William FitzAldelm, FitzAdelm, FitzAldhelm, or FitzAudelin was a Anglo-Norman nobleman from

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

. He was the son of Adelm de Burgate, and an important courtier who took part in the

Norman invasion of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly sanc ...

Courtier

In 1165 William FitzAdeline's father Adelm d'Aldfied and his brother Ralph FitzAdeline gave lands at Fountains to the Abbey, which gift was confirmed by Roger de Mowbray. Ralph FitzAdeline held one fee in Yorkshire from Mowbray in 1165, and witnessed a charter by his brother to the Knights Hospitallers. The manor of Ongar alias Little Ongar, later known as Ashhall alias Nash Hall was held as a marshalship. This marshalship consisted of looking after the prostitutes at the king's court, dismembering condemned malefactors, and measuring the king's 'gallons' and 'bushels'. In 1156 this strange office had been held by William Fitz Audelin, who had received it in marriage with Juliane Doisnel, daughter of Robert Doisnel. The manor of Sherfield Upon Loddon was held by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Crown till the reign of Henry II, by whom it was granted, before 1167-8, to his marshal William Fitz Aldelin on his marriage with Juliane. William held the manor by the serjeanty of being the king's marshal. The manor of Compton was given by the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

from his marriage to Juliane.

Ireland

It is evident from the latter charter that he accompanied King Henry II in his expedition to Ireland in October 1171. He was sent with

Hugh de Lacy Hugh de Lacy may refer to: * Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Lassy (c.1020–1085), first recorded member of the Norman noble family de Lacy * Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath (died 1186), 4th Baron Lacy * Hugh de Lacy, Abbot of Shrewsbury (died c. 1215/18) *Hug ...

to receive the allegiance of Rory, King of Connaught, and on the King's return to England in the next year the city of

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

was committed to his charge, with two lieutenants under him. In 1173 Pope Adrian's bull granting the kingdom of Ireland to Henry, ''

Laudabiliter ''Laudabiliter'' was a bull issued in 1155 by Pope Adrian IV, the only Englishman to have served in that office. Existence of the bull has been disputed by scholars over the centuries; no copy is extant but scholars cite the many references to ...

'', was entrusted to the prior of Wallingford and him to exhibit before the synod of bishops at Waterford. On the death of Strongbow, Lord of Leinster, in 1176, the king appointed him deputy over the whole of that kingdom and granted him the wardship of

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

, the earl's daughter and heir. His government, which is represented as having been weak and negligent, did not last above a year, Prince John receiving a grant of the

Lordship of Ireland The Lordship of Ireland ( ga, Tiarnas na hÉireann), sometimes referred to retroactively as Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman lords between ...

at the parliament held at Oxford in May 1177, Fitz-Aldelm himself being present there. The city of Wexford, however, was restored to his charge, together with the province of Leinster. Once again in 1181 the government of Ireland was again entrusted to him. During his residence in Ireland, he founded the priory of Saint Thomas the Martyr at

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

; and in Henry's charter of confirmation he is called the king's "dapifer" (steward). He was also

Seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

of Normandy, Ponthieu, and some other of the king's dominions in France. In 1185 the manor of Maplederwell was held by William Fitz Audelin as a gift from the King. After the Henry's death he held the office of sheriff of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

, during the first nine years of Richard's reign, in the first year of which he was amerced in sum of 60L. (£60) for not coming into the Exchequer to account for twelve days after he was summonsed. In the same year he was one of the justices itinerant in that county and in Yorkshire; and in the former again in 1197 (8th year of

Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

). FitzAldelm died in 1205. He is sometimes confused, genealogically, with

William de Burgh William de Burgh (; ; ; la, de Burgo; c.1160–winter 1205/06) was the founder of the House of Burgh (later surnamed Burke or Bourke) in Ireland and elder brother of Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent and Geoffrey de Burgh, Bishop of Ely. In ...

, but this has long been known to be an error.

References

External links

VCH: Maplestead, EssexVCH: High Ongar Manors, EssexVCH:Teversham manors & Other Estates, CambridgeshireVCH: Maplederwell, HampshireVCH:Priory of Hatfield Regis or Broadoak, Essex Norman People and their Existing Descendants in the British DominionsBiographia Juridica: A Biographical Dictionary of the Judges of EnglandVCH:Sherfield-on-Loddon, HampshireVCH: King's Somborne, HampshireJudges of England: With Sketches of their Lives
{{DEFAULTSORT:FitzAldelm, William People from Suffolk People from North Yorkshire Norman participants of the invasion of Ireland Lords Lieutenant of Ireland