Hamo DapiferHollister ''Henry I'' pp. 363–364 (died c. 1100) (''alias'' HaimoBarlow ''William Rufus'' pp. 188–189) was an

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

royal official under both King

William I of England 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 Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 108 ...

(r. 1066–1087) and his son King

William II of England 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 ...

(r. 1087–1100). He held the office, from which his

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

derives, known in Latin as ''dapifer'' and in French ''

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

'', in English "steward", as well as the office of

Sheriff of Kent The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (prior to 1974 the office previously known as sheriff)."Sheriffs appointed for a county or Greater London shall be known as high sheriffs, and any reference in any enactment or instrum ...

Origins

Hamo was the son of Hamon Dentatus (died c. 1047), a Norman noble who held the

lordship A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of econ ...

Torigni-sur-Vire Torigni-sur-Vire (, literally ''Torigni on Vire'') is a former commune in the Manche department, Normandy, northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Torigny-les-Villes.Manche Manche (, ) is a coastal French département in Normandy, on the English Channel, which is known as ''La Manche'', literally "the sleeve", in French. It had a population of 495,045 in 2019.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 died in about 1047.Keats-Rohan ''Domesday People'' p. 242

Career

Hamo was steward to both King William I and his son King William II.Green "Robert fitz Haimon (d. 1107)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' He was acting as royal steward by 1069.Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' p. 290 Hamo was appointed to the office of

in 1077 and held it until his death. During the reign of William II, Hamo was one of five known stewards, the others being

Eudo Dapifer Eudo Dapifer (sometimes Eudo fitzHerbertBarlow ''William Rufus'' p. 474 and Eudo de Rie); (died 1120), was a Norman aristocrat who served as a steward (server, Latin 'dapifer') under William the Conqueror, William II Rufus, and Henry I. Life Eud ...

, Eudo's brother

Hubert of Ryes Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and ''beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname. Saint Hubertus or Hubert (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers. ...

Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk Roger Bigod (died 1107) was a Norman knight who travelled to England in the Norman Conquest. He held great power in East Anglia, and five of his descendants were earls of Norfolk. He was also known as Roger Bigot, appearing as such as a witness t ...

, and

Ivo Taillebois Ivo Taillebois (died 1094) was a powerful Norman nobleman, sheriff and tenant-in-chief in 11th-century England. Life Ivo Taillebois was a Norman most probably from Taillebois, now a small hamlet in Saint-Gervais de Briouze, Calvados.K.S.B. Keat ...

.Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 279 The historian Emma Mason suggests that Hamo, along with

Ranulf Flambard Ranulf Flambard ( c. 1060 – 5 September 1128) was a medieval Norman Bishop of Durham and an influential government minister of King William Rufus of England. Ranulf was the son of a priest of Bayeux, Normandy, and his nickname Flambard ...

Urse d'Abetot Urse d'Abetot ( - 1108) was a Norman who followed King William I to England, and became Sheriff of Worcestershire and a royal official under him and Kings William II and Henry I. He was a native of Normandy and moved to England shortly after the ...

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 ...

(Hamo's son), Roger Bigod and Eudo Dapifer, were the first recognisable Barons of the Exchequer under William II.Mason ''William II'' p. 75 These men were often associated together as royal officials in government and jointly witnessed documents.Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 202 Hamo witnessed six

writ In common law, a writ (Anglo-Saxon ''gewrit'', Latin ''breve'') is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, a ...

s of William II.Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 93 Hamo's involvement in the higher levels of government dates especially from King William II's absence from England in the late 1090s.Barlow ''William Rufus'' pp. 209–211 In 1099, when William II was in Normandy, Hamo was one of the main assistants to Flambard, who had been left as regent of England in the king's absence. According to

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 ...

, Hamo held lands in Kent, Surrey, and Essex, his estates in Essex being larger than those in the other two counties.Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 140 and footnote204 Hamo was still witnessing royal documents in September 1099,Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 407 and was one of the witnesses to the letter which 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 ...

(1100–1135), William II's brother and successor, wrote to Anselm,

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

, shortly after his accession.Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 420 Hamo died shortly after witnessing these documents.

Family

Hamo had two sons, Hamo, who became sheriff after him, and

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 ...

. Robert was probably the elder, as he received his father's lands in Normandy after Hamo's death. The younger Hamo received the English lands.

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haimo Dapifer High Sheriffs of Kent Anglo-Normans 11th-century English people 1100s deaths Year of birth unknown