Judith of Lens (born

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, between 1054 and 1055 - died Fotheringhay, c. 1090) was a niece of

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

. She was a daughter of Lambert II, Count of Lens and Adelaide of Normandy (Countess of Aumale), the sister of William the Conqueror.

Life

In 1075, Waltheof joined the

Revolt of the Earls The Revolt of the Earls in 1075 was a rebellion of three earls against William I of England (William the Conqueror). It was the last serious act of resistance against William in the Norman Conquest. Cause The revolt was caused by the king's re ...

against William. It was the last serious act of resistance against the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

of England. Some sources claim that Judith betrayed Waltheof to the bishop of Winchester, who informed her uncle, the king. Other sources say that Waltheof was innocent and that it was he who notified the bishop and king of the plot. Waltheof was beheaded on 31 May 1076 at St Giles Hill, near

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

. After Waltheof's execution, Judith was betrothed by William to Simon I of St. Liz, 1st Earl of Northampton. Judith refused to marry Simon and fled the country to avoid William's anger. He then (temporarily) confiscated all Judith's English estates. Simon married Judith's daughter, Maud, in or before 1090.

Marriage and children

In 1070, Judith married Earl Waltheof of Huntingdon and Northumbria. They had two children – # Maud, Countess of Huntingdon was married to Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton. She brought the earldom of Huntingdon to her second husband,

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Scottish Gaelic, Modern Gaelic: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th century ruler and saint who was David I as Prince of the Cumbrians, Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 112 ...

. #Adelise, married Raoul III de Conches whose sister, Godehilde, married Baldwin I of Jerusalem.

Properties

Judith held properties in 10 counties in the Midlands and

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

. Before the Norman invasion, these would have been lands held by her Saxon husband, Waltheof. After the transfer of property to the Normans, Waltheof was left with only one manor in his name. Judith's holdings included land and properties in: * Elstow, Bedfordshire *

Kempston Kempston is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, situated around south-west of Bedford town centre. It had a population of 19,330 in the 2011 census, and forms part of the wider Bedford built-up area. The ...

, Bedfordshire * Potton, Bedfordshire * Hitchin, Herfordshire * Sawtry, Huntingdonshire - the parish of Sawtry Judith is named after the countess. * Ashby Folville, Leicestershire * Lowesby, Leicestershire * Earls Barton, Northamptonshire * Great Doddington, Northamptonshire * Grendon, Northamptonshire * Merton, Oxfordshire * Piddington, Oxfordshire Judith held eight manors in her own name - i.e. manors which the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086 shows were not let, by her, to local lords. Those eight manors, scattered around the ten counties, may have been used by Judith as homes when visiting her various estates. Included in them were the manors of Elstow and Kempston in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

. Judith founded Elstow Abbey in around 1078, as a Benedictine nunnery, possibly as a memorial to Waltheof. She endowed the Abbey with a considerable amount of her properties in several counties. Judith also founded All Saints church in

. Given these strong local connections, it is possible that Judith's primary home may have been at the manor at Kempston. Judith also founded a church at

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district of Hertfordshire, England. The town dates from at least the 7th century. It lies in the valley of the River Hiz at the north-eastern end of the Chiltern Hills ...

and Elstow Abbey held a large amount of her property in that area.

References

Sources

* *''Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700'' by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines 98A-23, 130-25. ISBN 9780806317526. *''Chronicles of Elstow Abbey'' by Rev'd SR Wigram, Elstow 1885 {{Incomplete list, date=August 2008 1050s births 11th-century deaths House of Boulogne 1080s deaths 11th-century English landowners 11th-century landowners 11th-century English women 11th-century women landowners