Rohese de Giffard

Notes:

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohese_Giffard

Sometimes called Rose or Rohais, she was a Norman noblewoman in the late 11th and early 12th century.

Giffard was the daughter of Walter Giffard. Her maternal grandfather was Gerard Fleitel. Walter Giffard was the lord of Longueville-sur-Scie in upper Normandy.

Giffard was the wife of Richard fitzGilbert, the son of Gilbert, Count of Brionne. Domesday Book records him as the eighth richest landowner in England, with lands centered on two locations ? lands in Kent and Surrey grouped around Tonbridge and lands in Essex and Suffolk grouped around Clare.

Their children were Roger, Gilbert, Walter, Robert, Richard,Godfrey, Rohese (or Rohais), and Adelisa. Roger received the Norman lands after Richard FitzGilbert's death, Gilbert received his father's English lands, Walter was given a Welsh lordship by King Henry I of England, and Robert was given lands around London by King Henry I. Richard became a monk at Bec Abbey and was later abbot of Ely Abbey. The last son, Godfrey, is known only from his burial at Clare. Rohais married Eudo Dapifer and Adelisa married Walter Tire.

Giffard occurs in Domesday Book as a landowner in her own right. Richard died between 1085 and 1087, as his son Gilbert witnesses a charter of King William II of England in that year. Rohese survived him and was still alive in 1113, when she gave a gift to St Neot's Priory which had been founded as a dependent priory of Bec on Rohese's own manor of Eynesbury. Rohese's descendants eventually were the heirs to the lands held by her father, receiving half the estates of Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire in the reign of King Richard I of England (r. 1189-1199).

Buried:
Grave location, biography, and graveyard photo:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=159273740

Rohese married Richard Fitz Gilbert, 1st Lord of Clare. Richard was born ca 1035, Brionne, Normandy, France; died 1090, Huntingdonshire, England; was buried , St. Neots Priory, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, England. [Group Sheet]

1. Gilbert Fitz Richard de Clare, 2nd Lord of Clare was born 1066, Clare, Suffolk, England; died 1117; was buried , Tonbridge Priory, Tonbridge, Kent, England.

Notes:

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Giffard,_Lord_of_Longueville

Also known as Giffard of Barbastre, he was a Norman baron, a Tenant-in-chief in England, a Christian knight who fought against the Saracens in Spain during the Reconquista and was one of the 15 or so known Companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Walter was the son of Osborne de Bolbec, Lord of Longueville and Avelina, sister of Gunnora, Duchess of Normandy. As such he was a cousin of William the Conqueror.

From the mid 1040s Walter's name appears among the loyal supporters of William the Conqueror. Walter was at the Battle of Mortemer and was among the Norman barons who surprised and defeated Counts Odo and Renaud leading the French contingent attacking Normandy from the east. He and another great vassal, Robert of Eu, encountered Odo's army encamped in the village of Mortemer with no sentries and the soldiers were drunk. The Normans attacked the French while they slept, most being either killed or taken prisoner. While Odo himself escaped, when King Henry I learned of the fate of his brother Odo's army he promptly withdrew his remaining forces and left Normandy. In 1054 Walter was in charge of maintaining the siege of Arques castle, against William of Talou, who had rebelled against the Conqueror.

Like many other Norman and French knights during the eleventh and early twelfth centuries, Walter served as a Christian knight in Spain (c.?1064-65) against the Moors. His nickname "le Barbastre" was earned when he took part in the Siege of Barbastro, against the Moors in 1064. Walter was also one of the first, if not the first in England to go on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, which he did after the siege of Barbastro and before returning to Normandy.

By the time of the Norman Conquest of England, Walter had returned to Normandy bearing a gift of a magnificent war-horse from the King of Spain for Duke William of Normandy [the Conqueror]. This was the same Spanish war-horse Duke William called for on the morning of the Battle of Hastings.

In early January of 1066, after Duke William received news of the crowning of Harold Godwinson as king of England, he called together a meeting that included six of his key magnates, Walter Giffard being one of them. After telling them of his plan to invade England and take the crown they all advised him they supported him fully but suggested he call a meeting of all his vassals, which William did.

In the preparation stage for the Battle of Hastings, Walter was one of the Norman magnates who provided ships for William's invasion fleet. In his case, he provided thirty. Walter was one of two who, having been offered the privilege of carrying William's standard in the battle, respectfully refused. Although by this time an older warrior with white hair, he wanted both hands free to fight. As a reward for his participation, Walter was granted the feudal barony of Long Crendon, comprising 107 manors, 48 of which were in Buckinghamshire. The date of his death is not recorded, but his son Walter succeeded him before 1085.

Walter was married to Ermengarde, daughter of Gerard Flaitel. Walter and Ermengarde were the parents of:

1. Walter Giffard, 1st Earl of Buckingham.

2. William Giffard, Bishop of Winchester.

3. Rohese Giffard (d. aft. 1113), married Richard fitz Gilbert, Lord of Clare.

4. Lora Giffard, married Sir Robert de Hampden.


Buried:
Grave location, biography, and church photo:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=159904423

Walter married Ermentrude Flaitel. Ermentrude (daughter of Gerard Flaitel) was born ca 1014, Normandy, France; died ca 1103, Staffordshire, England; was buried , St Mary and St Chad Churchyard, Brewood, Staffordshire, England. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Giffard,_Lord_of_Longueville

Walter was married to Ermengarde, daughter of Gerard Flaitel. Walter and Ermengarde were the parents of:

1. Walter Giffard, 1st Earl of Buckingham.

2. William Giffard, Bishop of Winchester.

3. Rohese Giffard (d. aft. 1113), married Richard fitz Gilbert, Lord of Clare.

4. Lora Giffard, married Sir Robert de Hampden.

Buried:
Grave location, biography, and church photo:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=159905323

Osborne married Aveline. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Giffard,_Lord_of_Longueville

Walter Giffard, Lord of Longueville, was the son of Osborne de Bolbec, Lord of Longueville and Avelina, sister of Gunnora, Duchess of Normandy. As such he was a cousin of William the Conqueror.

Notes:

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Flaitel

Gerard was a Norman baron with substantial estates in the Pays de Caux, the Hiemois, the Evrecin and Risle valley.

In 1035, when Robert I, Duke of Normandy left on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Gerard Flaitel was one of his companions. Duke Robert obtained permission for him and his retinue to continue on to Muslim-controlled Jerusalem. In Turkey Robert paid the required mussella (pilgrim tax). They arrived in time to spend Holy Week in Jerusalem. On their return through Asia Minor, Duke Robert fell ill while they were in Nicaea, and died there about 2 July. As he lay dying Gerard was asked to take possession of a Holy relic Duke Robert acquired in Jerusalem, reputedly a finger-bone of Saint Stephen, and to make a gift of it to the abbey or monastery of his choosing.

Gerard returned to Normandy and became a monk at the Abbey of St. Wandrille taking the relic with him. He died after 1047.

While the name of his wife (or wives) is not known Gerard Flaitel had the following children:

1. William Flaitel, Bishop of Évreux (d. 1066)

2. Ermengarde, wife of Walter Giffard, Lord of Longueville

3. Basilla, wife of Ralph de Gacé, son of Robert, Archbishop of Rouen; and second marriage to Hugh de Gournay.

4. Anscherius