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Rated: 18+ · Book · Genealogy · #2181469
Wharton Family History: The Knights
#951439 added June 5, 2022 at 8:44pm
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The French Connection
There is little doubt that our Whartons are descended from Norman rulers. However, the Normans in our family tree didn't stay in Normandy, but came over to England either during the invasion of England or shortly thereafter. Yet, Normandy being located where it was in northern France, it didn't take long for these early Normans to intermarry with the French before they came over, either to encourage peace treaties or by serendipity. As we go back along these maternal lines, we begin to find a great deal of French nobility.

There are several maternal lines to follow, but they all begin at two specific starting points. Those being the line of 1) William de Hiémois, the illegitimate son of Richard "The Fearless" and 2) Ernulf de Hesdin, Crusader Knight from the ancient province of
Artois.

The Norman Counts D'Eu

As mentioned previously (see Pirates of the North Sea), Richard I "The Fearless" had at least three illegitimate children with an unknown woman, two sons and a daughter. He created the county of Eu in the very northeastern corner of Normandy (Figure1), partially to protect the border of Normandy, but also to provide an inheritance for his illegitimate children.

When Godfrey became the 1st Count D'Eu, he was also granted Brionne, over which he became Earl. When Godfrey died, all lands and title were inherited by his son, Gilbert. However, Gilbert soon quarreled with his Uncle, Duke Richard II, who in response deprived Gilbert of Eu and gave it to William de Hiémois. Gilbert retained only his Lordship of Brionne. By the time of Duke Robert, however, he was back in favor, becoming one of the most powerful nobles in Normandy.

When William died shortly before 1040, Gilbert assumed the lands and title of Eu once again. However, he abused his position to plunder the orphan heirs of his neighbor. In revenge, he was murdered while out riding. His sons, fearing the same fate, fled Normandy, at which point the lands and title to Eu returned to William's son, Robert, and remained with his descendants.


Figure 1—The Norman Counts of Eu [1] [2].

The Following are the Counts of Eu beginning with our ancestor, William I, my 30th grandfather.

The Counts of Eu

1William de Hiémois (b.abt.980 d.1040), Count de Hiémois, 3rd Count de Eu, Lord of Monstreul, m. Lesceline de Harcourt (d.1058)

William's main claim to fame is apparently his ability to choose a great wife, which he did quite well. Lesceline de Harcourt (also known as Lesceline de Turqueville and Lefieltna de Harcourt) is an interesting woman who can trace her roots back to the Normans, Saxons, and Franks (through two different ancestors to Charlemagne). She is my 31st great grandmother.

Around 1046-1047, shortly after the death of William, Lesceline founded the Abbey of Saint-Pierre-sur-dives for a community of nuns on the banks of the Dives River (Figure 2). She died on 26 January 1057-1058 at the abbey she founded—the church still contains her tomb. The abbey became her legacy, one of the most remarkable monastic complexes that was for centuries a center for commerce and was among those providing the greatest number of servitors for the Norman states in England and in Southern Italy.


Figure 2—The abbey at St. Pierre sur Dives.

For Lesceline's remarkable family history that includes Kings and Holy Roman Emperors, see the chapter on All Roads Lead to Lesciline.

2Robert D'Eu (b.abt.1020 d.1089), Count D'Eu, m. Béatrice de Falaise.

Robert D'Eu commanded 60 ships in the fleet supporting the landing of William I in the Norman conquest of England. Around 1068, he was given Hastings Castle and the adjacent territories as a reward.


Figure 3—Hastings Castle today with midtown in the background.

In 1069, Robert was charged by King William I to support Robert, Count of Mortain, to monitor the Danes, whose fleet was moored in the mouth of the Humber River. When the Danes left their sanctuary to plunder the neighbourhood, Robert and Mortain with their army fell upon them unexpectedly, crushing them, and forcing them to flee by sea.

But let's not forget Béatrice, because she has an interesting connection. It seems she was the sister of Herleva, the mistress of Robert I "The Magnificent," grandson of Richard I "The Fearless." Herleva was the mother of William I "The Conquerer." This means that both Beatrice and Herleva were married to grandsons of Richard I, though in different ways. Beatrice was legitimately married to one grandson of an illegitimate ancestor. Herleva was in an illegitimate union with a grandson of legitimately married ancestors (Figure 4).


Figure 4—Beatrice and Herleva's relationship to Norman nobility.

3William II D'Eu (b.abt.1045 d.abt.1095), Count D'Eu, Lord of Hastings, m. Béatrice de Builly.

Count William II was part of the rebel conspiracy to murder King William II "Rufus," King of England and replace him with his cousin, Stephen. The plot failed and In 1096, William was formally accused of treason, challenged to trial by battle and was defeated by Geoffrey Baynard. It was finally decided that William was to be blinded and castrated. He died sometime later.

William II married first, Beatrice de Builli, and second, Helisende d'Avranches, the latter part of the continuing intricate web of marriages among the Norman power elite. As it turns out, William married his aunt's granddaughter (Figure 4). Fortunately, our ancestor, Henri, did not come from that union but from the marriage between William and Beatrice de Builli.

4Henri I D'Eu (b.abt.1080 d.1140), 4th Count D'Eu, Lord Hastings, m. Marguerite de Blois, Dame de Sully

There must have been a streak of rebelliousness in the D'Eu counts against their half-cousins, because Henri, like his father before him, supported a rebellion against Henry I, King of England, in favour of Guillaume (William) Ætheling ("Clito" in Latin) de Normandie in 1118. He was arrested at Rouen, thrown into fetters, and forced to surrender his castles. Later, he founded Saint-Martin-du-Bosc and the abbey of Fécamp, becoming a monk at the abbey.

His wife, Marguerite de Sully, had royalty in her blood and was also descended from two "Greats"— Charles "The Great" (Charlemagne) and the English King, Alfred "The Great."

 1Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor♂︎ [742-814]
 2Emperor Louis "The Pious," Holy Roman Emperor♂︎ [778–840]
 3Charles II "The Bald," Holy Roman Emperor♂︎ [843–877]
 4Rothilde Carolingian♀︎ [871-929]
         m. Hughes II de Bourges♂︎
 5Richilde du Maine♀︎ [886-946]
         m. Thibault de Blois♂︎
 6Thibaut I, Count of Blois♂︎ [913-975]
 7Odo I, Count of Blois♂︎ [950-996]
 8Odo II (Eudes), Count of Blois♂︎ [983-1037]
 9Theobald III, Count de Blois♂︎ [1012–1089]
10Stephen III, Count de Blois♂︎ [1045–1102]
         m. Adela Alice de Normandie, Princess♀︎ [abt. 1062-1138]
11William "The Simple" de Blois, Lord of Sully♂︎ [1086-1150]
12Marguerite de Sully♀︎ [1105-1145]

 1Alfred "The Great"♂︎ [849-899]
 2Ælfthryth of Wessex♀︎ [abt. 872-929]
         m. Baldwin II of Flanders♂︎ [abt. 865-918]
 3Arnulf I of Flanders♂︎ [abt. 890-965]
 4Baldwin III of Flanders♂︎ [940-962]
 5Arnulf II of Flanders♂︎ [abt. 960-988]
 6Baldwin IV of Flanders♂︎ [980-1036]
 7Baldwin V of Flanders♂︎ [1012-1067]
 8Matilda of Flanders♀︎ [abt. 1031-1083]
         m. William I "The Conquerer," King of England♂︎ [1027-1087]
 9Adela Alice de Normandie, Princess♀︎ [abt. 1062-1138]
         m. Stephen III, Count de Blois♂︎ [1045–1102]
11William "The Simple" de Blois, Lord of Sully♂︎ [1086-1150]
12Marguerite de Sully♀︎ [1105-1145]

5Ida D'Eu (b.abt.1195 d.1145), m. William de Hastings (b.abt.1138 d.1182)

The Hastings

And so we come to the Hastings, with whom the Whartons are inextricably entwined. As a matter of fact, it was the Hastings coat-of-arms that the Wharton Family borrowed (stole?), after altering the colors—red sleeve on gold to silver sleeve on black (Figure 5). Six generations after Ida D'Eu married William deHastings, Sir Gilbert de Querton (the original spelling of Wharton) married Emma de Hastings. Thus was cemented the relationship between the Wharton family and the rich and powerful family of Hastings, who held many offices of distinction during several reigns. [3]

         
Figure 5—Hastings and Wharton Coat-of-Arms.

It was difficult to sort out exactly where the Hastings came from. Most family records indicate that the first Lord Hastings was Robert, 5th Count D'Eu, who had been awarded the town of Hastings, its castle, and environs by William "The Conquerer" for his help during the invasion of England. But only three generations later, his great-granddaughter, Ida D'Eu, married William de Hastings, who was also called Lord Hastings. His line is older, found at Fillongley in Warwickshire, and can be traced back to Miles "le Marschal" de Venoix.

All of which made no sense. How could both the de Venoix line and the D'Eu line be progenitors of the Hastings?

The key to understanding this dilemma, I believe, is Beatrice Fulbert (de Falaise). She married first, Robert D'Eu, and secondly, Ralf de Venoix (Figure 6). Their children were, therefore, half-bothers and half-sisters. Recall that Robert D'Eu's son, William, was part of the rebel conspiracy to murder William II "Rufus," King of England, and was blinded and mutilated for the offense. Then William's son Henri supported a rebellion against Henry I, King of England, and had his castles stripped. I suspect his title as Lord de Hastings would have been stripped from him as well. He would have retained his title as Count d'Eu since that title went back to Richard I "The Fearless" which pre-dated his title as Lord. There are rules to these titles after all.


Figure 6—Relationship between Hastings and Eu Families.

Since the lands and title had originally been awarded to Robert D'Eu, it probably would have been turned over to the family of his wife, Beatrice, and Ralf De Venoix to whom she had remarried. The treason occurred in 1097 (or that's when the accusations were brought to trial) and would have then gone to Ralf's son Robert de Venoix. Since Robert had died in 1986, it probably went to him posthumously which is why he is usually listed with his original surname of de Venoix with Lord de Hastings added. It was his sons, Walter and William, who began to carry the de Hastings surname from then forward.

Added to that confusion is that fact that the medieval titles of Lord were really Feudal Lord. This must not be confused with peerage titles that came later. In fact, the first one that could rightfully be called Lord Hastings didn't occur until approximately a century later. John Hastings was summoned to Parliament as Lord Hastings in 1290. He was the son of Henry de Hastings, who had been created Baron Hastings by Simon de Montfort in 1263. So, those early Lords Hasting were really Feudal Lords, who were simply the owners of productive land.

I have found no acknowledgement of this is genealogical literature, so this is merely my presupposition, but I believe this shows how the title of "Lord Hastings" was really "Fuedal Lord" and was transferred from the D'Eu family to the Venoix family when ownership of the land was transferred. Its easy to see how the Hasting trace their ancestry back to the Venoix family. This, however, discounts the fact that it was Robert D'Eu's efforts that the town and castle were granted to the family in the first place.

What it also means is that Ida and her husband share the same great-grandmother. That's somewhat disquieting at best, but such was the nature of the ruling elite at the time.

The Hesdin Line

Before we complete the crossing of the English Channel by the Normans, there's one more consequential ancestor that contributed to William I's victory. His name was Ernulf from the village of Hesdin, which is located in the Artois region of northeastern France.

Both Artois and Hesdin still exist, but not in their previous configuration. Artois is no longer a province as it once was, though its still recognized as a region within the Pas-de-Calais Department of Northern France. The town of Hesdin now sits in a different location—about 6 kilometers northwest of it's original location close to the Belgian border—surrounded by rolling hills and situated on the Canche river.

The town was originally a walled fortress. It was once part of the Spanish Netherlands, which led to its downfall. It suffered many sieges and sackings as a result of fighting between the Kings of France, the Holy Roman Empire, Henry VIII of England, and several French nobles. Only the convent and chapel were spared when Charle V destroyed it in 1553. An unfortified village was later built on the original site, called Vieil Hesdin, or "Old Hesdin."[4]

Ernulf de Hesdin was a French knight who took part in the Norman conquest of England, much as Robert D'Eu did. What's interesting is that they lived approximately 50 miles apart (Figure 7). It's very likely they knew each other because not only did they help William I conquer England in 1066, they both became prominent landholders there afterward. The Domesday survey found Ernulf a tenant-in-chief in ten counties [5] and lord of other estates under other great tenants-in-chief. In fact, one of those tenants-in-chief was Robert D'Eu's son, William II D'Eu, who fulfilled that function on Ernulf's lands in Upper Scudamore in Wiltshire County.


Figure 7—Location of Eu in Normandy and Hesdin in Artois, France.

Things turned sour for Ernulf—for William II D'Eu as well—in 1095 when the barons revolted against William II "Rufus," in order to replace him with Stephen. The revolt failed, with both Ernulf and William II D'Eu being indicted, though Ernulf insisted he was unjustly accused. They were brought to trial by combat. While Ernulf's representative won, Ernulf was so disgusted by the accusation that he left England forever and joined the First Crusade. He died in the siege of Antioch, saying, after he refused the aid of a doctor, ""No doctor can reach me except he for whom I have undertaken this pilgrimage."

There are, of course, ancestors earlier than Ernulf, though some of that information is sketchy at best and may actually be incorrect. Some claim that no ancestry for Enulf can be found. Others admit Gerard IV was his father … others claim Ernicle was his grandfather. I've included the ancestors that were most often mentioned [6], but are shaded in gray. Perhaps additional family data will be found in the future to verify this information.

He was disgraced as a suspected rebel and died while taking part in the First Crusade as part of the army of Robert Curthose.

 1Haynes Haymon de Hesdin
 2Helfred de Hesdin [abt.930-?]
 3Adulf de Hesdin [abt.960-?]
 4Gauthier (William) de Hesdi, Count of Hesdin [abt.990-abt.1041]
 5Gerard IV de Hesdin, Seigneur (Feudal Lord) of Hesdin [1015-1065] died in Bedfordshire, England

 6Ernulf (Arnulf/Ernulphe) de Hesdin♂︎ [1031-1097]
         m. Emmaline ♀︎
 7Mathilda de Hesdin♀︎ [1055-1133]
         m. Lord Patrick de Chaworth♂︎ [1065-1133]
 8Sibylle de Chaworth♀︎ [1082-1147]
         m. Walter de Salisbury♂︎ [1091-1147]
 9Sibilia de Salisburyh♀︎ [1120-1162]
         m. John FitzGilbert Marshall♂︎ [1105-1165]
10Margaret Marshall♀︎ [1160-1242]
         m. Ralph de Somery♂︎ [1151-1210]
11Joan de Somery♀︎ [1195-1276]
         m. Sir Thomas de Berkeley♂︎ [1170-1243]

(The same Sir Thomas from Angry Anglos and Dastardly Danes)

12 Sir Maurice "The Resoute" de Berkeley m. Isabel FitsRoy
13 Sir Thomas de Berkeley (1st Baron) m. Joan de Ferrers
14 Sir Maurice de Berkeley (2nd Baron) m. Eva la Zouche
15 Isabel de Berkeley m. (2) Thomas de Musgrave (1st Lord)
16 Elizabeth de Musgrave m. Sir Henry de Wharton

———————

FOOTNOTES

[1] Foudation for Medieval Genealogy. Normandy Nobility: Arques, Aumâle, Caux, Rouen, Eu  Open in new Window. Vowchurch, Hereford, England. Acessed December 2021.

[2] Waters, Robert Edmund Chester. Genealogical Memoirs of the Counts of Eu in Normandy, 996-1350 and the English Earls of Eu, of the House of Bourchier, 1419-1540. 1886.

[3] Lewis, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research. 1848.

[4] The Good Life France. Hesdin in Pas de Calais  Open in new Window.. Accessed 30 March 2022.

[5] Round, J. Horace. Calendar of Documents Preserved in France, illustrative of the history of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. 1. Institute of Historical Research. 1899. Retrieved 30 March 2022.

[6] Genealogy Online, The Terry Brown Family Tree, Ernulf de Hesdin  Open in new Window. Accessed 30 March 2022.

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