]. Florence of Worcester records that "Herefordensis comes Rogerus filius Willelmi…East-Anglorum comiti Radulfo" conspired against King William in [1074][200]. Florence of Worcester records that "comites Morkarum et Rogerum, Siwardum cognomento Barn, et Wlnothum regis Haroldi germanum" were released by King William on his deathbed in 1087[201].
m ---. The name of Roger's wife is not known. Roger & his wife had two children:

a) RENAUD (-after [1130]). He is named as the son of Roger by Orderic Vitalis, who says that he and his brother became "some of the best soldiers in the service of King Henry I and are still awaiting his pardon"[202]. Nephew of Guillaume de Breteuil, on whose death he claimed Breteuil[203]. He held the Ballon fief in Wiltshire by [1130] de iure uxoris[204]. A charter of Richard I King of England confirmed donations to Godstow nunnery, Oxfordshire including the donation by “Reginaldi filii comitis et Emelinæ uxoris eius…hæredum suorum Eatonam”, by undated charter[205]. The cartulary of Godstow includes an undated charter under which “Reginaldus filius Rogeri comitis Herefordiæ et Emelina uxor sua” and “filios et filias meas Wilelmum…Reginaldum et Hamelinum necnon Agnetem et Julianam” donated property “Eatonam” to Godstow[206].
m EMMELINE, daughter of HAMELIN de Ballon Lord of Abergavenny & his wife Agnes --- . A charter of Richard I King of England confirmed donations to Godstow nunnery, Oxfordshire including the donation by “Reginaldi filii comitis et Emelinæ uxoris eius…hæredum suorum Eatonam”, by undated charter[207]. The cartulary of Godstow includes an undated charter under which “Reginaldus filius Rogeri comitis Herefordiæ et Emelina uxor sua” and “filios et filias meas Wilelmum…Reginaldum et Hamelinum necnon Agnetem et Julianam” donated property “Eatonam” to Godstow[208]. Her parentage is confirmed by the return of knight´s fees made by William son of Reginald under Herefordshire in 1166 which names “Hamelinus de Balun avus suus”[209]. Renaud & his wife had five children:

i) WILLIAM de Ballon (-[1168/75]). The cartulary of Godstow includes an undated charter under which “Reginaldus filius Rogeri comitis Herefordiæ et Emelina uxor sua” and “filios et filias meas Wilelmum…Reginaldum et Hamelinum necnon Agnetem et Julianam” donated property “Eatonam” to Godstow[210]. William son of Reginald made his return of knight´s fees under Herefordshire in 1166 which names “Hamelinus de Balun avus suus”[211]. He claimed the Lordship of Abergavenny in 1166, in right of his mother.

ii) RAINALD de Ballon (-1203). The cartulary of Godstow includes an undated charter under which “Reginaldus filius Rogeri comitis Herefordiæ et Emelina uxor sua” and “filios et filias meas Wilelmum…Reginaldum et Hamelinum necnon Agnetem et Julianam” donated property “Eatonam” to Godstow[212]. The cartulary of Godstow includes an undated charter under which “Reginaldum de Baelun Reginaldi filii comitis filium, et Emelinæ de Baelun” confirmed his father´s donation of property “Eatonam” to Godstow, naming “Hamelinus de Baelun avus meus”, subscribed by “Hamelino de Baelun”[213]. He succeeded his brother in [1168/75][214]. "Reginald de Baelun son of Reginald, son of the earl, and Emeline de Baelun" confirmed the donation of the manor of Eaton to Godstow abbey, made by "their father and mother", by charter dated to [1170/80][215]. It is supposed that "their" is a mistake for "his", and that "Emeline" was the mother of Rainald de Ballon not his otherwise unrecorded sister of this name, although this is not beyond all doubt.

iii) HAMELIN de Ballon . The cartulary of Godstow includes an undated charter under which “Reginaldus filius Rogeri comitis Herefordiæ et Emelina uxor sua” and “filios et filias meas Wilelmum…Reginaldum et Hamelinum necnon Agnetem et Julianam” donated property “Eatonam” to Godstow[216].

iv) AGNES . The cartulary of Godstow includes an undated charter under which “Reginaldus filius Rogeri comitis Herefordiæ et Emelina uxor sua” and “filios et filias meas Wilelmum…Reginaldum et Hamelinum necnon Agnetem et Julianam” donated property “Eatonam” to Godstow[217].

v) JULIANA . The cartulary of Godstow includes an undated charter under which “Reginaldus filius Rogeri comitis Herefordiæ et Emelina uxor sua” and “filios et filias meas Wilelmum…Reginaldum et Hamelinum necnon Agnetem et Julianam” donated property “Eatonam” to Godstow[218].

b) ROGER (-after [1125/26][219]). He is named as the son of Roger by Orderic Vitalis, who says that he and his brother became "some of the best soldiers in the service of King Henry I and are still awaiting his pardon"[220].

3. EMMA . Guillaume de Jumièges records that the unnamed daughter of Guillaume FitzOsbern and Adelisa married "comte Raoul né Breton" and that they both went to Jerusalem in the time of Pope Urban[221]. Florence of Worcester records that her brother "Herefordensis comes Rogerus filius Willelmi" arranged her marriage to "East-Anglorum comiti Radulfo" against the wishes of King William in [1074][222]. The Annals of Winchester record the marriage in 1075 of “Radulfo Wadele comiti” and “comitis Willelmi Osberni filii filiam”[223]. m (Exning, Cambridgeshire 1075[224]) RALPH de Gaël Earl of Norfolk, son of RALPH "the Staller" Seigneur de Gaël & his wife --- (before 1040-on crusade after 1096).

4. daughter . Guillaume de Jumièges records that Guillaume FitzOsbern had two daughters[225].

Guillaume had one [Illegitimate] child [by an unknown mistress]:

5. RAOUL . Guillaume de Jumièges names Raoul as son of Guillaume FitzOsbern, recording that he became a monk at Corneilles as a child[226]. From the context of the passage, it would appear that Adelisa, wife of Guillaume FitzOsbern, was not the mother of Raoul as he is not included in the list of the couple's children in another passage.
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William FitzOsbern (c. 1020 – 22 February 1071), Lord of Breteuil, in Normandy, was a relative and close counsellor of William the Conqueror.

1st Norman Earl of Hereford
William FitzOsbern became one of the great magnates of early Norman England. He was created Earl of Hereford before 22 February 1067, one of the first peerage titles in the English peerage.

Early life
He was the son of Osbern the Steward, a nephew of Duchess Gunnor, the wife of Duke Richard I of Normandy. Osbern became the steward of his cousin Duke Robert I of Normandy, and when Robert left the Duchy to his young son William, Osbern was one of Duke William's guardians. Osbern was killed defending the person of Duke William against an assassination attempt, sometime around 1040.

Osbern had married Emma, a daughter of Count Rodolf of Ivry, who was a half-brother of Duke Richard I of Normandy. Through her he inherited a large property in central Normandy, including the honours of Pacy and Breteuil.

William fitzOsbern was probably raised at the court of his cousin and namesake Duke William, and like his father, became one of the ducal stewards. He was one of the earliest and most vigorous advocates of the invasion of England, and tradition holds that he convinced the doubters amongst the Norman barons of the feasibility of the invasion.

FitzOsbern's younger brother Osbern was one of Edward the Confessor's chaplains, and possessed the rich church of Bosham in Sussex, and was well-placed to pass along intelligence on the situation in England. He later became Bishop of Exeter.

In England after 1066
As Duke William took control of England (becoming William I of England), fitzOsbern was given charge of the Isle of Wight, and then before 22 February 1067 he was made Earl of Hereford as well as Gloucester, Worcester and Oxfordshire.

Challenge and reward
In any case, that part of England was not yet under Norman control; the understanding must have been that fitzOsbern was to take charge of their conquest when he was able. Also for the central part of 1067 the King returned to Normandy, leaving fitzOsbern, along with Odo of Bayeux, in charge of England.

Subduing Southwest England
The King was back in England in 1068, and fitzOsbern accompanied him in the subdual of southwest England. He attended the King's Whitsun court in May, and then himself paid a visit to Normandy, where he fell ill for some months.

In charge at York
In February or March 1069 fitzOsbern was given charge of the new castle at York, but he returned south in time to attend the King's Easter court in April.

Subduing the West Midlands
Anglo-Saxon resistance in the West Midlands was subdued later in 1069, and it is likely fitzOsbern played a major part in this, though the details are not certain.

Invasion of Gwent
During this time fitzOsbern and his followers pushed on into Wales, beginning the conquest of the Welsh Gwent.

Castle builder
As part of the assertion of Norman control over England (and Wales), fitzOsbern was one of the major Norman castle builders. Early castles attributed to him include Carisbrooke on the Isle of Wight and then in South Wales Chepstow (Striguil), Wigmore, Clifford Castle and Monmouth Castle, as well as creating or improving the fortifications of the towns of Hereford and Shrewsbury.

Distraction and death in Flanders
In 1070 trouble arose in Flanders, where King William's brother-in-law Baldwin VI of Flanders had died, leaving his county and his young sons in the hands of his widow Richilde, Countess of Mons and Hainaut. Her control of Flanders was challenged by the brother of her late husband, Robert the Frisian. Looking for help, she offered herself in marriage to fitzOsbern. He could not resist the chance to become also Count of the rich Principality in the German Empire, close to Normandy. He hurried there with his army, but nevertheless was defeated by the Count of Flanders: fitzOsbern lost his life in the Battle of Cassel on 22 February 1071.

FitzOsbern married first Adeliza de Tosny, daughter of Roger I of Tosny. One assumes that he also married Richilde shortly before the Battle of Cassel.

He was succeeded in Normandy by his eldest son, William of Breteuil--who had the unfortunate experience of being held captive and tortured by his daughter's unwelcome suitor, Ascelin Gouel de Perceval 'Lupus', Sire de Yvery, until he finally granted daughter Isabella de Breteuil's hand in marriage to him, and in England and Wales by his younger son, Roger de Breteuil. His daughter Emma married Ralph de Gael, 1st Earl of Norfolk.

He lived in Carisbrooke Castle.
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General information about the Earls of Hereford, who are not all related:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_of_Hereford

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Norman companion with William the Conqueror.
Interred: Abbey of Cormeilles. 1st Earl of Hereford. Acceded 1067.
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William fitz Osbern, 1st Earl of Hereford was the son of Osbern (?) and Emma d'Ivry. He died on 20 February 1070/71 at Flanders, Belgium, killed in action.

Child of William fitz Osbern, 1st Earl of Hereford
* Emma (?)

http://www.thepeerage.com/p382.htm#i3819
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William was also called William de Crepon.

William FitzOsbern, seigner de Bréteuil, Earl of Hereford, married Adelise de Tosny, daughter of seigneur de Tosni et Conches Roger de Tosny I and Godeheut (?).

William fought with William the Conqueror on 14 October 1066 at the Battle of Hastings, England. He was granted the Lordship of the Isle of Wight by the Conqueror, his kinsman.

William was regent, with Odo of Bayeux, in 1067.

William was created Earl of Hereford by his "distant relation" (1st cousin, 2x removed) William the Conqueror in 1067

William married Richilde de Mons, comtesse de Hainaut.

William died on 20 February 1070/71 in Flanders; he had joined Philip of France with 10 knights only and went off to Flanders, where he was killed.

His large estates in the west and on the Isle of Wight were broken up when his son, Roger, rebelled in 1088.

See "My Lines"
( http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cousin/html/p348.htm#i7116 )
from Compiler: R. B. Stewart, Evans, GA
( http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cousin/html/index.htm )
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William Fitz Osbern, a Companion of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings, 1066, Earl of Hereford.

The castle was founded by Earl William Fitz Osbern in the period between his being made earl of Hereford soon after Christmas 1066 and his death at the battle of Cassel in Flanders on 22 February 1071. In that time it is likely that his

engineers found the natural knoll lying alongside the steep drop to the River Wye near a ford. This gave the site its later name, the cliff by the ford or Clifford. Fitz Osbern's men scarped and ditched the knoll they found into what is today a

motte with a secondary platform to the West. The land of Clifford was at that time waste, but under the earls of Hereford and their successors this waste was brought to blossom with castle, borough and church. After Earl William's death, his

son, Earl

# Note: Alice [de Toeni] married William fitz Osbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, of the creation made shortly after the Conquest. [Burke's Peerage]

# Note: -----------------------------

# Note: William Fitz Osbern, a Companion of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings, 1066, Earl of Hereford. [Ancestral Roots]

# Note: Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 106th Edition, Charles Mosley Editor-in-Chief, 1999

# Note: Page: 1378, 2680

# Note: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition, by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr., 1999

# Note: Page: 53-25, 163-23

# Note: The Plantagenet Ancestry, by William Henry Turton, 1968

# Note: Page: 100 Text: 1071
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Seigneur of Breteuil in Normandy, he played a leading part in the events leading up to, as well as during, the battle of Hastings, for which he was rewarded with vast estates in England, including the county of Hereford by which he became Earl of Hereford. During the Conqueror's absence in 1067, he was in command of the army, and the following year was with the King in Normandy. In 1068/69, he was governor of York. He divided Herefordshire into casteleries, and attracted many knights to his service. In 1070 or early 1071, he was sent to Normandy to assist Queen Maud in the administration of the Duchy, and there became involved in the troubles in Flanders. In Feb of 1070/71, after joining Philip of France and marching into Flanders, he was killed.

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William FitzOsbern (circa 1020 – 22 February 1071), Lord of Breteuil, in Normandy, was a relative and close counsellor of William the Conqueror and one of the great magnates of early Norman England. He was created Earl of Hereford before 22 February 1067, one of the first peerage titles in the English peerage. Cormeilles Abby France William FitzOsbern was buried there in 1071, and according to Ordericus Vitalis it was one of two religious foundations he established on his estates. The foundation was around the year 1060, and FitzOsbern endowed it richly with lands in England, after the Norman Conquest.
The abbey had fallen into disrepair by the fifteenth century. After a series of partial reconstructions, it was suppressed in 1779.
From Wikipedia

Birth: 1016
Poitiers, France
Death: Feb. 22, 1071
Denain, France

Lord of Breteuil, Normandy, Earl of Hereford, Gloucester, Worcester and Oxfordshire

William FitzOsbern was the son of Osbern de Crepon, the Steward, and Albreda de Bayeau. Grandson of Herfast. He was also the nephew of Gunnora, Duchess of Normandy, second wife of Richard I of Normandy. Brother of Osbern, Bishop of Exeter.

William married Adeliza de Toeni, the daughter of Roger de Toeni and Adelaide of Barcelona. They had the following children, and she died before 1066:
* William, Lord of Breteuil
* Roger de Breteuil
* Emma FitzOsborne, wife of Ralph de Guarder

It is said William married Richilde, Countess of Hainhaut, before his death, but had no issue.
William FitzOsbern became one of the great magnates of early Norman England, created Earl of Hereford before 22 February 1067, one of the first peerage titles, and was known to be one the greatest castle builders.

His father was the steward of his cousin Duke Robert I of Normandy. When Robert gave his duchy to his young son, William (the Conqueror), Osbern was one of Duke William's guardians. Osbern was killed in William's bedroom, defending the boy against an assassination attempt around 1040. Osbern's properties in Normandy, including the honors of Pacy and Breteuil, inherited through his wife, the daughter of the half brother of Duke Richard I of Normandy, was passed on to his son, William FitzOsbern.

William FitzOsbern, like his father, became a the ducal stewards, one of the first and adamant supporter to the invasion, known to have convinced the skeptical barons the invasion was truly possible.

During the invasion, it was recorded that "William FitzOsber" interrupted the Duke's lecturing his troops with, "Sire, we tarry here too long, let us all arm ourselves. Allons! Allons!" and his horse was said to have been covered in iron, which would not have been normal for that time.

After the invasion, and the Duke became William I, FitzOsbern was given the charge of the Idle of Wight, and made Earl of Hereford, Gloucester, Worcester and Oxfordshire. He was appointed Mayor of York after Edgar Ætheling's defeat. The King returned to Normandy in 1067, leaving the control, and further conquests of England to FitzOsbern and Odo de Bayeaux.

FitzOsbern would accompany the King after his return to the conquests of south western England, attended the King's Whitsunday in May of 1068, receive the charges of the new castle at York in 1069, and attend the King's Easter court in April before the conquest of Gwent in Wales.

FitzOsbern was one of the major Norman castle builders, having the castles of Carisbrooke on the Isle of Wight, Chepstow or Striguil, Wigmore, Clifford Castle and Monmouth Castle attributed to him, along with fortifications in Hereford and Shrewsbury.

Meanwhile, King William's wife's brother, Baldwin, Count of Flanders, died, leaving Flanders to his son with his wife, Richilde, as regent. Her husband's brother, Robert the Frisian, disputed the boy's claim to Flanders. Richilde offered her hand in marriage to the now powerful William FitzOsbern, eager to accept and become Count of a rich empire next door to Normandy. William and his army met the forces of Robert the Frison at Ravenchoven in the Battle of Cassel on 22 February 1071. He fought alongside armies sent by Philip I, King of France to support Richilde and her son, Arunulf, who was killed in the battle as well. Richilde and Robert were both taken captive, later exchanged, and Robert ruled Flanders as Robert I.

According to Meier, one of William's own knights, Gerbod, unhorsed William before killing him, but no motive is known. William's body was carried by his men to the Abbey of Cormeilles, in Normandy, of which he was the founder in 1060, and buried there "amid much sorrow."

His eldest son, William,, Lord of Breteuil succeeded him in Normandy, while his younger son, Roger, inherited Clifford Castle and all William's English holdings.

Family links:
Spouse:
Adeliza De Toeni FitzOsbern (1035 - 1066)

Children:
William de Breteuil (____ - 1104)*

Chepstow Castle built by William Fitzosbern.	Clifford Castle in the village of Clifford, Herefordshire, England founded by Earl William Fitz Osbern.	Hereford Castle Turret
- his family had long served the Dukes of Normandy. He was steward to William the Conqueror, fought with theking at Hastings in 1066, and was rewarded with large estates in England shortly thereafter. The Welsh Marches, wereone of many areas of concern to King William. Although Welsh kings had done homage to the Saxon kings of England, thecountry retained a stubborn sense of independence.   King William gave Fitz-Osbern wide powers along thesouthernmost portions of the Welsh Marches. From here, Fitz-Osbern built a formidable force of fighting men, includingclose relatives and powerful magnets, with Hereford as his focal point. He established castles and garrisons atMonmouth, Clifford and Wigmore, but his greatest work was the magnificent Chepstow Castle,on the mouth of the river Wye. Chepstow became a springboard for westward Norman expeditions and the focal point ofNorman settlement in Wales. Construction of Chepstow's "Great Hall," was begun by Fitz-Osbern in 1067 and still standstoday, the oldest surviving stone castle of its type in Britain.   Clifford Castle stands on an eastward flowing section of the River Wye near to thecurrent boundary between England and Wales. The castle was founded by Earl William FitzOsbern in the period between his being made earl of Hereford soon after Christmas 1066 and his death at thebattle of Cassel in Flanders on 22 February 1071. In that time it is likely that his engineers found the natural knolllying alongside the steep drop to the River Wye near a ford. This gave the site its later name, the cliff by the fordor Clifford. Fitz Osbern's men scarped and ditched the knoll they found into what is today a motte with a secondaryplatform to the West. The land of Clifford was at that time waste, but under the earls of Hereford and theirsuccessors this waste was brought to blossom with castle, borough and church. After Earl William's death, his son,Earl Roger, held the castle for four years until his revolt in 1075. Then, on Roger’s imprisonment, the castlepassed to his father's brother-in-law, Ralph Tosny (d.1102), and he and his descendants heldthe castle until the wars of Stephen and Matilda between 1138 and 1154.   Hereford Castle was designed and built by William FitzOsberne ( Earl of Hereford in 1066) around the time of the conquest. It is suggested that the castle was toreplace an even older castle that was built by Ralph, son of the Count of Vixen (Earl of Hereford in 1046) which wasdestroyed by the Welsh in 1055. The first reference to the castle being complete and running was by 1140 as there aredocuments detailing the king being beseiged by Geoffrey Talbot.
For more information see the Our Folk - Hart family Web Site

from "Our Folk" by Albert D Hart, Jr.

He was Steward to William the Conqueror. He fought at Hastings. He received large estates in England as a reward.

STEWARD TO WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR; FOUGHT AT HASTINGS 1066; RECEIVED LARGE
ESTATES IN ENGLAND; MADE EARL OF HEREFORD SHORTLY AFTER 1066; KILLED IN BATTLE

William Fitz Osbern, was the illegitimate son of Osbern the Seneschal,who became one of the legal guardians of William the Conqueror after thedeath of his father Robert, Duke of Normandie, in 1035. A number ofNorman barons would not accept an illegitimate son as their leader and in1040 an attempt was made to kill William. The plot failed but they didkill the guardians Osbern the Seneschal, Gilbert of Brionne and Alan deBrittany.

Fitz Osbern became a close friend of William the Conqueror and at theCouncil of Lillebonne, urged the Norman barons to invade England.According to Norman chroniclers, Fitz Osbern led the right wing of theforces at the Battle of Hastings.

After his coronation in 1066, William the Conqueror claimed that all theland in England now belonged to him. William retained about a fifth ofthis land for his own use. The rest was distributed to those men who hadhelped him defeat Harold. William Fitz Osbern was given vast estates,notably in the Welsh Marshes.

After appointing Fitz Osbern and Odo of Bayeux as co-regents, William theConqueror spent time in Normandie (March to December, 1067). While he wasaway, disturbances broke out in Kent, Herefordshire, and in the north ofthe country and Fitz Osbern played a leading role in putting down theserebellions.

To maintain control over his land Fitz Osbern built several castlesincluding those at Chepstow, Clifford and Wigmore. He had particularproblems with Edric the Wild in Herefordshire in 1070.

Fitz Osbern was one of William's senior administrators and worked on hisbehalf in Normandie and Flanders. William Fitz Osbern was killed in abattle at Cassel in February 1071.

He was Steward to William the Conqueror. He fought at Hastings. He received large estates in England as a reward.

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