Henry fitzGerold (sometimes Henry Fitz Gerald or Henry Fitzgerald;Vincent "Fitzgerald, Henry (d. 1170x74)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' died c. 1174) was a 12th-century

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 ...

nobleman and government official.

Early life

FitzGerold was probably the son of Robert fitzGerald, an

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

landowner. Henry definitely had a brother named Warin. The brothers' first appearance in the documentary record was as witnesses to the foundation document of

Walden Abbey Walden Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Saffron Walden, Essex, England founded by Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex between 1136 and 1143. Originally a priory, it was elevated to the status of an abbey in 1190. Soon after its foundin ...

, some time between 1138 and 1144. Henry subsequently witnessed a number of the future King Henry II's charters before the latter's accession to the throne of England. Soon after 1154, he was appointed constable of

Wallingford Castle Wallingford Castle was a major medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire (historically Berkshire), adjacent to the River Thames. Established in the 11th century as a motte-and-bailey design within an Anglo-Sa ...

. Henry II sent him to

Sens Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km from Paris. Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second city of the d ...

on a diplomatic mission to the pope in 1163.Vincent "Warin and Henry Fitz Gerald" ''Anglo-Norman Studies'' pp. 237–239

Career

FitzGerold was the steward to Geoffrey de Mandeville, the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

, from around 1154 as well as holding land worth 4

knight's fees 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 ...

from Mandeville. From 1158 to 1170 he was

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

to Henry II, succeeding his brother Warin. Besides the lands held of Mandeville, Henry and Warin acquired the majority of the lands of

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 ...

;Vincent "Warin and Henry Fitz Gerald" ''Anglo-Norman Studies'' pp. 233–235 Henry's share amounted to more than 50 knight's fees in Essex in 1166. FitzGerold also had the farm of the royal manor of

Sutton Courtenay Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on the River Thames south of Abingdon-on-Thames and northwest of Didcot. Historically part of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of Oxfordshire since the 1974 boundary changes. The 201 ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, which was worth £50 per annum. From 1166 until 1168 he was responsible for royal payments to knights in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. He also served as a

royal justice Royal justices were an innovation in the law reforms of the Angevin kings of England The Angevins (; "from Anjou") were a royal house of French origin that ruled England in the 12th and early 13th centuries; its monarchs were Henry II, Richa ...

in Kent during 1168–1169.

Death and legacy

FitzGerold married Matilda de Chesney, the heiress of

William de Chesney William de Chesney (Floruit, flourished 1142–1161) was an Anglo-Norman magnate during the reign of King Stephen of England (reigned 1135–1154) and King Henry II of England (reigned 1154–1189). Chesney was part of a large family; one of his ...

, whose parentage remains unknown. They had two sons, Warin and Henry. The elder fitzGerold died in 1174–1175,Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 893 and was survived by Matilda and his sons. He was buried at

Reading Abbey Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, m ...

. Besides grants to Reading, he had also given gifts to Southwark Priory and to the cathedral chapter of

Rochester Cathedral Rochester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an English church of Norman architecture in Rochester, Kent. The church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rochester in the Church of England and the s ...

. FitzGerold's eldest son

Warin Warin () is a town in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 19 km southeast of Wismar. Warin is a small town with a population of under 4,000 persons. Warin is situated 104 km from ...

inherited the majority of his father's estates. Warin married Alice de Courcy. Warin's daughter Margaret married Baldwin de Redvers and their son was

Baldwin de Redvers Baldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon (died 4 June 1155), feudal baron of Plympton in Devon, was the son of Richard de Redvers and his wife Adeline Peverel. He was one of the first to rebel against King Stephen, and was the only first rank magnat ...

, the 6th

Earl of Devon Earl of Devon was created several times in the English peerage, and was possessed first (after the Norman Conquest of 1066) by the de Redvers (''alias'' de Reviers, Revieres, etc.) family, and later by the Courtenay family. It is not to be con ...

. The younger Henry married Ermentrude Talbot and became prominent in the service of William Marshall, the first

Earl of Pembroke Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:FitzGerold, Henry Anglo-Normans 1170s deaths Year of birth unknown Burials at Reading Abbey