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William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey

 
Wikipedia: William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
Window stain of William de Warenne.

William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, (died 1088) was one of the Norman nobles who fought at the Battle of Hastings and became great landowners in England.

Contents

Life

He was a son of Rodulf II de Warenne and Emma and a grandnephew of duchess Gunnor, wife of duke Richard I of Normandy. The de Warenne surname derives from the hamlet named Varenne located on the river Varenne, which flows through the territory William acquired in Upper Normandy[1] in the region today called Bellencombre.

As a young man, William played a prominent role in protecting the Norman realm of the future William the Conqueror's from a major invasion by the King of France in February 1054 at the Battle of Mortemer.[2] After this battle Roger de Mortemer forfeited most of his lands, and the duke gave them to William.[3]

William was one of the nobles who advised duke William when the decision to invade England was being considered. He is said to have fought at Hastings,[4] and afterwards received the Rape of Lewes in Sussex,[1] and subsequently lands in twelve other shires. He built castles at Lewes (Sussex), Reigate (Surrey), Castle Acre (Norfolk) and Conisbrough in Yorkshire.[1] By the time of the Domesday survey he was one of the wealthiest landholders in England with holdings in 12 counties.[5]

He fought against rebels at the Isle of Ely in 1071 where he showed a special desire to hunt down Hereward the Wake who had murdered his brother the year before.[1]

William was loyal to William II,[1] and it was probably in early 1088 that he was created Earl of Surrey.[6] He died shortly afterwards of wounds he received while helping suppress the rebellion of 1088.

Family

He married twice:

  • First, Gundred (Latin: Gundrada), sister of Gerbod the Fleming, Earl of Chester.
  • Second, to a sister of Richard Gouet

Children of William and Gundred

Landholdings in the Domesday Book of William de Warenne

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Hunt
  2. ^ Douglas, p. 67-69
  3. ^ Hunt, Douglas p. 100
  4. ^ Douglas, p.203
  5. ^ Ellis: Introduction to Domesday, i.213.
  6. ^ probably between the very end of 1087 and March 24, 1088 (Lewis p. 335)
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The Domesday Book, p. 186
  8. ^ a b c d e f g The Domesday Book, p. 187
  9. ^ a b The Domesday Book, p. 47
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m The Domesday Book, p. 188
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o The Domesday Book, p. 189
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m The Domesday Book, p. 190
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o The Domesday Book, p. 191
  14. ^ a b c d e f The Domesday Book, p. 48
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o The Domesday Book, p. 192
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The Domesday Book, p. 193
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n The Domesday Book, p. 194
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The Domesday Book, p. 195
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The Domesday Book, p. 196

References


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