William Cheever ( 1086) (''alias'' Chievre) ( Latinised to ''Capra'', "she-goat",Thorn & Thorn, part 2 (notes) chap.19 from French ''chèvre'') was one of the 52

Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief The Domesday Book of 1086 lists in the following order the tenants-in-chief in Devonshire of King William the Conqueror: *Osbern FitzOsbern (died 1103), Bishop of Exeter *Geoffrey de Montbray (died 1093), Bishop of Coutances * Glastonbury Church, ...

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 ...

. He held 46 landholdings in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. His lands later formed (together with three of the four Devonshire estates of

Ralph de Limesy {{Cleanup bare URLs, date=August 2022 Ralph de Limesy (''alias'' de Limesi) lord of the manor of Limésy in Normandy (now a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France) was a Domesday Book Anglo-Norman magnat ...

), the

feudal barony of Bradninch {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The feudal barony of Bradninch was one of eight8 per Sanders, 1960; Pole, pp.1-31, listed 12 feudal baronies in Devonshire which existed during the mediaeval era, and had its '' caput'' at the manor of Bradninch. O ...

, Devon.Sanders, p.20; Thorn, part 2, chap.19 His brother was

Ralph de Pomeroy Ralph de Pomeroy (died pre-1100) (''alias'' de la Pomeroy, Pomeraie, Pomerei, etc.) was one of the 52 Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief of King William the Conqueror and was the first feudal baron of Berry Pomeroy in Devon. He held 58 landholdi ...

feudal baron of Berry Pomeroy The Feudal Barony of Berry Pomeroy was one of eight feudal baronies in Devonshire, England, which existed during the mediaeval era. It had its ''caput'' at the manor of Berry Pomeroy, 20 miles south of the City of Exeter and 2 miles east of the ...

, Devon, with whom several of his holdings had been divided into two parts, one for each brother. His sister was Beatrix, who held from him the manor of Southleigh.Thorn & Thorn, Chap.19, 46, Beatrix is called "his sister" in the Exon Domesday in the holding of Southleigh

Succession

It is not known whether Cheever married and left progeny; however, his estates

escheat Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...

ed to the crown during 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 ...

(1100–1135), who granted them to his own illegitimate son William I de Tracy (died 1136).

Sources

*Sanders, I.J. ''English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327'', Oxford, 1960 (Pages 20–1, Barony of Bradninch) *Thorn, Caroline & Frank, (eds.) ''Domesday Book'', (Morris, John, gen.ed.) Vol. 9, Devon, Parts 1 & 2, Phillimore Press, Chichester, 1985. (Parts 1 & 2 chapter 19, holdings of William Cheever)

References

{{short description, 11th-century tenant-in-chief in England Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief 11th-century English people Anglo-Normans