De Say

de Say (Saye, Sai) is the surname of an old Norman noble family originating from Sai, Orne. The first records are about William de Say and Picot de Say, Norman conquerors. The de Say family, held lands in England and France.

French origin

The family descends from Picot Avenel de Say, a vassal of Robert I, Duke of Normandy. His son Robert Fitz-Picot, Lord of Aunay, was co-founder in 1060, of the abbey of St Martin at Séez.Seton, Robert. ''An Old Family: Or, The Setons of Scotland and America'', Brentano's, 1899, p. 14
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England

William and Robert de Say (also called Picot de Say) were the sons of Robert Fitz-Picot and his wife Adelaide. They accompanied William the Conqueror in 1066.

William de Say's descendants inherited the manor of West Greenwich, now known as Deptford, and adopted the Maminot arms, ''Quarterly, or and gules''.

Robert de Say

Robert de Say, also called Picot de Say, was a Norman knight who arrived in Shropshire after the Norman invasion. He was the son of Robert Fitz-Picot and his wife Adelaide of Normandy. The family name de Say comes from the Norman village of Sai, in Orne.

Robert de Say obtained lands in Shropshire, building a motte and bailey castle, known as Clun Castle overlooking the lands he had seized from Edric the Wild after the invasion. Robert was an important vassal of Roger of Montgomery, the 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and a major early Norman magnate. Robert died in 1098.

His daughter married the local Welsh lord, Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, who acquired permission to move to England, probably Clun, in 1109.Lieberman, p.44. Upon Picot de Say's death in 1098, the castle passed to his son, Henry de Say, who continued possession of Clun Castle.

See also

* Clan Seton
* Clun

References

Sources

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*

Bibliography

* Brown, Reginald Allen. (1989) ''Castles From The Air.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. .
* Eyton, William. (1862) "The Castles of Shropshire and its Border." in ''Collectanea Archæologica: communications made to the British Archaeological Association'' Vol. 1. London: Longman.
* Liddiard, Robert. (ed) (2003) ''Anglo Norman Castles.'' Woodbridge: Boydell Press.
* Lieberman, Max. (2010) ''The Medieval March of Wales: The Creation and Perception of a Frontier, 1066-1283.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. .
* Pettifer, Adrian. (1995) ''English Castles: A Guide by Counties.'' Woodbridge: Boydell Press. .
* Suppe, Frederick C. "Castle guard and the castlery of Clun," in Liddiard (ed) 2003.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Say, de
Medieval English families
Anglo-Norman families
Anglo-Normans
11th-century births
1098 deaths