William de Courcy (died c. 1114),
feudal baron of Stoke Courcy (modern
Stogursey) in Somerset, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman.
William was the son of
Richard de Courcy
Richard de Courcy (sometimes Richard of Courcy;Barlow ''William Rufus'' p. 69 died around 1098) was a Norman nobleman and landholder in England.
Richard was probably the son of Robert de Courcy, but his mother was named Herleva.Keats-Rohan ''Dome ...
by his wife Wandelmode.
[ The family was from the ]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 Nor ...
region of Normandy.[Loyd ''Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families'' p. 36] William inherited the English lands of his father in about 1088.[Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 428]
On the accession of King Henry I of England in 1100, William was appointed a royal steward,[Green ''Henry I'' p. 50] or ''dapifer''.[ There were probably four stewards in the royal household, and Henry kept in office the three he inherited from his brother King William II, namely Eudo, ]Haimo Haimo, also spelled Hamo, Heimo, Hamon, Haim, Haym, Heym, Aymo, Aimo, etc., is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. The Old French forms are Haimon, Aymon, Aimon, Aymes. It is a hypocoristic form of various Germanic names beginning with the r ...
and Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk
Roger Bigod (died 1107) was a Norman knight who travelled to England in the Norman Conquest. He held great power in East Anglia, and five of his descendants were earls of Norfolk. He was also known as Roger Bigot, appearing as such as a witness t ...
. William was the only new appointment to this office at the start of Henry's reign.[ In March 1101 William served as a surety for Henry fulfilling a treaty with ]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 l ...
. William pledged 100 marks
Marks may refer to:
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* Mark's, a Canadian retail chain
* Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain
* Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members
* Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...
as security that would have been forfeited should the king fail to uphold the treaty terms.[Green ''Henry I'' p. 62] In 1107 William witnessed a charter of the king in Normandy and 6 more royal charters during 1110 in England.[Newman ''Anglo-Norman Nobility'' pp. 184–185] While Henry was absent from England in 1111 William was one of the advisors of Queen Matilda
Matilda or Mathilda may refer to:
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* 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 ...
, who was left behind in England to govern the country.[Green ''Government of England'' p. 39]
William gave a gift of land as well as the advowson
Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living ...
of the church at Nuneham Courtenay
Nuneham Courtenay is a village and civil parish about southeast of Oxford. It occupies a pronounced section of the left bank of the River Thames.
Geography
The parish is bounded to the west by the River Thames and on other sides by field bound ...
in Oxfordshire to Abingdon Abbey
Abingdon Abbey ( '' " St Mary's Abbey " '' ) was a Benedictine monastery located in the centre of Abingdon-on-Thames beside the River Thames.
The abbey was founded c.675 AD in honour of The Virgin Mary.
The Domesday Book of 1086 informs ...
, the advowson grant being related in the ''Historia Ecclesie Abbendonensis
The ''Historia Ecclesie Abbendonensis'' or ''History of the Church of Abingdon'' (sometimes known by its older printed title of ''Chronicon Monasterii de Abingdon'' or occasionally as the ''Abingdon Chronicle'') was a medieval chronicle written ...
''. Shortly after these grants, William further gave to Abingdon a fishery named "Sotiswere".[Lobel "Parishes: Nuneham Courtenay" ''History of the County of Oxford'']
William married Emma de Falaise, the daughter and heiress of William de Falaise
William de Falaise (11th century), also called William of Falaise, was a Norman from Falaise, Duchy of Normandy, today in the Calvados department in the Lower Normandy region of north-western France. He became feudal baron of Stogursey in Somer ...
, feudal baron of Stoke (later "Stoke Curcy, Stogursey") in Somerset, who held
Held may refer to:
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* Held Glacier
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* Adolph Held (1885–1969), U.S. newspaper editor, banker, labor activist
*Al Held (1928–2005), U.S. abstract expressionist painter.
*Alexander Held (born 1958), German television ...
amongst many others, the manor of Stogursey in Somerset, his ''caput
Latin words and phrases
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