Grimoult du Plessis

Alternative place of birth: England

http://www.mondes-normands.caen.fr/angleterre/archeo/Normandie/mdn/...

The bailey castle of Plessis-Grimoult (Calvados)

The fortified site of Plessis-Grimoult is presented in the form of an oval curtain wall 50 to 60 metres in diameter, made of earth ramparts at the top of which stand the remains of a fortified gate and a small masonry tower. During the 11th century, this was the property of Grimoult du Plessis who took an active role in the uprising of the barons against William the Bastard. After his victory at the battle of Val-es-Dunes in 1047, the Duke made a gift of this confiscated property to the Bayeux cathedral.

The digs carried out between 1967 and 1971 showed signs of occupation of the site between the beginning of the 10th century and the mid-11th century. Archaeological artefacts, although rare, are characteristic of a castral site, and this creates a picture of the standard of living of the lower and middle-ranking aristocracy of the Duchy.

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cousin/html/p342.htm

Grimoult du Plessis1

b. circa 1015, d. 1047

Grimoult du Plessis|b. c 1015\nd. 1047|p342.htm#i12196|N. N. du Plessis|b. c 985|p101.htm#i12195||||||||||||||||

Father N. N. du Plessis1 b. circa 985

    Grimoult du Plessis was born circa 1015.1 He was the son of N. N. du Plessis.1 Grimoult du Plessis was noted as the traitor of Valognes and Val-ès-Dunes before 1047.1 He died in 1047. Died in "his dungeon."1 

Citations

[S209] Somerset Herald J.R. Planché, Planché, J.R..

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THE ORIGINS OF THE STANHOPE FAMILY

                             By

Michael Stanhope
THE FAMILY OF FRESNE

Adeliza du Plessis was the sister of Grimoult du Plessis, who lost his estates, situated mainly in Coutances, after siding against William the Bastard at Val des Dunes. The name Plessis was of topographical origin, signifying [O.F] a pallisade, and [Lat.] an enclosure, referring to the castle held by the family at Plessis-Grimoult. [The Priory of Plessis-Grimoult was endowed by the Beaumont/Harcourt family; almost invariably a sign that there was a familial connection between them and the founder's family - Mem. Soc. Ant. Norm., vol ii., 23, no. 238.] The original name of the family was Fresne, or, more anciently, Freyne, signifying an ash tree, a derivative of which is the surname Frame. [ G. F. Black, Surnames of Scotland; Their Origin, Meaning, and History, p. 278, 1946.] The father of Adeliza and Grimoult was titled Osulf le Fresne. Their holdings in Coutances abutted those of the family of the wife of the aforementioned Onfroi de Vieilles, who, as said, was of the family of Haye/Haie; of Haye-du-Puits, Manche, arr. Coutances. [The lord of this barony, at the date of the conquest, was Raoul, sénéchal of the Earl of Mortaigne, and father of Robert de la Haie, a contemporary of Henry I. Raoul seems to have been the son of Hubert de Rye, to whom was entrusted the governorship of the castle and county of Nottingham, and who is frequently mentioned in Domesday Book.] In the Battle of Beaumont-le-Roger, in 1036, Onfroi de Vieilles fought against Roger de Toeni, and his close ally, Osulf du Fresne. Such military and political alliance usually stemmed from familial and consequent topographical connections. Later acts of the Abbey of Conches support this notion, with this Fresne family being noted as feudatories of the Anglo-Norman Toeni family, holding of them land centred around Mesnil-Hardray, canton Conches. In the same regard, Grimoult du Plessis was lord of le Freyne, canton Trévières, situated near Colleville-sur-Mer; a fief of the Crispin family, and thus close to Cleville, held by Roger de Beaumont, and Cailleville, held by the Harcourt family - all of the Malet family caput of Graville-Sainte-Honorine, as previously stated.

Grimoult DU PLESSIS

   * Birth: 0990, France

* Death: 1047, Rouen, France
* Partnership with: Mitilda DE NORMANDY
o Child: Geoffrey DE MONTBRAY Birth: 1015, Manche, France
o Child: Adeliza Belvoir DU PLESSIS Birth: 1020, France
o Child: Roger DE MONTBRAY Birth: 1025, Normandy, France
Descendants of Grimoult DU PLESSIS

1 Grimoult DU PLESSIS

 =Mitilda DE NORMANDY

2 Geoffrey DE MONTBRAY
2 Adeliza Belvoir DU PLESSIS
=William Seigneur DE AUBIGNY
3 Roger DE AUBIGNY
=Adelina DE GRANDMESNIL
2 Roger DE MONTBRAY