The de Montfitchet (de Montfichet, de Mountfitchet) family were of

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

origin, probably from the town of

Montfiquet Montfiquet () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Calvados department The following is a list of the 528 communes of the Calvados department of France ...

. He received land in Essex in reward for his service and the family were subsequently based there, initially in the castle at Stansted Mountfitchet. They lasted for five generations before becoming extinct when

Richard de Montfichet Richard de Montfichet (or Richard de Munfichet) (died 1267) was a '' Magna Carta'' surety. He was a landowner in Essex. Life He was the son of another Richard de Montfichet, whom Henry II made forester of Essex. Richard the elder was son of Gilb ...

died without issue in 1258. Other early attested spellings include Munfichet, Muntfichet, Montefixo, and Mufchet;See, e.g.: ''VCH Northampton'' 3:227-23129, fn. 21 (cites ''Buccleuch Deeds'', ca. 1280s): "Divorgilla daughter of Sir Walter Montfichet (Montefixo)". ''Ragman Rolls'' 34 (28 August 1296): "Mufchet, Dauid (del counte de Anegos)". while later variants include Mountfiquit Stow is an important source for the medieval history of London, but wrote in an era before standardisation of spelling; he spells ''Montfichet'' as ''Mountfiquit''. and Montfiket. Additional related information is found o
pp. 165, 187, 341
Amongst their accomplishments, the family founded Stratford Langthorne Abbey, which became the fifth largest in England. The links with the area were preserved even after the family disappeared, and the de Montfitchet coat of arms figured in the insignia of the

County Borough of West Ham West Ham was a local government district in the extreme south west of Essex from 1886 to 1965, forming part of the built-up area of London, although outside the County of London. It was immediately north of the River Thames and east of the River ...

. Monfichet Road in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park at Stratford is named after the family. So are

Montfichet's Tower Montfichet's Tower (also known as Montfichet's Castle and/or spelt Mountfitchet's or Mountfiquit's) was a Norman fortress on Ludgate Hill in London, between where St Paul's Cathedral and City Thameslink railway station now stand. First documented ...

in London, and the Essex town of Stansted Mountfitchet, with its partially reconstructed Castle Mountfitchet. The nearby district of Plaistow in London may have acquired its name when Phillipa de Monfitchet married Sir Hugh de Plaiz.

References

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External links

* http://magnacarta800th.com/schools/biographies/the-25-barons-of-magna-carta/richard-de-montfichet/ Norman families Norman conquest of England Normandy