Saint William of Bréteuïl

Vital Statistics

• Son of Guillaume FitzOsbern, Earl of Hereford, and Adelisa de Tosny, daughter of daughter of Roger de Tosny & his wife Godechildis.
• On the death of his father, William I King of England granted him the succession to the estates in Normandy, whereby he became Seigneur de Breteuil et de Pacy.
• He was captured in an attack on Conques, during the war between Raoul de Tosny and Guillaume Comte d'Evreux triggered by the enmity between their wives, and ransomed for 3,000 livres and the promise to make his cousin Roger de Tosny his heir.
• Married first Adeline de Montfort-sur-Risle, daughter of Hugues II. They were childless.
• He had two illegitimate children by a mistress or mistresses:

1. Eustache de Pacy
2. Isabel

Sources and Notes

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_of_Breteuil (....-1130)
• http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLISH%20NOBILITY%20MEDIEVAL.htm#G...

1. GUILLAUME (-Bec 12 Jan [1103], bur Monastery of Lire[199]). Guillaume de Jumièges names "Guillaume et Roger l'Obstiné" as the two sons of Guillaume FitzOsbern and Adelisa[200]. "…Guillelmus filius Osberti…Guillelmus filius Guillelmi filiii Osberti…" witnessed the charter dated to [1060] under which Guillaume II Duke of Normandy granted "Brenerias" to the abbey of Bayeux[201]. "Willelmus comes filius Osberni dapiferi" donated rights in "totius silvæ Longum Bothel" to Sainte-Trinité de Rouen by charter dated 1068, which states that later "Willelmus…filius eius" confirmed the donation[202]. Son of Guillaume Earl of Hereford according to Orderic Vitalis[203], who also refers to him as nepos of Guillaume Comte d'Evreux[204]. On the death of his father, William I King of England granted him the succession to the estates in Normandy, whereby he became Seigneur de Breteuil et de Pacy[205]. He was captured in an attack on Conques, during the war between Raoul de Tosny and Guillaume Comte d'Evreux triggered by the enmity between their wives, and ransomed for 3,000 livres and the promise to make his cousin Roger de Tosny his heir[206]. "Guillelmus de Bretolio filius Guillelmi comitis" donated revenue to the monks of Saint-Evroult by charter dated to [1080][207]. "…Willelmus de Bretoil…" witnessed the charter dated 1089 under which Robert III Duke of Normandy confirmed the restoration of the monastery of Saint-Vigor near Bayeux[208]. An addition to the chronicle of Robert of Torigny records the death "apud Beccum V Id Jan" in 1183 of "Willermo filio Osberni comite Herefordiæ…filiis ipsius…Willemus maior natu" and his burial "in claustro Lirensis cenobii"[209]. The Chronicon Lyrensi records the death "apud Beccum V Id Jan" in 1098 of "Willelmus filius Willelmi filii Osberni" and his burial "in claustro Lirensis Cœnobii" which had been built by his father[210]. The necrology of the monastery of Ouche records the death "12 Jan" of "Willelmus Britolii"[211].

m ADELINE de Montfort-sur-Risle, daughter of HUGUES [II] de Montfort-sur-Risle & his second wife ---. She is named as wife of Guillaume by Orderic Vitalis, who also names her father and specifies that the couple were childless[212]. Henry II King of England confirmed the possessions of the abbey of Bec, including donations by "Roberti de Monte Forti…Adeline sororis ipsius Roberti", by charter dated to [1181/89][213].

Guillaume had two illegitimate children by an unknown mistress or mistresses:

• a) EUSTACHE de Pacy (-Pacy [Feb] 1136[214]). Orderic Vitalis records that he was the son of Guillaume "by a concubine", that he challenged the claims of William de Gaël and Renaud de Grancey to his father's estates and established himself as Seigneur de Breteuil et de Pacy, which was recognised by Henry I King of England who gave him his daughter's hand in marriage[215]. He rebelled against Henry I King of England, his father-in-law, in 1119, forfeited Breteuil but was allowed to retain Pacy[216]. The 1130 Pipe Roll records "Eustach de Britolio" in Wiltshire[217]. m (1103) JULIANE, illegitimate daughter of HENRY I King of England & his mistress [Ansfride] . She is named as the daughter of King Henry I by Orderic Vitalis, who specifies that the king arranged her marriage[218]. According to the Complete Peerage[219], it is "not unlikely that she was the daughter of Ansfride" as her presumed full brother Richard interceded with King Henry on her behalf in 1119[220]. After her husband's rebellion in 1119, the king (her father) besieged her in Breteuil castle, from where she "was forced to leap down from the walls…and fell shamefully with bare buttocks into the depths of the moat", and fled to her husband at Pacy[221]. She and her husband were later pardoned. She became a nun at Fontevraud Abbey[222]. Eustache & his wife had three children:
  • i) GUILLAUME (-1153). He succeeded his father as Seigneur de Pacy. Orderic Vitalis records that he attacked Breteuil[223], which had been given to Raoul de Gaël. Robert of Torigny records the death in 1153 "sine liberis" of "Willermo de Paccio" and states that the castle of Pacy passed to "Roberto filio Roberti comitis Legecestriæ"[224].
  • ii) daughter . Orderic Vitalis records that she and her sister were given as hostages by their father in exchange for the son of Ralph Harenc. After Eustache blinded the boy, King Henry allowed Ralph to blind the two girls and cut off the tips of their noses[225].
  • iii) daughter . Orderic Vitalis records that she suffered the same fate as her sister[226].
• b) ISABEL . She was the daughter of Guillaume according to Orderic Vitalis[227]. She must have been illegitimate as the same chronicler states in a later passage that her father's marriage was childless[228]. The charter recording the donation of "femina Hildeburgis…" to the abbey of Saint-Martin de Pontoise names "Elisabeth" as wife of her son "Ascelinus…Goellus" and their sons "Robertus et Willelmus"[229]. m ASCELIN Goel, son of ROBERT d'Ivry & his wife Hildeburgis de Château-Gaillard. He seized the castle of Ivry-la-Bataille (Eure) from Guillaume de Breteuil and surrendered it to Robert Duke of Normandy. The resulting war with Guillaume ended with the latter's capture and agreement to Ascelin's marriage to his daughter[230].