Sybil (wife of Pain fitzJohn)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sybil was an Anglo-Norman noblewoman in 12th-century England. Her parentage is unclear, but her first marriage to
Pain fitzJohn Pain fitzJohn (before 110010 July 1137) was an Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman nobleman and administrator, one of King Henry I of England's "list of Henry's new men, new men", who owed their positions and wealth to the king. Pain's family originate ...
is well attested. Through her marriage, Sybil transferred lands in several shires to her husband, including lands around
Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy after the Norman conque ...
and the castle itself. After Pain's death in 1137, Sybil attempted to retain control of Ludlow and her lands but in 1139 King
Stephen of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne '' jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 u ...
married her to
Josce de Dinan Josce de Dinan (died 1166) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman who lived during and after the civil war between King Stephen of England and his cousin Matilda over the throne of England. He was a landholder in the Welsh Marches when he was married by S ...
, who died in 1166. Sybil had two daughters with Pain, and is probably the mother of Josce's two daughters also. Sybil's marriage to Josce, and his control of Ludlow in right of his wife forms the background to a medieval Welsh romance, ''
Fouke le Fitz Waryn Fulk FitzWarin (1160x1180 – c. 1258), variant spellings ( Latinized ''Fulco filius Garini'', Welsh ''Syr ffwg ap Gwarin''), the third (Fulk III), was a prominent representative of a marcher family associated especially with estates in Shrops ...
''.


Parentage

Historians disagree about Sybil's parentage. One theory, given in the entry for her first husband in the ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' states that Sybil was the niece of
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 ...
.Mason
Pain fitz John (d. 1137)
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''
Another theory, coming from the ''
Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''; first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition revis ...
'', states that Sybil was the daughter of Geoffrey Talbot and Talbot's wife Agnes, who was probably the daughter of Walter de Lacy, Hugh's father.Cokayne ''Complete Peerage'' XII/2 pp. 270–271 Yet another theory, put forth by historian K. S. B. Keats-Rohan states Sybil was the daughter of Hugh de Lacy.Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 919


Marriage

Sybil married first
Pain fitzJohn Pain fitzJohn (before 110010 July 1137) was an Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman nobleman and administrator, one of King Henry I of England's "list of Henry's new men, new men", who owed their positions and wealth to the king. Pain's family originate ...
,Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 538 a marriage that took place around 1115. Through Sybil, Pain acquired a number of holdings around
Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy after the Norman conque ...
, as well as control of the castle itself.Green ''Henry I'' p. 174 Ludlow was an important strategic stronghold which controlled part of the
Welsh Borders The Welsh Marches ( cy, Y Mers) is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ...
.Crouch ''Reign of King Stephen'' p. 102 and footnote 55 Sybil also brought her husband lands in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. Both 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 ...
and King
Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
recognized Pain's right to his wife's lands. Sybil had inherited lands that originally had been held by her kinsman
Roger de Lacy Roger de Lacy (died after 1106) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, a Marcher Lord on the Welsh border. Roger was a castle builder, particularly at Ludlow Castle. Lands and titles From Walter de Lacy (died 1085) he inherited Castle Frome, Herefor ...
, who had been banished from England in 1095 and his English estates confiscated; he had though retained his properties in Normandy. Roger's English possessions were given to his brother Hugh de Lacy, from whom Sybil had inherited them. On Roger's death his son Gilbert inherited the lands in Normandy, and pressed his claim to the family's former English estates. Coplestone-Crow notes that there was uncertainty hanging over the inheritance, and accounted for one reason why Sybil's husband worked to secure more lands around Ludlow.Coplestone-Crow "Payn fitzJohn and Ludlow Castle" ''Shropshire History and Archaeology'' p. 178 Sybil was not the only recipient of Hugh de Lacy's lands; some went to
Josce de Dinan Josce de Dinan (died 1166) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman who lived during and after the civil war between King Stephen of England and his cousin Matilda over the throne of England. He was a landholder in the Welsh Marches when he was married by S ...
and some to
Miles of Gloucester Miles FitzWalter of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford (died 24 December 1143) (''alias'' Miles of GloucesterSanders, I.J. English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960, p.7) was a great magnate based in the west of ...
.


Widowhood

Pain died on 10 July 1137 and was buried in
Gloucester Abbey Gloucester Abbey was a Benedictine abbey in the city of Gloucester, England. Since 1541 it has been Gloucester Cathedral. History Early period A Christian place of worship had stood on the abbey site since Anglo-Saxon times. Around 681, with ...
. Sybil retained control of Ludlow Castle until the middle of 1139, when she was forced to surrender it to King Stephen after a siege.Crouch ''Reign of King Stephen'' p. 102 Stephen then married Sybil to Josce de Dinan, probably because he felt that Josce trustworthy enough to control the castle. Dinan thus acquired control of Ludlow Castle in right of his wife, setting up the background to Gilbert de Lacy's attempts to seize Ludlow from Dinan on which the medieval Welsh
romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
work ''
Fouke le Fitz Waryn Fulk FitzWarin (1160x1180 – c. 1258), variant spellings ( Latinized ''Fulco filius Garini'', Welsh ''Syr ffwg ap Gwarin''), the third (Fulk III), was a prominent representative of a marcher family associated especially with estates in Shrops ...
'' is based.Coplestone-Crow "Payn fitzJohn and Ludlow Castle" ''Shropshire History and Archaeology'' p. 181 Josce, however, rebelled against Stephen and fortified Ludlow against the king.Chibnall ''Empress Matilda'' pp. 123–124 Josce died in 1166.


Children

Sybil had two daughters, Cecily and Agnes, with Pain. The two girls married five times in their lives; Cecily's three marriages failed to produce any direct heirs.Newman ''Anglo-Norman Nobility'' pp. 172–173 Cecily was first married to
Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
, the son of Miles of Gloucester. This alliance had been arranged by Cecily's father and the marriage contract specified that Roger would inherit all of Pain's lands, but at Pain's death the marriage had still not been formally contracted. In December 1137 King Stephen confirmed the terms of the settlement. Stephen also settled the bulk of Pain's lands on Cecily, which led to disturbances and a minor war among disappointed claimants.Green ''Aristocracy of Norman England'' p. 381 Agnes first married
Warin de Munchensy Warin de Munchensy was an Anglo-Norman nobleman in 12th-century England. Warin was the younger son of Hubert de Munchensy, lord of Edwardstone in Suffolk.Cokayne ''The Complete Peerage'' IX pp. 418–421 It is not clear who his mother was as his fa ...
and then Haldenald de Bidun. She died sometime after 1185, when she was noted as a widow. Presumably Sybil is the mother of Josce's two daughters – Sibil, who married Hugh de Pulgenet and died in 1212, and Hawise who married
Fulk FitzWarin Fulk FitzWarin (1160x1180 – c. 1258), variant spellings ( Latinized ''Fulco filius Garini'', Welsh ''Syr ffwg ap Gwarin''), the third (Fulk III), was a prominent representative of a marcher family associated especially with estates in Shrops ...
, who died in 1197.Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 434 In 1199 Sibil and Hawise petitioned the king regarding the ownership of the town and castle of Ludlow but were turned down.Coplestone-Crow "The End of the Anarchy to the de Genevilles" ''Ludlow Castle: Its History & Buildings'' pp. 36–37


Notes


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sybil 12th-century English people Anglo-Normans Anglo-Norman women De Lacy family 12th-century English women