1. Ralph, Rou, Rollo de Bec-aux-Cauchois. Ralph’s family held two lordships: Bec-aux-Cauchois and Bec-de-Mortagne, both fiefs of the ducal domain of Fecamp, held by the bailiff of Caux, which was a Giffard prerogative. Walter II Giffard was the leading magnate in the pays de Caux (his grandmother was a sister of the Duchess Gunnora), and Ralph’s family held under him. (Med. Pros. v. 24-5, p. 176, 2003).
1.1. Walter de Bec. Walter de Bec aux-Cauchois and Turstin de Bec aux-Cauchois (Turstin Filius Rolf Norman, from Le Bec-aux-Cauchois, Seine-Maritime, cant. Valmont, standard bearer of the Normans at the battle of Hastings (Ord. Vit. iii 172-3), were (joint) benefactors (of lands in Amfreville-Gueuteville; Yvetot) to Ralph de Tancarville’s foundation of St. Georges de Boscherville. (R.A.D.N. 197). (Bec-aux-Cauchois was synonomous with Bec-de-Caux, see Toussaint Du Plessis, ‘Description géographique’, p. 325, 1740).
1.1.1. Robert de Bec. Bardeville is 5 miles from Bec-aux-Cauchois, and was in possession of Robert de Bec, the brother of Walter 11., from 1087-1097.

It is highly probable that the Robert of Domesday was synonomous with the Robert who was a tenant of Henry de Ferrers of the manor of Hilton (Appletree Wapentake), which was afterwards in the family of de Bec (Dugdale’s Monasticon, vol. ii. p. 622): Ernald de Bec (son of Walter II.) was enfeoffed of half a knight’s fee by Robert de Ferrers, Ist. Earl Derbys between 1135-1139 (R.B., 338). Ernald was still living in 1177 (P.R. 23, Henry II., 61). He donated two parts of his tithe in Hilton to Tutbury (D.M O. Ed. i. 354, 33a), founded by Henry de Ferrers. His son, Geoffrey de Bec gave notice to his lord, William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, that he has given one carucate of land in Hatton (adjoining Hilton) in Marston upon Dove, Derbys., to William Calchon, betw. 1177-1195 (Northamptonshire Rec. Soc., vol. 15, p. 144, 1950).

He was probably the “Robert of Domesday”, known also as Robert ‘de Dun’, who held Edensor of Henry de Ferrers, and Bourg-Dun in Offranville, Dieppe, of the same lord, and his son was synonomous with Robert de Heriz I., who also held Edensor; who donated to Lenton as ‘Caucis’. (The manor of Hilton was held at the time of taking the Domesday, Survey by one Robert, under Henry de Ferrars. It was afterwards in the family of De Bec, par Dugdale, 355).

He m. the relict of Goisfrid (Geoffrey) Halselin, lord of Shelford (1035-1108).

1.1.1.1. Robert de Caux (Heriz), held a moiety of the land of Geoffrey Halselin in 1109, the other moiety was held by Geoffrey Halselin, son of Ralph, nephew of the said Geoffrey; an association noted (in part) thus: ‘Rodbertus de Chalz et Goffridus Halselinus in Wragebi 4 carrucatas, et 5 bovatas, et tertiam partem unius bovate, under Jerburc wapentacha’. It is commonly and wrongly ascerted that Robert de Caux had m. the dau. and heiress of Geoffrey Haselin (De Antiquis Legibus liber, p. 94, 1846). To borrow from Mr. Yeatman (‘Lost certificates of Knight’s fees’), “It would seem from the expression, ‘Robert de Calz received this land with his mother’, that he obtained her marriage and dower (twelve and half fees being exactly one-third of Goisfred Hanselin’s fees), and this fee, notwithstanding its illegality, remained in the possession of the family of de Calz. It is nearly certain from this that this lady was the widow of Goisfred Hanselin.

Robert de Caux (Heriz) m. Isabel, dau. of Robert de Ferrers (son of Henry de Ferrers, who jointly led a charge at Hastings with William Crispin), and Hawise, dau. of Andre de Vitre and Agnes, dau. of Robert, Count of Mortagne, the Conqueror’s half-brother, and Maud de Montgomery. *Her sister m. Ralph Paynel of Dudley, a near relative, a nephew of Ralph Paynel (as suggested, “le Rous”, of this account).

By this interpretation, Robert de Caux (Heriz) was synonomous with Robert de Heriz, Sheriff of Nottingham, 1110-1122 (Judith A. Green, The Government of England under Henry I., p. 221, 1989), and tenant of the Ferrers, whose son, Ivo, was also Sheriff of Nottingham. As Robert de Heriz, ob. ante. 1128, he held Stapleford, Tibshelf, Wingfield, and Oxcroft, as mesne tenant of William Peverel I.
Robert de Caux (Heriz) and Isabel de Ferrers had issue:

1.1.1.1.1. “Robert de Caus”, who m. Matilda Basset: In 4 John (R.C.R. No. 17), Matilda, widow of “Robert de Caus”, as appears by the Lady’s Roll of 33 Henry II., was the dau. of Richard Basset, Chief Justicar of England.
1.1.1.1.2. Geoffrey de Caus, m. (bef. Nov. 12, 1177), as her 3rd husband, Albreda, dau. of Robert de Lisoures. “The Barons of Lisoures, Normandy, were a branch of the Bassetts. Hugh de Lisures granted lands to Thorney Abbey, t. Hen. I. (Mon. i. 247), and in 1128 witnessed a charter of Jocelyn Crespin in Normandy (La Roque, ii. 1816). She m. istly, Richard FitzEustace, son of Eustace FitzJohn and his second wife, Agnes, (bef. 1163); 2ndly, William de Clairfait (bef. 1168); 4thly (1178) William FitzGodric.

‘This Robert de Lusoris, 5. Steph. gave account of vijl. vis. viiid. that he might marry the sister of Ilbert de Lacy. Ilbert Lacy who lived in the Conquerours time, begot – of his wife Havisia: Robert Lacy,* who by Matilda his wife had Ilbert and Henry (and a dau., m. to Robert de Lisoures), and founded a monastery at Pontefract, their principal place of residence, where he was buried in the time of William Rufus. Ilbert his son had to wife Alicia Gaunt (dau. of Walter), but no issue; Henry his other son married (Albreda it seems) the sister of William Vesci governour of Berwic, and by her had Robert Lacy his son and heir, who died about 4 R. 1. 1193, and having no issue by Isabell his wife, Albreda, the dau. of Robert de Lisoures, his (niece) by the mother’s side, became his heir’.

*Robert de Lacy granted Ralf le Rous several manors of his Honour of Clitheroe in a charter dated Nov. 23, 1102. Robert de Lacy’s eldest son, Ilbert de Lacy, confirmed his father’s grants of Ralph’s lands in 1135, the charter reading: “eidem Radulfo fratri meo”, not necessarily the same as “to my brother Ralph”, but, possibly, as examples of this time show, meaning “to my br.-n-law Ralph”; consider John de Stuteville’s gift (ca. 1160) to his br.-in-law, named as “Johanni fratri meo”. (The above account of Mr. Thoroton).

The said Ilbert de Lacey d. bef. May 1147, when Roger de Mowbray (a niece or sister m. Thomas de Colville), and his wife Alice (Ilbert’s widow) donated property to the abbey of St. Mary, Hood. Alice was the dau. of Walter de Gand, who donated property to Pontefract Priory, for the souls of “prioris domini mei Ilberti de Lascy” and with the consent of “Henricus de Lascy”. “Rogerus de Molbrai” confirmed the donation by “uxor mea … pro anima prioris domini sui Ilberti de Lasci”, witnessed by “Willielmus Peverel”. (Dugdale Monasticon v., Pontefract Priory, xiii, p. 1250). Henry de Lacey m Aubreye,* dau. of Eustace FitzJohn and Beatrice de Vescy. Their son, “Robertus de Lasci” granted property Great Marsden to “Willelmo filio Eustachii avunculo meo”. (Early Yorkshire Charters v. iii., 1513, p. 203). The name of Henry de Lacy’s wife was not cited before the 16th century. (B.M. MS. Harley 2101, fo. 229).

One possibility:

1. Eustace FitzJohn, lord of Knaresborough, d. 1157.
1.1. William FitzEustace (de Vesci) of Alnwick, Sheriff of Northumberland, and then Lancashire, m. Berga de Stutteville.
1.2. Richard FitzEustace, m. Albreda, dau. of Robert de Lisours, and a sister of Henry de Lacy; she m. (3) Geoffrey de Caus.
1.3. Albreda, m. Henry de Lacy. There has been a tradition of confounding Henry de Lacey’s wife and sister, of the same or near name (Albreda/Aubrey).
1.4. … m. Ralf le Rous, br.-in-law of Henry de Lacy.

Another possibility is suggested if allowing Ralph Paynel, Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1088, to be of approximate age 30 at this time. This would allow for the contention that he (as Ralph le Rous), m. a dau. of Robert de Lacy (she b. ca. 1075); he, thus, being a son-in-law of Robert, who granted him manors of his Honour of Clitheroe, and a br.-in-law of Ilbert de Lacy, who confirmed the grant. Earlier suggestions (Clay, 114), noting landed associations betw. the Lacys and Paynels, suggested Ralph Paynel to be a br.-in-law of Robert de Lacy, but chronologies suggest the latter case more likely. Ralph de Paynel d. betw. 1118-1124.*

 By a ist wife, Ralph had issue, William Paynel of Drax, who m. Avice, dau of William Meschin, having issue: Alice Paynel, b. ca. 1135, who m. as his 1st wife, Robert de Gand, his 2nd wife being Gunnora d’ Albini Brito. A charter of King Richard I dated Sept. 7, 1189 confirmed donations to Vaudey abbey among which by “Roberti de Gant et Gundredæ uxoris eius”. (Domesday Descendants, p. 271). (Gunnora m. 2ndly Nicholas de Stuteville). Her sister, Matilda, was the wife of William de Colville. Gunnora was the step-mother of Gilbert de Gand, Earl of Lincoln, b. ca. 1175., father of Juliana d’Armenters.

*Ralph le Roux d. 1120, on the Blanche Nef. Ralph Paynel m. 2ndly Matilda, dau. of Ralph de Sourdeval (Thoresby), whose sister m. Robert Brus II. of Skelton. They had issue: Jordan Paynel. “W. de Gaunt” donated land at Besingby to Bridlington priory, witnessed by “Jordan Painel (d. ca. 1147), Hugh his brother, W. de Mundevill his nepote”. He may have been the Jordan le Rous mentioned on the account of Thomas Dunham Whitaker (An History of the Original Parish of Whalley, 1872), extracts being:

“Robert de Laci was certainly lord of Blackburnshire … as he confirmed the original charter of Merlay, granted by Ilbert, his son, to Jordan le Rous … Little Mitton was granted by charter of Robert de Lacy, in the 3d of Henry I. to Ralph le Rous, progenitor of the family who were afterwards denominated from the place Ralph le Rous, the grantee under these charters, had Jordan, who granted the manor of Merlay to one Stephen, afterwards called de Merlay, and he had a daughter who married Adam de Nowell. The facts are proved by the following abstract of an Inquisition in the same collection: “Stephanus de Merlay proavus Adæ Nowell (the second; he is elsewhere called father in law of the first) seizitus fuit in feodo de et in manerio de Merlay (not by descent, as the Lancashire pedigrees have it) but ex dono et feoffamento Jordani f. Rad. le Rous, habuit etiam Chaceam infra Sapeden Broke et Rimington Broke exceptis dominicis Haiis et ad feras in dicta chaceà sequendas infra haias prædictas sine arcubus et sagittis longum jactationis unius teli”. This was the origin of the Nowells in the parish of Whalley, of whom there is no evidence to prove where they were settled before this alliance. Their descent will be more fully traced under Read, and it will suffice for the present to exhibit the following genealogy, which relates to the time of their residence at Little Merlay … By inquisition post mortem Henry de Lacy, it was found that William de Heriz held one carucate in Little Merlay, by the service of the eighth part of a knight’s fee.

1. Stephen de Merlay, m. a dau. of Adam de Nowell.
1.1. Roger de Nowell.
1.1.1. Adam de Nowell.
1.1.1.1. Richard Nowell.
1.1.1.1.1. Laurence Nowell, who, about 38th Edward III. exchanged the chace and manor of Merlay for a moiety of the manor of Read, with Sir Richard de Greenacres, (vide Read), whose younger daughter and coheir Agnes, marrying William de Radcliffe, of Todmorden, brought the estate into that family.
1.1.1.2. Adam Nowel. Petition concerning Nowel’s rights in the manor of Great Mearlay.Nature of endorsement: Let him show his charter in chancery and an inquiry will be ordered.
Places mentioned: Great Mearlay, [Lancashire]. People mentioned: Jordan [le Rows (Rous)], son of Ralph le Rows; Ralph le Rows (Rous); Stephen de Merlay (Mearlay), great-grandfather of the petitioner; Thomas [of Lancaster], Earl of Lancaster.1326. (SC 8/205/10219).


HERIZ cont.

1.1.1.2. Goisfrid/Geoffrey de Heriz, donated to the said William Peverell’s foundation of Lenton (between 1103-1108), two-thirds of his tithes in Stapleford (Mon. Anglic. v. 111b), as one of his feudatories in Avranches. (Société d’archéologie et d’histoire de la Manche, p.56, 1992). The Heriz took this particular toponym from their fief in Avranches, Herissiere (cant. Haye-Pesnel, from whence the Paynels).
1.1.1.2.1. Robert de Heriz, sans issue.
1.1.1.2.2. Alice (or Agnes)) de Heriz. The family of Heriz continued to hold in Stapleford (that is, the descendants of Alice de Heriz, sister of her childless brother, Robert, who m. … de Eccleston, untill 11 Edward III., when Richard de Heriz settled his estate on John de Bughton, his brother-in-law, but, he dying of the plague, the estate eventually descended to Idonea de Heriz, his sister, wife of John de Furmery.

Then, which de Eccleston? After the defection of Roger de Poictou, Eccleston was divided between Albert de Gresley and Roger de Busli. Warin Bussel, the first Baron of Penwortham, gave two carucates of land in Hoton and Eccleston with his daughter, in free marriage to Hamo Pincerna, whose son William was styled Lord of Eccleston, and his son Adam assumed the surname of Houghton. Therefore, if styled “de Eccleston”, it may be she m. a br. of William de Eccleston:

1. Hamon le boteler, m. Maud, dau. of Warin Bussel, the first baron of Peuwortham, held under Roger de Poictou, son of Roger Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury. 
1.1. Richard, m. Alice de Heriz.
1.1.1. “Adam filius Ricardi, filii Hamonis Pincernæ” (“Adam de Hocton”), b, ca, 1160. He held the ploughland in Heaton 1n 1212 (Lancs. Inq. amd Ext., i. 30,1.). William son of Uctred confirmed agrant of half an oxgang of land made by Adam son of Richard de Eccleston, betw. 1210 to 1230.
1.1.2.1.1. Adam de Eccleston, b. ca. 1190, held of William de Lancaster by knight’s service, having m. one of his daus.
1.1.2.1.1.1. Roger, b. ca. 1220.
1.1.2.1.1.1.1. Sir Richard Houghton, b. ca. 1250, sheriff of Lancs. in 1298.
1.1.2.1.1.1.1.1. Richard, who m. Sybil, dau. of Sir William de Lee, Baron of Kendal.
1.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1. Alice de Houghton, m. Richard Stanhope.
1.1.2.1.2. Ralph de Eccleston. In 1066, Earl Tostig held Great Eccleston of his Preston lordship (which was later included in the Garstang fee of the Lancaster family), and the immediate tenants in 1212 included Ralph de Eccleston, by tenure described as knight’s service.

1.1.1.2.2.1. Geoffrey (Galfrid) de Eccleston, als Heriz.
1.1.1.2.2.1.1. Richard de Stapleford, son of that Galfr. de Heriz, had a son and heir called Hugh de Heriz, who 2 E. 1. claimed the advowson of the Church of Stapleford, whereof his ancestor was seised in the time of King John, and afterwards passed it 8 E. 1. to john the Prior, as that which Eustachius the Prior his Predecessour had of the gift of Avicia de Heriz, cousin of the said Hugh; and by the confirmation of Galfr. de Eccleston, grandfather of the said Hugh, whose heir he also was.
1.1.1.2.2.1.1.1. Hugh de Heriz, left Richard de Heriz his son and heir fifteen years old, 25 E. 1. Richard de Heriz left a son also of his own name, his heir under age, whom the said Book of Newstede mentions to be granted to Sir John de Mounteney, by the King, and that Sir John sold his Wardship and marriage to one John de Bughton who married him under age to his daughter Elizabeth, in the time of the Eyre, 3 E. 3.
1.1.1.2.2.2. Hugh de Stapleford, br. of Geoffrey Eccleston (de Heriz), who held the Capital Mess. of Stapleford, with Hugh holding that part which John de Stapleford, called le Ward, and his heirs held, “but they both joyned and gave two Bovats, in almes, to the Priory of Newstede: And Richard the son and heir of the said Galfrid gave four. Nicolas son and heir of Hugh gave two. Which Nicolas was father of John le Ward, whose son, John, married Elena, sister of Sir William Grey of Sandiacre: and both of them died in the pestilence, in the year 1349”. (Mr. Thoroton).

HALSELIN

1.
1.1. Geoffrey Halselin, whose relict m. Robert de Caux.
1.2. …. m. Ralph FitzHubert de Rye, of Criche (Derbys.), Castellan of Nottingham; who held 47 lordships at Domesday.
1.2.1. Matilda, m. (1) Ralph FitzEudo. (2) Ralf de Aincourt. By a ist wife Ralf de Aincourt had issue: Walter de Aincourt, who m. Agnes Bassett. Ralf de Aincourt was the son of Walter de Aincourt, Domesday tenant-in-chief, from Ancourt, Seine-Maritime, arr. Dieppe, cant. Offranville; that is, the Aincourts held land of the Ferrers in Offranville, as did the Robert de Caux.
1.2.1.1. Hubert FitzRalph. “Son of Ralph fitz Odo, lord of Crick, Derbyshire”. He came of age c. 1164, having succeeded his father as a minor by c. 1154″ (Foulds, Cart. Thurgarton, pp lviii-ix.). He m. Edeline, dau. of William FitzRalph, the Norman Justiacary, son of Ralph FitzGeremund. William FitzRalf made grants out of Hubert FitzRalf’s estate, as did Ralf FitzStephen; who may be conjectured to have descended maternally from the Rye family. Mr. Yeatman also conjectured that John and William de Caux, ‘doubtless, were relatives of Ralf FitzStephen’s wife’, and, ‘were tenants of the same place’ – William fitz Ralf’s fief of Alwoldeston. King Henry H. confirmed the grant of Wachelin of Derby, and Goda, his wife, of the mill in Derby, which he bought of William de Heriz, and the grant of Ralf FitzStephen and Hubert FitzRalf of Crich. William de Heriz, with his br., Robert de Heriz, and Wacheline and Goda de Derby gave Thurlecroft to the Abbey. (Walkelin de Ferrers, son of Robert de Ferrers and Margaret Peverel, son of Henry de Ferrers).
1.2.1.2. William FirzOdo (de Hibaldeston), to whom William Halselin, according to the Rufford Cartulary, gave a bovate of land in Walesby in marriage with Cecilia, his dau.
1.2.2. Geoffrey Halselin, d. by 1129; witnessed a conventio of Henry de Ferrer’s son, Robert, ca. 1125.
1.2.2.1. William Halselin.

1.2.2.2. ‘Ralph Alselinus’. ‘In 1131, Ralph Alselin rendered account of 200 marks of silver, and one mark of gold, for the relief of the land of his father, Geoffrey’. The Charter of Ralf Anselin: precis of John Pym Yeatman’s, The Feudal History of the County of Derby, p. 313, 1886: Health and faithful service. Know ye that in the time of King Henry your grandfather (d. 1135) I had the following knights of the old feoffment:
1.-Will Ansel de Walesby, held two knights’ fees. Part of this manor was soke to Roger de Busli’s Manor of Tuxford, some to Goisfred de Hanselin’s soc of Laxington. Wm. Lanceline’s manors seem to have been in all these parishes. Wm. Lanceline (Ansel) gave to Wm. fitz Eudo de Hibaldeston with Cecilia his daughter in frank marriage i bovat in Walesby. Alan fil Wm. Lancelin, of Kirkton, gave his woods there to Robert de Laxington. 6 Edward II. Robt., son of Robert Lanceline, still held land in Kirkton.
2. Ralf fil Geremond held two fees, lord of half Ockbrook and of Alvaston cum soca. Ockbrook was clearly one of Geoffrey Ascelin’s manors, and it seems to have passed to the Bardolfs as heirs of Ralf Hanselin. This must, therefore, have been one of his fees, and as Alvaston was also a fee of Geoffrey Ascelin’s, it was, no doubt, the other.
3. Henry and Roger de Westburg held two parts of one-fifth of one fee. Westburg is a manor in Lincolnshire which became the property of Robert de Caux, the successor to part of the manors of Geoffrey Hanselin.
These are the new feoffments made in the time of Henry your father:
4. Alexr. de Cressi held half a fee. Roger de Cressi died 3 John. Cecilia, his widow, the dau. of Gervase de Clifton, claims dower against his son William. Wm. Cressi, of Markham (seal, three crescents and a bend), settled the manor of Saxelby and advowson of Brodholm on her. Roger de Cressi m. Isabella, sister and heir of Wm. fil Wm. fil Roscilin (de Rye), who granted a mill in Huntingfield to Sibton Priory. (Harl MS. 2044).
5. Ralf fil Roger de Bileston, held half a fee. Hugh fitz Roger was on the jury concerning the Forest rights with Ralf Hanselin early in Henry II.’s reign. He was seneschal of Philip de Strelley, 4 Henry III.
6. Galfry de Fulbec held half a fee – (he was) probably of the family of Magnaville, or Stuteville. They were closely connected with the Albinis of Belvoir, and attested many of their charters. Roald, son of this Galfry, and his father, for they were of the same name, was constable of Newark, and Alan de Bosco, son of Roald, was a frequent witness to the charters of Leonia, the widow of Robert de Stuteville, the heiress of half the barony of Hubert fitz Ralf’.

Thus, it was, a mess of property descent through non-consanguineous cousinships – “Foedus inter consobinos heredes” – inheritance (and close tenurial association) passing down non-consanguineous lines of cousins; a necessary element of survival as kinship in a hostile environment, whether in post-Conquest England or in 17th century Virginia. When in doubt as to ancestry, follow the path that most provided survival (in Darwinian terms); the first principle, the underlying motive of those being studied.

copyright m stanhope 2021