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William FitzAlan


Preferred Parents:
Father: Alan Fitzflaald, b. ABT 1078 in Dol-de-Bretagne, Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, France   d. 22 NOV 1121 in Oswestry Castle, Oswestry, Shropshire, England
Mother: Avelina De Hesding, b. ABT 1081 in Vieil-Hesdin, Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France   d. 5 NOV 1126 in Castle-Pulverbatch, Shropshire, England

Family 1: Christiana ,    b. ABT 1113 in Shropshire, England    d. in Oswestry, Shropshire, England
  1. Christiana FitzAlan, b. ABT 1143 in Clun, Shropshire, England     d. ABT 1227 in Wem, Shropshire, England
  2. William II FitzAlan, b. ABT 1158 in Ewins Lacy, Herford, England     d. 1210 in Arundel, Sussex, England
Family 2: Helen Perverel,    b. 1115   
  1. William Fitzalan, b. ABT 1136     d. ABT 1081
Sources:
  1. Title: The Peerage: William fitz Alan
    Author: Citations -- Sir James Balfour Paul, "The Scots Peerage: founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's The Peerage of Scotland (Edinburgh, Scotland: David Douglas, 1904)," volume I, page 10. Hereinafter cited as "The Scots Peerage." -- Mosley, Charles, editor. "Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage," 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: "Burke's Peerage" (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.
    Publication: Name: https://thepeerage.com/p511.htm#i5106;
    Note: William fitz Alan M, #5106, d. 1160 Last Edited=29 Sep 2012 William fitz Alan was the son of Alan fitz Flaald and Aveline de Hesding. He married, secondly, Isabel de Say, daughter of Elias de Say. He married, firstly, Christian (?). He died in 1160. He gained the title of Lord of Oswestrie, Shropshire [feudal barony]. He held the office of Sheriff of Shropshire in 1138. He was besieged at Castlelan Shrewsbury as an adherent to Empress Maud by King Stephen. In 1155 he was restored to his lands by King Henry II. Child of William fitz Alan and Christian (?) 1. Christian FitzAlan Children of William fitz Alan and Isabel de Say 1. John FitzAlan d. 1240 2. William Fitzalan b. c 1154, d. 1216
  2. Title: Oswestry Castle Research Project: History of Oswestry Castle
    Publication: Name: https://oswestrycastleexcavations.org.uk/history-of-the-castle/;
    Note: The Norman Motte and Bailey castle of Oswestry is mentioned in the Domesday book, so must pre-date 1086. Domesday records that it was built by Reginald de Bailleul, Sheriff of Shropshire, who held extensive lands here from Roger of Montgomery the Earl of Shrewsbury. Oswestry did not exist as a town at this time and the castle probably acted as a nucleus for its subsequent development from a number of small hamlets. The castle is situated on a small steep-sided glacial mound which offers a commanding view of the Welsh hills to the West and the Shropshire plain to the East, which makes it an excellent defensive site with no need to build a Motte mound. The first castle here was probably a wooden structure, as most early castles were, and establishing when it was replaced in stone is a key ambition of the project. The following 200 years were very turbulent times in the Welsh Marches. Disunity among the Welsh princes, and among the Marcher lords themselves, led to regular raiding and local wars, with some larger scale conflicts as a succession of Anglo-Norman Kings invaded Wales. Oswestry played an important role in some of these disturbances which led to the castle being attacked and the young town burned on a number of occasions. An indication of the relative importance of Oswestry castle is given by contemporary documents that record large sums of money spent on the castle during this period, including a larger than usual garrison. Castles were usually occupied by a small garrison and in times of conflict larger forces were drawn from feudal tenants in the vicinity. According to the Historian Frederick Suppe Oswestry had an unusual garrison of light cavalry known as ‘muntatores’ drawn from a much wider spread of tenancies, a system seemingly unique to the Shropshire’s Welsh border. The castle, town and associated estates came under the ownership of the FitzAlan family in the 12th century, who developed these into the Marcher Lordship of Oswestry. Apart from a brief occupancy by Madoc ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys, the Lordship remain in the FitzAlan family until the mid 16th century. The castle must have been well appointed at this time as the Cleric and writer Gerald of Wales visited in 1188 as a guest of the FitzAlans and reports being ‘royally entertained’. The castle underwent some refortification the 13th century as part of Edward I’s war against the Welsh, but seems to have declined in military importance in the period of relative stability which followed. It still had an administrative function and was the scene of a Parliament held by Richard II in 1398, and was used to muster troops for wars in France in the 14th and 15th centuries. After this time increasing encroachment on the Castle through urban expansion led to a gradual decay and demolition; a survey of the castle commissioned in 1602 by the Earl of Suffolk records that timber, iron and lead, and much of the castle walls had been removed. During the Civil War the castle was garrisoned by Royalist forces but was besieged and taken by the Parliamentarian forces in 1644. The town was badly damaged during the siege leading to the castle being used as a ready source of building materials. Little is known about the history of the castle mound for the next 200 years, but in 1850 it was acquired by some local gentlemen and landscaped as a pleasure garden. The site was gifted to the Town Corporation in 1885, who undertook further landscaping for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations in 1887 and opened it as a public park. In the early 1960’s a plan was put forward to reduce the mound and build a car park, but this was withdrawn following a huge public outcry. The castle and mound now enjoy the protection of Scheduled Ancient Monument status, maintained by the Town Council, and is open without charge to the public.
  3. Title: Castles of Wales: Oswestry Castle
    Author: Further Reading Jackson, Michael: "Castles of Shropshire," Shropshire Libraries (1988), Shrewsbury. Jones, John Pryce: "Historic Oswestry," Shropshire Libraries (1988), Shrewsbury. Peters, Ellis: "Strongholds and Sanctuaries," Headline Book Publishing (1993), London. David Timmins is a teacher of history at Ercall Wood School in Wellington, Shropshire. He lives in Oswestry where he spent most of his youth, and developed a strong attraction to the site of the Castle. He is currently working on other numerous projects and investigations into the area. E-mail: JOBOB@dtimmins.freeserve.co.uk
    Publication: Name: http://www.castlewales.com/oswestry.html;
    Note: One walk up the remaining motte of Oswestry’s once large and significant castle, does not really inspire much confidence as to understanding its historical importance. One could be forgiven for letting what little is here, (sadly neglected in recent times) pass you by in a desolate blink. Indeed it has even been argued that the small collection of stones are not actually part of the castle, but in fact the town walls which were pulled down in the late 17th Century. Of course this has been met with some vehement opposition. And yet this is the intriguing fact about Oswestry Castle, despite its decay it still has the power to arouse debate and passion much like it did during its height in the later Middle Ages. Indeed because so much of the castle’s original surroundings have been altered through 19th and 20th Century development, it is now virtually impossible to gauge an accurate idea of what the castle resembled in all its dominant splendour. The only two known pictures of the castle are artists’ impressions from the 18th Century, other than that it is left to the imagination of the visitor. A good hour or so spent circling the vicinity of the summit, it becomes apparent as to what actually does remain, that can give us a few small clues. However, let us first mark out the Castle’s known early history. Its origins date to around 1086, when a castle L’oeuvre was recorded in William I’s Domesday Book as being built by Rainald, Sheriff of Shropshire in the Hundred of Meresberie. Before the Norman Conquest the region surrounding the castle is thought to have been a frontier outpost that saw both Welsh and Anglo Saxon mix together. No town however, was recorded until around 1272 when references appear to the settlement of Blancminster, which derives from its white stone church. Interestingly though, the Welsh were already acknowledging a ‘Creos Oswallt’ in 1254, a name that partly invokes a link with St. Oswald, the Northumbrian King who was killed at the Battle of Maeserfelth (a location reputed to be near the town) in 641 AD. Similarly, Domesday lists the tenant of nearby Brogynton as Madoc, possibly the son of Bleyddn ap Cynfyn, the Prince of Powys. Further to this the Hundred of Maersete does record fifty three Welsh tenants. This does leave the origin’s of the town as a settlement, open to debate, it could be the case that Oswestry was once a strong Welsh settlement. What is certain is that role of the Castle was an act of domination to subdue Welsh resistance, whether this resistance was because of a threat to settlements over the border or the colonisation of ‘Creos Oswallt’ by the Normans, cannot be certain. After the conquest the region was granted to Roger de Montgomerie by William I. In turn it passed to Rainald who is thought to have built the first castle (unless of course, he was settling on existing Welsh fortifications). After Rainald the castle passed to Alan Fitzlaad, descendant to the mighty Fitzalans, later to become the Lords of Arundel and Clun. The Civil War however, between Stephen and Matilda saw William Fitzalan I join forces with Matilda. Thus he was forced to give up the castle and its area. The Welsh were now given a chance to reclaim what they once may have lost, and this appears evident in the occupation of the castle by Madoc ap Maerdudd the Prince of Powys, between 1149 and 1157, along with the Lordship of the area. This was short lived however, since the accession of Henry II saw the Fitzalan’s recover their estate, but they failed to establish a peaceful reign during this time. Indeed they faced their most troubled times as rulers, mirroring the national situation for the Plantagents. There was significant conflict between the Welsh and the English, which saw the area and its castle sacked numerous times. This highlights the importance of the castle at this period as a military outpost, since in 1165, Henry himself adopted it as a base for his albeit disastrous campaign against Owain Gwynned. Similarly the year 1211 saw King John move against Llwelyn Fawr and North Wales and once more the castle came under attack. It is no surprise then that by 1270 the castle’s walls had been extended to embrace the town. Arguably it is this which further provoked Welsh resistance to English rule. In the 14th Century Owain Glyndwr emulated earlier patterns of hostility against symbols of English dominance as he attempted to establish himself as the rightful Prince of Wales. Ironically it was during such conflicts that the settlement began to to be seen as a potential trading establishment. It had its first Siarter Gwtta or Short Charter granted by William III at the end of the 12th Century. This awarded the area similar customs and liberties as the larger and already prosperous Shrewsbury. A second charter in 1263 saw this confirmed and culminated in 1399 with the granting of a Royal Charter. It has been suggested that this new found commercial status began to transform its status from an outpost to a neutral gateway. This idea can be reinforced with the offer in 1276, from Llywelyn ap Gruffyd to meet Edward I at the castle, rather than pay homage to him in London. Yet it remains that because Oswestry still required a fully fortified military base, it was some considerable time before it was able to shake off its original function. The Castle: Features From the ground and looking up towards the summit, it is clear to see that its construction was of the classic Norman design; a polygonal Shell Keep on top of a motte (possibly utilised from a glacial deposit) with an outer bailey. Its walling has been measured as approximately 2.44m thick. However one walk around the base and the summit, it is clear that all of its features have disappeared, which for the untrained eye, could quite easily lead one to believe there was never a castle here at all! The ditch that would have surrounded the motte has long since been filled, as has the southern bailey. Furthermore, a barbican reputed to have stood on a second mound in the now Castle Street, was sadly taken down around 1850. Documentary evidence underlines the importance of the castle in the 12th century, as between 1160 and 1175 over £2,000 was lavished on alterations, such as pallisides and a well. Two towers are thought to have stood at the North East and North West regions of the castle. Although no real record exists to support this, other than an 18th Century painting which clearly shows one such turret. If one walks around the middle section of the motte and looks up to the summit where the tower are thought to have stood, it is possible to get a general impression of their locations. The evidence that does exist gives us an indication of its once resplendent features. A survey carried out in 1395 talks of the great, middle and high chambers, the Constables Hall, the buttery, the chapel, kitchen and larder. It is sad that none of these are visible today and as far as this author is aware, no archaeological study has been carried out to actually point out such positioning. It is largely left to the discerning visitor to establish their own opinions. Decline of the Castle The decline of the castle began around the late 15th century as it was noted of being in a state of disrepair. We can look to the results of the Glyndwr rising and then the town’s solid status as a market town as contributory factors, which meant less need for fortification. Although in 1530 the historian John Leyland noted that despite its state, the castle still had visible its famous Madoc’s Tower. The year 1662 saw a thorough survey of the castle being carried out for Thomas Howard, The Earl of Suffolk by John Norden. His findings attributed the castle’s worsening state to one thing; that although £20 a year was granted to maintain defences, the town’s Burgesses’ preferred to use the castle walls as a source of stone facing for buildings elsewhere in the town. Further to this, its main tower had now been dismantled of timber, iron and lead, as were the castle gates. The outbreak of the Civil War in 1642 revived its fledgling status as a military stronghold, albeit temporarily. It was once more strengthened to some degree, following the town’s declaration of support for Charles I, and prepared for hostility. In June 1644 the castle was under the control of Colonel Edward Lloyd of Llanforda, but it was subsequently laid to siege by Thomas Mytton of Halston Hall (near Whittington) who was soon joined by the earl of Denbigh. Any romantic notions of a long and bitter siege can easily be dispelled. The town was surrounded by cannon and its principal gates battered into submission. This was quickly followed by an infiltration of troops who rapidly descended upon the castle, surrounding it and after one or two minor skirmishes the walls were mined just before nightfall. The following day ‘Buttars,’ a kind of early grenade, were used to storm the gates. Subsequently, the royalist troops surrendered and the castle fell. However, attempts to recapture it by the royalists do point to the castle’s military significance even at this late stage. It was following the Civil War that strongholds such as Oswestry Castle were rendered uninhabitable, part of a campaign to quash notions of resistance. And in the case of Oswestry no sentiment was spared, it being totally eradicated of any visible evidence aside from a simple collection of stones. A poignant reminder of the tempestuous past that once enveloped it. The castle was handed to the control of the local council this century and the motte and surrounding grounds were turned into a public park. The fragments of walling that are visible today are all the remains. Sadly though no real effort has been made to promote the importance of the area, as a monument within the town, thus a culture of ignorance has developed whereby the grounds are totally misused, and unfortunately potential tourists are driven away.
  4. Title: William Fitz Alan, "Find A Grave Index"
    Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLG-N4HY : 10 September 2021), William Fitz Alan, ; Burial, Shrewsbury, Shropshire Unitary Authority, Shropshire, England, Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul; citing record ID 106416026, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
    Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLG-N4HY;
  5. Title: Douglas, Robert (1904) The Scots Peerage, Volume I
    Author: Page 11
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefou01paulgoog/page/n28;
  6. Title: "The Stewarts of Appin," by J.H.J. and D. Stewart by John Hope J. Stewart, Duncan Stewart
    Author: Publication date: 1880 Collection: europeanlibraries Digitizing sponsor: Google Book from the collections of Oxford University Language: English
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/details/stewartsappinby00stewgoog/page/n24/mode/2up?q=William+FitzAlan;
  7. Title: British History Online > Domesday Book: To 1300
    Author: "A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 4, Agriculture." Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1989.
    Publication: Name: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/salop/vol4/pp26-71;
    Note: The families who emerged as leading Shropshire landowners in the 12th and 13th centuries were the FitzAlans, their tenants the Stranges, and the Chetwynds, Corbets, FitzWarins, Mortimers, and Pantulfs. Some of those families founded cadet lines (the Eytons of Eyton upon the Weald Moors, for example, were probably cadets of the Pantulfs), some eventually died out in the male line but transmitted their lands to heiresses, and some—notably the FitzAlans from their acquisition of Arundel in 1243—became families of national standing. A century or so later there is slightly more evidence of a reverse trend when landlords began to prefer the security of cash rents as the economic situation became less certain, (fn. 24) and there are many instances of demesnes being leased by the end of the 13th century. In 1301, for instance, on the FitzAlan estates in the county the demesnes at Acton Round (c. 200 a.) were in the villeins' hands, as were 3 virgates (c. 180 a.) of demesne at Acton, in Clun, and c. 100 a. at Westhope, in Diddlebury. (fn. 25) In the lordship of Oswestry the demesne comprised 4 carucates, or up to 480 a., in 1272, 140 a. in 1302, and had been completely leased by 1362– 3
  8. Title: Wikiwand: William FitzAlan, Lord of Oswestry
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/William_FitzAlan,_Lord_of_Oswestry;
    Note: William FitzAlan (1105–1160) was a nobleman of Breton ancestry. He was a major landowner, a Marcher lord with large holdings in Shropshire, where he was the Lord of Oswestry, as well as in Norfolk and Sussex. He took the side of Empress Matilda during the Anarchy and underwent considerable hardship in the Angevin cause before regaining his lands and former status. William's younger brother, Walter fitz Alan (d. 1177), became ancestor of the royal House of Stuart. Background and early life William was born around 1105. He was the eldest son and heir of Alan fitz Flaad, a Breton noble whose family were closely associated with the sacred environs of Dol-de-Bretagne, close to the border with Normandy and a short distance south-west of the great abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. Alan was a close ally of Henry I of England (1100-1135), who was determined to insert reliable supporters into strategically key areas after the disloyalty of Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, who had a strong support network in the Marches. Alan received extensive fiefs in Shropshire and Norfolk from around the beginning of Henry's reign and more as he proved his worth. Much of the Shropshire land was taken from the holdings of Rainald de Bailleul, ancestor of the House of Balliol, as was land around Peppering, near Arundel in Sussex. William's mother was Avelina de Hesdin. Her father was Ernulf de Hesdin (also transcribed as Arnulf), a crusader baron from Hesdin in Artois, which was a fief of the County of Flanders and only loosely attached to France. Ernulf built up large holdings in Staffordshire and Gloucestershire. After his death in the First Crusade, Avelina's brother, also called Ernulf, inherited his lands and titles. Baron and rebel William succeeded his father around 1114, probably still aged under 10. He was appointed the High Sheriff of Shropshire by Adeliza of Louvain, the second wife of Henry I. His first notable appearance is as a witness to King Stephen's charter to Shrewsbury Abbey in 1136. As Sheriff of the county, William was also castellan of Shrewsbury Castle. In 1138, he joined in the revolt against Stephen and garrisoned the castle against the king. After resisting the attacks of the royal army for a month,[2] he fled with his family in August 1138, leaving the castle to be defended by his uncle, Ernulf de Hesdin. When the town fell, Stephen acted in anger, hanging Ernulf and 93 others immediately, frightening the local people and magnates into transferring their allegiance to him.[2] William was deprived of his lands and titles and spent the next fifteen years in exile, until the accession of Henry II to power in place of Stephen in 1153-4.[2][3] He was a close supporter of the Angevin cause, accompanying the Empress or her son on numerous occasions. He was present with Empress Matilda at Oxford in the summer of 1141,[4] and shortly after at the siege of Winchester Castle. He remained in attendance on her at Devizes, witnessing the charter addressed to himself by which she grants Aston to Shrewsbury Abbey. In June 1153 he was present with Henry FitzEmpress, then Duke of Normandy, at Leicester. It was during this period that his younger brother, Walter, used the family's royal connections to make a new career in Scotland under David I of Scotland, an uncle of the Empress. William's active support did not end with Henry's accession to the throne. In July 1155, when the king marched against Hugh de Mortimer, a turbulent Marcher lord who had been a key supporter of Stephen, and recaptured the castles at Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth, William FitzAlan was the chief beneficiary. At Bridgnorth ‘the king restored his lands’ and William there received the feudal homage of his tenants. Thus he regained his paternal fief. He was also restored as High Sheriff of Shropshire in 1155, holding the post until his death in 1160. Benefactor It was probably between 1130 and 1138 that FitzAlan made the first recorded grant to Haughmond Abbey: a fishery at Preston Boats on the River Severn, near Shrewsbury. It is possible that there was a hermitage or a small religious community at Haughmond even in his father's time, and a small church from this earlier period has been revealed by excavations on the site, so it is not clear that William was the founder of the abbey. However, it was he who set it on a secure financial basis, with a series of important land grants in Shropshire and Sussex, which were reciprocated by other magnates in the region. Haughmond received lands from the Empress, confirmed by Stephen and Henry II. William continued to make benefactions to it when he returned from exile, including the wealthy portionary church of Wroxeter, declaring his intention to increase the number of priests there too. He also made grants to nearby Lilleshall Abbey, another Augustinian house. Though not the founder of Wombridge Priory, a smaller Augustinian house, he sanctioned its foundation by the Hadley family, his vassals. It was, however, Haughmond that became the FitzAlan shrine, with all heads of the family after William buried there for a century and a half. Death and burial William died around Easter 1160. He was buried at Shrewsbury Abbey, according to Eyton, noted in the Haughmond Abbey history ("After William FitzAlan (I), who left his body for burial in Shrewsbury Abbey"). Family and heritage William's first wife was Christiana. She was the niece of Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, an illegitimate son of Henry I, and thus cousin to William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester, who was a principal supporter of the Empress. She was the mother of his heir and other children. . William's eldest son and heir was also called William FitzAlan. . Christiana, their daughter married Hugh Pantulf, 4th Baron of Wem, a later High Sheriff of Shropshire. His wife Christiana died before William regained his ancestral estates in 1155. Henry II therefore gave him the hand of Isabel de Say. She was the sole heiress of Helias de Say, who held the lordship of Clun and was an early benefactor of Haughmond Abbey. Clun was to pass to the FitzAlans on the death of Helias, but he outlived William, so it passed to his son, the second William. Isabel brought prestige as well as land. The FitzAlans remained important Marcher lords and magnates in central England for several centuries. A strategic marriage with their Sussex neighbours, the d'Aubigny family, brought the FitzAlans the rich and important Earldom of Arundel. This they held from 1243 until 1580. It was as earls of Arundel that William FitzAlan's descendants made their most important mark on the history of England. In literature The taking of Shrewsbury in 1138 by King Stephen, including the escape of William FitzAlan and the hanging of the supporters who did not escape, was the historical background for the novel "One Corpse Too Many," by Ellis Peters. Agents of FitzAlan are characters in a few of the later novels in "The Cadfael Chronicles."
  9. Title: Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-20, 22
    Publication: Name: http://search.ancestry.com/collections/1981/records/22390;
    Note: All thing are accurate here except one part, where the son William FitzAlan II is not a son of Isabel de Say but of his first wife Christiana, check all the discussions for more on the latest known about these people below...
  10. Title: planwillard.weebly.com
    Author: "planwillard.weebly.com." Google Search https://www.google.com/search?q=planwillard.weebly.com&sxsrf=ALeKk02L-jk1hxqHprUaNQv7FOfQH1xhiA%3A1625260190957&ei=noDfYNPKOZOBqtsPxcSZgAI&oq=planwillard.weebly.com&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAxKBAhBGABQAFgAYP-4AWgAcAB4AIABUIgBUJIBATGYAQCqAQdnd3Mtd2l6wAEB&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwjTkeWCpsXxAhWTgGoFHUViBiAQ4dUDCA4. Accessed 2 Jul. 2021.
    Publication: Name: https://www.google.com/search?q=planwillhttps://www.bing.com/search?q=parents+of+Christina+Married+to+Hugh+Pantulf&form=ANSPH1&refig=39891c1d8f76461681af436f7ae147db&pc=U531;
    Note: Gives detailed information in the notes regarding the parentage of Christiana
    Page: gives detail on wives and children
  11. Title: Wikipedia
    Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_FitzAlan,_Lord_of_Oswestry;
    Note: William FitzAlan (1105–1160) was a nobleman of Breton ancestry. He was a major landowner, a Marcher lord with large holdings in Shropshire, where he was the Lord of Oswestry, as well as in Norfolk and Sussex. He took the side of Empress Matilda during the Anarchy and underwent considerable hardship in the Angevin cause before regaining his lands and former status. William's younger brother, Walter fitz Alan (d. 1177), became ancestor of the royal House of Stuart. Background and early life William was born around 1105. He was the eldest son and heir of Alan fitz Flaad, a Breton noble whose family were closely associated with the sacred environs of Dol-de-Bretagne, close to the border with Normandy and a short distance south-west of the great abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. Alan was a close ally of Henry I of England (1100-1135), who was determined to insert reliable supporters into strategically key areas after the disloyalty of Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, who had a strong support network in the Marches. Alan received extensive fiefs in Shropshire and Norfolk from around the beginning of Henry's reign and more as he proved his worth. Much of the Shropshire land was taken from the holdings of Rainald de Bailleul, ancestor of the House of Balliol, as was land around Peppering, near Arundel in Sussex.[1] William's mother was Avelina de Hesdin. Her father was Ernulf de Hesdin (also transcribed as Arnulf), a crusader baron from Hesdin in Artois, which was a fief of the County of Flanders and only loosely attached to France. Ernulf built up large holdings in Staffordshire and Gloucestershire. After his death in the First Crusade, Avelina's brother, also called Ernulf, inherited his lands and titles. Baron and rebel William succeeded his father around 1114, probably still aged under 10. He was appointed the High Sheriff of Shropshire by Adeliza of Louvain, the second wife of Henry I.[2] His first notable appearance is as a witness to King Stephen's charter to Shrewsbury Abbey in 1136. As Sheriff of the county, William was also castellan of Shrewsbury Castle. In 1138, he joined in the revolt against Stephen and garrisoned the castle against the king. After resisting the attacks of the royal army for a month,[2] he fled with his family in August 1138, leaving the castle to be defended by his uncle, Ernulf de Hesdin. When the town fell, Stephen acted in anger, hanging Ernulf and 93 others immediately, frightening the local people and magnates into transferring their allegiance to him.[2] William was deprived of his lands and titles and spent the next fifteen years in exile, until the accession of Henry II to power in place of Stephen in 1153-4.[2][3] He was a close supporter of the Angevin cause, accompanying the Empress or her son on numerous occasions. He was present with Empress Matilda at Oxford in the summer of 1141,[4] and shortly after at the siege of Winchester Castle. He remained in attendance on her at Devizes, witnessing the charter addressed to himself by which she grants Aston to Shrewsbury Abbey. In June 1153 he was present with Henry FitzEmpress, then Duke of Normandy, at Leicester. It was during this period that his younger brother, Walter, used the family's royal connections to make a new career in Scotland under David I of Scotland, an uncle of the Empress. William's active support did not end with Henry's accession to the throne. In July 1155, when the king marched against Hugh de Mortimer, a turbulent Marcher lord who had been a key supporter of Stephen, and recaptured the castles at Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth, William FitzAlan was the chief beneficiary. At Bridgnorth ‘the king restored his lands’ and William there received the feudal homage of his tenants. Thus he regained his paternal fief. He was also restored as High Sheriff of Shropshire in 1155, holding the post until his death in 1160. Benefactor It was probably between 1130 and 1138 that FitzAlan made the first recorded grant to Haughmond Abbey: a fishery at Preston Boats on the River Severn, near Shrewsbury.[1] It is possible that there was a hermitage or a small religious community at Haughmond even in his father's time, and a small church from this earlier period has been revealed by excavations on the site, so it is not clear that William was the founder of the abbey. However, it was he who set it on a secure financial basis, with a series of important land grants in Shropshire and Sussex, which were reciprocated by other magnates in the region. Haughmond received lands from the Empress, confirmed by Stephen and Henry II. William continued to make benefactions to it when he returned from exile, including the wealthy portionary church of Wroxeter, declaring his intention to increase the number of priests there too. He also made grants to nearby Lilleshall Abbey, another Augustinian house.[5] Though not the founder of Wombridge Priory, a smaller Augustinian house, he sanctioned its foundation by the Hadley family, his vassals.[6] It was, however, Haughmond that became the FitzAlan shrine, with all heads of the family after William buried there for a century and a half.[1] Death and burial William died around Easter 1160. He was buried at Shrewsbury Abbey, according to Eyton, noted in the Haughmond Abbey history ("After William FitzAlan (I), who left his body for burial in Shrewsbury Abbey").[1] Family and heritage William's first wife was Christiana. She was the niece of Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, an illegitimate son of Henry I, and thus cousin to William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester, who was a principal supporter of the Empress. She was the mother of his heir and other children. William's eldest son and heir was also called William FitzAlan. Christiana, their daughter married Hugh Pantulf, 4th Baron of Wem, a later High Sheriff of Shropshire. His wife Christiana died before William regained his ancestral estates in 1155. Henry II therefore gave him the hand of Isabel de Say.[7] She was the sole heiress of Helias de Say, who held the lordship of Clun[8] and was an early benefactor of Haughmond Abbey. Clun was to pass to the FitzAlans on the death of Helias, but he outlived William, so it passed to his son, the second William. Isabel brought prestige as well as land. The FitzAlans remained important Marcher lords and magnates in central England for several centuries. A strategic marriage with their Sussex neighbours, the d'Aubigny family, brought the FitzAlans the rich and important Earldom of Arundel. This they held from 1243 until 1580. It was as earls of Arundel that William FitzAlan's descendants made their most important mark on the history of England.
  12. Title: Eyton, Robert William. (1858). Antiquities of Shropshire, Volume 7
    Publication: Name: https://archive.org/stream/antiquitiesshro03eytogoog#page/n239/mode/2up;
    Note: page 160 to 166 and pages 237 to 241
  13. Title: "Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Volumes 9-10," by Adnitt and Naunton, 1885
    Author: page 26
    Publication: Name: https://books.google.com/books?id=RHpHAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA10&lpg=RA1-PA10&dq=The+Castles+of+Shropshire+and+its+Border&source=bl&ots=uNkri6rG-X&sig=ikxgLoCUErrNwfUeGciF1uYEWx0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwibwJbymOXNAhUE2IMKHVErD54Q6AEIPzAI#v=snippet&q=william%20fitzalan&f=false;
    Note: Details about Williams 2nd wife Isabel and whom she married after he passed away
  14. Title: Wikiwand: FitzAlan
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/FitzAlan;
    Note: FitzAlan is an English patronymic surname of Anglo-Norman origin, descending from the Breton knight Alan fitz Flaad (d. 1120), who accompanied king Henry I to England on his succession. He was grandson of the Seneschal of the Bishop of Dol. The FitzAlan family shared a common patrilineal ancestry with the House of Stuart. The FitzAlans held the Earldom of Arundel from 1267 to 1580. Variants of this surname include Fitz-Alan, Fitzalan, Fitzallen, and Fitz Alan. The noble family of bearing this surname would eventually abandon their patronymic in favor of a toponymic surname, Arundel or Arundell, a reference to their title in the Peerage of England, but use of the FitzAlan surname is often retained in the historical literature. Family members Notable people with the surname FitzAlan include: . Walter Fitz Alan (d. 1177) . William FitzAlan, Lord of Oswestry (1105–1160), an important Marcher lord and supporter of Empress Matilda, elder brother of Walter Fitz Alan. . William Fitz Alan, 1st Lord of Oswestry and Clun (died 1210), son of William FitzAlan, Lord of Oswestry, and a Marcher lord under the early Plantagenet kings. . William Fitz Alan, 2nd Lord of Oswestry and Clun (died 1215), son of William Fitz Alan, 1st Lord of Oswestry and Clun; he came into conflict with King John. . John Fitzalan, 3rd Lord of Oswestry and Clun (1200–1240), son of William Fitz Alan, 1st Lord of Oswestry and Clun; he married into the d'Aubigny family, thus acquiring the Arundel earldom for the FitzAlans. . John FitzAlan 6th Earl of Arundel (1223–1267) . John FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel (1246–1272) . Richard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel (1267–1302), who received a writ in 1289, at his majority, summoning him to Parliament; this is thought to perhaps be a creation of another Earldom of Arundel. . Richard FitzAlan, 1st or 8th Earl of Arundel (1267–1302) . Edmund FitzAlan, 2nd or 9th Earl of Arundel (1285–1326) (forfeit 1326) . Richard FitzAlan, 3rd or 10th Earl of Arundel (1313–1376) (restored 1331) . Richard FitzAlan, 4th or 11th Earl of Arundel (1346–1397) (forfeit 1397) . Thomas FitzAlan, 5th or 12th Earl of Arundel (1381–1415) (restored 1400) . John FitzAlan, 6th or 13th Earl of Arundel (1385–1421) . John FitzAlan, 7th or 14th Earl of Arundel (1408–1435) . Humphrey FitzAlan, 8th or 15th Earl of Arundel (1429–1438) . William FitzAlan, 9th or 16th Earl of Arundel (1417–1487) . Thomas FitzAlan, 10th or 17th Earl of Arundel (1450–1524) . William FitzAlan, 11th or 18th Earl of Arundel (1476–1544) . Henry FitzAlan, 12th or 19th Earl of Arundel (1512–1580) . Eleanor FitzAlan (ca. 1284 – ca. 1328) . Bryan FitzAlan, Lord FitzAlan (d. 1306) . Lady Elizabeth FitzAlan (1366–1425) . Thomas FitzAlan (died 1430), English knight Further information: Earl of Arundel, FitzAlan-Howard, and Dukes of Norfolk family tree Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 14th Duke of Norfolk (1815–1860), the 13th Earl of Arundel of the Fourth Creation (1580), revived the use of the Fitzalan surname in the hyphenated form "Fitzalan-Howard." Edmund FitzAlan-Howard (1855–1947), son of the 14th Duke of Norfolk was raised up to the Peerage as "Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent" in 1921 when he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Lady Marcia Fitzalan-Howard (b. 1953), daughter of the 17th Duke of Norfolk, uses the stage name Marsha Fitzalan as an actress. Origins This section is transcluded from Alan fitz Flaad. The controversy over Stewart ancestry Alan's role was formerly obscure because of the political implications of examining the origins of the Stewart dynasty. Holinshed, deriving his information from the work of Hector Boece, asserted that Banquo, Thane of Lochaber, was the ancestor of the Stewarts. Distorting the role of Banquo, who is presented by Holinshed as Macbeth's chief accomplice in regicide, William Shakespeare presented him flatteringly in Macbeth as a martyred ancestor of James VI of Scotland and I of England. These legends, accepted as history, became part of the foundation narrative of the Stewarts and forced later writers to trace the Stewart ancestry through Fleance, Banquo's son. David Symson, the Historiographer Royal of Scotland, in a work dedicated to Queen Anne, followed the chroniclers in having Fleance marry a daughter of the Welsh ruler Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, and then introduced Walter as his son and Alan fitz Walter, 2nd High Steward of Scotland as his grandson. However, this greatly distorted the chronology, forcing Symson to transpose Alan Fitz Walter, actually born around 1140, to about 1073. This created a gap in the record, which was filled by multiplying the Alans and Walters in the Stewart line. David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes, in his Annals of Scotland, published in the 1770s, went some way to establish a convincing chronology for Walter Fitz Alan, who, he asserted, belonged to the reign of David I of Scotland (1124–53) and his successor, Malcolm IV. Moreover, he was the first of the Stewarts: there were none in the reign of Malcolm III (1058–93), as Symson had been forced to maintain. He went on to demolish the legendary background to the Stewarts, which he described as "flattering and ignorant fictions." He showed that there was a need to distinguish the various Alans who were connected with the Stewart line, something he was unembarrassed to be unable to do: "Some of my readers may demand, "Who then was Alan the father of Walter, Stewart of Scotland in the reign of Malcolm IV?" ... In the reign of David I, before the middle of the twelfth century, the family of the Stewarts was opulent and powerful. It may, therefore, have subsisted for many ages previous to that time; but when, and what was its commencement, we cannot determine." Andrew Stuart, a notable Scottish MP, accepted Dalrymple's critical work on the legendary ancestors, although he included among these a crusader Alan who was subsequently to emerge as genuine. He sought to establish a definite chronological framework, placing Walter Fitz Alan's death in 1177. Not until the first decade of the 19th century did George Chalmers definitely prove that Walter Fitz Alan, an acknowledged link in the Stewart ancestry, came from Shropshire and was actually the son of Alan Fitz Flaald. This finally established Alan Fitz Flaad's existence and importance and confirmed the kinship between the Stewarts and the FitzAlan Earls of Arundel. Even then, the legendary background took almost a century to fade. In 1858, Robert William Eyton, the distinguished historian of Shropshire, while clarifying Alan Fitz Flaad's connection with the county and details of his marriage, still tried to maintain a link with the legendary Banquo, and even surmised that Flaad was actually Fleance. After an anonymous work of 1874 drew attention to a strong connection between Alan Fitz Flaad and Brittany, and confirmed Flaad's relationship to Alan the Seneschal, J. Horace Round definitively established and publicized Alan Fitz Flaad's true Breton origins in 1901 in a collection of genealogical essays. Alan's father, Flaad (rendered in numerous ways, including Flaald and Flathald), was a son (or possibly a brother) of Alain, dapifer to the Ancient Diocese of Dol, with its see at Dol-de-Bretagne, who had taken part in the First Crusade in 1097. "Alan Dapifer" is found as a witness in 1086 to a charter relating to Mezuoit, a cell near Dol of the Abbey of Saint-Florent de Saumur. The area of Dol is near Mont-Saint-Michel and has figured in the history of the Duchy of Brittany since at least the rule of Nominoe. Round's genealogy was confirmed in 1904 by Sir James Balfour Paul, then Lord Lyon King of Arms, who, in a definitive work, The Scots Peerage, stated that "the Stewarts or Stuarts are of Breton origin, descended from a family which held the office of Seneschal or Steward of Dol." He then reinstated Alan Fitz Flaad to his place in the ancestry of the Scottish royal family and gave a summary of what was known of his career. Alan fitz Flaad: family tree Round provided a family tree to embody his essential findings, which is adapted below. Alan fitz Flaad William FitzAlan, Lord of Oswestry William Fitz Alan, 1st Lord of Oswestry and Clun William Fitz Alan, 2nd Lord of Oswestry and Clun John Fitzalan, Lord of Oswestry John FitzAlan, 6th Earl of Arundel House of FitzAlan Jordan fitz Alan, Seneschal of Dol Walter fitz Alan, 1st High Steward of Scotland Alan fitz Walter, 2nd High Steward of Scotland Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland Robert II of Scotland John Stewart of Ralston John Stewart of Bonkyll Alexander Stewart of Bonkyll Earls of Angus (extinct 1361) Alan Stewart of Dreghorn Stewart of Darnley Earls of Lennox Stewart of Garlies Earls of Galloway Stewart of Burray Stewart of Physgill (Phisgal) Stewart of Minto Lords Blantyre Stewart of Tongrie Stewart of Barclye Walter Stewart of Garlies and Dalswinton John Stewart of Dalswinton Walter Stewart of Garlies and Dalswinton James Stewart of Pearston Stewart of Pearston Stewart of Lorn Clan Stewart of Appin Earls of Atholl Earls of Buchan Earls of Traquair (illegitimate) John Stewart of Daldon Robert Stewart of Daldowie Walter Bailloch Earls of Menteith Robert Stewart, Lord of Darnley Simon fitz Alan Clan Boyd
  15. Title: Ancestral File (R)
  16. Title: William FitzAlan, Husband of Isabel de Saye
    Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_FitzAlan,_Lord_of_Oswestry#:~:text=William%20FitzAlan%20(1105%E2%80%931160),as%20in%20Norfolk%20and%20Sussex.;
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