Bertram de Verdun I

• Preferred Name: Bertram de Verdun I^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}
  
• Alternate Name: Bertram Verdun I
  
• Gender: M
  
• Fact: with note: Description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_de_Verdun
  
• Birth: ABT 1040 in Verdun, Rue de la Baie, Saint-Martin-des-Champs, Avranches, Manche, Normandy, France at LATI: N8.6703 LONG: E1.33 with note: Date inline with find a grave information and makes him older than 12 when his son is born
  
• Fact: with note: Description: http://www.de-verdon.uk/
  
• Find A Grave: with note: Description: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91508891/bertram-de_verdun
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Chevalier, shérif d'York (1100).
  
• Death: ABT 1100 in Farnham Royal, South Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England at LATI: N1.538 LONG: E0.6171
  
• FSID: GDLZ-HKD
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  According to the historian Mark Hagger, the de Verdun family lived originally in Normandy where they held land, and after the Norman conquest of England they were granted land in England.Members of the family appear in original records in Normandy from at least c.1068-1085 when the first Bertram de Verdun attests a charter of Guillaume fitz-Guimond of Avranches, who makes a donation to the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel
  
  Bertram I de Verdun appears in the Domesday Book (1086), holding the land and the manor of Farnham Royal in Buckinghamshire, held before the conquest by princess Goda of England. In Domesday Book, Bertram is said to have been in Normandy for William II's business, "duc est transmare in servicio regis", and appears in two charters of William de Saint-Calais, bishop of Durham, and King's chief advisor. Bertram's wife's name is unknown, but his son and heir was Bertram II de Verdun
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_de_Verdun
  
  === https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_de_Verdun ===
  Hagger suggests that the Verdun family took their toponym from a place located in the French village of Vessey, Manche. But that place didn't take the name of Verdun before 1393, when it was acquired by a member of a French cadet branch of the Verdun family. Most probably the family gave the name of Verdun to this place, as well as two other near places in the villages of Boucey et Saint-Martin-des-Champs[dubious – discuss]Jump up^ The Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families, Lewis Christopher Loyd, David C. Douglas, The Harleian Society, Leeds, Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Company, 1975, ISBN 0-8063-0649-1, ISBN 978-0-8063-0649-0, page 109.
  
  === Family info ===
  Father of Bertram de Verdun, II; N... Seigneur de Verdun près Avranches; Ives de Verdun, of Moulton; Estormus de Verdun and Hawise de Verdun
  Brother of Ernesius de Verdun
  
  === https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91508891/bertram-de_verdun ===
  Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 26 August 2018), memorial page for Bertram De Verdun, I (1040–1100), Find A Grave Memorial no. 91508891, ; Maintained by Brett Williams (contributor 47234529) Unknown.
  
  === At the General Survey, Bertram de Verdu ===
  At the General Survey, Bertram de Verdun (stated to have been son of Godfreye, Comte de Verdun, surnamed "le Caplif") possessed Farnham Royal, Buckinghamshire, holding the same by grand serjeanty, viz., by the service of providing a glove on the day of the king's coronation for his right hand, and of supporting the monarch's right arm during the same ceremony, so long as he bore the royal sceptre. Bertram had three sons, Norman, his heir; Milo, d. in Ireland; and William of Brisingham, co. Norfolk, witness to a charter, A.D. 1100, ancestor of the Verdons of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Northampton. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1883, p. 547-8, Verdon, Barons Verdon] moved to New Orleans, La. after 1816 Children i. Robert Burwell Moore, born Sept. 5, 1806 in Greenville District, South Carolina; Died March 6, 1836, listed as "massacred at the Alamo", San Antonio, Tx. He served with Capt. Thomas H. Breece's command of the New Orleans Greys. ii. Elizabeth Washington Moore, born in Greenville District, South Carolina. She married Theodore Stephen Robert of New Orleans, La. iii.Harriott Levall Moore, born August of 1809 in Greenville District, South Carolina. Died of April 13, 1881, buried in Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans, La. She married Thomas Davidson Hailes of Sept. 25, 1830 in New Orleans,La.

1. Title: Bertram De Verdun, "Find A Grave Index"
   Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVL7-LS5S : 25 May 2022), Bertram De Verdun, ; Burial, , ; citing record ID 91508891, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
   Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVL7-LS5S;
   
2. Title: Find a Grave: Bertram De Verdun, I
   Publication: Name: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91508891/bertram-de_verdun;
   Note: Bertram De Verdun, I BIRTH 1040 Verdun, Departement de la Meuse, Lorraine, France DEATH 1100 (aged 59–60) Farnham Royal, South Bucks District, Buckinghamshire, England BURIAL Unknown MEMORIAL ID 91508891 Family Members Children Bertram De Verdun 1075–1129 Adelicia de Verdon
   
3. Title: Bertram de Verdun, Wikipedia
   Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_de_Verdun;
   
4. Title: The de Verdun (1027 - 1316)
   Publication: Name: https://web.archive.org/web/20081204135505/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/weston/section%20one.html;
   Note: "Know present and future people that I Rohesia de Verdun, have granted and by this my charter confirmed, to god and St Mary and to the church of the holy trinity of the grace of god at Belton and to the servants of Christ, the nuns in the same church serving god, in pure and perpetual alms, for me and my Heirs, and for the souls of my parents and all my ancestors, and of my husbands all the manor of Belton". So begins the charter of foundation of Gracedieu priory in Leicestershire, confirmed by king Henry III in 1242. The lady who made this seemingly generous gift to the nuns of the order of St Austin was Rohesia de Verdun, the daughter of Nicholas de Verdun and Joan (or Jeanne) Fits-Piers. Some two hundred and fifty years before, the homeland of her ancestors had been the hills of the Ardennes and here her forebears became increasingly important through advantageous marriages with the local ruling families. A descendant of these early de Verduns was Gonthalon count of Verdun and duke of Lower Lorraine. In 1027 he was granted the duchy of Upper Lorraine and in this same year he married Junea, daughter of Berengarius II of Italy, a descendent of Charlemagne. Junea bore her husband three sons; Godfrey, known as “the bearded”, became duke of Lower Lorraine; Gonthalon II became duke of Upper Lorraine and Frederick Junian became a monk at Liege. Duke Godfrey, was ambitious and in 1047, after much activity against the interests of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III, he was forced into exile. Godfey found employment with his cousin Pope Leo IX, at a time when the papal armies were busy repulsing Norman adventurers in southern Italy. It seems that Frederick, the one time monk of Liege was now in command of several hundred men and though the Papal forces suffered defeat both he and his brother Godfrey covered themselves with personal glory. Frederick soon became a cardinal and Godfrey, who had been married to Ida (or Oda) daughter of Alberic of Namur, now married Beatrice the widow of Boniface of Tuscany and in so doing became marquis of Tuscany in 1053. Beatrice had a nine year old daughter (sired by her previous husband) by the name of Matilda, and Godfrey now married her off to his son Gonthalon III. It was not long before Godfrey and his brother Frederick were again in difficulties. They came once again into conflict with the Holy Roman Emperor this time in northern Italy and were forced to seek refuge for a time at the monastery of Monteccasino Pope Leo died in 1055 and his successor, Pope Victor II made Frederick Junian his papal legate to Constantinople. Two years later Victor died and Frederick was his chosen successor, taking the name of Stephen. Frederick himself died at Florence on 29th March 1058. He was buried in the church of St Reparata. On the succession of Henry IV as Holy Roman Emperor, Godfrey de Verdun was pardoned and allowed to pay homage for his lands in Lower Lorraine. He left Tuscany to live in his castle at Bouillon where he died in 1069. His son, Gonthalon III, succeeded to the family titles and estates but he himself died childless, his wife, the young Matilda, had so loathed him that she left him and never returned. The first mention of the de Verdun family that I have found in England is that of Ida de Verdun the youthful bride of count Eustace II of Boulogne. Eustace's first wife had been Goda, the sister of Edward the Confessor. Goda had obtained the royal manor of Farnham, which had belonged to Queen Edith, prior to the Queen’s fall from favour in 1051. When countess Goda died, Eustace married the fifteen year old Ida de Verdun, daughter of Godfrey the Bearded. The manor of Farnham she received as her dower. It is however with another of the children of Godfrey that our own history must be concerned and my earliest information on this distant ancestor dates from the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 Bertram de Verdun came to England as a retainer of count Robert of Mortain who was one of William the Conqueror's principal commanders at Hastings. Bertram held lands in Mortain, Avranches and, after the conquest; he was given fiefs in England. Later, the lands of Eustace of Boulogne, who vainly rebelled against King William, were confiscated and the manor of Farnham, held by Ida, was given to her brother Bertram. At the time of the great survey of 1086/87 Bertram de Verdun held lands in Buckinghamshire, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire. Amongst the first of the Leicestershire fiefs were Newbold Verdun, Market Bosworth and Belton. Hamo le Breton conveyed the manor of Lutterworth to Bertram de Verdun as follows: “Know ye that I have granted Bertram De Verdun and his heirs, Lutterworth with all appurtenances to be held by me and my heirs for one Knights fee, and in consideration of this Bertram has given me 13 marks, a coat of mail and grieves and three horses”. In 1100, the year in which William the Conquerors heir, William Rufus died in mysterious circumstances in the New Forest, Bertram de Verdun was in York. In this same year he became sheriff of that county but it seems that soon after he himself was fined for breaking forest laws. Bertram's second wife may have been a Saxon noblewoman for it is believed that on her death the manor of Alton in Staffordshire passed to Bertram who later conferred it upon his son Nicholas (the Norman) de Verdun. Nicholas was a chamberlain to King Henry I. He married Laceline de Clinton, whose father Geoffrey was the king’s treasurer and is perhaps best remembered as the builder of Kenilworth castle. It was in 1130 that Nicholas was acknowledged as lord of Alton. Nine years later he paid 100 shillings for Lutterworth and a further sum for livery of his lands at Belton. In 1135 began the 19 year reign of King Stephen and much has been written about the chaos that ensued. The powerful barons seized the opportunity to build castles without licence from the crown. On the accession of Stephen's successor Henry Plantagenet five hundred of the eleven hundred castles built during the previous reign were pulled down. During the anarchy of Stephen’s reign, Nicholas had fortified Brandon castle, a stone motte and bailey fortress Located on the north bank of the river Avon 6 miles east of Coventry. Nicholas was allowed to retain Brandon as a mark of the new king’s trust. Nicholas died in 1159 leaving his son Bertram as his heir. This Bertram would, in the course of his life, hold very high office. He married Maud the daughter of Robert de Ferrers 2nd earl of Derby. Maud was a minor and it is unlikely that the marriage was ever consummated; in any event she died young without progeny. Soon after, Bertram married Rohese de Salford who gave her husband eight children In 1169 Bertram became sheriff of Warwickshire. Four years later he rebuilt in stone his house at Alton, which had, up to that time, been little more than a wooden hall. At the beginning of the reign of Henry II a papal bull was obtained authorizing the King to conquer Ireland and bring the Irish church in line with the rest of Europe. Henry had not found the time to act upon it but, in 1169, Dermot MacMurrough the expelled king of Leinster, together with Richard Fits-Gilbert (Strongbow) earl of Pembroke and Clare landed in Ireland. Dublin was taken and held against both Norse and Irish attacks. Henry II decided to go to Ireland to clarify his own position as Strongbow's liege Lord. Bertram de Verdun was appointed seneschal for the undertaking, that is to say he was responsible for provisions and stores. The expedition left for Waterford on October 16th 1171. From 1172, Bertram was one of the king’s”Justices in Eyre” (circuit judges) along with William Basset of Sapcote ( see chapter 3 The Bassets ). Later, in 1175 he became one of the regular members of the Curia Regis. By 1173, it appears that William Basset of Sapcote was sheriff of Warwickshire. Basset was accused of misappropriation of treasury monies and Bertram de Verdun, who was at that time with the king in Caen, was sent, together with Richard de Humet, to investigate. It seems that Bertram was later given the two shrievalties of Warwickshire and Leicestershire. Henry II had undertaken policies to put the kingdom into good order after the anarchy of the previous reign. This however did not meet with everyone's approval and many of the powerful barons rebelled against the crown. The French were not slow in attempting to gain an advantage from the situation and neither were the Scots. Bertram de Verdun, whose lands were in the main surrounded by rebel lords, supported the king and successfully defended Kenilworth. He also fought at Alnwick against the Scots. Here William the Lion, the Scottish King was taken and shortly afterwards the rebellion was finally put down. Henry Plantagenet was now able to devote his time to completing his reforms in England. Bertram de Verdun was sheriff of Leicestershire until 1183, but I am unsure as to whether he held this office continually. He spent a good deal of his time in both Ireland and Normandy where he founded or endowed many monastic houses not to mention his patronage in England. He was a close friend of his sovereign Henry II and it is likely that he was with the king in France when Henry became ill in 1189. The king retired to Chinon, where he died on July 6th. On the death of Henry II, his son Richard became king without opposition. Richard's wish was to lead a crusade and gain glory in the holy land. Bertram de Verdun set sail with king Richard on what has come to be known as the third crusade, and after many delays (including the king’s marriage to Berengaria of Navarre) finally reached Acre in 1191. The Christians lay siege to the city which soon fell and Bertram together with Stephen Longchamp was appointed governor. On August 25th 1192, St Bartholomew's day in the old calendar. Bertram died at Jaffa three days before the ..
   
5. Title: Wikiwand: Bertram de Verdun
   Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Bertram_de_Verdun;
   Note: Bertram de Verdun was the name of several members of the Norman family of Verdun, native of Avranchin. According to the historian Mark Hagger, the Verdun family lived lavishly in Normandy where they were minor land holders, and after the Norman conquest of England they were granted land in England. Bertram I de Verdun Bertram I de Verdun appears in the Domesday Book (1086), holding the land and the manor of Farnham Royal in Buckinghamshire, held before the conquest by princess Goda of England. In Domesday Book, Bertram is said to have been in Normandy for William II's business, "duc est transmare in servicio regis", and appears in two charts of William de Saint-Calais, bishop of Durham, and King's chief advisor. Bertram's wife's name is unknown, but his son and heir was Bertram II de Verdun (? – c. 1129/30). Bertram II de Verdun Bertram II de Verdun continued to amass land in England, and by 1128 also had been granted land in Staffordshire and Leicestershire. Hagger suggests that he also had assumed an administrative position for Henry I, and was possibly sheriff of Yorkshire in 1100. Bertram III de Verdun Bertram II's grandson was Bertram III de Verdun, one of the familiares of king Henry II. His parents are Norman de Verdun, son of Bertram II, and Lesceline de Clinton, daughter of Geoffrey de Clinton, chamberlain of king Henry I. Bertram would, in the course of his life, hold very high office. He married Maud the daughter of Robert de Ferrers 2nd Earl of Derby. Maud was a minor and it is unlikely that the marriage was ever consummated; in any event she died young without children. Soon after, Bertram married Rohese de Salford who gave her husband eight children. In "The Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families," it could be read : "In 1166 Bertram de Verdun held two knights' fees in chief. In a return of the knights of Le Mont St-Michel in 1172 there is the entry "Radulfus de Fulgeriis debet unum militem de medietate de Buillun et de Chavei et de quadam parte Olivi. Istud autem servicium debet facere pro eo Bertramnus de Verdum, filius Normanni." The places are Bouillon (Manche, arr. Avranches, cant. Granville) and Chavoy (arr. and cant. Avranches). The third place is very likely Lolif, (Olivi in Latin, close to Avranches). In 1168 William Basset of Sapcote was Sheriff of Warwickshire and was accused of misappropriation of treasury monies. Bertram, who was at that time with the king in Caen, was sent, together with Richard de Humet, to investigate with the result that Bertram was in 1169 given the dual shrievalty of Warwickshire and Leicestershire in Basset's place. Four years later he rebuilt in stone his house at Alton, which had, up to that time, been little more than a wooden hall. In 1179 Bertram founded the Cistercian abbey of Croxden in Staffordshire, where settled monks from abbey of Aunay in Normandy. At the beginning of the reign of Henry II a papal bull had been obtained authorizing the King to conquer Ireland and bring the Irish church in line with the rest of Europe. Henry had not found the time to act upon it but, in 1169, Dermot MacMurrough, the expelled king of Leinster, together with Richard FitzGilbert (Strongbow) Earl of Pembroke and Clare landed in Ireland. Dublin was taken and held against both Norse and Irish attacks. Henry II decided to go to Ireland to clarify his own position as Strongbow's liege Lord. Bertram de Verdun was appointed Seneschal for the undertaking, that is to say he was responsible for provisions and stores. The expedition left for Waterford on October 16, 1171. Further to this campaign, Bertram was granted by king of land in Louth, north of Ireland, where he held the towns of Drogheda-in-Uriel and Dundalk and several castles. From 1172 Bertram was one of the king's "Justices in Eyre" (circuit judges) along with William Basset. Later, in 1175, he became one of the regular members of the Curia Regis. Henry II had undertaken policies to put the kingdom into good order after the anarchy of the previous reign. This however did not meet with everyone's approval and many of the powerful barons rebelled against the crown. The French were not slow in attempting to gain an advantage from the situation and neither were the Scots. Bertram de Verdun, whose lands were in the main surrounded by rebel lords, supported the king and successfully defended Kenilworth. He also fought at Alnwick against the Scots. Here William the Lion, the Scottish King, was taken and shortly afterwards the rebellion was finally put down. Henry Plantagenet was now able to devote his time to completing his reforms in England. Bertram de Verdun was sheriff of Leicestershire until 1183 but it is unclear as to whether he held this office continually. He spent a good deal of his time in both Ireland and Normandy where he founded or endowed many monastic houses not to mention his patronage in England. He was a close friend of his sovereign Henry II and it is likely that he was with the king in France when Henry became ill in 1189. The king retired to Chinon, where he died on July 6. Undignified by any great office yet close to the king, but ready for any kind of business, Bertram was sometime custodian of Pontorson, sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire from 1169 to 1184, itinerant justice, sent to a mission to Spain in 1177, despatched to clear up dangerous muddle in Ireland in 1185, guardian of the heir to the earldom of Chester. Clearly he was a man of many parts (he was put in charge of Acre on the Third Crusade and died in Jaffa); but again, when not entrusted with a special task, he was to be found constantly with the king Henry II and numbered among his most intimate counselors. After Henry’s death Bertram III remained an influential figure with king Richard I, he became castellan and went on Holy Land with king. Richard's wish was to lead a crusade and gain glory in the holy land. Bertram de Verdun set sail with Richard on what has come to be known as the Third Crusade and after many delays (including the king's marriage to Berengaria of Navarre) finally reached Acre in 1191. The Christians lay siege to the city, which soon fell and Bertram together with Stephen Longchamp was appointed governor. On August 25, 1192, St Bartholomew's day in the old calendar, Bertram died at Jaffa three days before the signing of the treaty allowing free passage to Jerusalem for pilgrims. He was buried in St. John's Church in Acre. His sword, banner and armour were returned to Alton Castle. Filiation Bertram I de Verdun, († v. 1100) │ └>Bertram II de Verdun, sheriff of York, († v. 1120 │ └>Norman de Verdun, Chamberlain of king Henry I of England,(† v. 1153} │ └>Bertram III de Verdun, crusader and castellan of Richard I of England, († 1192) │ └>Nicholas de Verdun, (? – 1231)
   
6. Title: Legacy NFS Source: Bertram de VERDUN -
   Author: Stirnet.com, Peter Barns-Graham, Chairman, Name: http://www.stirnet.com;, Page number: Lorraine02, Verdon1
   Note: Peter Barns-Graham, Chairman, Stirnet.com (http://www.stirnet.com).
   Page: Migrated from user-supplied source citation: urn:familysearch:source:3246398939
   
7. Title: de Verdun - Verdon
   Publication: Name: http://www.de-verdon.uk/;
   Note: The de Verdun family of England, Normandy & Ireland Preface: This was originally a sub-page linked to www.goldstoneshropshire.com, providing more information about the heraldry of the Vardons (Verdons) of Goldstone and their forebears the de Verdons of Alton. However, in the process it became extended, providing more data on the broader inter-related branches of the de Verdun/Verdon families in England, Normandy and Ireland, in case this may be of added interest for anyone seeking more knowledge about this Norman family. Readers should be aware that this is very much 'a work in progress' and contains incomplete details, sometimes placed here purposely like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that there hasn't been time to put into the correct places, with some sections completed but interconnecting links not yet added. The intention is that further reading of the text, ensuing reflection and research, and simple moments of freer time may result in these gaps being 'plugged', enabling a fuller picture to be revealed in due course. Consequently, the text below will have unedited errors and will be being updated as and when there is time to add new information or correct and edit the current text. Details of sources have been provided throughout the text, to as great an extent as possible, so that interested readers may follow these trails more extensively, should that be of interest for them and helpful to their own research. If anyone would like to offer any corrections or request additional data be added, an email is provided at the bottom of this page to enable them to do so. However, please appreciate that this email account is not checked frequently, therefore a quick response to any messages or genealogical questions posed by readers of this page cannot be promised, but an endeavour will be made to do so. Caveat Genealogists: Be careful in using any data provided - check it all yourself before adding it to any online genealogy programme, so you can be as certain as you can that you aren't about to spread any unintentional errors (& therefore misinformation) on the internet. Note the use of phrases like 'might be', 'could be', 'appears to be' and 'possibly' etc. Note on Copyright: Please respect the Copyright details at the bottom of the page, particularly any specific Copyright references within the text that relate to images reproduced with the kind permission of their owners. The de Verdun family of England, Normandy & Ireland A brief account of the family's origins, the de Verduns of Alton Castle, Staffordshire (Barons Verdon) and their cadet branches, including the de Verdons of Norfolk (the other Verdon Barons); the de Verdons / Vardons of Fulshaw, Cheshire & Goldstone Hall, Shropshire; the Verdins of Darnhall Hall & Stoke Hall, Cheshire & Garnstone Castle, Herefordshire; and the link with their kinsmen the Marquesses & Counts de Verdun of La Crenne and Barenton, Normandy. ____________________ The first of the de Verdun family to have come to England was Bertrand de Verdun, one of the companions of William the Conqueror, whose anglicised name was Bertram de Verdon. He and his family are briefly chronicled in the publication 'The Battle Abbey Roll, with some account of the Norman Lineages', page 221-224. A full transcription of the chapter covering the de Verduns is copied further below. A more recent, extensive and in-depth history of the family was published in 2001: 'The Fortunes of a Norman Family - The de Verduns in England, Ireland and Wales, 1066-1316', by Mark Haggar. It is a valuable and much appreciated addition to the many texts that enlighten our knowledge of the de Verduns, but its understandable focus on the main line of the family means that it omits useful data from French historical sources and therefore mention of what might be the senior branch of the family, who continue to reside in Normandy, and whose story continued to connect with England, during the times that Normandy was ruled by that country's kings. It also misses the importance to the de Verdun family of the fact that the Earls of Chester were also hereditary Vicomtes of Avranches - this is relevant to understanding the de Verdun family's ongoing possession of land in Normandy and their close connection with County Palatine of Chester. Members of the de Verdun family were in the service of the Earls of Chester and appear as witnesses to their charters in both England and Normandy. Some historians have postulated that Bertram de Verdun was a son of Godfrey III, Duke of Upper Lorraine, also (later) Duke of Lower Lorraine and Count of Verdun-sur-Meuse in Lorraine. After 1066, Bertram was given the Manor of Farnham Royal in Buckinghamshire. This manor had been held previously by Goda, daughter of Emma of Normandy by her husband King Æthelred the Unready and therefore a full sister of Edward the Confessor. Goda's second husband (her first had been Count Drogo of the Véxin), Count Eustace II of Boulogne, married afterwards Ida the daughter of Godfrey III, who is said to have been Bertram de Verdun's father. This would have made Bertram the brother-in-law of Goda's second husband. Perhaps this connection explains why he was granted Farnham Royal - in all likelihood we will never know for sure. Another story relates that Bertram's forebear, called Norman de Verdun, arrived in Normandy in the suite of Rollo, first Duke of Normandy, but this is likely to be a mix-up with the 'Norman de Verdun' who was a grandson of Bertram I de Verdun, and it would be odd for Rollo the Viking to arrive with another Norseman who bore such an un-Scandinavian name as 'de Verdun'. A book by historian and heraldic expert Beryl Platts - 'Scottish Hazard, Volume Two: The Flemish Heritage' (latest edition 1990) - supports the story of the de Verdun family of Normandy's descent from the Counts of Verdun-sur-Meuse in Lorraine. Platts argues persuasively that a number of leading Norman nobles who settled in Scotland, like the de Brus family, were members of exiled or émigré noble families from Flanders, who had become tenants of lands in Normandy before 1066. On pages 59-60, in a discussion about the feudal tenants in the Cotentin, she writes: "The lordly names, all assumed to belong to Normans because Normandy is where they were in 1066, must have their antecedents probed. The task is not so formidable; they lived boldly, publicly, and left clues - in their use of names, their marital alliances, their heraldry. Ferrers bore the mascles of Quincy. The arms of Mandeville and Vere were those of Senlis. Hay used the shield upon shield of Wavrin. Haig adopted the saltire of Praet. Some men called their homes St. Vaast, Gavere, Verdun." Platts continues by mentioning the first Earls of Norfolk, from whom a branch of the de Verdun family held manors in Norfolk from the beginning of the 12th century: "The first Bigod...was Robert 'le Bigot', grandfather of the girls who would marry the two Williams d'Aubigny. He was in the service of William de Warlaing, and perhaps acted as his second-in-command. William de Jumièges, who supplied that information, added that he was married to a sister of Thurstan Goz. Richard, Thurstan's son, was made vicomte of Avranches, perhaps (as with Cotentin and Bessin) at the instigation of the king of France. David C. Douglas, in his [book] William the Conqueror, has touched on the role of the Norman vicomtes, which was both military and judicial, without examining the pedigrees of the men who attained such office. The more their antecedents are studied, the plainer it becomes that they were non-Normans, almost certainly recruited by the new French dynasty from the remnants of a Carolingian system of government further east, to teach the raw and lawless Normans some of the traditional ways of civilised life. In the case of Richard le Goz, the appointment's implications would be softened for William of Normandy because Richard has married his half sister, Emma de Conteville. Thurstan's origins are not known, but if there was supporting evidence we might guess that his unlikely surname was a shortened version of Gozelo, a name common among displaced sons of the Count of Verdun. In fact, at least some supporting evidence is there. French genealogists give Richard de Surdeval, who lived near the comital centre at Mortain, a descent from Verdun, on the Meuse; and Bertram de Verdun's presence at a place in the Avranchin called, evocatively enough, Bouillon, speaks for itself." The reference to the name 'Gozelo' (otherwise 'Gothelo') arises as Bertram de Verdun's supposed father Duke Godfrey III was the son of Gozelo I, Duke of Lower and later Upper Lorraine and Count of Verdun, who died in 1044. Godfrey's eldest younger brother was Gozelo II. The relevance of 'Bouillon' is because Duke Godfrey III's daughter Ida's second son was Godfrey of Bouillon, who gained everlasting fame in the First Crusade. He and his knights were the first to take the walls and enter Jerusalem and he was subsequently persuaded to become ruler of Jerusalem, having refused to be made its king. After his death, his younger brother Baldwin became the first crusader king of Jerusalem. What Platts writes above is of additional interest because the 1st Earl of Chester of the second creation, Hugh d'Avranches succeeded his father Richard le Goz as Vicomte of Avranches and the de Verdun family held lands in Normandy and England from Hugh and his descendants. This old connection between the Earls and the de Verduns continued to be maintained over many generations, as is detailed further below. The de Verduns were granted lands in north Staffordshire, which seem to have been carved out from the Earldom of Chester. Here they built Alton Castle, which became the focus of their power and their Barony. But they also gained lands in many other counties and in Ireland, and branches of the family became established across the country, including the de Verdun family of Norfolk, who est..