Mayenne and Goz

[Todd A. Farmerie]

I was following up on a long-delayed request for a reference to a
Keats-Rohan article on the Goz family, and found within it a discussion
of the ancestry of Walter de Mayenne's wife, Adeline.

K.S.B. Keats-Rohan. The Prosopography of Post-Conquest England: FOur
Case Studies. Medieval Prosopography 14:1-52. Errata 14:159-164.

Hugh, Earl of Chester, was son of Richard Goz vicomte of Avranchin, (son
of Turstin, vicomte of Hiemois) by his wife, a kinswoman of William the
Conqueror. He married Ermengard of Clermont, and had son Richard, who
succeeded him, and daughter Geva, wife of Geoffrey Ridel (plus various
bastard children). He also had several siblings, including Hersendis,
second wife of William, Count of Eu, Maud, wife of Ranulf, vicomte of
Bayeux, Juliana, wife of Richer l'Aigle, and Turstin (II). This latter
appears to be identical to Turstin de Creully (a property once held by
Turstin I). He had sons Ralph. Ranulf, Roger (m. Ada), and Robert Fitz
Turstin, and later, the same names appear as de Presles. It is
hypothesized that with the restoration to favor of William Fitz Hamon,
Creully, which had belonged to his grandfather, was restored to his
family, and the Goz were compensated with Presles.

Among the Presles documents you find two names seemingly out of place,
Walter ode Mayenne and his wife Adeline. The Mayenne had not previously
been associated with this part of Normandy, and so the reasoble
conclusion is that the interest in the area came through Adeline, who
she proposes was sister of Ralph de Presles, and daughter of Turstin
(II) de Creully.

One event which may support this is the failure of the marriage proposed
between William de Mortain and an unnamed daughter of Walter de
Mayenne. William was son of William the Conqueror's half-brother
Robert, while, it would seem, Walter's wife was granddaughter of one of
William the Conqueror's kinswomen, traditionally called Emma, full
sister of Robert.

taf