Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester

From Charles Cawley at Medlands (updated June 2018) http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/NORMANDY%20NOBILITY.htm#Walerandied...

WALERAN de Beaumont, son of ROBERT de Beaumont-le-Roger Comte de Meulan, Earl of Leicester & his wife Elisabeth de Vermandois [Capet] (1104-Préaux 9/10 Apr 1166, bur Préaux, monastery of Saint-Pierre). His parentage is recorded by Orderic Vitalis, who specifies that he was the twin of his brother Robert[1425]. He succeeded his father as Comte de Meulan, and to his fiefs in Normandy. He and his twin brother were brought up at the court of Henry I King of England[1426]. He rebelled against King Henry, with his brothers-in-law Hugues de Montfort, Hugues de Châteauneuf and Guillaume Louvel[1427], but was captured at the siege of Vatteville 26 Mar 1124. The king confiscated his lands and held him in prison for five years, successively at Rouen, Bridgenorth and Wallingford, until 1129. After the accession of King Stephen in 1135, Waléran supported the king who created him Earl of Worcester in 1138. However, he fled at the battle of Lincoln 2 Feb 1141 and came to an agreement with Geoffroy Comte d'Anjou who gave him the castle of Montfort-sur-Risle. "Gualeran comes Mellensis" confirmed his foundation of a chapel "at Watteville before the gates of his castle" by charter dated [1154/55], witnessed by his sons Robert and Gualeran and his wife Agnes[1428]. Robert of Torigny records that "Gualerannus comes Mellenti" became "monachus Pratelli" in 1166[1429].

Betrothed to (Easter 1136) MATHILDE de Blois, daughter of STEPHEN King of England & his wife Mathilde Ctss de Boulogne ([1133/34]-before 1141, bur Priory of Holy Trinity, Aldgate Without, London). Daughter of King Stephen, Orderic Vitalis records her betrothal when she was "two years old" but does not name her[1430]. The Chronicon Valassense names "comes Mellenti Gualerannus" and "uxore sua regis Stephani familia"[1431]. William of Newburgh records her burial, together with that of her brother Baudouin, as "children of King Stephen and Queen" and wife of "comitis de Medlint", quoting the records of Holy Trinity[1432].

m (1141) AGNES de Montfort, daughter of AMAURY [III] de Montfort Comte d'Evreux & his second wife Agnès de Garlande (-15 Dec 1181). Robert of Torigny refers to the wife of "Gualerannus comes Mellenti" as "sorore Simonis comitis Ebroicensis" but does not name her[1433]. "G comes Mellenti et A comitissa uxor mea" donated property to Notre-Dame de la Trappe by undated charter[1434]. Her brother gave her Gournay-sur-Marne as her marriage portion[1435]. "Agnes comitissa Mell." donated property "haia de Lintot" to the monastery of Montvilliers for the soul of "Almarici comitis ebroicensis patris mei…[et]…comitis Mell. Gual. domini mei…et Roberti filii mei" by undated charter[1436]. "Gualeran comes Mellensis" confirmed his foundation of a chapel "at Watteville before the gates of his castle" by charter dated [1154/55], witnessed by his sons Robert and Gualeran and his wife Agnes[1437].

Comte Waléran & his wife had nine children:

1. ROBERT de Beaumont (-[16 Aug or 20 Sep] 1208 or after, bur Préaux). "Gualeran comes Mellensis" confirmed his foundation of a chapel "at Watteville before the gates of his castle" by charter dated [1154/55], witnessed by his sons Robert and Gualeran and his wife Agnes[1438]. Robert of Torigny records that "filius eius Robertus" succeeded "Gualerannus comes Mellenti" when he became a monk in 1166[1439]. He succeeded his father in 1166 as Comte de Meulan. "R comes de Mellento" confirmed the donation of "nobilis vir Galerannus comes pater meus" to Notre-Dame de la Trappe by undated charter[1440]. "Robertus comes Mellenti" confirmed donations to Gournay Sainte-Marie made by "pater meus Galerannus comes et mater mea Agnes", in the presence of "Willelmus de Garlanda, Robertus Malusvicinus et Drogo de Mello fratres, Willelmus Malusvicinus, Manasses frater eius…", by undated charter dated to after 1166[1441]. "Robertus comes Mellenti" donated property to Notre-Dame du Bon-Port by charter dated to [1190], signed by "Petrus filius meus"[1442]. "Robertus comes Mellenti" donated property to Notre-Dame du Bon-Port by charter dated 1192, signed by "Henricus filius meus…"[1443]. He experienced major difficulties in balancing the interests of Normandy, France and England, as landholder in all three jurisdictions. Eventually Philippe II King of France seized all his estates in France and John King of England all those in England[1444]. Thomas Stapleton, in his "Observations on the Great Rolls of the Exchequer of Normandy", records that Robert Comte de Meulan devised his lands in Normandy and England "ex toto to Mabiria wife of William Earl of the Isle and to have them confirmed to [her], as to his next heir [tanquam heredi meo propinquiori]", by charter dated 1 May 1204 "copied into the cartulary of Beaulieu in the forest of Préaux near Rouen", witnessed by "John de Préaux, William de Préaux…"[1445]. Thomas Stapleton states that Comte Robert, after he divested himself of all his lands, "was alive at the close of the year 1207" (without citing the corresponding primary source) and that his "obit…was kept on the 20th Sept by the monks of Préaux and on the 16th Aug by those of St Nicaise de Meulan"[1446].

m ([1165]%29 MATILDA of Cornwall, daughter of RAINALD de Dunstanville Earl of Cornwall & his wife Beatrice FitzWilliam. Robert of Torigny records the marriage of "filius eius [Gualeranni comitis Mellenti] Robertus" and "filiam Rainaldi comitis Cornubiensis" but does not name her[1447]. The primary source which confirms her name has not yet been identified. Comte Robert & his wife had [six] children:

a) WALERAN [V] de Meulan (-Palestine [1190/91]). "Galerannus filius Roberti comes Mellentis" donated property to Notre-Dame du Bon-Port by charter dated to [1190][1448]. He was killed during the Fourth Crusade. m (contract 1189) as her second husband, MARGUERITE de Fougères, widow of GUILLAUME Bertran, daughter of RAOUL Seigneur de Fougères & his wife Mathilde ---. The marriage contract between “Galeranum filium Roberti comitis Mellenti” and “Margaritam filiam Radulfi de Feugeriis” is dated 1189, and names her first husband “Willelmo Bertranno”[1449]. SEIGNEURS de COURSEULLES-sur-MER[1450].]
b) PIERRE de Meulan (-[May/Oct] 1203). "Robertus comes Mellenti" donated property to Notre-Dame du Bon-Port by charter dated to [1190], signed by "Petrus filius meus"[1451]. An anonymous continuation of the Chronicle of Robert of Mont-Saint-Michel records that "Petrus de Mellento, filius Roberti Comitis Mellentini" defected to the French king with "castrum Bellimontis" in 1203, but died soon after[1452]. Deacon at Wimborne.
c) HENRY de Meulan (-before 1204). "Robertus comes Mellenti" donated property to Notre-Dame du Bon-Port by charter dated 1192, signed by "Henricus filius meus…"[1453].
d) MABILE de Meulan ([1166/72]-after 1 May 1204). Her marriage date is estimated from the marriage date of her daughter Mary. Thomas Stapleton, in his "Observations on the Great Rolls of the Exchequer of Normandy", records that Robert Comte de Meulan devised his lands in Normandy and England "ex toto to Mabiria wife of William Earl of the Isle and to have them confirmed to [her], as to his next heir [tanquam heredi meo propinquiori]", by charter dated 1 May 1204 "copied into the cartulary of Beaulieu in the forest of Préaux near Rouen", witnessed by "John de Préaux, William de Préaux…"[1454]. The Fundationis et Fundatorum Historia of Forde Abbey names “Mabilia comitissa” as the wife of ”Willielmum de Vernona”[1455]. “Willielmus de Vernon comes Devoniæ et filius comitis Baldewini” donated property to Quarr Abbey, for the souls of “…et uxoris meæ Mabiliæ comitissæ”, by undated charter[1456]. m ([1178/86]) WILLIAM de Vernon Earl of Devon, son of BALDWIN de Reviers Earl of Devon & his first wife Adelisa --- (-8 or 10 Sep 1217, bur Christ Church, Twynham).
e) AGNES [Jeanne] de Meulan . Her parentage and marriage are confirmed by the undated charter under which "Guido de Roca" confirmed donations to Saint-Nigaise de Meulan made "ab antecessoribus Roberti comitis Mellenti" which "comes predictus" had given him (“decimam...molendini...et decem solidos apud villam...Vallis”) “quando filiam eiusdem in uxorem duxi”[1457]. “Guido de Rupe...Agnes uxor mea...et Guido filius meus” donated property “de nemore de Taleboth” to Jumièges by charter dated [21 Apr 1185/12 Apr 1186], witnessed by “Guazone de Pissiaco...”[1458]. Another document indicates that Guy’s wife was named Jeanne: Guy de la Roche donated salt "sur son péage de la Roche" to Joyenval abbey, for the soul of "son âme et celle de Jehanne sa défunte épouse" to "Johanni de Aubergenvilla de Mellento", with the consent of “Dne Margarite uxoris mee”, by charter dated Mar 1222[1459]. Presumably this indicates either that one or other document is in error concerning the name or that Jeanne was a second wife the record of whose marriage has not yet been found. m GUY [IV] Seigneur de la Roche-Guyon, son of ---.
f) [JEANNE de Meulan (-[before 1186]). Many secondary sources name Jeanne de Meulan as the wife of Robert [II] Seigneur d’Harcourt. This can be traced back to La Roque who states that “Jeanne de Meullent Dame d’Elbeuf…Dame de Beaumesnil, de Sainct Celerin et autres seigneuries”, daughter of Robert [II] Comte de Meulan and his wife, married “[son cousin]…Robert 2. Baron de Harcourt dit le Vaillant…par dispense”[1460]. La Roque adds that “ailleurs il est dit que Galeran Comte de Meulent en execution de la volonté du Comte Robert de Meulent son pere, consentit que Jeanne de Meulent sa sœur eust les seigneuries cy-dessus et donna de son chef à Richard de Harcourt son neveu, fils aisné de Jeanne de Meulent, la seigneurie d’Elbeuf, en reconnoissant toujours qu’ils estoient de la mesme race et de mesme sang”[1461]. He cites no source which supports this statement nor provides the basis for the proposed marriage. The issue is to decide whether there could be any validity at all for this alleged marriage[1462]. Thomas Stapleton, in his "Observations on the Great Rolls of the Exchequer of Normandy", dismisses La Roque’s position as unsupported[1463]. He traces the ownership of Elbœuf as providing one approach to testing the question. Stapleton quotes three documents relating to Elbœuf: firstly, the marriage contract between Waléran, son of Robert [II] Comte de Meulan, and Marguerite de Fougères, dated 1189, under which Marguerite received dower including "100 livres in Elbœuf i.e. in land and men…and [if] Waléran [died], Marguerite his wife to have her dower in its entirety"; secondly, John King of England directed the bailiffs of the Lieuvin, Vaudreuil and La Londe, by writs dated 7 Feb and 12 Feb 1203, "to cause Richard d’Harcourt to have…the land which had belonged to Margaret filia Willelmi de Feuferiis" and "to have the rent qui fuit Margarete uxoris quondam Walerani de Mellent, sororis Willelmi de Feugeriis, que est cum Britonibus"; thirdly, King John, dated 28 May 1203, made known that Robert [II] Comte de Meulan "had pledged all his land in Normandy to Us", that it would revert to Robert if the king predeceased him "except Elbœuf…which he hath granted to Richard d’Harcourt by Our consent"[1464]. Stapleton assumes that Marguerite de Fougères, widow of Waléran de Meulan, was dispossessed by King John. Marguerite is stated to be "with the Bretons" ("cum Britonibus") in the source dated 12 Feb 1203. These events occurred during the critical period before and after the murder of Arthur Duke of Brittany (killed 3 Apr 1203), so such dispossession is plausible as part of the king’s operations against Brittany. On the other side of the argument, the 28 May 1203 source states that Comte Robert [II] had granted Elbœuf to Richard d’Harcourt with the king’s consent, a point on which the 7 Feb and 12 Feb orders are silent. If the transfer was a voluntary one, a close family relationship between Robert [II] de Meulan and Richard d’Harcourt would provide the best explanation for the grant. However, in that case, Robert de Meulan must have been complicit in depriving his own daughter-in-law of her dower before making the transfer. Such a scenario is unlikely as relations between Robert and the king were poor: an order of King John dated 2 Apr 1203 assured "R. com Melleti" that the king would end all bad feelings (“perdonavimus vobis omnem iram et malivolentiam que habemus adversus vos”) if he visited before the end of the Easter period ("si venitis ad nos infra claus Pasch pxim") and granted him safe passage[1465]. The result was the 28 May 1203 order proclaiming Robert’s pledge of his lands to the king, which sounds anything but voluntary. That document, as quoted by Stapleton, states no Meulan/Harcourt family relationship and Stapleton takes this omission as indicating that no family connection existed. Although there are numerous examples of transfers between relatives where the documents are silent on the actual relationship, the omission is telling in this case. Stapleton also cites the charter dated 1 May 1204, under which Robert Comte de Meulan devised his lands "ex toto to Mabiria wife of William Earl of the Isle and to have them confirmed to [her], as to his next heir [tanquam heredi meo propinquiori]"[1466]. He suggests that "tanquam heredi meo propinquiori" indicates that none of Comte Robert’s other children had surviving issue (which would mean that Richard d’Harcourt could not have been Comte Robert’s grandson). The phrase also covers the situation where there were surviving grandchildren, with Mabile being his only surviving child who was more closely related to him ("propinquiori") by one generation than the grandchildren. Such grandchildren would include the issue of Robert’s deceased son Waléran by Marguerite de Fougères, and so the 1 May 1204 decision could have formed part of the king’s repression of Breton sympathisers. In conclusion, political circumstances at the time suggest that the transfer of Elbœuf to Richard d’Harcourt took place against the wishes of the Meulan family, which in turn suggests that they were not related and that the alleged marriage of [Jeanne] de Meulan never took place. While it is impossible to conclude definitively on the likelihood of La Roque being correct, his work contains many inaccuracies and is not reliable, as noted elsewhere in the present document. By way of footnote, if the daughter of Robert [II] Comte de Meulan did marry Robert [II] Seigneur d’Harcourt, the chronology indicates that she would have been his first wife. In addition, it is likely that her name was not Jeanne in light of the contradictory sources which refer to the wife of Guy de la Roche-Guyon, another possible daughter of Robert de Meulan, as explained in more detail above. m [as his first wife,] ROBERT [II] "le Vaillant" Seigneur d'Harcourt, son of GUILLAUME Seigneur d’Harcourt & his wife --- (-[1208]).]

2. WALERAN de Meulan . "Gualeran comes Mellensis" confirmed his foundation of a chapel "at Watteville before the gates of his castle" by charter dated [1154/55], witnessed by his sons Robert and Gualeran and his wife Agnes[1467]. Canon at Rouen 1173/1181.

3. AMAURY de Meulan (-before 1196). "Amalricus et Rogerus fratres mei" witnessed the undated charter of "R comes de Mellento" which confirmed the donation of "nobilis vir Galerannus comes pater meus" to Notre-Dame de la Trappe[1468]. Seigneur de Gournay-sur-Marne et de la Queue. "Amalricus de Gornaio" donated property previously owned by "Agnes comitissa mater eius, Rogerius frater ipsius Amalrici et Aales uxor eius" to the priory of Notre-Dame by charter dated [1182/86][1469]. m as her second husband, ALIX Dame de Luzarches, widow of MATHIEU [II] Comte de Beaumont-sur-Oise, daughter of --- (-6 Jan

---

). 1161/1186. "Adeleidis comitissa quondam de Bellomonte nunc autem de Gornaio domina" donated property to the church of St Marie de Gournay by charter dated [1186/87], witnessed by "Matheus et Johannes filii predicte comitisse"[1470]. The primary source which confirms her origin has not yet been identified. The Necrologium Bellimontense records the death “VI Id Jan” of “Aales mater Johannis comitis Bellimontis”[1471]. SEIGNEURS de GOURNAY-sur-MARNE et de la QUEUE[1472].

4. ROGER de Meulan (-12 Jul, after 1205). "Amalricus et Rogerus fratres mei" witnessed the undated charter of "R comes de Mellento" which confirmed the donation of "nobilis vir Galerannus comes pater meus" to Notre-Dame de la Trappe[1473]. "Rogerius de Mellento" donated property with the consent of "Ysabel uxoris mee" to Notre-Dame de Gournay in memory of "patris mei comitis Galeranni et matris mee et fratrum meorum" by charter dated 1 Jan/29 Mar 1187 or 1 Jan/17 Apr 1188[1474]. Vicomte d'Evreux until 1204. "Rogerius de Mellento" confirmed donations to Gournay Sainte-Marie made by "pie memorie progenitoribus meis comite Galeranno et Agnete", with the consent of “uxoris mee Ysabel et filiorum meorum Almarici et Willelmi”, by charter dated to [1 Jan/10 Apr] 1205 or [1 Jan/2 Apr] 1206[1475]. The necrology of the monastery of Saint-Leufroy records the death "22 Jul" of "Dominus Rogerius de Mellent miles"[1476]. m (before 1190) ELISABETH Dame d'Aubergenville, daughter of --- (-24 May

---

). The primary source which confirms her origin has not yet been identified. "Rogerius de Mellento" confirmed donations to Gournay Sainte-Marie made by "pie memorie progenitoribus meis comite Galeranno et Agnete", with the consent of “uxoris mee Ysabel et filiorum meorum Almarici et Willelmi”, by charter dated to [1 Jan/10 Apr] 1205 or [1 Jan/2 Apr] 1206[1477]. The necrology of the monastery of Saint-Leufroy records the death "24 May" of "Isabel uxor Rogeri de Mellent"[1478]. SEIGNEURS d'AUBERGENVILLE[1479]. "Rogerius de Mellento" confirmed donations to Gournay Sainte-Marie made by "pie memorie progenitoribus meis comite Galeranno et Agnete", with the consent of “uxoris mee Ysabel et filiorum meorum Almarici et Willelmi”, by charter dated to [1 Jan/10 Apr] 1205 or [1 Jan/2 Apr] 1206[1480].

5. RAOUL de Meulan . The primary source which confirms his parentage has not yet been identified. 1165/1182.

6. ETIENNE de Meulan . The primary source which confirms his parentage has not yet been identified. 1165.

7. ISABELLE de Meulan (-10 May 1220, bur Savigny). Henry II King of England confirmed a donation to Savigny by "Ysabell filie Gualerandi comitis de Mellento", with the consent of "filiis suis Juhello…filio Gaufridi de Meduana, et Mauricio et Petro, filiis Mauricii de Creon", by charter dated to [Apr 1180/Jan 1183][1481]. "Mauricius de Creon Hugonis filius" donated property to Roë by charter dated 23 Jun 1191, witnessed by "…Guillelmo de Guierchia et Isabel uxore mea et filiis meis Mauricio et Petro…"[1482]. Her two marriages are confirmed by the undated charter by which her son "Mauritius dominus Credoni" confirmed the donation by "Constantia soror mea" of revenue set by "dominus Juhellus frater meus" at "apud Harperiam" to the abbey of Clarei, by undated charter, witnessed by "…domina Isabel matre mea, domina Gervasia…"[1483]. "Mauritius de Credone filius Hugonis" appointed "meæ uxoris Isabel" as guardian of his lands and his children in his undated testament when leaving for Jerusalem[1484]. The Gesta Guillelmi Majoris Andegavensis Episcopi names “dominis de Credonio…et Isabella Domina de Credonio” among those present at the burial of Bishop Guillaume, undated but stated to be during the reign of Philippe II King of France[1485]. "Constancia soror domini Amaurici de Credone" donated property to Roë, with the consent of “...Isabel matris meæ et Juhel de Meduana et Amauricii de Credone fratrum meorum”, by charter dated 1217[1486]. The Chronicon Savigniacensis Monasterii records the death in 1220 of "Juhellus de Meduana…domina Isabel mater eius"[1487]. The necrology of Angers Cathedral records the death "Kal Mai" of "Isabellis domina de Credonio"[1488]. m firstly ([1161]%29 as his second wife, GEOFFROY Seigneur de Mayenne, son of JUHEL Seigneur de Mayenne & his wife Clémence de Ponthieu (-18 Feb or 25 Jul 1169). m secondly ([1170]) MAURICE [II] Seigneur de Craon, son of HUGUES Seigneur de Craon & his second wife Isabelle de Vitré (-12 Jul 1196).

8. MARIE de Meulan . The primary source which confirms her parentage and marriage has not yet been identified. m HUE Talbot Baron de Cleuville Seigneur de Hotot-sur-Meretc.

9. AMICIE de Meulan . The primary source which confirms her parentage and marriage has not yet been identified. m HENRI Seigneur de Ferrières, son of ---.

SOURCES

[1425] Orderic Vitalis (Chibnall), Vol. VI, Book XI, p. 21.

[1426] CP VII 527.

[1427] CP VII Appendix I, p. 737.

[1428] Round (1899) 171, p. 60.

[1429] Robert de Torigny, Vol. I, 1166, p. 359.

[1430] Orderic Vitalis (Chibnall), Vol. VI, Book XIII, p. 457.

[1431] Chronicon Valassense, p. 8.

[1432] William of Newburgh Historia, ed. Hearne, p. 705, quoted in CP XII/2 836, footnote m.

[1433] Robert de Torigny, Vol. I, 1166, p. 359.

[1434] Notre-Dame de la Trappe R.I, p. 442.

[1435] CP VII Appendix I, p. 738.

[1436] Chronicon Valassense, p. 49.

[1437] Round (1899) 171, p. 60.

[1438] Round (1899) 171, p. 60.

[1439] Robert de Torigny, Vol. I, 1166, p. 359.

[1440] Notre-Dame de la Trappe R.V, p. 444.

[1441] Pontoise Saint-Martin, Fascicule 3, Appendix, p. 259, quoting A. N. LL 1397 fol. 22.

[1442] Notre-Dame du Bon-Port, X, p. 8.

[1443] Notre-Dame du Bon-Port, XV, p. 12.

[1444] CP VII Appendix I, pp. 739-40.

[1445] Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniæ, Vol. II, p. cci.

[1446] Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniæ, Vol. II, p. cciii.

[1447] Chronique de Robert de Torigny I, 1166, p. 360.

[1448] Notre-Dame du Bon-Port, XII, p. 10.

[1449] Veterum Scriptorum I, col. 986.

[1450] ES III 702, extinct in the male line before 1448.

[1451] Notre-Dame du Bon-Port, X, p. 8.

[1452] Anonymi Continuatio appendicis Roberti de Monte ad Sigebertum, RHGF XVIII, p. 342.

[1453] Notre-Dame du Bon-Port, XV, p. 12.

[1454] Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniæ, Vol. II, p. cci.

[1455] Dugdale Monasticon V, Forde Abbey, Devonshire I, p. 381.

[1456] Dugdale Monasticon V, Quarr Abbey, Isle of Wight, V, p. 317.

[1457] Pontoise Saint-Martin, Appendice, p. 326, footnote 372 quoting Cartulaire de Saint-Nigaise, “Roth. diocesis, V”.

[1458] Jumièges, Tome II, CXL, p. 77.

[1459] Pontoise Saint-Martin, Appendice, p. 327, footnote 372 (continued from previous page) citing “Chartrier de la Roche-Guyon”.

[1460] La Roque (1662), Tome I, Table généalogique du Livre I (second chart), following Preface p. 60, and pp. 74, 310.

[1461] La Roque (1662), Tome I, p. 311.

[1462] I am grateful to Bert M. Kamp for his insights into the question of this alleged [Jeanne] de Meulan/Robert [II] d’Harcourt marriage.

[1463] Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniæ, Vol. II, p. ccix.

[1464] Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniæ, Vol. II, p. cxcix, cxcix, cci.

[1465] Rotuli Litterarum Patentium, 4 John, p. 27.

[1466] Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniæ, Vol. II, p. cci.

[1467] Round (1899) 171, p. 60.

[1468] Notre-Dame de la Trappe R.V, p. 444.

[1469] Paris Saint-Martin-des-Champs, III, 483, p. 71.

[1470] Paris Saint-Martin-des-Champs III, 504, p. 95.

[1471] Douet-d’Arcq (1855), p. 144.

[1472] ES III 703 A, extinct in the male line 1356.

[1473] Notre-Dame de la Trappe R.V, p. 444.

[1474] Paris Saint-Martin-des-Champs III, 495, p. 83.

[1475] Paris Saint-Martin-des-Champs III, 636, p. 243.

[1476] RHGF XXIII, Ex Necrologio monasterii crucis sancti Leufredi, p. 478.

[1477] Paris Saint-Martin-des-Champs III, 636, p. 243.

[1478] RHGF XXIII, Ex Necrologio monasterii crucis sancti Leufredi, p. 477.

[1479] ES III 703 B, extinct in the male line after 1318.

[1480] Paris Saint-Martin-des-Champs III, 636, p. 243.

[1481] Actes Henri II, Tome II, DCXXVIII, p. 238.

[1482] Broussillon (1893), Tome I, 177, p. 114.

[1483] Guyard de la Fosse (1850), Preuves, XVII.

[1484] Bodard de la Jacopière (1872), Renvoi E2, p. 596, quoting Coll. Housseau, Vol. VI, no. 2135.

[1485] Gesta Guillelmi Majoris Andegavensis Episcopi, Spicilegium II, p. 161.

[1486] Broussillon (1893), Tome I, 239, p. 161.

[1487] Ex Chronico Savigniacensis Monasterii, RHGF XVIII, p. 352.

[1488] Obituaire de la Cathédrale d'Angers.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleran_de_Beaumont,_1st_Earl_of_Worce...

Waleran de Beaumont, Count of Meulan, 1st Earl of Worcester (1104 – 9 April 1166, Preaux), was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester and Elizabeth de Vermandois, and the twin brother of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester. He is not referred to by any surname in a contemporary document other than 'Waleran son of Count Robert'.

Early life

Waleran was born in 1104, the elder of twin sons of Robert de Beaumont, count of Meulan, who was also to become earl of Leicester in 1107. On their father's death in June 1118, the boys came into the wardship of King Henry I of England. They remained in his care till late in 1120 when they were declared adult and allowed to succeed to their father's lands by a division already arranged between the king and their father before his death. By the arrangement, Waleran succeeded to the county of Meulan upriver on the Seine from the Norman border, and the principal family Norman honors of Beaumont-le-Roger and Pont Audemer. His great possessions included the forest of Brotonne, which was centred on his castle of Vatteville on the left bank of the Seine. As part of the family arrangement, Waleran also received a large estate in Dorset centred on the manor of Sturminster Marshall.

Rebellion and Imprisonment

Late in 1122 Waleran was drawn into a conspiracy with Amaury III of Montfort, count of Évreux, in support of the claimant to Normandy, William Clito, son of Robert Curthose. The king however detected the conspiracy, and Waleran and his young colleagues were caught unawares by a preemptive strike by the king's army against the rebel centre of Montfort-sur-Risle. Waleran rallied and based his resistance to the king at his castle of Brionne. In October 1123 he lost his fortress of Pont Audemer on the Norman coast to a siege, despite calling in military help from his French relations and allies. After a winter of raiding, on 25 March 1124, Waleran proceeded to the relief of his castle of Vatteville, with his three brothers-in-law, Hugh de Châteauneuf, Hugh de Montfort and William, Lord of Bréval. The returning column was intercepted by a force of knights and soldiers of Henry I's household between Bourgtheroulde and Boissy-le-Châtel, the royal commander being given variously as William de Tancarville or Odo Borleng. The royal household troops decisively defeated Waleran when he attempted a mounted charge at the head of his men, shooting their horses from under them. Waleran's remaining castles continued to resist until 16 April 1124 when Waleran was forced by the king to order his seneschal Morin du Pin to surrender them. Waleran's lands were seized and he was imprisoned first at Rouen, then at Bridgnorth in Shropshire and finally at Wallingford Castle.

Waleran was released for unknown reasons in 1129. He resumed an active role at court and he and his twin brother were both present at Henry's deathbed. He was probably involved in the discussions of the Norman magnates in December 1135 as to who should succeed to Normandy and England.

Lieutenant of Normandy

The accession of Stephen may have taken him by surprise but he had already offered his allegiance to the new king before Easter 1136. At the court he was betrothed to the king's infant daughter, Matilda, and received the city and county of Worcester as her marriage portion. After Easter he went to Normandy taking authority from the king to act as his lieutenant in the duchy. In September he commanded the army of Norman magnates which repelled the invasion by Geoffrey of Anjou, husband of the Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I. He was also able to capture the chief rebel Roger de Toeni. He remained there until the following spring and then returned to England.

The next year he attended the king on his tour of Normandy, crossed back to England with him at the end of the year, by which time he was beginning to undermine the previous ascendancy at court of the bishops of Winchester and Salisbury. He and his family began to monopolise favour and patronage at Stephen's court and they alienated the faction headed by Earl Robert of Gloucester, who in retaliation adopted the cause of his half-sister, the Empress. In June 1138, Waleran was in Normandy to confront successfully again an invading Angevin army. Waleran used his extensive connections at the French court to mobilize a large force of French knights to assist him. It was probably in 1138 that he received the second title of Earl of Worcester. He founded the Cistercian abbey of Bordesley at the end of that year to mark his arrival in the county. The same year his youngest brother Hugh received the earldom of Bedford and other relations were similarly honoured.

Before Easter 1139 Waleran was in Paris on an embassy to his cousin, the new King Louis VII of France. On his return he was the motivating force behind the overthrow of the court faction headed by the justiciar, Bishop Roger of Salisbury. The bishop and his family were arrested in June, and their wealth and many of their possessions confiscated.

Civil war

With the arrival of Robert of Gloucester in England in September 1139, the civil war between Stephen and Matilda's supporters got under way. One of the first attacks Gloucester sponsored was an assault on Waleran's English base at Worcester. The city was attacked and sacked on 7 November 1139. Waleran retaliated savagely against the rebel centers of Sudeley and Tewkesbury.

Waleran was present at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141. He was one of the royalist earls who fled when they saw that the battle was lost. Waleran escaped, but the king was captured and imprisoned at Bristol. Waleran fought on for several months, probably basing himself at Worcester, where he had to deal with the defection of his sheriff, William de Beauchamp. It may have been at this time that he seized and fortified the Herefordshire Beacon for the bishop of Hereford complained of his lordship of this castle in 1148. At last late in the summer of 1141 Waleran gave up the struggle as news reached him that his Norman lands were being taken over by the invading Angevin army. He surrendered to the Empress Matilda, and had to accept her appropriation of the abbey of Bordesley as it had been founded on a royal estate. However, once in Normandy, Waleran was accepted at the court of Geoffrey of Anjou, and his lands in England and Normandy were confirmed to him. His first marriage, to the king's daughter Matilda, had ended with the child's death in London in 1137. Around the end of 1142, Waleran married Agnes, daughter of Amaury de Montfort, count of Évreux. As a result of the marriage he obtained estates in the Pays de Caux and the lordship of Gournay-sur-Marne in the Ile de France. Waleran had already obtained his mother's marriage portion of the honor of Elbeuf on the Seine on her death in or around 1139. Despite the political reverses on 1141, Waleran was considerably wealthier at the end of the year than he had been at the beginning.

Waleran served with Geoffrey of Anjou at the siege of Rouen in 1143/4. During it he captured and burnt the suburb of Emendreville and the Church of St. Sever, where many of both sexes perished in the flames. He consolidated his position as leader of the Norman nobility by a formal treaty with his cousin Robert du Neubourg, seneschal of Normandy. However, Waleran seems to have turned his mind to the French court at this time. In Easter 1146 he was at Vézelay for the preaching of the Second Crusade and attended the great assembly of magnates at Paris from April to June 1147 to meet the pope and Louis VII. On 29 June he was joint leader of the Anglo-Norman crusaders on their rendezvous with Louis VII at Worms. He accompanied the crusade to Syria and its unfortunate conclusion before Damascus. He seems to have left Palestine before King Louis, taking the sea voyage home. He was shipwrecked somewhere on his return, perhaps on the coast of Provence. He promised to build an abbey of Cistercians if he survived the wreck, and in due course he built the abbey of St Mary de Voto (of the Vow) or Le Valasse in fulfilment of his vow.

Political Decline

Waleran's great influence in Normandy survived till 1151, but the new regime of Duke Henry was not sympathetic to him. He made the fatal error of temporising with the Capetian court and assisting the campaigns of Louis VII, his overlord for Meulan. Though his support gained Waleran the hugely profitable wardship of the great county of Vermandois during the minority of his young cousin Count Ralph II, it also led to his downfall. In the second half of 1153 he was ambushed by his nephew and enemy Robert de Montfort, who held him captive while his Norman and English estates were stripped from Waleran by Duke Henry's friends and officers. The earldom of Worcester was suppressed and his Worcestershire castles destroyed in 1155.

Although Waleran was released, his power in Normandy was broken, and an attempt to reclaim Montfort-sur-Risle from his nephew was a humiliating failure. Waleran was an outsider at the court of Henry II, and between 1160 and 1162 lost his Norman lands and castles when he supported Louis VII against Henry II. His last years were eked out as a landowner and justice in the duchy. The last notice of his activities is a settlement of his affairs relating to his priory of Gournay-sur-Marne around the end of 1165. Twenty days before his death he entered the abbey of St Peter of Préaux, the ancestral abbey of his family south of Pont Audemer in Normandy, and died as a monk there on 9 or 10 April 1166. He was buried in its chapter house alongside several other members of his dynasty.

Aristocrat and humanist

Waleran was an important twelfth-century character in ways other than political. He was a literate man educated in the liberal arts and philosophy. The elegy to him by Stephen of Rouen, monk of Bec-Hellouin, reveals that he composed Latin verse. In 1142 he tells us that he personally researched the deeds in the archive of Meulan priory before confirming its possessions. Like his twin brother, he also seems to have been an assiduous writer of letters and a number of them survive. He was also a literary patron, as Geoffrey of Monmouth dedicated the earliest edition of his History of the Kings of Britain to him in 1136.
Waleran founded Cistercian abbeys at Bordesley, Worcestershire (1139), and Le Valasse, Normandy (c.1150), though in both cases the abbeys were taken over by the king. He was a generous patron of the two ancestral Benedictine monasteries of Préaux (St Peter for men and St Leger for women). He was besides accepted as advocate of the abbey of Bec-Hellouin, and was patron of its priory at Meulan, founding another at Beaumont-le-Roger. He founded a Benedictine priory at Gournay-sur-Marne. He endowed a major hospital at Pont Audemer, which still survives.

Family and children

He married, firstly, Matilda, daughter of King Stephen of England and Matilda of Boulogne, Countess de Boulogne, circa March 1136. She died in 1137 aged only four.

He married, secondly, Agnes de Montfort, daughter of Amaury III de Montfort, Count of Évreux, and Agnes de Garlande, in 1141/2.

He had children with Agnes de Montfort (the boys as they appear in order in his 1165 charter to Gournay priory):

• Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan.
• Isabelle de Meulan (d. 10 May 1220), married twice: 1) ca 1161 Geoffroy, lord of Mayenne; 2) ca 1170 Maurice II, lord of Craon.
• Waleran de Meulan
• Amaury de Meulan, lord of Gournay-sur-Marne.
• Roger de Meulan or Beaumont, viscount of Évreux.
• Raoul (Ralph) de Meulan.
• Etienne (Stephen) de Meulan.
• Mary de Meulan.

References

Cokayne, G.E.; Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors. The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed. 13 volumes in 14. 1910-1959. Reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, UK: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000.

Edward T. Beaumont, J.P. The Beaumonts in History. A.D. 850-1850. Oxford.

Crouch, D. The Beaumont Twins: The Roots and Branches of Power in the Twelfth Century (Cambridge, 1986).

Crouch, D. The Reign of King Stephen, 1135-1154 (London, 2000).

Houth, E. 'Galeran II, comte de Meulan, catalogue de ses actes precédé d'une étude biographique', Bullétin Philologique et Historique (1961).

King, E. 'Waleran, count of Meulan, earl of Worcester, 1104-1166', in, Tradition and Change: Essays in Honour of Marjorie Chibnall, ed. D. Greenway and others (Cambridge, 1985), 115-130.

Remfry, P.M., 'The Herefordshire Beacon and the families of King Harold II and the Earls of Hereford and Worcester' [Malvern, 2008].

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Waleran de Beaumont, 1st and last Earl of Worcester1

M, #104874, b. 1104, d. between 9 April 1166 and 10 April 1166

Last Edited=22 May 2004

Waleran de Beaumont, 1st and last Earl of Worcester was born in 1104.2 He was the son of Robert de Meulan, 1st Earl of Leicester and Elizabeth de Vermandois.1 He married, firstly, Matilda de Blois, daughter of Stephen de Blois, King of England and Matilda, Comtesse de Boulogne, circa March 1136.3 He married, secondly, Agnes de Montfort, daughter of Amaury III de Montfort, Comte d'Evreux and Agnes de Garlande, in 1141.3 He died between 9 April 1166 and 10 April 1166 at Préaux, France.4 He was buried at Préaux, France.4

Waleran de Beaumont, 1st and last Earl of Worcester succeeded to the title of Comte de Meulan [France] on 5 June 1118.5 In September 1118 he remained faithful to King Henry I during the rebellon which broke out.5 In 1123 he was drawn into a conspiracy with William Clito, son of Robert 'Curthose.5' On 26 March 1124 at Bourgtéroude, France, he was captured by the King.5 In 1129 the King set him free, and gave him back his lands.5 He was created 1st Earl of Worcester [England] circa 1138.5 However, under King Henry II's reign, his title of Earl of Worcester does not appear to have been recognised.6 He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.7

He has an extensive biographical entry in the The Complete Peerage.8

Child of Waleran de Beaumont, 1st and last Earl of Worcester and Agnes de Montfort

Robert de Beaumont, Comte de Meulan+ b. c 1142, d. c 21 Sep 12073

Citations

[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume XII/2, page 829. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.

[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 52. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Family.

[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume XII/2, page 836.

[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume XII/2, page 837.

[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume XII/2, page 830.

[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume XII/2, page 834.

[S18] Matthew H.C.G., editor, Dictionary of National Biography on CD-ROM (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1995), reference "Beaumont, Waleran de, 1104-1166". Hereinafter cited as Dictionary of National Biography.

[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume XII/2, page 829-38.