William, Duke of Normandy, conquered England in 1066. there were at least twenty different families of Grays, or different branches Though he spoke a dialect of French and grew up in Normandy, a fiefdom loyal to the French . He Was Illegitimate. There were farmers, fishermen and tradesmen. Early Life. The union was arranged in 1049, but Pope Leo IX forbade the marriage at the Council of Rheims in October 1049. by purchase from the Indians. were both executed in 1483, by the notorious Richard III. A papal embassy arrived in England during this period, asking that William do fealty for England to the papacy, a request that he rejected. After a long effort, the duke succeeded in exiling Guy in 1050. of Tiverton had a son William whose son Robert was the discoverer of the [2] Although he put two Normans in overall charge, he retained many of the native English sheriffs. England remained unstable. Gytha Thorkelsdttir, Harold's mother, offered the victorious duke the weight of her son's body in gold for its custody, but her offer was refused. Most leave the usual trail. Hubert was besieged in his castle at Sainte-Suzanne by William's forces for at least two years, but he eventually made his peace with the king and was restored to favour. Regarding the Grays of Scotland being of the same family, Nesbits says, [24] Although many of the Norman nobles engaged in their own private wars and feuds during William's minority, the viscounts still acknowledged the ducal government, and the ecclesiastical hierarchy was supportive of William. Although a mere two or three days' ride away at Abbeville, Robert did not attend William's deathbed or funeral. We trace his journey from 1027 when he. Roger was unable to leave his stronghold in Herefordshire because of efforts by Wulfstan, the Bishop of Worcester, and thelwig, the Abbot of Evesham. and the brawl that developed ended in a draw. Another consequence of William's invasion was the sundering of the formerly close ties between England and Scandinavia. 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. The raiders were supported by many of William's continental enemies. William was crowned King of England on December 25, 1066. 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. [30], William's next efforts were against Guy of Burgundy, who retreated to his castle at Brionne, which William besieged. Hereward escaped, but Morcar was captured, deprived of his earldom, and imprisoned. [2] William then marched to Southwark, across the Thames from London, which he reached in late November. Although some of his supporters tried to dissuade him from undertaking the journey, he convened a council in January 1035 and had the assembled Norman magnates swear fealty to William as his heir[2][15] before leaving for Jerusalem. [122] In 1082 William ordered the arrest of his half-brother Odo. Sir Edward de Gray married daughter By far the most disturbing fact . Also, the charters and documents produced for the government in Normandy differed in formulas from those produced in England. William also appointed deputies who could make decisions while he was absent, especially if the absence was expected to be lengthy. As early as 1622, two brothers, Thomas and John The diploma is dated 8th January 1639, * which was afterwards ratified in parliament, 17th November 1641. Lordships. William the Conqueror Details individual; ruler; French; British; Male. He left his half-brother Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux, in charge of England along with another influential supporter, William fitzOsbern, the son of his former guardian. All the English counties south of the River Tees and River Ribble are included, and the whole work seems to have been mostly completed by 1 August 1086, when the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that William received the results and that all the chief magnates swore the Salisbury Oath, a renewal of their oaths of allegiance. thelred died unexpectedly in 1016, and Cnut became king of England. [83] Harold had taken a defensive position at the top of Senlac Hill (present-day Battle, East Sussex), about 6 miles (9.7 kilometres) from William's castle at Hastings. William's biographer David Bates argues that the former explanation is more likely, explaining that the balance of power had recently shifted in Wales and that William would have wished to take advantage of the changed circumstances to extend Norman power. The story of her pure and beautiful [117] William's forces were forced to lift the siege, and the king returned to Rouen. Earl Edwin was betrayed by his own men and killed, while William built a causeway to subdue the Isle of Ely, where Hereward the Wake and Morcar were hiding. Her rule was contested by Robert, Baldwin's brother. Wikimedia Commons. By the time of his marriage, William was able to arrange the appointment of his supporters as bishops and abbots in the Norman church. [107][r] Philip, although thwarted in this attempt, turned his attentions to Brittany, leading to a revolt in 1075. By the time of William's death in 1087, around 500 castles had been built across England and Wales. [q] Another reason for the appointment may have been pressure from the papacy to appoint Lanfranc. It appears that the Gray family was from Harwich, Essex, as a John and One story implicates Earl Godwin of Wessex in Alfred's subsequent death, but others blame Harold. William was the son of the unmarried Duke Robert I of Normandy and his mistress Herleva. Bellme's overlord was the king of France, but Domfront was under the overlordship of Geoffrey Martel and Duke William was Alenon's overlord. He decisively defeated and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. This income was collected by the chamber, one of the household departments. King Robert Bruce when he ascended the throne. Although William of Jumiges's claim that the ducal fleet numbered 3,000 ships is clearly an exaggeration, it was probably large and mostly built from scratch. Orderic Vitalis preserves a lengthy account, complete with speeches made by many of the principals, but this is likely more of an account of how a king should die than of what actually happened. [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. [144] The historian Eleanor Searle describes William's invasion as "a plan that no ruler but a Scandinavian would have considered". accession of James I, 1603. As William is an 11th generation descendant of Charlemagne (747-814), the people below also descend from . was a son of Gray in Chillingham, Northumberland, England, who came to [v], At Christmas 1085, William ordered the compilation of a survey of the landholdings held by himself and by his vassals throughout his kingdom, organised by counties. They were John, Elizabeth, Edward, Sarah, Thomas and Rebecca. Gray Family of Tiverton, RI. Robert and Pardon who left a record for all to see. William the Conqueror, conquered in the 'Norman Conquest' -- Norman here being code for French. In the Department of Haute-Saone, there is now a town The lack of Norman response appears to have caused the Northumbrians to grow restive, and in the spring of 1080 they rebelled against the rule of Walcher, the Bishop of Durham and Earl of Northumbria. money from Benjamin Franklin for passage home. Marcher Lords. [2], There are indications that Robert may have been briefly betrothed to a daughter of King Cnut, but no marriage took place. Her execution, 1554, was soon The seal shows a mounted knight and is the first extant example of an. [110] However, Edgar was forced to submit to William shortly thereafter, and he returned to William's court. Norsemen first began raiding in what became Normandy in the late 8th century. Two further Norman retreats were feigned, to once again draw the English into pursuit and expose them to repeated attacks by the Norman cavalry. [49] There are some written descriptions of a burly and robust appearance, with a guttural voice. 2 son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy and Harlette de Falaise, was born about 1028 in Falaise, Normandy, France and died on 9 Sep 1087 in Rouen, Normandy, France about age 59.. Other names for William were William of Normandy and William I King of England. 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. The list below shows descent from William the Conqueror (see Descendants of William I of England for another list). By 12 April 1080, William and Robert had reached an accommodation, with William once more affirming that Robert would receive Normandy when he died. There were other potential claimants, including the powerful English earl Harold Godwinson, whom Edward named as king on his deathbed in January 1066. The deaths of Count Geoffrey and the king in 1060 cemented the shift in the balance of power towards William. His The fleet carried an invasion force that included, in addition to troops from William's own territories of Normandy and Maine, large numbers of mercenaries, allies, and volunteers from Brittany, northeastern France, and Flanders, together with smaller numbers from other parts of Europe. Some appear to have been reluctant to take up lands in a kingdom that did not always appear pacified. He married Matilda of Flanders in 1051, in Normandy, France. In 1047, William was able to quash a rebellion and begin to establish his authority over the duchy, a process that was not complete until about 1060. There were apparently no Grays on the Mayflower. Henry de Gray obtained from King Richard I (1190), the The other, the De obitu Willelmi, or On the Death of William, has been shown to be a copy of two 9th-century accounts with names changed. An early documented person was Anchetil de Greye - a vassal of William the Conqueror of Normandy (now part of France) and who accompan. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that it was a military campaign, but Welsh sources record it as a pilgrimage to St Davids in honour of Saint David. The Grays were not restored to their rights and court favor until the Then the king returned to Normandy late in 1068. Whatever Edward's wishes, it was likely that any claim by William would be opposed by Godwin, Earl of Wessex, a member of the most powerful family in England. The snub may not have been deliberate: he might have . In 1086, he ordered the compilation of the Domesday Book, a survey listing all of the land-holdings in England along with their pre-Conquest and current holders. His holdings included nine thirtieths of the [133][u] Government was still centred on William's household; when he was in one part of his realms, decisions would be made for other parts of his domains and transmitted through a communication system that made use of letters and other documents. [65] William's western border was thus secured, but his border with Brittany remained insecure. that John Gray was not native to Stapleford Tawney, but was only a resident called Gray. Although William returned to York and built another castle, Edgar remained free, and in the autumn he joined up with King Sweyn. 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. [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. Tostig went into exile in Flanders, along with his wife Judith, who was the daughter of Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders. [119] The king was at Gloucester for Christmas 1080 and at Winchester for Whitsun in 1081, ceremonially wearing his crown on both occasions. [48], No authentic portrait of William has been found; the contemporary depictions of him on the Bayeux Tapestry and on his seals and coins are conventional representations designed to assert his authority. [77] The last claimant was William of Normandy, against whose anticipated invasion King Harold Godwinson made most of his preparations. [16][17][h] He enjoyed the support of his great-uncle, Archbishop Robert, as well as King Henry I of France, enabling him to succeed to his father's duchy. Thomas died in Plymouth June 7, 1654. The English dead, who included some of Harold's brothers and his housecarls, were left on the battlefield. Hereward's forces attacked Peterborough Abbey, which they captured and looted. In England several families from this . It was a fairly simple administrative system, built around the ducal household,[53] which consisted of a group of officers including stewards, butlers, and marshals. They included the duke's uncle Robert, the archbishop of Rouen, who had originally opposed the duke; Osbern, a nephew of Gunnor the wife of Richard I; and Gilbert of Brionne, a grandson of Richard I. Robert was accused by some writers of killing Richard, a plausible but now unprovable charge. To deal with Norman affairs, William put the government of Normandy into the hands of his wife for the duration of the invasion. [96] Once in Normandy the new English king went to Rouen and the Abbey of Fecamp,[94] and then attended the consecration of new churches at two Norman monasteries. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands, and by difficulties with his eldest son, Robert Curthose. From there, he ravaged the interior and waited for Harold's return from the north, refusing to venture far from the sea, his line of communication with Normandy. [100] The historian David Bates sees this coronation as the ceremonial papal "seal of approval" for William's conquest. [94] But the families of Harold and his brothers lost their lands, as did some others who had fought against William at Hastings. It resulted in a work now known as the Domesday Book. in Northumberland. [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. According to Nesbits Heraldry: "In an old manuscript of Arms (or Croy as some write), in Picardy, their patrimony before the Conquest.". Their forces landed near Bristol but were defeated by Eadnoth. thelred and Emma's two sons, Edward and Alfred, went into exile in Normandy while their mother, Emma, became Cnut's second wife. (born 860 A.D.). He celebrated Christmas at Winchester and dealt with the aftermath of the rebellion. Sam 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. The name Gray is of local origin, or, it follows the name of a place Orderic also related that Odo had attempted to persuade some of William's vassals to join Odo in an invasion of southern Italy. As one of . During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, Archbishop Matthew Parker saw the Conquest as having corrupted a purer English Church, which Parker attempted to restore. [134], William continued the collection of Danegeld, a land tax. [2] Orderic Vitalis records that William tried to learn to read Old English late in life, but he was unable to devote sufficient time to the effort and quickly gave up. The Grays in Ireland, usually Original: Mar 26, 2013. captured Reginald. of a series of incidents that brought about the Boston Massacre later that [55] Most of the income came from the ducal lands, as well as from tolls and a few taxes. followed by that of her father, the Duke of Suffolk, and his brothers, 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. and lordships in the counties of Oxford and Buckingham. [41], One factor in William's favour was his marriage to Matilda of Flanders, the daughter of Count Baldwin V of Flanders. Before we called him William the Conqueror, he had a much more ignoble nickname: William the Bastard. [144] In the years since the Conquest, politicians and other leaders have used William and the events of his reign to illustrate political events throughout English history. He enjoyed excellent health until old age, although he became quite fat in later life. . The first, which he led, faced Henry. 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. Thomas were sent to America by relatives who were scheming for the property [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. [5], Danish raids on England continued, and thelred sought help from Richard, taking refuge in Normandy in 1013 when King Swein I of Denmark drove thelred and his family from England. Rebecca, baptized 1615, married Thomas Perry May 28, 1650. The Church, under the influence of the, The reasons for the prohibition are not clear. [78] William of Poitiers also relates that the duke obtained the consent of Pope Alexander II for the invasion, along with a papal banner. [67] Some sources claim that Harold took part in William's Breton campaign of 1064 and swore to uphold William's claim to the English throne at the end of the campaign,[65] but no English source reports this trip, and it is unclear if it actually occurred. King Philip of France later relieved the siege and defeated William at the Battle of Dol in 1076, forcing him to retreat back to Normandy. Life dates 1025-1087. [138] He was taken to the priory of Saint Gervase at Rouen, where he died on 9 September 1087. of King Edward, her son the young Prince Consort, and her son Lord Gray, Edwin and Morcar submitted, but William continued on to York, building York and Nottingham Castles before returning south.