Guimara - Wymarche

The surname of Wymarc was derived from the Old French and Old Breton, "Wiuhomarch"1, The name was composed of the elements WIG (war) and MOER (famous) and this personal name which was borne by both men and women and became relatively popular in East Anglia during the early Middle Ages as a result of the influence of the Bretons who settled there in the wake of the Conquest.

Guimara Wymarche is believed by many to be a daughter born from one of Richard I, 'The Fearless', Duke of Normandy's several concubines; it is thought that Guimara is the 1/2 sister to Emma de Normandy, the mother of Edward the Confessor. If this is true, this would make Edward the Confessor, and Guimara's son, Robert Fitz Wimarc, first-cousins. Robert FitzWimarc is pictured on the Bayeux Tapestry holding the dying Edward the Confessor in his arms; this indicates Robert's close relationship to the king, literally depicted. Oral tradition says that these families were closely related.

Ansfrid II Unfroi le goz (born c.970), Vicomte de Hiesmes, Steward of Normandy, married Guimara. Ansfrid died 1054.

"Domesday Descendants" (K.S.B. Keats-Rowan, 2002) mentions that a charter of the abbey of Montivilliers features the nun "Wimardis", widow of Ansfrid the steward who gave Ectot [possibly Saint-Germain-d'Ectot, in Calvados] to this religious house, as later attested by Robert. The book also mentions that Robert de Moyaux [in Calvados] (at the request of his mother Wimardis) gave to this religious house land that Ansfrid had held in the forest of Rouvray. If Guimara Wimarche was a widow at the time she entered the monastery, and her husband, Ansfrid, died in 1054 - then Guimara was 68 years old at the time of his death,

A community of nuns was established (1035) at Montivilliers by DUKE ROBERT OF NORMANDY, with the first abbess being Beatrice (widow of Ebles de Turenne, another illegitimate daughter of Duke Richard I of Normandy). This strongly suggests that Guimara and Abbess Beatrice were half-sisters, with the same relationship between Guimara and Emma of Normandy (who married in April 1002 King Aethelred II the unready), thus making Ansfrid's wife as the sister-in-law of the Anglo-Saxon king. (Note: This act basically, and literally says, "We are 'sisters', here - together".) Source:

1. P.H., Reaney. "W section." A Dictionary of English Surnames. 3rd. Routledge, 1991. pg.3523. Print.

K.S.B. , Keats-Rohan. Domesday People: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents 1066-1166 vol II. Boydell Press , 2000.

About the Author: Dr KATHERINE KEATS-ROHAN was awarded the Prix Brant IV de Koskull 1998 by the Confederation Internationale de Genealogie et d'Heraldique for her work on Domesday People. She is Director of the Linacre Unit for Prosopographical Research. Prosopography has been defined as an independent science of social history embracing genealogy, onomastics and demography. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The following information has recently been found: (02.13.13)

Wymarca (1) was born 986 in , Normandie, France.

She had the following children:

  M i Robert "The Deacon" FITZ WYMARC was born 1006 and died 1071. 

Sources:

"Wymarca" mother to Robert Fitz Wimarc

   Title: bradley - aqwg640

   Abbrev: bradley - aqwg640

   Publication: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hwbradley/aqwg1827.htm#32898

   Quality: 0

Note: (1) K.S.B. , Keats-Rohan. Domesday People: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents 1066-1166 I. I. Boydell Press , 1999. (p. 19, 977). Print. ISBN-10: 085115722X | ISBN-13: 978-0851157221

   Title: bradley - aqwg640

   Abbrev: bradley - aqwg640

   Publication: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hwbradley/aqwg640.htm

   Quality: 0  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

36-37. Richard I the fearless (born at Fecamp, c.933, son of William & Sprota) became Count of Normandy (943). He married 1. (at Rouen, 960) Emma (born 943, daughter of Count Hugh the Great of Paris), by whom he had no issue, died after 968; then 2. (after 968, or simply lived with) Gunora (daughter of Herbastus, see HERBASTUS DE CREPI). (Gunora had been his mistress, whilst he was married to Emma.) Richard died 20th November 996, and it is recorded that Gunora died considerably later (5th January 1031).
The children of Richard I & Gunora included:

   32.Richard II the good (born c.958), see later;

35.Robert, became 1st Count of Evreux (see EVREUX COUNTY for further details);
34. Emma (born c.986, eldest daughter), married (5th April 1002) King Aethelred II the unready of England (see ANGLO-SAXON KINGS); then 2. (2nd July 1017) King Cnut of England (1017-35), later King of Denmark (1018-35), and later King of Norway (1028-35). Emma died at Winchester (6th March 1052);
33. Hawise, married DUKE GEOFFREY I (see BRITTANY (HOUSE OF RENNES) COUNTY)
31.Mauger the young, became Count of Montaine & Corbeil, see CORBEIL-2 for further details.
[Attention needs to be drawn to the recorded estimated dates of birth of [NORM311] Richard II and Emma [NORM316], 28 years apart.]

In addition, Richard had several illegitimate children, by unknown concubines, including:

   36.Avelina FitzRichard de Crepon (born c.974) married (c.1001) [BOLE361] Osbern II de Bolebec (see BOLEBEC) for further details.

31. Beatrice de Normandy married [COMB331] Vicomte Ebles (see TURENNE COUNTY).
35. Godfrey Crispin, became Count of Brionne, and 1st Count of Eu (see HASTINGS (EU) FEUDAL LORDSHIP);
32. Guillaume I, married [TURQ332] Lesceline (daughter of [TURQ321] Seigneur Turketil de Turqueville), and became 3rd Count of Eu (see HASTINGS (EU) FEUDAL LORDSHIP).
34. Papia married [VALE311] Advocate Gilbert (see SAINT-VALERIE).
35. Guimara (probably daughter of Richard by a Breton concubine) married Vicomte Ansfrid II Unfroi le goz, Steward of Normandy (see HEIDMARK).

   30. Orielde (daughter of Richard), married Seigneur Fulk de Guernanville (see TIRRELL). ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Note:

   The following is a post to SGM, 21 Jul 2003, by Chris Phillips:

   From: Chris Phillips (cgp@medievalgenealogy.org.uk)

   Subject: Re: Matilda a dau of Adam fitz Swain

   Newsgroups: soc.genealogy.medieval

   Date: 2003-07-21 00:32:14 PST

   Jay wrote:

[I wrote]

   > > Swein/Suen of Essex was the son of Robert fitz Wimarc [Keats-Roha n, Domesday

   > > People p. 424].

   > Thanks Chris!!1 And a fitz patronymic as well so I get two ancestors

   > for the price of one!!!! Love two-fers.

Actually, this is a rare example of a matronymic, as discussed by Keats- Rohan in the introduction to Domesday People (p. 19). Apparently, J. H. R ou nd originally pointed out that "Wimarc" was a woman (as stated explic it ly by William of Poitiers), but suggested that her name indicated s he w as a Breton (in "Feudal England", pp. 256, 257). But Keats-Rohan po in ts to statements by Vita AEdwardi Regis that Robert was a kinsman of Ed wa rd the Confessor, and by William of Poitiers that he was related to Wil li am the Conqueror. She suggests that as he was identified by his mothe r, s he "was surely a high-born Norman", related to the ducal house.

   She goes on to cite references from charters of the abbey of Montivilli er s, near Le Havre, which mention a nun Vuimardis/Wimardis, widow of Ans fr id the steward, and her apparent son Robert de Moyaux (Calvados, can t. Lis ieux-1, who gave land formerly held by Ansfrid.

   Chris Phillips   [end of post]

See a reference to this post here: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=rnelson&i...

K.S.B. , Keats-Rohan. Domesday People: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents 1066-1166 I. I. Boydell Press , 1999. (p. 19). Print. ISBN-10: 085115722X | ISBN-13: 978-0851157221

About the Author: Dr KATHERINE KEATS-ROHAN was awarded the Prix Brant IV de Koskull 1998 by the Confederation Internationale de Genealogie et d'Heraldique for her work on Domesday People. She is Director of the Linacre Unit for Prosopographical Research. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A post found on RootsWeb- (2001) http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GEN-MEDIEVAL/2001-03/...

From: Kay Allen AG <allenk@pacbell.net> Subject: Re: Robert FitzWeymarch Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 15:25:08 -0800 References: <003c01c0ae68$b7027fc0$22109fd4@oemcomputer>

There is an aricle, "Robert Fitz Wimarch and His Descendants", Rev. R. W. Eyton in Trans. Shrops. Arch. Soc., series 1, 2:1 etseq.

His dtr. is the ancestress of the fitz Richards of Richard's Castle.

Eyton feels that it was the father who was related to Queen Emma and the ducal house of Normandy.

Kay Allen AG

Chris Phillips wrote:

Renia Simmonds wrote:

Presumably, this is the Robert who is referred to in Keats-Rohan's

Domesday

People, as Robert fitz Wimarc, father of Swein, whom she says died several
years before 1086? (This appears under the entry for one of the Roberts
without identifier, but who held Bromfield in Essex, with a short debate

as to whether this might have been Robert fitz Wimarc himself, which she

considered unlikely.)

The entry for Suen De Essex is identified as son of Robert fitz Wimarc
(q.v. identified here and in the introduction as Robert de Moyaux,
Calvados, cant. Lisieux-1), whom he succeeded between about 1075 and 1086,
when his son Robert had succeeded him. His sons Robert and William and his
widow made a grant to Westminster abbey for his soul on the day he was
buried.

I'm afraid I cant find the entry for Robert de Moyaux! (Does any one else
find this book quite badly arranged?)

I'm hoping there will be (a lot) more indexes in volume 2, when it
eventually appears.

The discussion of Robert fitz Wimarc is on p.19. Todd's remark about "fitz
Wimarc" being a matronym reminded me about this discussion. Of course, I
should have looked in Keats-Rohan's book before going back to J.H.Round, but
it was nice to see that Round was the person who first realised that
"Wimarc" was a woman!

To summarise what K-R says - Round realised that Wimarc was a woman, but
thought her name indicated a Breton origin. Keats-Rohan interprets evidence
from the "Vita Aedwardi Regis" and William of Poitiers as implying that
Robert's mother was a noble Norman woman related to the ducal house. She
gives a probable identification with a nun at the abbey of Montivilliers,
called Vuimardis or Wimardis, widow of Ansfrid the steward, whose gift to
the house was attested by a Robert. She makes a further identification with
Robert de Moyaux, who at the request of his mother gave the same house land
that had been held by Ansfrid, and says the same Robert is known as the
father of a nun at St Leger des Preaux.

As I posted previously, according to Round, Robert fitz Wimarc's son was
Sweyn (both Robert and Sweyn being sheriffs of Essex under the Conqueror),
and Sweyn's son was Robert, the father of the Henry of Essex we started
with.

Chris Phillips

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Also see NORMANDY DUKEDOM here: http://mauriceboddy.org.uk/Normandy.htm

WIUHOMARCH <OF TREGOOSE>. The Domesday forms of this name - Wimarc, Wimarch, Wimarc(a)e (genitive), Wim', Wicmarc, Witmarce (genitive), and, for 1086 holders, Wihomarc, Wihumar, Wihumarc, Wihunmard[us], Guihu'mar' - represent Old Breton Wiuhomarch, which is both a masculine and feminine name: von Feilitzen, Pre-Conquest Personal Names of Domesday Book, pp. 349-50, 415; Tengvik, Old English Bynames, p. 231; Reaney, Dictionary of British Surnames, under Wymark. The Phillimore printed edition has the forms Wymarc, Wiuhomarch, Wihomarch; these have now been standardized as Wiuhomarch. The Alecto edition has Wimarc (for Robert son of Wiuhomarch), but generally reproduces the Domesday forms for the 1086 holders, except for Wymarc in Norfolk. A Wiuhomarch is also a tenant of the count on two estates (5,24,13-14), the first of which, Tucoyse, is in Winnianton Hundred. The descendants of this person may have been a family called Le Bret (the Breton) who held Tucoyse in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries: Henderson, Parish of Constantine, p. 148. According to Keats-Rohan, Domesday People, p. 466, the Wiuhomarch here is the same individual as Count Alan's steward in Domesday Cambridgeshire and his tenant in Yorkshire and Norfolk, but this is unlikely, in view of the distance between his holdings and a different overlord. (k)

No source documents for Guimara to be the daughter of Richard I. Dissconected 11/24/2015