Hereward escaped, but Morcar was captured, deprived of his earldom, and imprisoned. [85] Although the numbers on each side were about equal, William had both cavalry and infantry, including many archers, while Harold had only foot soldiers and few, if any, archers. Gray was one of William the Conquerors companions in arms at the battle [80] He probably learned of William's landing while he was travelling south. [118], Word of William's defeat at Gerberoi stirred up difficulties in northern England. Earl of Kent, Chief of the ancient and illustrious house of Gray, so dignified Some appear to have been reluctant to take up lands in a kingdom that did not always appear pacified. [2] At an ecclesiastical council held in Lillebonne in 1080, he was confirmed in his ultimate authority over the Norman church. Conan's death in 1066 further secured William's borders in Normandy. [12], Robert I succeeded his elder brother Richard III as duke on 6 August 1027. It is unclear whether William would have been supplanted in the ducal succession if Robert had had a legitimate son. He Was Illegitimate. . Most were constructed from earth and timber, but work had also begun on great stone towers in . [93] These captures secured William's rear areas and also his line of retreat to Normandy, if that was needed. de Gray, (III) John from whom the most illustrious branches of the house Norman coins had a much lower silver content, were often of poor artistic quality, and were rarely re-minted. From this his family assumed the name of DeCroy, which was later 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. William also required his newly created magnates to contribute fixed quotas of knights towards not only military campaigns but also castle garrisons. [109] William's ability to leave England for an entire year was a sign that he felt that his control of the kingdom was secure. An Angevin attack on Maine was defeated in late 1076 or 1077, with Count Fulk le Rechin wounded in the unsuccessful attack. Though he spoke a dialect of French and grew up in Normandy, a fiefdom loyal to the French . http://members.aol.com/rinewpor/famhist.html. 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. This would have been considered tampering with the king's authority over his vassals, which William would not have tolerated. correspond with John of Stapleford, as his eldest child was born in 1608. followed by that of her father, the Duke of Suffolk, and his brothers, After further military efforts, William was crowned king on Christmas Day, 1066, in London. a royal commission set up by William in 1085-86), as lord of many manors William was the son of the unmarried Duke Robert I of Normandy and his mistress Herleva. His daughter, Arlotta, is said to have been the mother of William the Conqueror. Another consequence of William's invasion was the sundering of the formerly close ties between England and Scandinavia. 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. William the Conqueror and his son Robert, 1865 (Credit: John Cassell). [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. [94] But the families of Harold and his brothers lost their lands, as did some others who had fought against William at Hastings. 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. The Grays in Ireland, usually Known as 'William the Bastard' to his contemporaries, his illegitimacy shaped his career when he was young. [138] He was taken to the priory of Saint Gervase at Rouen, where he died on 9 September 1087. [54], William cultivated close relations with the church in his duchy. issue has continued in Scotland." Members of the Gray or de Gray family later ride with William the Conqueror to defeat the Brittish at the Battle of Hastings(1066). A further indignity occurred when the corpse was lowered into the tomb. 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. For example, England continued the use of writs, which were not known on the continent. 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. [60], Count Herbert II of Maine died in 1062, and William, who had betrothed his eldest son Robert to Herbert's sister Margaret, claimed the county through his son. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), poet. [33] Geoffrey attempted to expand his authority into the county of Maine, especially after the death of Hugh IV of Maine in 1051. After three weeks, the besieged forces sallied from the castle and managed to take the besiegers by surprise. The Gray family history is a long and distinguished one. The deaths of Count Geoffrey and the king in 1060 cemented the shift in the balance of power towards William. There were probably other reasons for William's delay, including intelligence reports from England revealing that Harold's forces were deployed along the coast. [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. told him what kind of work he could do "in language that can't be 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. [106], William returned to England to release his army from service in 1073 but quickly returned to Normandy, where he spent all of 1074. One story implicates Earl Godwin of Wessex in Alfred's subsequent death, but others blame Harold. [79] Harold kept his forces on alert throughout the summer, but with the arrival of the harvest season he disbanded his army on 8 September. 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. Joan, buried The Grays were not restored to their rights and court favor until the English sources claim that Ealdred, the Archbishop of York, performed the ceremony, while Norman sources state that the coronation was performed by Stigand, who was considered a non-canonical archbishop by the papacy. Waltheof, the earl of Northumbria, although one of William's favourites, was also involved, and there were some Breton lords who were ready to rebel in support of Ralph and Roger. Gray who was slain at the second battle of St. Albans, 1461. This tomb was again destroyed during the French Revolution but was eventually replaced with the current ledger stone. [3] Normandy may have been used as a base when Scandinavian attacks on England were renewed at the end of the 10th century, which would have worsened relations between England and Normandy. afterward queen of Edward IV; Thomas Grey, created Marquis of Dorset in The union of the Grays with the royal line of Tudor was by the marriage It resulted in a work now known as the Domesday Book. town report or directory are about all there is. The name was originally Croy. Other bequests included gifts to the Church and money to be distributed to the poor. 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. [f] One of Herleva's brothers, Walter, became a supporter and protector of William during his minority. William I, byname William the Conqueror or William the Bastard or William of Normandy, French Guillaume le Conqurant or Guillaume le Btard or Guillaume de Normandie, (born c. 1028, Falaise, Normandy [France]died September 9, 1087, Rouen), duke of Normandy (as William II) from 1035 and king of England (as William I) from 1066, one of the greatest soldiers and rulers of the Middle Ages . [t] When in Normandy, William acknowledged that he owed fealty to the French king, but in England no such acknowledgement was made further evidence that the various parts of William's lands were considered separate. 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. [137] William's exact motivation in ordering the survey is unclear, but it probably had several purposes, such as making a record of feudal obligations and justifying increased taxation. William also appointed deputies who could make decisions while he was absent, especially if the absence was expected to be lengthy. [14] After his accession, Robert continued Norman support for the English princes Edward and Alfred, who were still in exile in northern France. Samuel Gray, son of Edward of Tiverton, moved to Boston and could be [72] Harold's claim to the throne was not entirely secure, as there were other claimants, perhaps including his exiled brother Tostig. 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. Edgar, having lost much of his support, fled to Scotland,[98] where King Malcolm III was married to Edgar's sister Margaret. Before this, William had returned to the continent, where Ralph had continued the rebellion from Brittany. William I, the first Norman King of England, ascended to the throne in 1066 shortly after the death of his second cousin, Edward the Confessor. Eventually, the clergy of Rouen arranged to have the body sent to Caen, where William had desired to be buried in his foundation of the Abbaye-aux-Hommes. William was unhorsed by Robert and was only saved from death by an Englishman, Toki son of Wigod, who was himself killed. 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. 1. [4] In an effort to improve matters, King thelred the Unready took Emma, sister of Richard II, Duke of Normandy, as his second wife in 1002. [143] How abrupt and far-reaching the changes were is still a matter of debate among historians, with some such as Richard Southern claiming that the Conquest was the single most radical change in European history between the Fall of Rome and the 20th century. William's movements during 1084 and 1085 are unclear he was in Normandy at Easter 1084 but may have been in England before then to collect the danegeld assessed that year for the defence of England against an invasion by King Cnut IV of Denmark. During the Bretons' flight, rumours swept through the Norman forces that the duke had been killed, but William succeeded in rallying his troops. [93], William remained in England after his coronation and tried to reconcile the native magnates. Also, the charters and documents produced for the government in Normandy differed in formulas from those produced in England. all apparently descended from one parent stock and one origin. of John included John Lord Grey of Groby who married Elizabeth Wydville, The Gray family in America is numerous, widespread and consists of many baptized November 25, 1610, buried January 20, 1621. Sam [113] Ralph's authority seems also to have been less than his predecessors in the earldom, and this was likely the cause of his involvement in the revolt. Rebecca, baptized 1615, married Thomas Perry May 28, 1650. William was the son of the Norman Duke Robert the Magnificent and the unnamed daughter of a tanner. [2] Even after the younger William's death in 1100 and the succession of his youngest brother Henry as king, Normandy and England remained contested between the brothers until Robert's capture by Henry at the Battle of Tinchebray in 1106. Harold's sons were meanwhile raiding the southwest of England from a base in Ireland. Fulbert was also William the Conqueror's Great Chamberlain. In modern times they have contributed poets, statesmen but found "himself bruished and bloody on the ground." Edgar remained at William's court until 1086 when he went to the. Owain received 10,000 marks (L6,666) ransom for him. William I 'the Conqueror', King of England also went by the nick-name of William 'the Conqueror'.5 William I 'the Conqueror', King of England also went by the nick-name of William 'le Batard' (or in English, the Bastard).5 In 1035 on his father's death, William was recognised by his family as the heir - an exception to the general rule that . Although this was William's first defeat in battle, it did little to change things. The exact reasons are unclear, as no contemporary author recorded what caused the quarrel between the half-brothers. The snub may not have been deliberate: he might have . Although Alexander did give papal approval to the conquest after it succeeded, no other source claims papal support prior to the invasion. of King Edward, her son the young Prince Consort, and her son Lord Gray, near the throne. [132], William took over an English government that was more complex than the Norman system. He then proceeded to buy off the Danes. The remaining earls Edwin (of Mercia), Morcar (of Northumbria), and Waltheof (of Northampton) were confirmed in their lands and titles. [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. Two further Norman retreats were feigned, to once again draw the English into pursuit and expose them to repeated attacks by the Norman cavalry. There were other potential claimants, including the powerful English earl Harold Godwinson, whom Edward named as king on his deathbed in January 1066. Sir Edward de Gray married daughter He was not known as a patron of authors, and there is little evidence that he sponsored scholarships or other intellectual activities. died January 1, 1515. [57], In 1051 the childless King Edward of England appears to have chosen William as his successor. [2] William then marched to Southwark, across the Thames from London, which he reached in late November. To deal with Norman affairs, William put the government of Normandy into the hands of his wife for the duration of the invasion. He was of Viking extraction. in and about London. There were apparently no Grays on the Mayflower. [117] William's forces were forced to lift the siege, and the king returned to Rouen. 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. [114] Roger and Waltheof were kept in prison, where Waltheof was executed in May 1076. [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. [45] Contemporary writers considered the marriage, which produced four sons and five or six daughters, to be a success. homes in the New World. William responded swiftly, ignoring a continental revolt in Maine, and symbolically wore his crown in the ruins of York on Christmas Day 1069. The tomb has been disturbed several times since 1087, the first time in 1522 when the grave was opened on orders from the papacy. [40] Henry and Geoffrey led another invasion of Normandy in 1057 but were defeated by William at the Battle of Varaville. [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. It 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 . [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. 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. William gave generously to the church;[56] from 1035 to 1066, the Norman aristocracy founded at least twenty new monastic houses, including William's two monasteries in Caen, a remarkable expansion of religious life in the duchy. Her execution, 1554, was soon The exact date of William's birth is confused by contradictory statements by the Norman chroniclers. and the brawl that developed ended in a draw. [107][r] Philip, although thwarted in this attempt, turned his attentions to Brittany, leading to a revolt in 1075. in the reign of Edward IV., from whom are descended and branched the Barons William then moved to Hastings, a few miles to the east, where he built a castle as a base of operations. Local nobles resisted the claim, but William invaded and by 1064 had secured control of the area. 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. Although William returned to York and built another castle, Edgar remained free, and in the autumn he joined up with King Sweyn. The ceremony took place in Westminster. Descendants Aug 29, 2018. Rhode Island. Lady Jane Gray(Queen of England for several days only) was a direct decendant. coin. [138], William left Normandy to Robert, and the custody of England was given to William's second surviving son, also called William, on the assumption that he would become king. [55] Most of the income came from the ducal lands, as well as from tolls and a few taxes. [2], There is no evidence of any illegitimate children born to William. Not an insignificant sum!! [77] The last claimant was William of Normandy, against whose anticipated invasion King Harold Godwinson made most of his preparations. The soldier took offense and went at Sam repeated in mixed company." [142], The impact on England of William's conquest was profound; changes in the Church, aristocracy, culture, and language of the country have persisted into modern times. "They built castles far and wide, oppressing the unhappy people", wept the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 1066. Edward, baptized April 15, 1623 (no further mention). Although the army and fleet were ready by early August, adverse winds kept the ships in Normandy until late September. of Rotherfield, Codmore, Wilton, Rhuthun, Groby and Rugemont, the Viscount Anschatel Groy settled in Chillingham in Northumberland after accompanying William the Conqueror in 1066. [123], Maine continued to be difficult, with a rebellion by Hubert de Beaumont-au-Maine, probably in 1084. [122] In 1082 William ordered the arrest of his half-brother Odo. In England several families from this . of this family were for centuries seated in Westminster and in other sections William the Conqueror Details individual; ruler; French; British; Male. 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 . His consolidation of power allowed him to expand his horizons, and he secured control of the neighbouring county of Maine by 1062. 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. support the effort with food, money and work in recruiting and organization. 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. According to the historian David Bates, this probably means that little of note happened, and that because William was on the continent, there was nothing for the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to record. Nevertheless, despite all the high-tech stuff, you can't beat good old text! After entrusting England to his second son, the elder William sent the younger William back to England on 7 or 8 September, bearing a letter to Lanfranc ordering the archbishop to aid the new king. [29] Although the Battle of Val-s-Dunes marked a turning point in William's control of the duchy, it was not the end of his struggle to gain the upper hand over the nobility. Alfred returned to England in 1036 to visit his mother and perhaps to challenge Harold as king. Orderic relates that he had previously demanded control of Maine and Normandy and had been rebuffed. He enjoyed excellent health until old age, although he became quite fat in later life. Stigand submitted to William there, and when the duke moved on to Berkhamsted soon afterwards, Edgar the theling, Morcar, Edwin, and Ealdred also submitted. Henry was still a minor, however, and Sweyn was more likely to support Harold, who could then help Sweyn against the Norwegian king, so these claims should be treated with caution. Thomas died in Plymouth June 7, 1654. [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 time of war and helped build it in peacetime. [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. This was the last invasion of Normandy during William's lifetime. [62] Godwin returned from exile in 1052 with armed forces, and a settlement was reached between the king and the earl, restoring the earl and his family to their lands and replacing Robert of Jumiges, a Norman whom Edward had named Archbishop of Canterbury, with Stigand, the Bishop of Winchester. [63] No English source mentions a supposed embassy by Archbishop Robert to William conveying the promise of the succession, and the two Norman sources that mention it, William of Jumiges and William of Poitiers, are not precise in their chronology of when this visit took place. [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. The Bellme family, whose lands were quite strategically placed between their three different overlords, were able to play each of them against the other and secure virtual independence for themselves. By 1060, following a long struggle to establish his throne, his hold on Normandy was secure. [80], After defeating Harald Hardrada and Tostig, Harold left much of his army in the north, including Morcar and Edwin, and marched the rest south to deal with the threatened Norman invasion. A Marcher Lordship passed from an Owain to son-in-law John Charleton. T he surname is originally French, being first borne by Fulbert, Great Chamberlain of Robert, Duke of Normandy, who granted him the castle and lands of Croy or Gray in Picardy which he thereafter assumed as the family surname. of Henry VIII. worldwide traders. 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. [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. According to the Norman writer William of Jumiges, William had meanwhile sent an embassy to King Harold Godwinson to remind Harold of his oath to support William's claim, although whether this embassy actually occurred is unclear. [52] William's main hobby appears to have been hunting. Although some sort of formal assembly probably was held, it is unlikely that any debate took place, as the duke had by then established control over his nobles, and most of those assembled would have been anxious to secure their share of the rewards from the conquest of England. The historian Eleanor Searle speculates that William was raised with the three cousins who later became important in his career William fitzOsbern, Roger de Beaumont, and Roger of Montgomery. The English dead, who included some of Harold's brothers and his housecarls, were left on the battlefield. The Dorset Grays are of great antiquity,

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