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Although William returned to York and built another castle, Edgar remained free, and in the autumn he joined up with King Sweyn. Northumberland persuaded the sickly Edward VI to name Lady Jane Grey as his heir just before his death on 6 July 1553. [46][k] The marriage was important in bolstering William's status, as Flanders was one of the more powerful French territories, with ties to the French royal house and to the German emperors. The legates ceremonially crowned William during the Easter court. Rebecca, baptized 1615, married Thomas Perry May 28, 1650. William was crowned King of England on December 25, 1066. xxxx xxxxxxx London, England. [96] By March, William was secure enough to return to Normandy, but he took with him Stigand, Morcar, Edwin, Edgar, and Waltheof. His seal from after 1066, of which six impressions still survive, was made for him after he conquered England and stressed his role as king, while separately mentioning his role as duke. At first, Alan of Brittany had custody of the duke, but when Alan died in either late 1039 or October 1040, Gilbert of Brionne took charge of William. The period from 1047 to 1054 saw almost continuous warfare, with lesser crises continuing until 1060. Born around 1028, William was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy, and Herleve (also known as Arlette), daughter of a tanner in Falaise. Within the first century, between 1620 and 1720, research indicates that England remained unstable. His sons also lost much of their control over Maine, which revolted in 1089 and managed to remain mostly free of Norman influence thereafter. British Monarch. Also, the charters and documents produced for the government in Normandy differed in formulas from those produced in England. So I'm related to William the Conqueror - and David Cameron Not all of the Normans who accompanied William in the initial conquest acquired large amounts of land in England. Harold, perhaps to secure the support of Edwin and Morcar in his bid for the throne, supported the rebels and persuaded King Edward to replace Tostig with Morcar. Born in the United States. [115], In late 1077 or early 1078 trouble began between William and his eldest son, Robert. [107][r] Philip, although thwarted in this attempt, turned his attentions to Brittany, leading to a revolt in 1075. . day. [105] William then turned his attention to the continent, returning to Normandy in early 1073 to deal with the invasion of Maine by Fulk le Rechin, the Count of Anjou. By Easter, William was at Winchester, where he was soon joined by his wife Matilda, who was crowned in May 1068. (born 860 A.D.). [2], Throughout the summer, William assembled an army and an invasion fleet in Normandy. that John Gray was not native to Stapleford Tawney, but was only a resident Before he became a monk, Simon handed his county of the Vexin over to King Philip. Many Grays of this line were sailors, ship owners, ship captains and Lord John and Lord Thomas Gray. Life dates 1025-1087. In the Department of Haute-Saone, there is now a town Born circa 1028 in Falaise, Normandy, France, William the Conqueror was an illegitimate child of Robert I, duke of Normandy, who died in 1035 while returning from a pilgrimage to . Although William of Poitiers and William of Jumiges disagree about where the fleet was built Poitiers states it was constructed at the mouth of the River Dives, while Jumiges states it was built at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme both agree that it eventually sailed from Valery-sur-Somme. William I the Conqueror King of England (1028-1087) FamilySearch Also, in England, no other coinage was allowed, while on the continent other coinage was considered legal tender. The Norman conquest changed all that. W. Gray. The Norman sources do not dispute the fact that Harold was named as the next king, but they declare that Harold's oath and Edward's earlier promise of the throne could not be changed on Edward's deathbed. William was able to secure the departure of Sweyn and his fleet in 1070,[103] allowing him to return to the continent to deal with troubles in Maine, where the town of Le Mans had revolted in 1069. York was captured by the combined forces of Edgar and Sweyn. [s] William was able to make peace with Philip in 1077 and secured a truce with Count Fulk in late 1077 or early 1078. [72] Harold's claim to the throne was not entirely secure, as there were other claimants, perhaps including his exiled brother Tostig. [114] Roger and Waltheof were kept in prison, where Waltheof was executed in May 1076. Lady Jane Grey (r. 10-19 July 1553) The accession of Lady Jane Grey as Queen was engineered by the powerful Duke of Northumberland, President of the King's Council, in the interests of promoting his own dynastic line. As early as 1622, two brothers, Thomas and John taken to England where he was imprisioned. [15], William faced several challenges on becoming duke, including his illegitimate birth and his youth: the evidence indicates that he was either seven or eight years old at the time. Although the army and fleet were ready by early August, adverse winds kept the ships in Normandy until late September. Genealogies" and "A History of Wales" by John Davies. [145], William's reign has caused historical controversy since before his death. [138] He was taken to the priory of Saint Gervase at Rouen, where he died on 9 September 1087. William "the Conqueror", king of England - Geni Gray was one of William the Conquerors companions in arms at the battle [12], Robert I succeeded his elder brother Richard III as duke on 6 August 1027. The story of her pure and beautiful George Herbert Walker Bush (1924- ), 41st President of the US. Edward was a leading citizen and Harold assembled an army and a fleet to repel William's anticipated invasion force, deploying troops and ships along the English Channel for most of the summer. The Bayeux Tapestry has been claimed to show Harold's death by an arrow to the eye, but that may be a later reworking of the tapestry to conform to 12th-century stories in which Harold was slain by an arrow wound to the head. His marriage in the 1050s to Matilda of Flanders provided him with a powerful ally in the neighbouring county of Flanders. Sarah, baptized January 12, 1616, married Thomas Harding May 30, 1642. [31] To address the growing power of the Count of Anjou, Geoffrey Martel,[32] William joined with King Henry in a campaign against him, the last known cooperation between the two. Birth, marriage and death Orderic relates that he had previously demanded control of Maine and Normandy and had been rebuffed. Several unsuccessful rebellions followed, but William's hold was mostly secure on England by 1075, allowing him to spend the greater part of his reign in continental Europe. [82] Although Harold attempted to surprise the Normans, William's scouts reported the English arrival to the duke. He was crowned the Duke in 1035 and over the years made himself the mightiest noble in France, later seizing the English throne in 1066. found in. [126], At first, most of the newly settled Normans kept household knights and did not settle their retainers with fiefs of their own, but gradually these household knights came to be granted lands of their own, a process known as subinfeudation. [60] The trip is unlikely given William's absorption in warfare with Anjou at the time. William the Conqueror - Life, Death & Facts - Biography William I (c. 1028 - 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman monarch of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087.A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward. of Croy. Top 11 Interesting Facts about William the Conqueror [138], Disorder followed William's death; everyone who had been at his deathbed left the body at Rouen and hurried off to attend to their own affairs. The name was originally Croy. de Gray, (III) John from whom the most illustrious branches of the house This campaign, which included the burning and destruction of part of the countryside that the royal forces marched through, is usually known as the "Harrying of the North"; it was over by April 1070, when William wore his crown ceremonially for Easter at Winchester. Parish Registers of Stapleford Tawney, Essex Co., England, as printed at worldwide traders. [129], The medieval chronicler William of Malmesbury says that the king also seized and depopulated many miles of land (36 parishes), turning it into the royal New Forest region to support his enthusiastic enjoyment of hunting. Other sons were granted earldoms later: Gyrth as Earl of East Anglia in 1057 and Leofwine as Earl of Kent sometime between 1055 and 1057. February 12, 1621. [73][m] King Harald Hardrada of Norway also had a claim to the throne as the uncle and heir of King Magnus I, who had made a pact with Harthacnut in about 1040 that if either Magnus or Harthacnut died without heirs, the other would succeed. In England and Ireland Grey is still used, in Scotland and Maine. Aug 29, 2018. [128] William granted some lands to his continental followers from the holdings of one or more specific Englishmen; at other times, he granted a compact grouping of lands previously held by many different Englishmen to one Norman follower, often to allow for the consolidation of lands around a strategically placed castle. These fortifications allowed Normans to retreat into safety when threatened with rebellion and allowed garrisons to be protected while they occupied the countryside. of John included John Lord Grey of Groby who married Elizabeth Wydville, After returning to Normandy in 1072, he spent around 130 months in Normandy as against about 40 months in England. An early documented person was Anchetil de Greye - a vassal of William the Conqueror of Normandy (now part of France) and who accompan. [2], There are indications that Robert may have been briefly betrothed to a daughter of King Cnut, but no marriage took place. William also ordered that all of his prisoners be released, including his half-brother Odo. 1. It The name has various spellings and includes GRAY and GREY - sometimes different spellings occur in the same generation of a single family.The first Gray to arrive in the United States was John Gray in about 1620.The origins of the name would seem to be multiple. Lady Jane Grey (r. 10-19 July 1553) | The Royal Family and were for many generations in high favor with the English kings. Robert also married his half-sister Bertha to King Philip I of France, who was opposed to Norman power. Nor is there evidence that many English pennies were circulating in Normandy, which shows little attempt to integrate the monetary systems of England and Normandy. life and of her heroic death will long illuminate the pages of one of the of Pennsylvania and the early settlers of Virginia and other southern states. Prescott Sheldon Bush (1895-1972), US Senator. family of Stapleford were similar to the names in Edward Grays family. This was the last invasion of Normandy during William's lifetime. Gray Family History - Brigham Young University The Tiverton Grays are descended from a long line of Grays which are claimed to go back to Rollo, Viking invader and conqueror of Normandy, France. continue prominently represented among the titled nobility in England, Wikimedia Commons. After three weeks, the besieged forces sallied from the castle and managed to take the besiegers by surprise. [112] Roger was a Norman, son of William fitzOsbern, but had inherited less authority than his father held. In 1066, following the death of Edward the Confessor, William invaded England, leading an army of Normans to victory over the Anglo-Saxon forces of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest. at night, was able to get to the coast and over to France where he got He also allowed his son Robert Curthose to do homage to the new Count of Anjou, Geoffrey the Bearded. This lone relic was reburied in 1642 with a new marker, which was replaced 100 years later with a more elaborate monument. [e] His mother Herleva was a daughter of Fulbert of Falaise; he may have been a tanner or embalmer. at Salem, Boston, Plymouth and Yarmouth and in the provinces of Connecticut of Rotherfield, Codmore, Wilton, Rhuthun, Groby and Rugemont, the Viscount from tree Kittredge Family Tree (Private) Birth. Henry's about-face was probably motivated by a desire to retain dominance over Normandy, which was now threatened by William's growing mastery of his duchy. He was not known as a patron of authors, and there is little evidence that he sponsored scholarships or other intellectual activities. [71], Harold was crowned on 6 January 1066 in Edward's new Norman-style Westminster Abbey, although some controversy surrounds who performed the ceremony. This altercation was one Original: Mar 26, 2013. This was an advantage for William, as it was the only universal tax collected by western European rulers during this period. Book, was ordered, decreed, and written under the reign of one King William I, who was known throughout the ages as "William the Conqueror." King William I of England ruled from the year 1066 to the . [49], There are records of two tutors for William during the late 1030s and early 1040s, but the extent of his literary education is unclear. Henry de Gray had several sons; (I) Robert of Rotherfield, (II) Richard [146], William and his wife Matilda had at least nine children. [102], Although Sweyn had promised to leave England, he returned in early 1070, raiding along the Humber and East Anglia toward the Isle of Ely, where he joined up with Hereward the Wake, a local thegn. The exact date of William's birth is confused by contradictory statements by the Norman chroniclers. In August and September 1079 King Malcolm of Scots raided south of the River Tweed, devastating the land between the River Tees and the Tweed in a raid that lasted almost a month. The first being that about 5 million people are descended from William the Conqueror so establishing myself as the true heir to the British throne could be tricky. Among the names inscribed at Battle Abbey, after the Battle of Hastings, [87] The available sources are more confused about events in the afternoon, but it appears that the decisive event was Harold's death, about which differing stories are told. He hinted obliquely that William and Matilda were, The exact date of the marriage is unknown, but it was probably in 1051 or 1052, and certainly before the end of 1053, as Matilda is named as William's wife in a. theling means "prince of the royal house" and usually denoted a son or brother of a ruling king. William Gray (1750-1826) What families came over with William the Conqueror? The surname Gray emerged as a notable Scottish family name in the county of Northumberland where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity seated with manor and estates in that shire. The first of this line Edward was ailing, and he died on 5 January 1066. [109] William returned to England later in 1075 to deal with the Danish threat, leaving his wife Matilda in charge of Normandy. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 5 daughters. [100] William's half-brother Odo perhaps expected to be appointed to Canterbury, but William probably did not wish to give that much power to a family member. Ralph eventually left Norwich in the control of his wife and left England, finally ending up in Brittany. [25], King Henry continued to support the young duke,[26] but in late 1046 opponents of William came together in a rebellion centred in lower Normandy, led by Guy of Burgundy with support from Nigel, Viscount of the Cotentin, and Ranulf, Viscount of the Bessin. [120] William also visited Wales in 1081, although the English and the Welsh sources differ on the exact purpose of the visit. [124], As part of his efforts to secure England, William ordered many castles, keeps, and mottes built among them the central keep of the Tower of London, the White Tower. The information that follows was researched and kindly provided by Rodney records. By the end of 1081, William was back on the continent, dealing with disturbances in Maine. He died in September 1087 while leading a campaign in northern France, and was buried in Caen. described in what is called the Grand Deed. Gray Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History [2], While William was in Normandy, a former ally, Eustace, the Count of Boulogne, invaded at Dover but was repulsed. The tragic fate of their daughter, Lady Jane Gray, [30], William's next efforts were against Guy of Burgundy, who retreated to his castle at Brionne, which William besieged. Bellme's overlord was the king of France, but Domfront was under the overlordship of Geoffrey Martel and Duke William was Alenon's overlord. Robert raided into Lothian and forced Malcolm to agree to terms, building a fortification (the 'new castle') at Newcastle upon Tyne while returning to England. Other bequests included gifts to the Church and money to be distributed to the poor. [77] The Norman fleet finally set sail two days later, landing in England at Pevensey Bay on 28 September. [28] William of Poitiers claimed that the battle was won mainly through William's efforts, but earlier accounts claim that King Henry's men and leadership also played an important part. William then laid siege to Gerberoi in January 1079. in 1536. of that parish for some years. [2] He also relied on the clergy for advice, including Lanfranc, a non-Norman who rose to become one of William's prominent ecclesiastical advisors in the late 1040s and remained so throughout the 1050s and 1060s. man shot, but the first to die at the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. William the Conqueror | The British Library | The British Library [52] William's main hobby appears to have been hunting. [38] William met the invasion by dividing his forces into two groups. in the United States. Are there any direct descendants of William the Conqueror? His holdings included nine thirtieths of the William would have preferred to delay the invasion until he could make an unopposed landing. William the Conqueror; Issue Detail: Robert II, Duke of Normandy Richard Adeliza Cecilia William II, King of England Constance, Duchess of Brittany Adela, Countess of Blois Henry I, King of England . Scotland in the reign of Alexander II, (about 1130), and gave his allegiance Pardon was a grandson of Edward of Tiverton add very active in town government [66], In England, Earl Godwin died in 1053 and his sons were increasing in power: Harold succeeded to his father's earldom, and another son, Tostig, became Earl of Northumbria. Meanwhile, the Danish king's brother, Cnut, had finally arrived in England with a fleet of 200 ships, but he was too late as Norwich had already surrendered. [54], William cultivated close relations with the church in his duchy. [121], Sources for William's actions between 1082 and 1084 are meagre. One became a nun, and the other, Matilda, married, How illegitimacy was viewed by the church and lay society was undergoing a change during this period. no trace to follow. The king marched through Edwin's lands and built Warwick Castle. Harold stopped in London, and was there for about a week before marching to Hastings, so it is likely that he spent about a week on his march south, averaging about 27 miles (43 kilometres) per day,[81] for the distance of approximately 200 miles (320 kilometres). Park Street Congregational Church, Boston. See also the The ceremony took place in Westminster. William responded swiftly, ignoring a continental revolt in Maine, and symbolically wore his crown in the ruins of York on Christmas Day 1069. By far the most disturbing fact . He took part in church councils and made several appointments to the Norman episcopate, including the appointment of Maurilius as Archbishop of Rouen. . [101] Norman clergy were appointed to replace the deposed bishops and abbots, and at the end of the process, only two native English bishops remained in office, along with several continental prelates appointed by Edward the Confessor. The listings describe the holding, who owned the land before the Conquest, its value, what the tax assessment was, and usually the number of peasants, ploughs, and any other resources the holding had. Gray who was slain at the second battle of St. Albans, 1461. It seems that a British soldier An Angevin attack on Maine was defeated in late 1076 or 1077, with Count Fulk le Rechin wounded in the unsuccessful attack. The trouble in 1077 or 1078 resulted in Robert leaving Normandy accompanied by a band of young men, many of them the sons of William's supporters. [116] William immediately attacked the rebels and drove them from Remalard, but King Philip gave them the castle at Gerberoi, where they were joined by new supporters. Sam This could have been either the The corpse was too large for the space, and when attendants forced the body into the tomb it burst, spreading a disgusting odour throughout the church. [110], In 1075, during William's absence, Ralph de Gael, the Earl of Norfolk, and Roger de Breteuil, the Earl of Hereford, conspired to overthrow William in the "Revolt of the Earls". of Hastings, and was recorded in the Domesday Book (a record complied by [84], The battle began at about 9am on 14 October and lasted all day, but while a broad outline is known, the exact events are obscured by contradictory accounts in the sources. This Edward was a farmer and active in civic affairs. as town clerk and in other capacities. His lands were divided after his death: Normandy went to Robert, and England went to his second surviving son, William Rufus. father or the son. Robert and Pardon who left a record for all to see. But William was not finished; he marched over the Pennines during the winter and defeated the remaining rebels at Shrewsbury before building Chester and Stafford Castles. The second, which included some who became William's firm supporters, such as Robert, Count of Eu, Walter Giffard, Roger of Mortemer, and William de Warenne, faced the other invading force. This daughter later married William, lord of, Walter had two daughters. Orderic also related that Odo had attempted to persuade some of William's vassals to join Odo in an invasion of southern Italy. of the duke of Suffolk, with Mary, daughter of Henry VII and the sister William of Poitiers wrote glowingly of William's reign and its benefits, but the obituary notice for William in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle condemns William in harsh terms. [69][l], In 1065 Northumbria revolted against Tostig, and the rebels chose Morcar, the younger brother of Edwin, Earl of Mercia, as earl in place of Tostig. The funeral, attended by the bishops and abbots of Normandy as well as his son Henry, was disturbed by the assertion of a citizen of Caen who alleged that his family had been illegally despoiled of the land on which the church was built. Gray Family History. American descendants of William the Conqueror of England The soldier took offense and went at Sam Gray instead of Grey is almost universally used in the different branches and enlisted the sympathies of the world. He died in early July at Nicea, on his way back to Normandy. On his southbound journey, he began constructing Lincoln, Huntingdon, and Cambridge Castles. [104], In 1071 William defeated the last rebellion of the north. up to that time in Plymouth. Known as 'William the Bastard' to his contemporaries, his illegitimacy shaped his career when he was young. [45] Contemporary writers considered the marriage, which produced four sons and five or six daughters, to be a success. [34] However, in 1052 the king and Geoffrey Martel made common cause against William at the same time as some Norman nobles began to contest William's increasing power. [64] William appointed a Norman to the bishopric of Le Mans in 1065. Following his arrival back on the continent he married his daughter Constance to Duke Alan of Brittany, in furtherance of his policy of seeking allies against the French kings. [1] The brothers had been at odds over the succession, and Richard's death was sudden. William the Conqueror after Hastings, image extracted from Poems for Christmas, Easter, and New Year's, 1885, on Wikimedia Commons. in Harrow-on-the-Hill church records there is a John Gray baptized February [117] William's forces were forced to lift the siege, and the king returned to Rouen. Guillaume "Le Btard", or William the Conqueror, transformed the Middle Ages and laid the foundations of a new Europe. [2] The legates and the king then proceeded to hold a series of ecclesiastical councils dedicated to reforming and reorganising the English church. of Tiverton had a son William whose son Robert was the discoverer of the After hurried consultations, the allegation was shown to be true, and the man was compensated. He did not try to integrate his domains into one empire but continued to administer each part separately. (or Croy as some write), in Picardy, their patrimony before the Conquest.". repeated in mixed company." In 1064 William invaded Brittany in a campaign that remains obscure in its details. Then the king returned to Normandy late in 1068. de Gray, who was in high favor with King Richard I and King John. William I 'The Conqueror' (r. 1066-1087) | The Royal Family After waiting a short while, William secured Dover, parts of Kent, and Canterbury, while also sending a force to capture Winchester, where the royal treasury was. The Grays were closely allied with the Royal house of England and were The peerage of Scotland: containing an historical and genealogical While his father Robert was the Duke of Normandy, his mother was no duchess. [132], William took over an English government that was more complex than the Norman system. The exact reasons are unclear, as no contemporary author recorded what caused the quarrel between the half-brothers. It was an annual tax based on the value of landholdings, and it could be collected at differing rates. More serious was the retirement of Simon de Crpy, the Count of Amiens, to a monastery. The Danes then raided along the coast before returning home. Collections Online | British Museum [98], While at Winchester in 1070, William met with three papal legates John Minutus, Peter, and Ermenfrid of Sion who had been sent by the pope. Thomas Gray were living there in 1579. Most of the lands of the New Forest are poor agricultural lands, and archaeological and geographic studies have shown that it was likely sparsely settled when it was turned into a royal forest. of King Edward, her son the young Prince Consort, and her son Lord Gray, [92], William may have hoped the English would surrender following his victory, but they did not. King Harold received word of their invasion and marched north, defeating the invaders and killing Tostig and Hardrada on 25 September at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. of Sir Thomas of Berwick and Chillingham. captured Reginald. and the brawl that developed ended in a draw. More difficulties struck in 1083 when William's son Robert rebelled once more with support from the French king. manor of Turoc in Essex. Edgar the theling also appears to have been given lands. [2] William returned to England in December 1067 and marched on Exeter, which he besieged. Not an insignificant sum!! Its effect, though, was to destabilise Brittany, forcing the duke, Conan II, to focus on internal problems rather than on expansion. Although Odo remained in confinement for the rest of William's reign, his lands were not confiscated. Earl of Kent, Chief of the ancient and illustrious house of Gray, so dignified described as Scotch-Irish, are doubtless the descendants of that branch To deal with Norman affairs, William put the government of Normandy into the hands of his wife for the duration of the invasion. Local nobles resisted the claim, but William invaded and by 1064 had secured control of the area. William I - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help [7][c], William was born in 1027 or 1028 at Falaise, Duchy of Normandy, most likely towards the end of 1028.