Albert de Gresle () was a non-resident

lord of the manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

Origins

Various

antiquarians An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifacts, archaeological and historic sit ...

believed that the Gresle family originated from Malahulc, purported uncle of

Rollo Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...

, of whom descended

Roger I of Tosny Roger I of Tosny or Roger of Hispania (died c. 1040) was a Norman nobleman of the House of Tosny who took part in the Reconquista of Iberia. Career Roger was the son of Raoul I of Tosny, seigneur de Conches. In 1013, Roger and his father Raoul ...

, ancestor of the future

Gresley Baronets The Baronetcy of Gresley of Drakelow was created in the Baronetage of England on 29 June 1611 for George Gresley of Drakelow Hall, Derbyshire who was later High Sheriff of Derbyshire and Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme. The Gres ...

William Robert Whatton William Robert Whatton FRS, FSA (17 February 1790, in Loughborough – 5 December 1835, in Portland Place) was a British surgeon and antiquarian. He was qualified MCRS on 11 March 1810. He served at Da Graça Hospital, Lisbon, treating the wo ...

disputed this, believing the origin and descent of the Gresle family to be separate to that of the

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

baronets, noting the distinct armorial bearings, and noting that there is no record of the Gresleys holding land in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

. Later historians such as James Tait and Falconer Madan supported Whatton's refutation of this purported origin. In ''The History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster'', James Croston identifies Albert Gresle as being Albert Bussel, brother of Lord Warin Bussel of

Penwortham Penwortham () is a town in South Ribble, Lancashire, England, on the south bank of the River Ribble facing the city of Preston. The town is at the most westerly crossing point of the river, with major road and rail links crossing it here. T ...

. Tait states in ''Mediæval Manchester and the beginnings of Lancashire'' that "this wild identification affords a good illustration of the mingled ignorance and rashness of too many local antiquaries". Albert's surname likely originates from the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...

term ''greslet'', meaning pock-marked or pitted. This was likely to be an attribute of either Albert himself, or one of the families earlier members. In the ''Domesday'' book, he is also known as Albert '' crematus'' (Albert the Burnt). It is difficult to tell whether this was either a previous family name, or merely a nickname.

Career

Following the

Norman Conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conqu ...

, Roger the Poitevin granted Albert with lands in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

, Lincoln,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

, and in conjunction with

Roger de Busli Roger de Busli (c. 1038 – c. 1099) was a Norman baron who participated in the conquest of England in 1066. Life Roger de Busli was born in or around 1038. His surname comes from the town now known as Bully (near Neufchâtel-en-Bray, mentioned ...

the

Blackburn Hundred Blackburn Hundred (also known as Blackburnshire) is a historic sub-division of the county of Lancashire, in northern England. Its chief town was Blackburn, in the southwest of the hundred. It covered an area similar to modern East Lancashire, ...

. Sometime after 1086, Albert resigned his fee in Blackburn, and instead obtained a grant of the manor of

within the

Salford Hundred The Salford Hundred (also known as Salfordshire) was one of the subdivisions of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England (see: Hundred (county division). Its name alludes to its judicial centre being the township of Salford (th ...

. Albert was a witness to Roger de Poitevin's charter establishing the

Lancaster Priory Lancaster Priory, formally the Priory Church of St Mary, is the Church of England parish church of the city of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It is located near Lancaster Castle and since 1953 has been designated a Grade I listed building ...

in 1094.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Albert 6 Albert Greslet (aka Crematus), fl. 1086, pase.domesday.ac.uk
{{Authority control Lords of the manor of Manchester