[2] The legates and the king then proceeded to hold a series of ecclesiastical councils dedicated to reforming and reorganising the English church. Another Tiverton Gray, Pardon Gray was active during the war also. but found "himself bruished and bloody on the ground." Mrs Thomas Houghton (Born 1551) 5775 People 13 Records 25 Sources. [64] William appointed a Norman to the bishopric of Le Mans in 1065. [109], Earl Ralph had secured control of the castle at Dol, and in September 1076 William advanced into Brittany and laid siege to the castle. In 1047, William was able to quash a rebellion and begin to establish his authority over the duchy, a process that was not complete until about 1060. [60], Count Herbert II of Maine died in 1062, and William, who had betrothed his eldest son Robert to Herbert's sister Margaret, claimed the county through his son. According to the historian David Bates, this probably means that little of note happened, and that because William was on the continent, there was nothing for the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to record. William of Jumiges claimed that Harold was killed by the duke. American descendants of William the Conqueror of England The Gray family history is a long and distinguished one. [49] There are some written descriptions of a burly and robust appearance, with a guttural voice. [110], In 1075, during William's absence, Ralph de Gael, the Earl of Norfolk, and Roger de Breteuil, the Earl of Hereford, conspired to overthrow William in the "Revolt of the Earls". 2, 1589 and married on October 6, 1606 to Elizabeth Ward. William, Duke of Normandy, conquered England in 1066. At first, Alan of Brittany had custody of the duke, but when Alan died in either late 1039 or October 1040, Gilbert of Brionne took charge of William. Although William of Poitiers and William of Jumiges disagree about where the fleet was built Poitiers states it was constructed at the mouth of the River Dives, while Jumiges states it was built at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme both agree that it eventually sailed from Valery-sur-Somme. One became a nun, and the other, Matilda, married, How illegitimacy was viewed by the church and lay society was undergoing a change during this period. He was of Viking extraction. was too old to go to war, but he used his extensive farm and fortune to of Henry VIII. He also allowed his son Robert Curthose to do homage to the new Count of Anjou, Geoffrey the Bearded. Swein's death in 1014 allowed thelred to return home, but Swein's son Cnut contested thelred's return. After a long effort, the duke succeeded in exiling Guy in 1050. There were other potential claimants, including the powerful English earl Harold Godwinson, whom Edward named as king on his deathbed in January 1066. [59] Edward had married Edith, Godwin's daughter, in 1043, and Godwin appears to have been one of the main supporters of Edward's claim to the throne. The list below shows descent from William the Conqueror (see Descendants of William I of England for another list). Tostig appears to have received little local support, and further raids into Lincolnshire and near the River Humber met with no more success, so he retreated to Scotland, where he remained for a time. [122] In 1082 William ordered the arrest of his half-brother Odo. William The Conqueror Family Tree To Present Day Check All Members List and enlisted the sympathies of the world. From this his family assumed the name of DeCroy, which was later William was unhorsed by Robert and was only saved from death by an Englishman, Toki son of Wigod, who was himself killed. The name has various spellings and includes GRAY and GREY - sometimes different spellings occur in the same generation of a single family.The first Gray to arrive in the United States was John Gray in about 1620.The origins of the name would seem to be multiple. William I | Biography, Reign, Achievements, Facts, & Death described in what is called the Grand Deed. They succeeded in capturing an Angevin fortress but accomplished little else. Lord Gray made also a separate entail of his estate, upon which there passed a charter under the great seal, in favours of William master of Gray, * and the heirs-male procreate or to be procreate betwixt him and Anne mistress of Gray, (therein designed daughter and heiress of Andrew . children: Richard, baptized August 1608, buried October 9, 1613. [78] William of Poitiers also relates that the duke obtained the consent of Pope Alexander II for the invasion, along with a papal banner. It resulted in a work now known as the Domesday Book. The Grays were in Wales by 1283 when King Edward created new Marcher [q] Another reason for the appointment may have been pressure from the papacy to appoint Lanfranc. Norman coins had a much lower silver content, were often of poor artistic quality, and were rarely re-minted. It is to be presumed Who Was The Real William The Conqueror? - YouTube Although this was William's first defeat in battle, it did little to change things. Earlier dukes had been illegitimate, and William's association with his father on ducal charters appears to indicate that William was considered Robert's most likely heir. Usually, this was a member of William's close family frequently his half-brother Odo or his wife Matilda. William the Conqueror and his son Robert, 1865 (Credit: John Cassell). [56] Another important appointment was that of William's half-brother, Odo, as Bishop of Bayeux in either 1049 or 1050. Arguing that Edward had previously promised the throne to him and that Harold had sworn to support his claim, William built a large fleet and invaded England in September 1066. He overthrew the last Anglo-Saxon king, Harold II, to seize the throne, earning the title William the Conqueror. This daughter later married William, lord of, Walter had two daughters. of Pennsylvania and the early settlers of Virginia and other southern states. Born circa 1028 in Falaise, Normandy, France, William the Conqueror was an illegitimate child of Robert I, duke of Normandy, who died in 1035 while returning from a pilgrimage to . The Danes then raided along the coast before returning home. records. de Gray. Museum number . [134], William continued the collection of Danegeld, a land tax. [2] He also relied on the clergy for advice, including Lanfranc, a non-Norman who rose to become one of William's prominent ecclesiastical advisors in the late 1040s and remained so throughout the 1050s and 1060s. During his childhood and adolescence, members of the Norman aristocracy battled each other, both for control of the child duke, and for their own ends. 1. [132], Besides taxation, William's large landholdings throughout England strengthened his rule. [58] William was the grandson of Edward's maternal uncle, Richard II of Normandy. She was a nobody, likely the daughter of a tanner and far, far below his father's station. William I the Conqueror King of England (1028-1087) FamilySearch Another concern was the death of Count Baldwin VI of Flanders in July 1070, which led to a succession crisis as his widow, Richilde, was ruling for their two young sons, Arnulf and Baldwin. In addition to ending both invasions, the battle allowed the duke's ecclesiastical supporters to depose Archbishop Mauger. Henry de Gray obtained from King Richard I (1190), the [145], William's reign has caused historical controversy since before his death. and heiress of Henry heir apparent of William.". Most years saw the rate of two shillings per hide, but in crises, it could be increased to as much as six shillings per hide. found in. followed by that of her father, the Duke of Suffolk, and his brothers, [88], Harold's body was identified the day after the battle, either through his armour or marks on his body. [108] While William was in Normandy, Edgar the theling returned to Scotland from Flanders. [o] William ordered that the body was to be thrown into the sea, but whether that took place is unclear. most eventful periods of English history. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, Archbishop Matthew Parker saw the Conquest as having corrupted a purer English Church, which Parker attempted to restore. Henry's about-face was probably motivated by a desire to retain dominance over Normandy, which was now threatened by William's growing mastery of his duchy. 2 son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy and Harlette de Falaise, was born about 1028 in Falaise, Normandy, France and died on 9 Sep 1087 in Rouen, Normandy, France about age 59.. Other names for William were William of Normandy and William I King of England. [100] In 1070 William also founded Battle Abbey, a new monastery at the site of the Battle of Hastings, partly as a penance for the deaths in the battle and partly as a memorial to the dead. He marched to the River Tees, ravaging the countryside as he went. at night, was able to get to the coast and over to France where he got of John included John Lord Grey of Groby who married Elizabeth Wydville, His holdings included nine thirtieths of the it is Gray. Andy Rhind-Tutt claims to have traced his family back to the Saxon . After further military efforts, William was crowned king on Christmas Day, 1066, in London. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis states that Edwin's reason for revolting was that the proposed marriage between himself and one of William's daughters had not taken place, but another reason probably included the increasing power of fitzOsbern in Herefordshire, which affected Edwin's power within his own earldom. of Hastings, and was recorded in the Domesday Book (a record complied by They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 5 daughters. 10 Things You May Not Know About William the Conqueror - History [128] William granted some lands to his continental followers from the holdings of one or more specific Englishmen; at other times, he granted a compact grouping of lands previously held by many different Englishmen to one Norman follower, often to allow for the consolidation of lands around a strategically placed castle. William was the son of Robert I, duke of Normandy (reigned 1027-1035), and a woman of lower social status named Herleva. Harold stopped in London, and was there for about a week before marching to Hastings, so it is likely that he spent about a week on his march south, averaging about 27 miles (43 kilometres) per day,[81] for the distance of approximately 200 miles (320 kilometres). English resistance had also begun, with Eadric the Wild attacking Hereford and revolts at Exeter, where Harold's mother Gytha was a focus of resistance. The exact reasons are unclear, as no contemporary author recorded what caused the quarrel between the half-brothers. Lady Jane Grey (r. 10-19 July 1553) | The Royal Family Although some of his supporters tried to dissuade him from undertaking the journey, he convened a council in January 1035 and had the assembled Norman magnates swear fealty to William as his heir[2][15] before leaving for Jerusalem. Edward, baptized April 15, 1623 (no further mention). Medieval writers criticised William for his greed and cruelty, but his personal piety was universally praised by contemporaries. [29] Although the Battle of Val-s-Dunes marked a turning point in William's control of the duchy, it was not the end of his struggle to gain the upper hand over the nobility. He was the second According to stories that may have legendary elements, an attempt was made to seize William at Valognes, but he escaped under cover of darkness, seeking refuge with King Henry. [2] She later married Herluin de Conteville, with whom she had two sons Odo of Bayeux and Count Robert of Mortain and a daughter whose name is unknown. The surname Gray emerged as a notable Scottish family name in the county of Northumberland where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity seated with manor and estates in that shire. This made William's power more secure in northern France, but the new count of Flanders accepted Edgar the theling into his court.