Lord Thomas Fitz Stephen, Cpt.

The shipwreck that changed the course of Medieval England, the White Ship, la Blanche-Nef, sank off the coast of Barfleur in the English Channel on 25 November 1120, taking with it the heir to the English throne and over 150 members of the leading families of Norman England. Thomas Fitz Stephen, was the Captain on the ill-fated night, his father Airard was the owner of the ship. Chronicler Orderic Vitalis claimed that when Thomas FitzStephen came to the surface after the sinking and learned that William Adelin had not survived, he let himself drown rather than face the King.

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The White Ship was a new vessel captained by Thomas FitzStephen, whose father Stephen FitzAirard had been captain of the ship Mora for William the Conqueror when he invaded England in 1066.[1] FitzStephen offered his ship to Henry I of England to use it to return to England from Barfleur in Normandy.[2] Henry had already made other arrangements, but allowed many in his retinue to take the White Ship, including his heir, William Adelin; his illegitimate son Richard of Lincoln; his illegitimate daughter Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche; and many other nobles.[2] According to chronicler Orderic Vitalis, the crew asked William Adelin for wine and he supplied it to them in great abundance.[2] By the time the ship was ready to leave there were about 300 people on board although some had disembarked before the ship sailed due to the excessive drinking.[3]

The ship's captain, Thomas FitzStephen, was ordered by the revellers to overtake the king's ship which had already sailed.[3] The White Ship was fast, of the best construction and had recently been fitted with new materials which made the captain and crew confident they could reach England first.[4] But when it set off in the dark, its port side struck a submerged rock called Quillebœuf and the ship quickly capsized.[3] William Adelin got into a small boat and could have escaped but turned back to try to rescue his half-sister, Matilda, when he heard her cries for help. His boat was swamped by others trying to save themselves, and William drowned along with them.[3] According to Orderic Vitalis only two survived by clinging to the rock all night; one was a butcher from Rouen, the second was Geoffrey de l'Aigle.[5] The chronicler further claimed that when Thomas FitzStephen came to the surface after the sinking and learned that William Adelin had not survived, he let himself drown rather than face the King.[6]

The cause of the shipwreck remains uncertain and various stories surround its loss. The most frequently aired version of events is that of a drinking binge by the crew and passengers. When seabound the captain became reckless and dared to try to overtake the King's ship once outside the harbour walls. It is also said that priests were not allowed on board to bless the ship in the customary manner,

Sources: _____________________

1 Strickland, i, p. 116. 2 Dante Gabriel Rossetti has versed this : —
Stout Fitz Stephen came to the King —
A captain famous in seafaring ; And he held to the King, in all men's sight, A mark of gold for his tribute's right.

1 Odericus Vitalis refers to Thomas Fitz Stephen. See also Tirry's Anglo-Normans ; Strickland, I, 117 ; Hume I, 262, etc. Strickland says, (I, 116), that Thomas Fitz Stephen"demanded the honor of conveying the heir of England home because his father had commandedthe Mora, the ship that brought William the Conqueror to the shores of England. His petition was granted."

2 This Stephen Fitz Stephen has long been claimed as a member of the family—the claim not always being admitted. The general facts are now pretty well ascertained ; and while it cannot be said that all doubt is removed, the discoveries are confirmatory of the claim. As the weight of evidence is decidedly in favor of his place in this genealogy, he is so placed with this note to qualify the entry. Whether his name is included in the pedigree or not, in no way affects the line of descent, as his own line died out with his son.

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went down with the “White Ship” that he commanded in 1120