Hommet family
Ray Phair
The obituary for Geoffrey de Fougeres (d. 1212) in the Savigny abbey
chronicle described him as the son of William (de Fougeres) and Agatha
daughter of William du Hommet [1].
About 1180 king Henry II granted to William du Hommet (de Hometo, de
Humez) the office of constable of Normandy described as having been
previously held by William's father Richard du Hommet [2]. About 1199
William du Hommet, constable of Normandy, Fulk Paynel, and three of
Agatha's brothers witnessed the gift by her son Geoffrey to his sister
Clemence for her marriage to Ranulf earl of Chester [1,3]. A charter of
William du Hommet, tentatively dated 1184, was witnessed by his wife
Lucy [2].
Stapleton examined the St. Sauveur-le-vicomte abbey record that was
cited for the claim that Lucy was the heiress of Adam de Brus, her
purported grandfather, and found she was not mentioned [4]. She was not
the heir of either Adam de Brus of Yorkshire, nor has any record been
found which would indicate she had any connection to that de Brus
family, nor their cadet line in Scotland. There was a William de Brus,
not necessarily related to the English family, who occurs as a royal
justice in the Cotentin in the reign of Henry I [5].
Richard du Hommet was constable of Normandy for duke and later king
Henry II, sheriff of Rutland and occasionally other English counties,
and possibly briefly seneschal of Normandy [2]. He retired during
1179-1180 to Aunay abbey [4].
Stapleton has traced Agatha's ancestry; Farrer and Clay supplied
additional details: [4,6,3]
1. Agatha du Hommet, m(1) William de Fougeres (d. 1187); m(2) Fulk
Paynel (d. 1220-30).
2. William du Hommet, d. 1203-9.
3. Lucy -- (de Brus?), possibly occurs in 1184.
4. Richard du Hommet, d. 1181.
5. Agnes (Stapleton calls her Agnes de Beaumont), occurs about 1160.
8. Robert, described as "grandson of the bishop" in 1130.
9. unknown
10. Gilbert de Say, occurs 1127/1132, 1151.
16. John de Bayeux, illegitimate son of bishop Odo, died about 1130.
18. William du Hommet, witnessed a charter of William the Conqueror in
1080; perhaps Wace was referring to him.
20. Jordan de Say, occurs 1108-1127/1132, d. before 1152; founder, with
his wife Lucy and sons, of Aunay abbey.
21. Lucy (possibly Lucy de Aunay), occurs 1127/1132, and perhaps as
late as about 1160.
32. Odo, d. 1097,bishop of Bayeux,half-brother of William the Conqueror.
36. unknown, died before his father Robert.
42. (probably) Robert de Rumilly, occurs 1094-6.
43. (possibly) Muriel --, probably d. before 1094.
64. Herluin de Conteville, witnessed a charter 1059-66 as a vicomte.
65. Herleve (or Arlette), died before 1051 [7].
72. Robert du Hommet, founded St. Fromond priory in the reign of
Richard II duke of Normandy (d. 1026).
84. (probably) Rainfray de Rumilly.
[1] L. Delisle, Journal of the British Archaeological Association 7:123-
131 (1852).
[2] J.H. Round, "Calendar of Documents preserved in France" (CDF), 1899,
nos.391, 523, 525, 527, 530, 532, 536, 552, 638, 639, 754, 755, 779,
820, 840, 845, 1309, 1406, etc.; W.L. Warren, "Henry II", 1973,
pp.264, 309.
[3] "Complete Peerage", 3:167-9 (1913), 10:794-6 (1945); C.T. Clay,
"Early Yorkshire Charters" (EYC), 4:93 (1935), 6:26-8 (1939).
[4] T. Stapleton, "Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae", 1840-4,1:cxxviii,
cxxxv, cxlv, clxxiii; 2:clxxxi-clxxxv, clxxxvii; W. Farrer, "Honors
and Knights' Fees", 2:338-40 (1924); 3:81, 281-5 (1925); "The
chronicles of Robert de Monte", transl. J. Stevenson, 1856, repr.
1991, p.137.
[5] C.H. Haskins, "Norman Institutions" (NI), 1925, pp.102, 103; CDF
nos.912, 970, 1411, 1412; "Regesta Regum Anglo-Normannorum"(RRAN),
ed. C. Johnson and H.A. Cronne, 2:no.1600, 1601 (1956).
[6] "Regesta Regum Anglo-Normannorum: the acta of William I (1066-
1087)", ed. D. Bates, 1998, nos. 92, 158, 164, 175, 281; NI,
pp.297-8; RRAN 2:nos. 897, 1183; CDF nos.480, 522, 792, 820,923,
924, 967, 1202, etc.; K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, "Domesday People", 1999,
1:309; "Recueil des Actes des Ducs de Normandie de 911 a 1066", ed.
M. Fauroux, 1961, p.30, and no.218; E. van Houts in "Family trees
and the roots of politics", 1997,pp.103-132; EYC 7:1-4, 31-5 (1947).
[7] She was the daughter of Fulbert of Falaise, see D.C. Douglas,
"William the Conqueror", 1964, pp.15, 381-2.
Ray Phair
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Before you buy.
J.C.B.Sharp
wrote:
a very useful post which should be read in conjunction with what follows:
BRIX
Stapleton cites the problem article as: Anciens chateaux de
l'arrondissement de Valognes, Mémoir par Mons. de Gerville (i clxxvii).
Some time ago I found it by accident (I would never have found it
otherwise): M.de Gerville, Mémoire sur les anciens Chateaux du département
de la Manche, Mémoires de la Société des Antiquaires de la Normande, 1824,
177-367.
1. William de Bruis, farmed the forest of Brix 1122x1135 (Haskins,
Norman Institutions, 102), the place Brix is about 10 km south of
Cherbourg and between the two was the ducal forest of Brix.
2. Adam de Bruis, granted the church of Brix to the priory of la
Luthumière 1144 (Gerville 234), Henry II confirmed this with other gifts
1156x1161 (Delisle & Berger, Recueil des Actes de Henry II, i 331), the
castle at Brix was known as Chateau d'Adam.
Barrow, realising that this could not be Adam de Brus I of Skelton who
died 1143, makes him his son Adam II (Kingdom of the Scots 322), but he
was a minor at this date. The inference that Robert de Brus of Skelton was
lord of Brix has therefore no foundation.
3. Peter de Bruis, confirmed the grant to la Luthumière 1155
(Gerville 234), married after 1150 Agnes daughter of Stephen count of
Aumale and widow of William de Roumare II (T.Stapleton, Magni Rotuli
Scaccarii Normanniae, ii xxvii), she was the lady Annes of Burton Agnes
living 1170 (EYC ii 34).
Farrer was unaware of this Peter and makes her the wife of Adam de Brus II
of Skelton (EYC ii 35).
4. Lucy de Bruis, married William du Hommet constable of Normandy who
held the forest of la Luthumière in succession to his father Richard
(Gerville 241), he lost his English lands in 1204.
The evidence for the marriage is a charter said to be dated 1232 by which
William, grantee of la Luthumière, and his wife Lucy, heiress to her
grandfather Adam, gave various rents to the priory of la Luthumière,
witnessed by Richard their son and William Say (Gerville 242). The date
should no doubt be corrected to 1182 (mclxxxij vs mccxxxij). Stapleton
attempted to find it in the chartulary of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte but the
footnote in the article gives the source as a document in the author's
possession. There might be something in the unpublished chartulary of la
Luthumière.
5. Richard du Hommet, married Julia daughter and co-heiress of Richard de
la Hay constable of Lincoln (Sanders 109).
6. Nichola du Hommet, married Robert de Mortimer (Gerville 243).
J.C.B.Sharp
London
jc...@obtfc.win-uk.net
J.C.B.Sharp
a posting giving the Hommet ancestry as proposed by Stapleton. Everyone
accepts Richard constable of Normandy as son of Robert "nepos episcopi"
who held land in Lincolnshire by 1118. Stapleton thought that the related
bishop was Odo of Bayeaux. Kathleen Major finds this suggestion
unsatisfactory as also another idea that it refers to a bishop of Lincoln
(Lincoln Record Society xli 181-6).
Osbert "nepos episcopi", Peter de Humet and others witnessed two charters
of Ranulf bishop of Durham made very shortly before his death (Surtees
Society clxxix 108, 113). Osbert was sheriff of Durham and met a violent
end between 1148 and 1152 leaving sons William and Thomas.
Robert "nepos episcopi" witnessed the second of the above charters and
also two others as brother of Osbert (ibid 88, 101).
It is apparent that the related bishop is Ranulf Flambard of Durham
1099-1128. The word "nepos" can be used to describe various relationships
including nephew and grandson, but here I think it means that Osbert and
Robert were his illegitimate sons. The bishop certainly had a much younger
son, Ranulf a clerk, who was later provided for by Osbert.
Turning now to the Humet family of Durham:
1. Robert de Humet, subscribes to the 1095 grant of king Edgar to Durham
(Raine, North Durham, appendix, 2). For the authenticity of this see
Duncan as cited below. He appears in the Durham Liber Vitae (f42v) as a
contemporary of Alan de Percy, lord 1096-1130x35. Robert probably married
a Percy and other than Peter he seems to have had one or more other sons
(for the descendants see EYC xi 180-1, 227-30).
2. Peter de Humet, lord of Brancepeth County Durham. From Leland we learn
that he had a daughter who married Ansketil de Bulmer to whom the eventual
heirs were the Nevilles of Raby (EYC ii 128).
Professor Duncan suggests that Robert "nepos episcopi" married a relative
of Peter (Scottish Hist Rev xxxvii 117-8). The only way I can get this to
work is if Robert married another of his daughters, if Peter had inherited
property in Normandy, and if the partition on his death gave the English
lands to Bulmer and those in Normandy ultimately to the constables.
This theory is attractive but not easy to prove.
J.C.B.Sharp
London
jc...@obtfc.win-uk.net