Roger de Beaumont
Encyclopedia
Roger de Beaumont-le-Roger, Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger
et de Pont-Audemer
(c. 1015 – 29 November 1094) was son of Humphrey de Vielles
(himself a great-nephew of the Duchess Gunnora of Normandy
) and his wife Albreda de la Haye Auberie. Roger de Beaumont, Lord of Beaumont-le-Roger and Pont-Audemer, Viscount of Hiesmes, was thus a second cousin once removed of the Conqueror
.
usually were clean shaven. This peculiarity is recognized in the thirty-second panel of the Bayeux Tapestry
where he is depicted sitting at a feast with Duke William on his left hand, Odo, brother of William and Bishop of Bayeux, in the centre.
Planché
tells us that "he was the noblest, the wealthiest, and the most valiant seigneur of Normandy, and the greatest and most trusted friend of the Danish
family." There is an explanation for this - as an older cousin who had never rebelled against the young Duke, he was part of the kinship group of noblemen that William relied upon in governing Normandy and fighting off frequent rebellion and invasions. The historian Frank McLynn notes that William relied on relatives descended via his mother (namely his half-brothers and brothers-in-law) and on relatives descended from the Duchess Gunnora's sisters, since his own paternal kin had proved unreliable.
Wace
, the 12th century historian, says that "at the time of the invasion of England, Roger was summoned to the great council at Lillebonne
, on account of his wisdom; but that he did not join in the expedition as he was too far advanced in years." Although Roger could not fight, he did not hesitate in contributing his share of the cost, for he provided at his own expense sixty vessels for the conveyance of the troops across the channel. Furthermore, his eldest son and heir fought bravely at Hastings as noted in several contemporary records. As a result, Roger's elder sons were awarded rich lands in England, and both eventually were made English earls by the sons of the Conqueror.
He was buried at Les Préaux
.
historical novel The Conqueror. His family appears little in the book, but reference is made to Roger's wife and daughters and his eldest son.
Beaumont-le-Roger
Beaumont-le-Roger is a commune in the department of Eure in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:The commune is located in the valley of the Risle on the edge of the forest with which it shares its name. It is crossed by the Paris-Cherbourg railway line...
et de Pont-Audemer
Pont-Audemer
Pont-Audemer is a commune in the Eure department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Population:-Sights:The commune was spared substantial damage to its historic buildings during the Battle of Normandy. Nowadays the half-timbered buildings and the canals running between them are a...
(c. 1015 – 29 November 1094) was son of Humphrey de Vielles
Humphrey de Vielles
Humphrey de Vieilles was the first holder of the "grand honneur" of Beaumont-le-Roger, one of the most important groups of domains in eastern Normandy and the founder of the House of Beaumont. He was married to Albreda or Alberée de la Haye Auberie.His early life and origins are the subject of...
(himself a great-nephew of the Duchess Gunnora of Normandy
Gunnora, Duchess of Normandy
Gunnora was the wife and consort of Richard I of Normandy. Her parentage is unknown, earliest sources reporting solely that she was of Danish ancestry and naming siblings including brother Herfast de Crepon who is sometimes erroneously given as her father.She was living with her sister Seinfreda,...
) and his wife Albreda de la Haye Auberie. Roger de Beaumont, Lord of Beaumont-le-Roger and Pont-Audemer, Viscount of Hiesmes, was thus a second cousin once removed of the Conqueror
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
.
Life
Roger was nicknamed Barbatus or La Barbe because he wore a moustache and beard while the NormansNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
usually were clean shaven. This peculiarity is recognized in the thirty-second panel of the Bayeux Tapestry
Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth—not an actual tapestry—nearly long, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, and culminating in the Battle of Hastings...
where he is depicted sitting at a feast with Duke William on his left hand, Odo, brother of William and Bishop of Bayeux, in the centre.
Planché
James Planche
James Robinson Planché was a British dramatist, antiquary and officer of arms. Over a period of approximately 60 years he wrote, adapted, or collaborated on 176 plays in a wide range of genres including extravaganza, farce, comedy, burletta, melodrama and opera...
tells us that "he was the noblest, the wealthiest, and the most valiant seigneur of Normandy, and the greatest and most trusted friend of the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
family." There is an explanation for this - as an older cousin who had never rebelled against the young Duke, he was part of the kinship group of noblemen that William relied upon in governing Normandy and fighting off frequent rebellion and invasions. The historian Frank McLynn notes that William relied on relatives descended via his mother (namely his half-brothers and brothers-in-law) and on relatives descended from the Duchess Gunnora's sisters, since his own paternal kin had proved unreliable.
Wace
Wace
Wace was a Norman poet, who was born in Jersey and brought up in mainland Normandy , ending his career as Canon of Bayeux.-Life:...
, the 12th century historian, says that "at the time of the invasion of England, Roger was summoned to the great council at Lillebonne
Lillebonne
Lillebonne is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It lies miles north of the Seine and east of Le Havre by railway.-History:...
, on account of his wisdom; but that he did not join in the expedition as he was too far advanced in years." Although Roger could not fight, he did not hesitate in contributing his share of the cost, for he provided at his own expense sixty vessels for the conveyance of the troops across the channel. Furthermore, his eldest son and heir fought bravely at Hastings as noted in several contemporary records. As a result, Roger's elder sons were awarded rich lands in England, and both eventually were made English earls by the sons of the Conqueror.
He was buried at Les Préaux
Les Préaux
Les Préaux is a commune in the Eure department and Haute-Normandie region of France.-Population:-References:*...
.
Family and children
He married circa 1048 or earlier Adeline of Meulan (c. 1014-1020 - 8 April 1081, buried at the Abbaye du Bec), daughter of Waleran III, Count de Meulan and Oda de Conteville, and sister and heiress of a childless Count of Meulan. Meulan eventually passed to their elder son who became Count of Meulan in 1081. Their surviving children were:- Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of LeicesterRobert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of LeicesterRobert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, Count of Meulan was a powerful English and French nobleman, revered as one of the wisest men of his age...
, Count of Meulan (b ca 1049 - 1118) who succeeded his father in the major part of his lands, and who fought in his first battle at HastingsBattle of HastingsThe Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
. - Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of WarwickHenry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of WarwickHenry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick was a Norman nobleman. Henry was the younger son of Roger de Beaumont and Adeline of Meulan, daughter of Waleran I, Count of Meulan. He was given by his father the modest lordship of Le Neubourg, in central Normandy...
, overshadowed by his elder brother, but who established a more enduring line of Beaumont earls at Warwick Castle. - William de Beaumont (not mentioned in most sources).
- Alberée de Beaumont (died 1112), AbbessAbbessAn abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
of EtonEton, BerkshireEton is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, lying on the opposite bank of the River Thames to Windsor and connected to it by Windsor Bridge. The parish also includes the large village of Eton Wick, 2 miles west of the town, and has a population of 4,980. Eton was in Buckinghamshire until...
.
Roger de Beaumont in Literature
Roger de Beaumont appears as a minor character (the overlord of the secondary hero) in Georgette Heyer'sGeorgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer was a British historical romance and detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth. In 1925 Heyer married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer...
historical novel The Conqueror. His family appears little in the book, but reference is made to Roger's wife and daughters and his eldest son.
Sources
- Edward T. Beaumont, J.P. The Beaumonts in History. A.D. 850-1850. Oxford.
- J.R. Planché. The Conqueror and His Companions. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1874.
External links
- Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 50-24, 151-24.
- Beaumont genealogy , to be used with caution (check soc.genealogy.medieval)
- The Conqueror and His Companions: Robert de Beaumont