Hugh de Beauchamp (sometimes Hugh of Beauchamp; died after 1101) was a

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 ...

who held lands in England after the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

Background

Hugh may have been from Beauchamps in Normandy or perhaps from

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norm ...

.Loyd ''Origins Anglo-Norman Families'' pp. 20–21 No connection has been established between Hugh and Walter de Beauchamp, founder of the

Beauchamp family Beauchamp may refer to: People Surname * Alphonse de Beauchamp, French historian * Anne Beauchamp, 15th Countess of Warwick (d. 1449) * Antony Beauchamp (1918–1957), British photographer * Beauchamp, stage name sometimes used by French ...

which later acquired the Earldom of Warwick.Chambers and Fowler "Beauchamps" ''Bedford Historical Record Society'' p. 1

Career

Hugh was a

tenant-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, the term ''tenant-in-chief'' (or ''vassal-in-chief'') denoted a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as op ...

with lands in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

.Keats-Rohan ''Domesday People'' p. 260 His landholdings in Bedfordshire have been considered to have made him the first

feudal baron A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...

of Bedford.Sanders ''English Baronies'' p. 10 At the time of 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 ...

'' he held 43 manors in Bedfordshire and additional landholdings in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

and

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

.Chambers and Fowler "Beauchamps" ''Bedford Historical Record Society'' p. 2 The core of Hugh's lands were those held before the Conquest by Eskil of Ware and men sworn to Eskil, with additional lands coming from

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 ...

s and

sokemen __NOTOC__ The term ''soke'' (; in Old English: ', connected ultimately with ', "to seek"), at the time of the Norman conquest of England, generally denoted "jurisdiction", but its vague usage makes it probably lack a single, precise definition. A ...

in the county.Fleming ''Kings & Lords'' p. 118 Hugh witnessed a charter 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 ...

, which can only be dated to sometime between 1070 and 1089, where he is named as "sheriff", but it is unclear whether he was sheriff of

Green ''English Sheriffs'' p. 28 or of

. Judith A. Green argues that it is more likely that he was sheriff of Buckinghamshire.Green ''English Sheriffs'' p. 25 Frank Barlow also assigns that office to Hugh in the early part of the reign of King William II.Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 62

Katharine Keats-Rohan Dr Katharine Stephanie Benedicta Keats-Rohan (; born 1957) is a British history researcher, specialising in prosopography. She has produced seminal work on early European history, and collaborated with, among others, Christian Settipani.< ...

, however, claims that he was sheriff of Bedfordshire. Hugh also appears in the reign of William II as the sheriff of Buckinghamshire on a charter dating to between 1087 and 1095 as well as a charter from 1087.

Death and legacy

Hugh lived into the reign of 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 ...

, as Henry's queen,

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

, gave a manor to Hugh. This grant can only be dated to sometime between 1100 and 1118. Hugh in March 1101 was also a surety for Henry in a treaty between the new king and

Robert II, Count of Flanders Robert II, Count of Flanders (c. 1065 – 5 October 1111) was Count of Flanders from 1093 to 1111. He became known as Robert of Jerusalem (''Robertus Hierosolimitanus'') or Robert the Crusader after his exploits in the First Crusade. Early li ...

.Green ''Henry I'' p. 62 Hugh married Matilda. She was probably the daughter and heiress of Ralf Tallebosc (or

Ralph Taillebois Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

), who was sheriff of Buckinghamshire prior to Hugh. Hugh probably had two sons –

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

and Robert. Simon was probably the elder son.Faulkner "Beauchamp, de, family" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Matilda is named as Simon's mother in a document dating to around 1124 to 1130.Chambers and Fowler "Beauchamps" ''Bedord Historical Record Society'' p. 3

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beauchamp, Hugh de Normans in England High Sheriffs of Buckinghamshire High Sheriffs of Bedfordshire