Manasser Biset (sometimes Bisset
[ or Manasseh Biset;][Friend "Master Odo" ''Speculum'' p. 642] died 1177) 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 ...
nobleman and royal official during the reign of King Henry II of England
Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
. Biset was one of the most frequent witnesses on Henry's documents, and served the king as a justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
and in financial matters. He was rewarded with lands in England which have led him to be considered 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 Biset.
Life
Biset was the son of William Biset and Hawisa. The elder Biset held lands in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire as the tenant of Stephen, Count of Aumale
Stephen of Aumale (–1127) was Count of Aumale from before 1089 to 1127, and Lord of Holderness.
Life
He was son of Odo, Count of Champagne, and Adelaide of Normandy, countess of Aumale, sister of William the Conqueror.George Edward Cokayne, ''Th ...
. Besides Manasser, William and Hawisa had another son named Henry.[Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 177]
Biset was a follower of Henry fitzEmpress and was a witness to charters of Henry's issued in France in the period 1151 to 1153.[Loyd ''Origins of some Anglo-Norman Families'' pp. 15–16] Biset obtained the office of ''dapifer
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent them in a country and who may have a mandate to govern it in their name; in the latter case, it is synonymous with the position of regent, vicegerent, viceroy, king ...
'', or steward, to Henry II shortly before Henry became king of England.[ Biset was with Henry in England in 1153, as he was a witness on documents drawn up for Henry in England during the early part of 1153. In April through December 1154, Bisset only witnessed Henry's documents that were drawn up in France.][White "End of Stephen's Reign" ''History'' p. 17 footnote 54] The king gave lands in Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire, Wiltshire, and Hampshire to Biset.[ These lands came to be considered the ]feudal barony
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 Biset, and Biset as the first baron.[Sanders ''English Baronies'' pp. 5–6] Besides the steward's office, Biset was also a baron of the exchequer
The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was a ...
and 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 ...
.[Warren ''Henry II'' p. 309] He was one of the most frequent witnesses on Henry's documents.[
Before 1164, Biset founded a hospital for ]leper
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damage ...
women at Maiden Bradley
Maiden Bradley is a village in south-west Wiltshire, England, about south-west of Warminster and bordering the county of Somerset. The B3092 road between Frome and Mere forms the village street. Bradley House, the seat of the Duke of Somerse ...
, Wiltshire, and gave it lands including the manor of Bradley, which had come to him through his wife.[Pugh and Crittall (ed.) "Houses of Augustinian Canons" ''History of the County of Wiltshire'']
Family and death
Biset married Alice, who was the sister and heiress of Gilbert de Falaise Gilbert may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gilbert (surname), including a list of people
Places Australia
* Gilbert River (Queensland)
* Gilbert River (Sout ...
, lord of Cany in France. Manasser's heir was his son, named Henry Bisset
Henry Bisset (died 1208), Lord of Kidderminster, was an English noble. He served as dapifer, or steward, to King John of England.
Life
He was the only known son of Manasser Biset and Alice de Falaise. At his father's death in 1177, Henry wa ...
, who was still underage at his father's death in 1177.[ The administration of the lands and the custody of the heirs was given to Biset's nephew.][Waugh "Reluctant Knights and Jurors" ''Speculum'' p. 980 footnote 150] Besides his son, Biset also had a daughter, Margaret.[
]
Citations
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
* – specifically numbers 227 and 230
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biset, Manasser
Anglo-Normans
1177 deaths
English feudal barons
12th-century English landowners
People from Wiltshire
People from Worcestershire
Manasser