Staller is an Anglo-Saxon title that was held by various high-ranking officials of the crown during the 11th century. It ceased to be used in the 1070s. Its origin, and exact meaning, are disputed. One suggestion is it derives from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, or

Count of the Stable The Count of the Stable ( la, comes stabuli; grc-gre, κόμης τοῦ σταύλου/στάβλου, komes tou staulou/stablou) was a late Roman and Byzantine office responsible for the horses and pack animals intended for use by the army and ...

, a title used in the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

, and later adopted by the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

. Another likely possibility is that it is refers to a seat, or ''steall'' in the kings hall, one of the privileges granted to a

thane Thane (; also known as Thana, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city in Maharashtra, India. It is situated in the north-eastern portion of the Salsette Island. Thane city is entirely within Thane taluka, one of the seven talukas ...

, or royal retainer. However, these are both unproven. It seems likely it was a different term for an existing position; the first confirmed occurrence in England was by

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æth ...

, who used it for senior members of his personal household. Their duties appear to have been flexible; on a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

witnessed by stallers Ansgar, Bondi, Robert FitzWimarc, and Ralph in 1065, they are described as Royal stewards.

Anglo-Saxon office-holders

Ansgar the Staller Ansgar the Staller or Esegar (c. 1025-1085) was one of the wealthiest and most powerful nobles in late Anglo-Saxon England. He escaped badly wounded from the Battle of Hastings in October 1066, then led the defence of London. His family were of ...

(fl 1044-1066) *

Bondi the staller Bondi the Staller, also known as 'Boding', was a wealthy Anglo-Danish landowner, thegn, and member of Edward the Confessor's personal household. His family were of Danish origin and held extensive estates in Wessex, as well as Perivale and Nor ...

(fl 1065) *

Eadnoth the Constable Eadnoth the Constable (died 1068) also known as Eadnoth the Staller, was an Anglo-Saxon landowner and steward to Edward the Confessor and King Harold II. He is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'' as holding thirty manors in Devon, Dorset, Som ...

(died 1068), also known as Eadnoth the Staller *

Osgod Clapa Osgod Clapa (died 1054), also Osgot, was a nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England during the reigns of Kings Cnut the Great, Harold Harefoot, Harthacnut, and Edward the Confessor. His name comes from the Old Danish Asgot, the byname Clapa meaning coarse, o ...

, London *

Ralph the Staller Ralph the Staller (or Radulf Stalre or Ralph l'Écuyer / Ralph the Squire ( 1011 – 1069) was a noble and landowner in both Anglo-Saxon and post-Conquest England. He is said to have been born in Norfolk of high born Breton and English par ...

(1011–1068) *

Robert FitzWimarc Robert fitz Wimarc (died before 1075, Theydon Mount, Chipping Ongar, Ongar, Essex) was a kinsman of both Edward the Confessor and William of Normandy, and was present at Edward's death bed. Nothing of his background is known except his kinship t ...

(died before 1075), also known as Robert the Staller * Tovi Pruda (fl. 1018–1043)

References

Sources

* * *{{cite book , last1=Williams , first1=Ann , title=The World Before Domesday: The English Aristocracy 900-1066 , date=2008 , publisher=Continuum , isbn=978-1847252395 Anglo-Saxon England