Sir Reginald FitzUrse (1145–1173) was one of the four

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

s who murdered

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and the ...

in 1170. His name is derived from '' Fitz'', the Anglo-Norman French term meaning "son of" and ''urse'' meaning a bear, probable the ''

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

'' of his ancestor. Although he lived before the true age of

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

which developed in the early 13th century, his shield bore the

cognizance Cognizance may refer to: * Cognizance IIT Roorkee, an annual technical festival held at Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee * Cognizance, a heraldic badge, emblem, or device formerly worn by retainers of a royal or noble house * Cognizance ( ...

of a bear, which is visible in a contemporary drawing portraying the murder of Becket.

Early life

FitzUrse was the eldest son of Richard fitzUrse, on whose death about 1168 he inherited the manor of Williton,

Somersetshire ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. He also held land in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire and at

Barham, Kent Barham is a village and civil parish in the City of Canterbury district of Kent, England. Barham village is approximately south-east from Canterbury and north from Folkestone. History The name Barham was spelt ''Bioraham'' in 799, from ''Bio ...

, between

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

and

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 Maids ...

. He lived for a time at

Barham Court Barham Court is an English country house in the village of Teston, Kent. History It was once the home of Reginald Fitz Urse, one of the knights who murdered Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. As a result of that deed, Fitz Urse fle ...

Teston Teston /ˈtiːstən/ The Place Names of Kent,Judith Glover,1976,Batsford. or /ˈtiːsən/ BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names — is a village in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. It is located on the A26 road out of Maidston ...

. He was a knight in Henry II's household.

Assassination of Becket

At Christmas, 1170 FitzUrse was at the court of Henry II at Bures in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

when Henry ranted against

. FitzUrse and the other three knights, Hugh de Moreville,

William de Tracy Sir William de Tracy (died ) was a knight and the feudal baron of Bradninch, Devon, with ''caput'' at the manor of Bradninch near Exeter, and was lord of the manors (amongst very many others) of Toddington, Gloucestershire and of Moretonhampstead ...

and Richard le Breton or Brito, crossed the Channel separately and met up in Saltwood Castle,

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 ...

, to plan their attack. On 29 December 1170 they burst into the cathedral choir at

clad in armour and carrying swords determined to capture or kill Becket. FitzUrse appeared to be their ringleader and delivered the first but non-fatal blow to Becket's head and the other knights followed suit until Becket lay dead. Christendom was outraged while the king publicly expressed remorse and engaged in public confession and penance. The four knights initially escaped to Scotland and thence to Morville's Knaresborough Castle where they stayed for a year. All four were excommunicated by

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland ( it, Rolando), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a con ...

on Easter Day and ordered to make a penitential pilgrimage to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

, staying for 14 years. It is believed that none returned.''Eleanor of Aquitaine'' by Alison Weir Legends hold that FitzUrse fled to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

where he fathered the

McMahon McMahon, also spelled MacMahon (older Irish orthography: ; reformed Irish orthography: ), is a surname of Irish origin. It is derived from the Gaelic ''Mac'' ''Mathghamhna'' meaning 'son of the bear'. The surname came into use around the 11th ce ...

clan. FitzUrse's relatives, who remained in England, changed their name to 'de Bereham' (of Barham), the location of their home, to also avoid any persecution. The name has evolved over time to just Barham.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzurse, Reginald 1145 births 1173 deaths 12th-century English people 12th-century murderers Anglo-Normans English assassins Medieval assassins Medieval English knights Norman warriors People temporarily excommunicated by the Catholic Church People from the Borough of Maidstone Thomas Becket