Nigel Fossard (sometimes Niel Fossard;Page (ed.) "Parishes: Hinderwell" ''History of the County of York: North Riding: Volume 2'' died after 1120) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman who held the honour of Mulgrave in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

and by virtue of that is considered the feudal baron of Mulgrave.

Life

Fossard came from the western part of

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 ...

.Keats-Rohan ''Domesday People'' pp. 302–303 Fossard held lands of

Robert, Count of Mortain Robert, Count of Mortain, 2nd Earl of Cornwall (–) was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother (on their mother's side) of King William the Conqueror. He was one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Has ...

in the Domesday survey of 1086. In all, Fossard held 58

carucate The carucate or carrucate ( lat-med, carrūcāta or ) was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season. It was known by different regional names and fell under different form ...

s and 6

bovate An oxgang or bovate ( ang, oxangang; da, oxgang; gd, damh-imir; lat-med, bovāta) is an old land measurement formerly used in Scotland and England as early as the 16th century sometimes referred to as an oxgait. It averaged around 20 English a ...

s of land in Yorkshire from Robert, which before 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 Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...

had been owned by

Ligulf Ligulf (sometimes Liulf or Ligulf of Lumley; died 1080) was an Anglo-Danish nobleman with landholdings in the north of England. Ligulf was married to Ealdgyth, the daughter of Ealdred the earl of Northumbria.Aird "Ligulf" ''Oxford Dictionary of Nat ...

.Williams ''English and the Norman Conquest'' p. 67 Throughout all three

ridings of Yorkshire A riding is an administrative jurisdiction or electoral district, particularly in several current or former Commonwealth countries. Etymology The word ''riding'' is descended from late Old English or (recorded only in Latin contexts or form ...

, Fossard's holdings amounted to over 500 carucates. His landholdings were only in Yorkshire, however. Fossard and another tenant of Robert of Mortain,

Richard de Sourdeval Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'str ...

, held the majority of the count's lands in Yorkshire.Walker "Fossard family" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Although the count was a large landholder in Yorkshire, his two tenants effectively controlled all his lands and this weakened the comital power in the county.Blakely ''Brus Family'' p. 130 When Robert of Mortain rebelled and lost in 1088, Fossard became a tenant-in-chief of the King. His holding of the honour of Mulgrave in

means he is considered a feudal baron of Mulgrave.Sanders ''English Baronies'' p. 66 Under King

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

, Fossard worked to concentrate his holdings around

Lythe Castle Lythe is a small village and large civil parish, in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England, situated near Whitby within the North York Moors National Park. The name of the village derives from Old Norse and means hill or slope. ...

, an act that was encouraged by the king in order to secure royal authority in Yorkshire. Because his lands were all in Yorkshire, it is likely that Fossard spent most of his time in that county.Dalton ''Conquest, Anarchy and Lordship'' p. 68 Fossard gave gifts to St Mary's Abbey in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

, including lands and churches. He also gave a church to

Ramsey Abbey Ramsey Abbey was a Benedictine abbey in Ramsey, Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire), England. It was founded about AD 969 and dissolved in 1539. The site of the abbey in Ramsey is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Most of the abbey's ...

. In the charter for this gift, he mentions himself, his wife, who is unnamed, and his son and heir – also unnamed.Farrer (ed.) ''Early Yorkshire Charters Volume 2'' pp. 330–331 It also mentions King

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, ...

, the queen

Matilda of Flanders Matilda of Flanders (french: link=no, Mathilde; nl, Machteld) ( 1031 – 2 November 1083) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy. She was t ...

, and the king and queen's eldest son,

Robert Curthose Robert Curthose, or Robert II of Normandy ( 1051 – 3 February 1134, french: Robert Courteheuse / Robert II de Normandie), was the eldest son of William the Conqueror and succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 1087, reigning until 1106. ...

. For all the people listed, Fossard sought "fraternity" with the monastery.Marritt "Prayers for the King" ''Anglo-Norman Studies'' p. 198 This relationship was, according to the historian Janet Burton, "a spiritual union with the community" of the monastic house, effectively making them like a member of the community.Burton ''Monastic Order in Yorkshire'' p. 207 The name of Fossard's wife is not known. Fossard's heir was his son Robert Fossard. He also had a daughter, Gertrude, who married first Robert de Meinil and then Jordan Paynel. The Walter Fossard who attested Nigel's charter giving lands to St Mary's may have also been Nigel's son. Fossard died likely after 1120, and perhaps as late as 1128. He witnessed a charter of

Thurstan :''This page is about Thurstan of Bayeux (1070 – 1140) who became Archbishop of York. Thurstan of Caen became the first Norman Abbot of Glastonbury in circa 1077.'' Thurstan or Turstin of Bayeux ( – 6 February 1140) was a medi ...

, the

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...

that is dated to between 1114 and 1128.Farrer (ed.) ''Early Yorkshire Charters Volume 2'' pp. 325–327 In 1129, his lands were controlled by the king, and his heir had to pay a fine to recover his inheritance. Why the lands were in the king's control is not recorded.

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fossard, Nigel Anglo-Normans 1120s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain English feudal barons