Brictric was a powerful

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

thegn In Anglo-Saxon England, thegns were aristocratic landowners of the second rank, below the ealdormen who governed large areas of England. The term was also used in early medieval Scandinavia for a class of retainers. In medieval Scotland, there w ...

whose many English landholdings, mostly in the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...

, are recorded in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086.

Life

According to the account by the ''Continuator of

Wace Wace ( 1110 – after 1174), sometimes referred to as Robert Wace, was a Medieval Norman poet, who was born in Jersey and brought up in mainland Normandy (he tells us in the ''Roman de Rou'' that he was taken as a child to Caen), ending his care ...

'' and others, in his youth Brictric declined the romantic advances of

Matilda of Flanders Matilda of Flanders (french: link=no, Mathilde; nl, Machteld) ( 1031 – 2 November 1083) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy. She was t ...

(c. 1031 – 1083), later wife of King

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

, and his great fiefdom was thereupon seized by her. Whatever the truth of the matter, years later when she was ruling England as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

, she used her authority to confiscate Brictric's lands and threw him into prison, where he died.

Samuel Lysons Samuel Lysons (1763 – June 1819) was an English antiquarian and engraver who, together with his elder brother Daniel Lysons (1762–1834), published several works on antiquarian topics. He was one of the first archaeologists to investigate ...

in his '' Magna Britannia'' refers to a Godeva as being the "widow of Brictric, in dower" of two manors in Devon in a footnote to his table of the general division of property at the time of the Domesday survey. Brictric's other lands were granted after Matilda's death in 1083 by her eldest son King

William Rufus William II ( xno, Williame; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third so ...

(1087–1100) to

Robert FitzHamon Robert Fitzhamon (died March 1107), or Robert FitzHamon (literally, 'Robert, son of Hamon'), Seigneur de Creully in the Calvados region and Torigny in the Manche region of Normandy, was the first Norman feudal baron of Gloucester and the Norma ...

(died 1107), the conqueror of

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, whose daughter and sole heiress Maud (or Mabel) FitzHamon brought them to her husband Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester (pre-1100 – 1147), a natural son of Matilda's younger son King

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the No ...

(1100–1135). Thus Brictric's fiefdom became the

feudal barony of Gloucester The feudal barony of Gloucester or Honour of Gloucester was one of the largest of the mediaeval English feudal baronies in 1166, comprising 279 knight's fees, or manors. The constituent landholdings were spread over many counties. The location of ...

Landholdings

Brictric held manors in several counties in the West Country and elsewhere in England. In the Domesday Book he is rarely named in full as "Son of Algar", and thus references to plain "Brictric" cannot be assumed to relate to him unless suggested by circumstantial evidence, namely the manor's subsequent descent to Queen Matilda and/or to the feudal barony of Gloucester. The feudal barony of Gloucester was one of the largest in the kingdom, and in the ''

Cartae Baronum In the kingdom of England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was the highest degree of feudal land tenure, namely ''per baroniam'' (Latin for "by barony"), under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. The ...

'' return of 1166 comprised 279

knight's fee In feudal Anglo-Norman England and Ireland, a knight's fee was a unit measure of land deemed sufficient to support a knight. Of necessity, it would not only provide sustenance for himself, his family, and servants, but also the means to furnish him ...

s, or separate manors.

In Devon

Brictric's certain landholdings in Devon are listed in the Domesday Book consecutively within the first chapter ''Terra Regis'' ("Land of the King") under the Latin heading: ''Infra scriptas terras tenuit Brictric post Regina Mathildis'' ("Below are written the lands Brictric held, later Queen Matilda") and comprise the following:Thorne & Thorne, part 1, chap. 1, 57–71 *

Northlew Northlew is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district of the county of Devon, England. To the west of the village, but within the parish, are the hamlets of West Kimber and East Kimber. The village falls within the electoral ward of ...

(''Levia'') *

Halwill Halwill is a village in Devon, England just off the A3079 road, A3079 Okehampton to Holsworthy, Devon, Holsworthy road. About a mile away on the main road is another settlement called Halwill Junction. This name brings to mind the former signif ...

(''Halgewelle'') *

Clovelly Clovelly () is a privately-owned harbour village in the Torridge district of Devon, England. The settlement and surrounding land belongs to John Rous who inherited it from his mother in 1983. He belongs to the Hamlyn family who have managed th ...

(''Clovelie'') *

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bideford is recorded as ''Bedeford'', ''By ...

(''Bedeford'') *

Littleham Littleham is a village and civil parish in the Torridge district of north Devon in south west England, about south of Bideford. The parish had a population of 446 at the 2011 census. The parish is bounded by the River Torridge in the north-eas ...

(''Liteham'') *

Langtree Langtree is a village and parish in north Devon, England, situated about south-west of Great Torrington and south of Bideford. Its name means "tall tree". Torridge District Council and Devon County Council are responsible for local government ...

(''Langetrev'') *

Iddesleigh Iddesleigh is a village and civil parish in the county of Devon, England. The settlement has ancient origins and is listed in the ''Domesday Book''. The village lies on the B3217 road, roughly central in its parish of around , about north of ...

(''Edeslege'') *

Winkleigh Winkleigh is a civil parish and small village in Devon, England. It is part of the local government area of Torridge District Council. The population of the parish at the 2011 census was 1,305, compared to 1,079 in 1901. The population of the el ...

(''Wincheleie'') *

Ashreigney Ashreigney is a village and civil parish in the Torridge district of Devon, England, about 15 miles south of the town of Barnstaple. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 446, compared to 540 in 1901. The church is mostly fifteent ...

(''Aisse'') *

Lapford Lapford is a village and civil parish in Mid Devon in the English county of Devon. It had a population of 993 in 2001, reducing to 867 at the 2011 census. Lapford is part of Taw Valley ward whose population at the above census was 1,629. Chu ...

(''Slapeford'') *

High Bickington High Bickington is a rural village and civil parish in the Torridge district of Devon, England. The village lies on the B3217 road, around east of Great Torrington, south-west of South Molton, and south of Barnstaple. At the 2011 Census, the ...

(''Bichentone'') *

Morchard Bishop Morchard Bishop is a village and civil parish in Mid Devon in the English county of Devon. It has a population of 975, and contains a primary school, two churches, and a playing field with tennis court. Notable past residents include Ernest Be ...

(''Morchet'') *

Holcombe Burnell Holcombe Burnell is a civil parish in Devon, England, the church of which is about 4 miles west of Exeter City centre. There is no village clustered around the church, rather the nearest village within the parish is Longdown. Only the manor hou ...

(''Holecu_be'') *

Halberton Halberton is a village and civil parish in Devon, England. The Grand Western Canal runs through the village. The village is situated between the historic market towns of Tiverton and Cullompton. The large parish has an area of about and it i ...

(''Halsbretone'') *

Ashprington Ashprington is a village and civil parish in the South Hams district of Devon, England. The village is not far from the River Dart, but high above it, and is about three miles south of Totnes. There is a local pub, hotel and phonebox. The ci ...

(''Aisbertone'')

References

External links

Domesday search for Beorhtric
* ; also {{PASE, 19805, Beorhtric 39 Anglo-Saxon people 11th-century English landowners