Wadard was an

11th century The 11th century is the period from 1001 ( MI) through 1100 ( MC) in accordance with the Julian calendar, and the 1st century of the 2nd millennium. In the history of Europe, this period is considered the early part of the High Middle Ages. Th ...

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 ...

nobleman who is mentioned in

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 ...

, and is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. Wadard was a noble who travelled to England in

1066 1066 (Roman numerals, MLXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events Worldwide * March 20 – Halley's Comet reaches perihelion. Its appearance is subsequently recorded in the Bayeux Tapestry. Asia * ''un ...

with Duke William of Normandy. He is depicted and named in the Bayeux Tapestry on a foraging expedition, and may have been in the logistics section of William's army. His portrait suggests that he held a senior rank. By the date of

(1086), Wadard is recorded as a tenant of

Odo, bishop of Bayeux Odo of Bayeux (died 1097), Earl of Kent and Bishop of Bayeux, was the maternal half-brother of William the Conqueror, and was, for a time, second in power after the King of England. Early life Odo was the son of William the Conqueror's mother ...

, holding estates amounting to about 1,260

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

s 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 ...

and elsewhere, and providing him with an income of around £127. His holdings included

Farningham Farningham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located south-east of Swanley. It has a population of 1,314. History Farningham is believed to be home to Neolithic history – flint and other tools ha ...

Combe A combe (; also spelled coombe or coomb and, in place names, comb) can refer either to a steep, narrow valley, or to a small valley or large hollow on the side of a hill; in any case, it is often understood simply to mean a small valley through wh ...

, and six houses in

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, in Kent;

Cassington Cassington is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about northwest of Oxford. The village lies on gravel strata about from the confluence of the River Evenlode with the River Thames. The parish includes the hamlet of Worton northeast of ...

Thrupp Thrupp, a variant of the Middle English word ''thorp'', meaning hamlet or small village, and may refer to: People * Arthur Thomas Thrupp (1828–1889), English Royal Navy officer * Darren Thrupp (born 1966), Australian Paralympic athlete * Dorothy ...

, and

Little Tew Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

Thames Ditton Thames Ditton is a suburban village on the River Thames, in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Apart from a large inhabited island in the river, it lies on the southern bank, centred 12.2 miles (19.6 km) southwest of Charing Cross ...

in Surrey; and

Glentham Glentham is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A631, west from Market Rasen, and east from Caenby Corner and the A15. The village includes the hamlet of Caenby. Etymology Th ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

. The

14th century As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was a century lasting from 1 January 1301 ( MCCCI), to 31 December 1400 ( MCD). It is estimated that the century witnessed the death of more than 45 million lives from political and n ...

chronicler William Thorne states that

Scolland Scolland of Canterbury also known as Scotland was the abbot of St Augustine's Abbey during the Norman conquest of England. He was an aid of Lanfranc, the Archbishop of Canterbury. He conducted building works at his abbey and promoted the vene ...

, Abbot of

St Augustine's Abbey St Augustine's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Canterbury, Kent, England. The abbey was founded in 598 and functioned as a monastery until its dissolution in 1538 during the English Reformation. After the abbey's dissolution, it underwent ...

granted Wadard certain land in Northbourne for life, on condition that "he pay every year on the feast of

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

the sum of 30 shillings, together with a tenth part of everything he derived from the land". He is recorded as a witness to a land grant to the

abbey of Saint-Pierre de Préaux An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

, and he was also a

tenant Tenant may refer to: Real estate *Tenant, the holder of a leasehold estate in real estate *Tenant-in-chief, in feudal land law *Tenement (law), the holder of a legal interest in real estate *Tenant farmer *Anchor tenant, one of the larger stores ...

of St Augustine's Abbey. Wadard and Vital
/ref>

Family

*His son Rainald held two estates from Odo at Somerton and

Fritwell Fritwell is a village and civil parish about northwest of Bicester in Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 736. The parish's southern boundary is a stream that flows eastwards through Fewcott and past the village ...

, adjoining his father's estate at Fringford. *Two other sons, named Martin and Simon, are mentioned in the

cartulary A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll (''rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the fo ...

of the Abbey of Préaux.

References

;Sources *{{cite book , last1=Crossley , first1=Alan , last2=Elrington , first2=C.R. (eds.) , authorlink2=Christopher Elrington , last3=Baggs , first3=A.P. , last4=Blair , first4=W.J. , last5=Chance , first5=Eleanor , last6=Colvin , first6=Christina , last7=Cooper , first7=Janet , last8=Day , first8=C.J. , last9=Selwyn , first9=Nesta , last10=Townley , first10=Simon C. , year=1990 , title=A History of the County of Oxford , volume=12: Wootton Hundred (South) including Woodstock , series=

Victoria County History The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of En ...

, place=London , publisher=

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

for the

Institute of Historical Research The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is a British educational organisation providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is part of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London and is located at Senate Hous ...

, isbn=978-0-19722-774-9 , pages=36–54 , url= http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol12 , ref={{harvid, Crossley, Elrington, 1990 Year of birth unknown Anglo-Normans Norman warriors Companions of William the Conqueror Norman conquest of England