Richard le Goz (died 1082 or after) was a Norman nobleman and supporter 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 ...

in 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 Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

Life

Richard was the son of Thorstein le Goz, Viscount of Hiesmes, and grandson of Ansfred 'the Dane', Viscount of Hiesmes. William II, Duke of Normandy, bestowed on him the title of Viscount of Avranches sometime before 1046. Richard may also have been Lord of Creully and entrusted with the castle of Saint-James-de-Beuvron, built by William in 1067 shortly after the war against the Bretons of 1064–66. Richard provided 60 ships to support William's 1066 invasion of England but is not among those known to have been present at the

Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place appr ...

. Between 1070 and 1079, Richard was involved in a ruling between Raoul Tesson and the

Abbey of Fontenay The Abbey of Fontenay is a former Cistercian abbey located in the commune of Marmagne, near Montbard, in the département of Côte-d'Or in France. It was founded by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in 1118, and built in the Romanesque style. It is ...

. Around 1076 he was one of the judges who pronounced an award against Robert Bertram. Richard married Emma, who is believed to have been the daughter of Herluin de Conteville and

Herleva Herleva () was an 11th-century Norman people, Norman woman known for having been the mother of William the Conqueror, born to an extramarital relationship with Robert I, Duke of Normandy, and also of William's prominent half-brothers Odo of Baye ...

(mistress of Robert I of Normandy and mother of William the Conqueror), and hence a sister of

Robert, Count of Mortain Robert, Count of Mortain, first Earl of Cornwall of 2nd creation (–) 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 t ...

and Odo,

Bishop of Bayeux The Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of Calvados and is a ...

. Richard and Emma had five known children and probably more: *

Hugh d'Avranches Hugh d'Avranches ( 1047 – 27 July 1101), nicknamed ''le Gros'' (the Large) or ''Lupus'' (the Wolf), was from 1071 the second Norman Earl of Chester and one of the great magnates of early Norman England. Early life and career Hugh d'Avra ...

Earl of Chester The Earldom of Chester () was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and Flintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, ...

and Viscount of Avranches * Helisende, married to William II, Count of Eu * Gilbert d'Avranches, Lord of Marcey * Margaret, married to

Ranulf de Briquessart Ranulf de Briquessart (or Ranulf the Viscount) (born c. 1050, died c. 1089 or soon after) was an 11th-century Norman magnate and viscount. Biography Ranulf's family were connected to the House of Normandy by marriage, and, besides Odo, bishop of ...

. Their son was Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester * Judith, married to Richer de l'Aigle (died in the Battle of Sainte-Suzanne). Richard le Goz died in 1082 and was succeeded by his son Hugh as Viscount of Avranches.

References

Sources

* *{{cite book , title=The Norman Frontier in the Twelfth and Early Thirteenth Centuries , first=Daniel , last=Power , publisher=Cambridge University Press , year=2007 Viscounts of Avranches Norman conquest of England 1082 deaths Year of death uncertain Year of birth unknown