Raoul de Tosny seigneur de Conches-en-Ouche III

• Preferred Name: Raoul de Tosny seigneur de Conches-en-Ouche III^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}
  
• Alternate Name: Ralph de Tosny
  
• Alternate Name: Ralph De Toney
  
• Alternate Name: Raoul de Toeni
  
• Gender: M
  
• Burial: 1102 in Conches-en-Ouche, Departement de l'Eure, Haute-Normandie, France at LATI: N8.964 LONG: E0.9421
  
• FSID: LJB5-Z4Y
  
• Birth: 1029 in Conches, Seine-Et-Marne, France at LATI: N8.8555 LONG: E0.7186
  
• Death: 9 APR 1102 in Conches-en-Ouche, Departement de l'Eure, Haute-Normandie, France at LATI: N8.964 LONG: E0.9421
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  geni.com
  Raoul III de Tosny, Seigneur de Conches, Lord of Flamstead
  Also Known As: "Ralph", "de Toeni"
  Birthdate: 1029
  Birthplace: Flamstead or Dacorum District, Hertfordshire, England
  Death: March 24, 1101 (71-72)
  Conches-en-Ouches, Eure, Haute-Normandie, France
  Place of Burial: Conches-en-Ouches, Eure, Haute Normandie, France
  Immediate Family:
  Son of Roger II de Tosny, seigneur de Conches and Godechildis
  Husband of Isabelle de Montfort, dame de Nogent
  Father of
  Roger de Toeni, II;
  Raoul IV de Tosny, de Conches;
  Godehaut (Godechilde) de Tosny, Queen consort of Jerusalem and
  Robert de Toeni
  
  Brother of (poss dau of Roger II) Berthe de Toeni; (poss son of Roger II) Robert I de Toeni, Lord of Belvoir; Adeliza de Toeni, Countess of Hereford; Robert de Toeni, Lord of Stafford and (poss son of Roger II) Berenger Hespina de Toeni
  
  Half brother of William "Crespin" count of Évreux; Agnès d'Évreux, Comtesse d'Evreux and Godechilde d'Évreux
  
  Occupation: Lord of Flamstead, aka "de Conches", Seigneur de Conches
  Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
  RAOUL [III] de Tosny, son of ROGER [II] de Tosny & his wife Godechildis --- ([before 1038]-24 Mar [1102], bur Conches Saint-Pierre). “Radulphus de Tony cum Godehelde matre mea” donated property to Wotton Wawen Abbey, Warwickshire by undated charter[1500]. His birth date is estimated from his active participation, as noted below, in the duke of Normandy’s war with the king of France in 1054, when he must at least have been a young adult.
  
  According to Orderic Vitalis, he was "a man of the highest renown and knightly valour and was outstanding among the greatest nobles of Normandy for his wealth and honours"[1501]. Orderic Vitalis records that Guillaume II Duke of Normandy sent “Radulfum de Toenia” as ambassador to meet Henri I King of France during their war[1502]. Ralph de Diceto’s Abbreviationes Chronicorum records the war between “Henricus rex Francorum” and “Willelmi ducis Normannorum” in 1054, and records that “Rodulfus de Toenia...nuntium” reported the French king’s army’s defeat[1503].
  
  Orderic also records that he "carried away by night" his uterine half-sister Agnes d'Evreux and gave her in marriage to Simon de Montfort, receiving in return Simon's daughter Isabel as his wife[1504].
  
  Orderic Vitalis records disputes between his vassals and Duke Guillaume who exiled “milites Rodulfum de Toenia et Hugonem de Grentemaisnilio atque Ernaldum de Escalfoio”, dated to [1059/61][1505], the same source recording in a later passage that Duke Guillaume recalled “Rodulfum de Toenia et Hugonem de Grentemaisnilio”, dated to [1063][1506]. Orderic Vitalis names “...Rodulphus de Conchis Rogerii Toenetis filius, Normannorum signifer...” among the leading lords under Guillaume II Duke of Normandy[1507].
  
  Orderic Vitalis names “...Galterius Giphardus et Radulphus Toenites...” among those who took part in the battle of Hastings[1508]. Orderic Vitalis records that “Radulfus...de Conchis filius Rogerii de Toenia qui fuit Normannorum famosus signifer”, wishing to leave “in Hispaniam”, donated property to Ouche in reparation of the damage he had previously done by supporting “Ernaldi de Excalfoio” in burning the place, and in particular donated “in Angliam...duos mansiones...in Nortfuc...Caldecota, alteram...in Wigornensi provincia...Alwintona”[1509].
  
  Odo Bishop of Bayeux bought "la terre de Chernet" from "Herberto de Agnellis", with the consent of "suo domino Radulfo de Conchis", by charter dated 30 Nov 1074[1510]. "Ralf de Conchis son of Roger de Toncio" donated property to the abbey of Saint-Evroul by charter dated to [1080], witnessed by "Rogerus de Clara, Galterus de Hispannia, Guillelmus de Paceio, Robertus de Remileio, Geroldus Gastinellus, Gillebertus Toroldi filius, Rogerus de Mucegros, et Galterus de Calvo Monte"[1511].
  
  Domesday Book records land held by “Ralph de Tosny” in Charlton in Wantage Hundred in Berkshire; Flamstead in Danish Hundred and Westmill in Braughing Hundred in Hertfordshire; Charingworth, Icomb, Bromsberrow, Harnhill, Ampney and Lower Swell in Gloucestershire; several properties in Worcestershire; the castle of Clifford and several other properties in Herefordshire[1512].
  
  Orderic Vitalis records that “Guillelmus” [Guillaume de Breteuil] gave “tria millia librarum” to “avunculo suo Radulpho” [Raoul [III] de Tosny] for his ransom as part of the peace settlement of the Evreux/Tosny war and appointed “Rogerium consobrinum suum Radulfi filium” as his heir[1513]. "Rodulfo de Conchis" consented to the donation of "decimam Ansfredi Villæ" to Sainte-Trinité de Rouen by "Gernagois et Albereda uxor eius, cum filiis suis Willelmo et Rotberto" by charter dated 1091[1514].
  
  Orderic Vitalis records the death “IX Kal Apr” of “Radulfus senex [=Radulfus...de Conchis filius Rogerii de Toenia]” and his burial “in cœnobio B. Petri Castellionis”[1515]. Henry I King of England confirmed the foundation of Conches by "Rogerius senior de Toenio et filius eius Radulphus senex et Radulphus juvenis filius prædicti Radulphi senis et Rogerius filius Radulphi juvenis", quoting the confirmation by "Radulphus de Totteneio cum Godehilde matre mea" for the burial of "patris mei Rogerii", dated to [1130][1516].
  
  Henry II King of England confirmed the property of Conches abbey, including donations by "Rogeris senior de Toenio et filius eius Radulfus senex et Radulphus juvenis filius predicti Radulphi senex et Roger filius Radulphi juvenis", by charter dated 1165 or [1167/73][1517].
  
  m ISABELLE de Montfort, daughter of SIMON [I] de Montfort Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury & his first wife Isabelle de Broyes. Orderic Vitalis records that “Radulfus...de Conchis filius Rogerii de Toenia” kidnapped “Agnetem uterinam sororem suam, Ricardi Ebroicensium comitis filiam” by night and married her to “Simoni de Monteforti”, who in exchange granted “filiam eiusdem Simonis...Isabel” to Raoul[1518].
  
  Her parentage is suggested by a charter dated 1160 under which Louis VII King of France confirmed donations to the abbey of Colombs near Nogent, including donations made by "Hugo Bardulfus castri Nouigenti…aliique eorum successores…Simon de Montisforti, et Radulfus iunior de Toneio et Rogerius filius eius…et Simon de Monteforti gener eius et successor"[1519].
  
  Orderic Vitalis records that “Elizabeth...uxor et Rogerius atque Radulfus filii eius” consented to the donations to Ouche made by “Radulfus...de Conchis filius Rogerii de Toenia Normannorum..
  signifer”[1520].
  
  Dame de Nogent-le-Roi. Orderic Vitalis records the bitter dispute between “Helvisa...comitissa” and “Isabelem de Conchis”, adding that Helvise was “solers...et facunda, sed atrox et avara” and that in war she rode armed like a knight, while Isabelle was “dapsilis et audax atque jocosa...amabilis et grata”[1521]. After her husband died, Orderic Vitalis records that she repented "the mortal sin of luxury in which she had indulged in her youth" and became a nun at Haute-Bruyère[1522].
  
  Raoul [III] & his wife had three children:
  
  1. ROGER [III] de Tosny (-15 May [1093/95], bur Châtillon).
  2. RAOUL [IV] de Tosny (-[1126], bur Conches Saint-Pierre).
  3. GODECHILDE de Tosny (-Germanicea, Cilicia Oct 1097[1549]).
  
  Basic History
  Robert de was born circa 1036 at Tosni, Normandy, France. He later became known as Robert de Stafford. He was the son of Roger de Tosni and Adelaide Borrell of Barcelona. Robert married Adelisa de Sav
  
  Roger de Tosni
  Roger de was born circa 988 at Tosni, Normandy, France. He was the son of Ralf de Tosni I. In 1013, Roger and his father were charged with guarding the castle at Tillieres for Richard II, the Duke of
  
  The Devil of Drakelowe
  In 'Collections for a history of Staffordshire' (1880) we are introduced to the following account of the events surrounding the case know as The Devil of Drakelowe and the abandonment of the hamlet. T
  
  Robert de Toeni, Lord of Belvoir (1030-1088)
  «b»Biography«/b»
  After the Conquest, he held two Lordships in York, 1 in Essex, 4 in Suffolk, 1 in Cams, 2 in Herts, 3 in Bucks, 4 in Gloucestershire, 10 in Northants, 2 in Rutland, 33 in Lincolnshire
  
  Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire, compiled by Ezra S Stearns - BUCHANAN
  This famous old Scotch name is still common in the land of its origin, and has been honored by several men of more than ordinary distinction, including a number of ripe scholars who have graced the le
  
  === interesting highlights as lord on wikipedia ===
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_II_of_Tosny
  
  === Notes from rootsweb ===
  Robert [de Toeni], called de Stafford; held by 1086 nearly 70 manors in Staffs, more than 25 in Warwicks, more than 20 in Lincs, 10 in Oxon, one in Worcs and one in Northants; built what later became known as Belvoir Castle; allegedly married Avice de Clare, and died probably 1088. [Burke's Peerage]
  
  Note: Burke's Peerage has Robert de Stafford and Robert de Toeni of Belvoir as the same person. However nothing is certain about that. Many people feel that they were two different men.
  
  -------------------------------------------
  
  ROBERT DE STAFFORD, younger son of Roger DE TOENI, was one of the greater tenants-in-chief in 1086.[b] In 1072 he made a grant to Evesham Abbey of Wrottesley and Loynton, co. Stafford; in 1088 he renewed the grant when he had become a monk and was lying sick in Evesham Abbey. He is said to have married Avice DE CLARE, but no such person can be traced. He died probably in 1088 and was probably buried at Evesham Abbey. [Complete Peerage XII/1:168, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]
  
  [b] He held nearly 70 manors in Staffs, over 25 in Warwickshire, over 20 in Lincs, 10 in Oxon, 1 in Worcs. and 1 in Northants, besides claims in Lincs and Suff.
  
  -------------------------------------------
  
  The first that assumed the surname of Stafford was Robert de Stafford, who possessed, at the time of the General Survey, lordships in Suffolk, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, and Staffordshire, in all 131, and Dugdale surmises that the assumption of the surname of Stafford arose from his being governor of Stafford Castle, which had been erected by the Conqueror; for his name originally was de Toenei, and he is said to have been a younger son of Roger de Toenei, standard bearer of Normandy. of this Robert de Stafford, who lived till Henry I's time, nothing further is known than his founding an Augustine priory at Stone, in Staffordshire, upon the spot where Enysan de Waltone, one of the companions of the Conqueror, had killed two nuns and a priest. He m. Avice de Clare, and was s. by his son, Nicholas de Stafford. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1883, p. 498, Stafford, Barons Stafford, Earls of Stafford, &c.]
  
  === !LORD OF FLAMSTEAD IN HERTFORDSHIRE, ALT ===
  !LORD OF FLAMSTEAD IN HERTFORDSHIRE, ALTON IN WORCESTERSHIRE, CAALDECOTE IN
  NORFOLK AND MANORS IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE, HEREFORDSHIRE, AND BERKSHIRE ALL
  REWARDED TO HIM BY WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.
  RALPH AND ELIZABETH MAY BE THE PARENTS OF ROBERT de TODENI, BUILDER OF BELVOIR
  CASTLE, COUNTY RUTLAND IF SO HE IS THE THIRD CHILD.
  
  === Land of Robert of Bucy ===
  Households
  Households: 2 freemen.
  Land and resources
  Ploughland: 0.5 ploughlands. 1 men's plough teams.
  Other resources: Meadow 2 acres.
  Valuation
  Annual value to lord: 3 shillings in 1086; 5 shillings in 1066.
  Owners
  Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Robert of Bucy.
  Lord in 1086: Walter.
  Lord in 1066: Northmann.
  Other information
  Phillimore reference: Northamptonshire 30,8
  
  === father of Robert is probably Roger (de C ===
  father of Robert is probably Roger (de Conches) de Toeni (born 990, died 1038-39) and Godehilda de Barcelona.
  
  === *Ralph De Toeni (De Conches) ===
  *Ralph De Toeni (De Conches)
  born Abt 1029 Of Flamsted, Herefordshire, England
  died 24 Mar 1101/1102
  buried Abt 1101/1102 Conches, Seine-et-Marne, France
  
  father:
  *Roger "The Spainiard" De Toeni (Conches)
  born Abt 0990
  died Abt 1038/1039
  buried 31 May 1038/1039 Conches, Seine-et-Marne, France
  
  mother:
  *Godeheut (Godehilde) Borrell de Barcelona
  born Abt 0995 Of, Barcelona, Spain
  died Aft 1077
  
  siblings:
  *Alice (Adelise) De Toeni born Abt 1035 Of Tosni, France buried Lire Abbey, France
  Helbert (Elbert) De Toeni born Abt 1032
  Eliant (Eliance) De Toeni born Abt 1034
  son De Toeni born Abt 1040
  *Robert De Toeni Baron de Stafford born Abt 1031 Of Staffordshire, England
  died 1088 buried Abbey, Evesham, Worcestershire, England
  Gazon De Toeni born Abt 1033 Of, Tosni, France
  
  spouse:
  *Isabel (Elizabeth) Montford
  born Abt 1058 Of Flamsted, Hertfordshire, England
  married Abt 1076 Of Ile De France, France
  
  children:
  *Ralph De Toeni (De Conches)
  born Abt 1079 Of Flamsted, Hertfordshire, England
  died Abt 1126 Conches, Seine-et-Marne, France
  buried Conches, Seine-et-Marne, France
  Robert De Toeni born Abt 1086
  Roger II De Toeni born Abt 1077 Of, Tosni, France
  died 15 May 1091 buried Abt 1091 Conches, Normandy, France
  Godeheut (Godechilde) De Toeni born Abt 1081 Of, Tosni, France
  
  biographical and/or anecdotal:
  
  notes or source:
  LDS
  
  === 1 He was banner-bearer of the Normans ===
  1 He was banner-bearer of the Normans, and in 1050 was a t the Duke's court. In 1054 he participated in the victor y over the French at Mortemer, and was sent by William to a larm the King of France with the news. About 1060 he, Hug h de Grandmesnil and Ernald d'Echauffour were deprived of t heir inheritances and banished. In revenge he and Ernald bu rned the town of St. Evroul, but in 1063 they were recalle d and their lands restored. He was summoned to a council up on the death of Edward the Confessor and the coronation o f Harold as King of England, and he fought at the Battle o f Hastings. He established his residence at Flamsted, Hertf ordshire, but was given estates in many counties. About 107 8 he supported Robert Curthose against the King, and in 108 0 he went on pilgrimage to Spain, returning to give gifts t o the abbey of St. Evroul. In 1081 he was with the King a t Winchester; after William's death in 1087 he was one of t he Norman nobles who expelled royal garrisons from their ca stles. In 1088 he served in the war against Maine. When hi s wife angered her sister-in-law, the Count of Evreux lai d seige against Conches; this was broken with the help of a dherents of William Rufus. After the death of Rufus he an d the Count of Evreux invaded the Count of Meulan's baron y of Beaumont in August 1100, in retaliation for intrigue s with the king against them. (Marlyn Lewis and "Complete P eerage" by Cokayne; Carl Boyer at cboyer@sosinet.net)
  
  === Research ===
  Ency of Am Biog, Am Hist Soc, r4a1 n s vol 17 p 51
  
  === Land of Robert of Bucy ===
  Land and resources
  Ploughland: 1 ploughland. 1 men's plough teams.
  Valuation
  Annual value to lord: 10 shillings and 7 pence in 1086; 10 shillings and 7 pence in 1066.
  Owners
  Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Robert of Bucy.
  Lord in 1086: Robert of Bucy.
  Lord in 1066: Northmann.
  Other information
  Phillimore reference: Northamptonshire 30,1
  
  === He was banner-bearer of the Normans, and ===
  He was banner-bearer of the Normans, and in 1050 was at the Duke'scourt. In 1054 he participated in the victory over the French atMortemer, and was sent by William to alarm the King of France with thenews. About 1060 he, Hugh de Grandmesnil and Ernald d'Echauffour weredeprived of their inheritances and banished. In revenge he and Ernaldburned the town of St. Evroul, but in 1063 they were recalled and theirlands restored. He was summoned to a council upon the death of Edwardthe Confessor and the coronation of Harold as King of England, and hefought at the Battle of Hastings. He established his residence at Flamsted, Hertfordshire, but wasgiven estates in many counties. About 1078 he supported Robert Curthoseagainst the King, and in 1080 he went on pilgrimage to Spain, returningto give gifts to the abbey of St. Evroul. In 1081 he was with the Kingat Winchester; after William's death in 1087 he was one of the Normannobles who expelled royal garrisons from their castles. In 1088 heserved in the war against Maine. When his wife angered hersister-in-law, the Count of Evreux laid seige against Conches; this wasbroken with the help of adherents of William Rufus. After the death ofRufus he and the Count of Evreux invaded the Count of Meulan's barony ofBeaumont in August 1100, in retaliation for intrigues with the kingagainst them. (Marlyn Lewis and "Complete Peerage" by Cokayne; CarlBoyer at cboyer@sosinet.net)
  
  === Held 131 manors in Warwichshire and Linc ===
  Held 131 manors in Warwichshire and Lincolnshire. In his olderage hebecame a monk at Eversham. Castellan of Stafford Castle and a Norman Magnate of somesignifcance. Heheld as a under tenant of Roger DE Montgomery.
  
  === Ralph [de Toeni], usmaclly called Ralph ===
  Ralph [de Toeni], usmaclly called Ralph de Conches; participated in Norman invasion of England 1066; being accordingly granted lands in Berks, Essex, Glos, Herefs, Herts, Norfolk, and Worcs; married Elizabeth/Isabel, daughter of Simon de Montfort, Seigneur of Montfort l'Amaury, and died 24 March, probably 1101/2. [Burke's Peerage]
  
  ------------------------
  
  RALPH DE TOENI III, styled more usmaclly DE CONCHES, son and heir, by Godeheut, was born probably about 1025-30. He was banner-bearer of the Normans. In 1050 he was at the Duke's Court. In 1054 he took part in William's victory over the French at Mortemer and was sent by the Duke to alarm the King of France with the news. About 1060 Ralph, Hugh de Grandmesnil and Ernald d'Echauffour were deprived of their inheritance by the Duke and banished. In revenge Ernald and Ralph made incursions into Normandy and burnt the town of St. Evroul; but in 1063 they were recalled and their lands were restored. Ralph was one of the nobles summoned to a council when the Duke heard of the death of Edward the Confessor and the coronation of Harold; and he took part in the invasion of England and fought at the Battle of Hastings. At some time between the battle and the Domesday survey in 1086 the Conqueror gave him estates in the counties of Berks, Essex, Gloucester, Hereford, Herts, Norfolk and Worcester, with the castle of Clifford, co. Hereford, which had been built on waste land by William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford; but his caput baroniae was at Flamstead, Herts. Before 30 November 1074 he assented to the Bishop of Bayeux's purchase of land from his tenant Herbert de Agnellis. About 1078 he supported Robert Courtheuse against the King. Probably about 1080 he went on a pilgrimage to Spain; and on his safe return, as he had promised, he made gifts to the abbey of St. Evroul, in recompense for having helped Ernald d'Echauffour to burn the town. In 1081 he was with the King at Winchester. After William's death in 1087 he was one of the Norman nobles who expelled the royal garrisons from their castles. In 1088 he served under Duke Robert in the war against Maine. His wife Isabel having angered her sister-in-law Hawise, wife of her brother William, Count of Evereux, the Countess induced her husband to attack Ralph. He appealed in vain to the Duke for help; he then sent envoys to William Rufus, who ordered his adherents in Normandy to go to Ralph's aid. In Nov. the Count of Evereux besieged Conches, but his forces were defeated soon afterwards; and after 3 years of fighting peace was concluded. When Rufus and his brother made peace in 1091, the Duke granted to the King all the land of Gerard de Gournay and Ralph de Conches; after which Ralph remained one of the King's strongest supporters. After the death of Rufus, Ralph and the Count of Evereux invaded the Count of Meulan's barony of Beaumont in Aug 1100, in revenge for his having prejudiced the late King against them. Ralph was a benefactor to the abbeys of St. Evroul, l'Estree, Conches, Croix-Saint-Leufroi, Lire, Jumieges, Bec, and St. Taurin, Evereux.
  
  He m. Isabel or Elizabeth, daughter of Simon de Montfort, Seigneur of MONTFORT L'AMAURY (France) (a), by his 1st wife, said to be Isabel, daughter of Hugh BARDOUL, SEIGNEUR OF BROZES. He died 24 March, probably in 1101/2, and was buried at Conches. Isabel, after a long widowhood, repenting of the fatal wantonness to which she had been too much addicted in her youth, took the veil at the priory of Haute-Bruyère and lived praiseworthily in the fear of the Lord. [Complete Peerage XII/1:758-60, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger & Jim Weber)]
  
  [a] Ralph obtained her as a reward for kidnapping by night his half-sister Agnes, daughter of Richard, Count of Evreux, and giving her in marriage to Simon.
  
  === !#21> Complete Peerage-v12pt1-p169*,170, ===
  !#21> Complete Peerage-v12pt1-p169*,170, (FHL 942 D22cok); !KIN> s & h; DEATH> 1193/4, bef 29 Sep;
  
  === http://www.ihrinfo.ac.uk/ihr/nine.html
  
  ===
  http://www.ihrinfo.ac.uk/ihr/nine.html
  
  Succession to the fee of Belvoir has been discussed as a problem several times over the years, but perhaps the issue is actually straightforward once one has identified the key players. Domesday's Robert de Tosny of Belvoir was a collateral of his contemporaries Ralph and Roger. By c. 1050+ he had a first-born son Berengar who could expect to succeed his father in Normandy. Around the time of Domesday Book, a few years before his death, Robert founded Belvoir priory with his wife Adelais. Early charters of Belvoir mention their sons William and Geoffrey and their daughter Agnes. At his death, Robert's lands were divided between Berengar, his eldest son and Norman heir - co-incidentally an English tenant-in-chief in his own right - and his next son and English heir, William. Presumably some provision was made for the third son Geoffrey. As it happened, all three sons were to die without issue, which meant that rights of succession passed to Robert's daughters.
  
  Initially, the sole right of succession passed to Robert's eldest daughter Albreda, who inherited the tenancies-in-chief of both her eldest brother Berengar and her younger brother William before the date of the Lindsey Survey, which shows her husband Robert de Insula in charge of both honours. It has always been assumed that Albreda was the widow of Berengar who took his land to a second husband, but the idea is clearly untenable once the full story of the Belvoir succession unfolds. The references in confirmation charters of the Lincolnshire abbey of Newhouse to 'the fee of Albreda de Tosny'' is an indication that the wife of Robert de Insula was a blood relative and heiress of Berengar, rather than his widow. This view is confirmed by the necrology of Belvoir priory, where the anniversaries of Berengar and Albreda uxor eius, deo sancta (a phrase always referring to a religious in this document) were kept on 29 June. All doubt is removed by a charter of c. 1147/52 in which Hugh Bigod made a grant to Kirkstall abbey for the soul of Albrede de Insula amite mee, a phrase that can only mean that Albreda was his mother's sister. The phrase also usefully confirms that Albreda de Tosny and Albreda (wife of Robert) de Insula were the same.
  
  Robert de Tosny had two other daughters, of whom the youngest was Agnes. She confirmed her father's grant of land at Aslackby, Lincolnshire, to Belvoir priory as being part of her marriage portion on her first marriage to Ralph de Beaufour of Hockering (fl. 1086/1100). Widowed in the early twelfth century, she married secondly Hubert I de Ryes, castellan of Norwich, to whom the tenancy-in-chief of Hockering was given by Henry I. She occurs in the 1129/30 Pipe Roll (p. 93) charged with a debt of 35 silver marks because her son was with the count of Flanders. At a similar date she attested the charter which William de Albini pincerna gave for Wymondham priory on the day his wife Matilda Bigod, Agnes's niece, died. Agnes follows her sister Adelisa Bigod in the witness list, where she was accompanied by her daughter Almud and a niece or granddaughter (nepta) Muriel. Her dower lands at Aslackby and at Seaton, Northamptonshire (then in Rutland), were held in 1166 by her son or grandson Ralph de Beaufour from her grandson Hubert II de Ryes.
  
  The elder of Robert de Tosny's younger daughters was Adelisa, wife of Roger Bigod at his death in 1107. It is probable that Roger was married only once, although he is usually credited with two wives of the same name on the inconclusive evidence of a pro anama clause in a charter of his son William. Roger and his wife Adelisa gave charter for Rochester priory which referred to their sons and daughters and was attested by their children William, Humphrey, Gunnor and Matilda. This charter tellingly refers to King Henry, making it highly unlikely that Roger acquired a second wife and second family before his death in 1107. It is likely that Rogers' children were born from the late 1090s onwards, and that the youngest of them were Hugh and Cecilia. Roger's daughters Gunnor and Matilda were married soon after 1107. Gunnor's marriage to Robert fitz Swein of Essex had perhaps been arranged by her father. Matilda was married to William de Albini pincerna by Henry I who bestowed 10 Bigod fees on her as a marriage portion. The marriages certainly took place before Adelisa de Tosny became the heiress to Belvoir on the death without issue of her eldest sister Albreda, some time between 1115/18 and 1129, when Adelisa, as widow of Roger Bigod, accounted for her father's land of Belvoir.
  
  In 1129 the sole surviving issue of Robert de Tosny were his younger daughters Adelisa Bigod and Agnes de Beaufour, who was then already married to Hubert de Ryes. At that date his Bigod granddaughter Matilda de Albini was probably already dead and her sister Gunnor not long removed from her second marriage to Haimo de St Clair. Of their siblings, only Hugh Bigod and Cecilia, then wife of William de Albini Brito, survived. The Carta returned by Hugh Bigod in 1166 shows him holding the fee of his aunt Albreda de Insula.15 At the same date William de Albini Brito II held the fee of Belvoir. The conclusion from this must be that Adelisa succeeded Albreda in the fees of both Berengar and Robert de Tosny as next surviving sister. When she in her turn died she left issue of both sexes. Her sole surviving son Hugh succeeded his aunt Albreda - and by extension, her eldest brother Berengar - as heir both to Berengar's tenancy-in-chief in Lincolnshire and the Norman lands of Robert de Tosny of Belvoir. His tenancy of Robert's Norman lands is shown in a Norman record of 1172 where he is named as holding land of the fee of Conches and Tosny.16 More important in terms of size in England, the lordship of Belvoir was nonetheless the lesser of the two Tosny lordships because it as not associated with their Norman heritage. As the inheritance of a woman married to an important tenant-in-chief it could be expected to pass to one of her younger children and not her husband's principal male heir. Since she had no surviving younger sons after 1120, the devolution of Belvoir to one of her daughters was inevitable. Gunnor and Matilda had long since been provided for from their father's inheritance by the time, after c. 1115/1118, that Adelisa succeeded to Belvoir. Consequently it was the youngest daughter Cecilia - quite probably a mere infant at her father's death in 1107 - who became her mother's heiress. She was, of course , an heiress whose marriage could advantageously be used to reward one of the king's loyal new men. Cecilia's marriage to William de Albini Brito has been said to have occurred as early as 1107 on the basis of a Belvoir charter given by Ralph de Raines and attested by Roger Bigod, but it certainly took place much later. The Belvoir charter just mentioned probably begins to the early 1140s . It was attested by William de Albini senior and his wife Cecilia, their son William junior, Roger Bigot, Robert de Toteneio, Ralph de Albeneio and others.17 Since William, Robert and Ralph were certainly sons of William and Cecilia it is clear that Roger Bigod was also, as is confirmed by the order of their sons William, Robert, Roger, listed in the Thorney Liber vitae (BL Add, 40,000, fol. 2r)
  
  === Sources: A. Roots 98A; Norr; Kraentzler ===
  Sources: A. Roots 98A; Norr; Kraentzler 1148, 1311, 1357; Drakelowe;Falaise Roll; Ayers, p639. Roots: Ralph III de Toeni (de Conches). K: Ralph de Toesni, Lord of Toeni, Conches and of Flamstead. Also called de Conchis. Norr: Ralph de (Tony) Tosney III, born about 1030. Drakelowe: Ralph II "Senex" de Toeni. Roll: Raoul de Toeni. Drakelowe: Participated in the Battle of Mortimer in 1054 and was selected byDuke William (later the Conqueror) to report the duke's victory to the king,who supported the losers. "In 1063, however, Ralph was one of the Normannobles who for their traditional quarrelligs were deprived of all theirpossessions." But the nobles later recovered their domains and Ralph was designated Duke William's standard bearer at the Battle of Hastings. He declined,however, in order to participate in the actual fighting. For his services he receivedlands in Hertsfordshire, Worcestershire and Norfolk. The Domesday Survey of1086 showed him owning 37 manors. He remained, however, "more Norman than English, both in his tastesand abode..." The way in which Ralph's wife "was obtained illustrates the roughmanners of the time. Ralph carried off Agnes, his uterine sister (daughter ofRichard 3rd, count of Evreux and of Godehildis, in this connexion also called Adela,Helene and even Jolande!, widow of Roger I de Toeni) and gave her to Simon ashis third wife, receiving in exchange the daughter of said Simon by a formerwife, Elizabeth de Broyes dame de Nogent. Elizabeth feuded with the Countess of Evreux, precipitating "La Guerredes Belles Dames." It was even said she "marched to war in full armor andwith more than a soldier's ardour." "Both women were loquacious, high-spirited and graceful of figure; both ruled their husband and lorded it over their inferiors, whomthey found various means of terrifying." After three years of desultorywarfare, ending in victory for the Toenis, the families reached an agreement underwhich Elizabeth's son Roger was named the Count of Evreux' heir. "But the deathof Roger on May 15, 1093...frustrated this happily-conceived arrangement.Finally Elizabeth after years of widowhood took the veil at the priory of Haute Bruyere near Montfort l'Amauri, ending her wild life in the peace of a cloister." Roll: Raoul de Toeni, born about 1024, died 24 March 1102. OdericVital (II, 190) says he served for nearly 60 years in the wars under Duke Williamand the Duke's son, Robert Courteheuse. If 18 years of age when he first borearems, he would have been 78 when he died.
  
  === L Sorley: The Sorley Pedigrees PP 13, 19 ===
  L Sorley: The Sorley Pedigrees PP 13, 19
  
  === Major Land Ownings Robert of Tosny ===
  NAME: ROBERT OF TOSNY
  This landowner is associated with 0 places before the Conquest; 93 after the Conquest. (Note that the same name is not necessarily the same person.)
  
  After the Conquest
  Tenant-in-chief in 1086:
  Tenants-in-chief held land directly from the Crown.
  
  Ashley, Stoke, Northamptonshire
  Aslackby, Aveland, Lincolnshire
  Aubourn, Graffoe, Lincolnshire
  Avethorpe, Aveland, Lincolnshire
  Banthorpe, Ness, Lincolnshire
  » Show 77 more
  Barkby, Goscote, Leicestershire
  Barkestone[-le-Vale], Framland, Leicestershire
  Barrowden, Witchley, Northamptonshire / Rutland
  Barwythe, Danish, Hertfordshire / Bedfordshire
  Binbrook, Walshcroft, Lincolnshire
  Blaston, Gartree, Leicestershire
  Bodicote, Bloxham, Oxfordshire
  Bottesford, Framland, Leicestershire
  Braceborough, Ness, Lincolnshire
  Brampton [Ash], Stoke, Northamptonshire
  Bransby, Well, Lincolnshire
  Broxholme, Lawress, Lincolnshire
  Burton, Lawress, Lincolnshire
  Buslingthorpe, Lawress, Lincolnshire
  Cheddington, Yardley, Buckinghamshire
  Chiswick, Uttlesford, Essex
  Clifton [Reynes], Moulsoe, Buckinghamshire
  Corringham, Corringham, Lincolnshire
  Croxby, Walshcroft, Lincolnshire
  Denton, Winnibriggs, Lincolnshire
  Desborough, Rothwell, Northamptonshire
  Dingley, Stoke, Northamptonshire
  Duxford, Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire
  [East and West] Allington, Winnibriggs, Lincolnshire
  [East and West] Graby, Aveland, Lincolnshire
  Fotherby, Ludborough, Lincolnshire
  Frampton [Mansell], Bisley, Gloucestershire
  [Great and Little] Bradley, Risbridge, Suffolk
  Greatford, Ness, Lincolnshire
  [Great] Rissington, Salmonsbury, Gloucestershire
  Haddington, Graffoe, Lincolnshire
  Harby, Framland, Leicestershire
  Horninghold, Gartree, Leicestershire
  Horton, Grimboldestou, Gloucestershire
  Hose, Framland, Leicestershire
  Hungarton, Goscote, Leicestershire
  Hungerton, Winnibriggs, Lincolnshire
  Ingleby, Lawress, Lincolnshire
  Kirkby [Underwood], Aveland, Lincolnshire
  Knipton, Framland, Leicestershire
  Laughton, Gartree, Leicestershire
  Laughton, Aveland, Lincolnshire
  [Long] Clawson, Framland, Leicestershire
  Lubenham, Gartree, Leicestershire
  Ludborough, Ludborough, Lincolnshire
  Medbourne, Gartree, Leicestershire
  Mells, Blything, Suffolk
  Miswell, Tring, Hertfordshire
  Naburn, Warter, Yorkshire
  [North] Dalton, Warter, Yorkshire
  North Kyme, Langoe, Lincolnshire
  Oakley, Stodden, Bedfordshire
  Pipewell, Rothwell, Northamptonshire
  Quenby, Goscote, Leicestershire
  Redmile, Framland, Leicestershire
  Ringstone, Aveland, Lincolnshire
  Ropsley, Threo, Lincolnshire
  Rushton, Rothwell, Northamptonshire
  Sapperton, Bisley, Gloucestershire
  Scottlethorpe, Beltisloe, Lincolnshire
  Seaton, Witchley, Northamptonshire / Rutland
  Seawell, Foxley, Northamptonshire
  Sempringham, Aveland, Lincolnshire
  [South] Croxton, Goscote, Leicestershire
  Stathern, Framland, Leicestershire
  Stoke [Albany], Stoke, Northamptonshire
  Stone, Stone, Buckinghamshire
  Studham, Stanbridge, Bedfordshire
  Syleham, Bishop's, Suffolk
  Tallington, Ness, Lincolnshire
  Thorganby, Walshcroft, Lincolnshire
  Turvey, Willey, Bedfordshire
  Uffington, Witchley, Northamptonshire / Rutland / Lincolnshire
  Wilbarston, Stoke, Northamptonshire
  Woolsthorpe [-by-Belvoir], Winnibriggs, Lincolnshire
  Wyville, Winnibriggs, Lincolnshire
  Yoxford, Blything, Suffolk
  Lord in 1086:
  The immediate lord over the peasants after the Conquest, who paid tax to the tenant-in-chief.
  
  Ashley, Stoke, Northamptonshire
  Aslackby, Aveland, Lincolnshire
  Barkestone[-le-Vale], Framland, Leicestershire
  Barrowden, Witchley, Northamptonshire / Rutland
  Blaston, Gartree, Leicestershire
  » Show 37 more
  Bottesford, Framland, Leicestershire
  Carlton [Curlieu], Gartree, Leicestershire
  Chiswick, Uttlesford, Essex
  Cranoe, Gartree, Leicestershire
  Denton, Winnibriggs, Lincolnshire
  [East and West] Allington, Winnibriggs, Lincolnshire
  Foxton, Gartree, Leicestershire
  Frampton [Mansell], Bisley, Gloucestershire
  Gaulby, Gartree, Leicestershire
  [Great and Little] Bradley, Risbridge, Suffolk
  [Great and Little] Stretton, Gartree, Leicestershire
  [Great] Bowden, Gartree, Leicestershire
  [Great] Rissington, Salmonsbury, Gloucestershire
  Harby, Framland, Leicestershire
  Horninghold, Gartree, Leicestershire
  Horton, Grimboldestou, Gloucestershire
  Hungerton, Winnibriggs, Lincolnshire
  Illston [-on-the-Hill], Gartree, Leicestershire
  [Kings] Norton, Gartree, Leicestershire
  Knipton, Framland, Leicestershire
  Medbourne, Gartree, Leicestershire
  Mells, Blything, Suffolk
  Northampton, Spelhoe, Northamptonshire
  Redmile, Framland, Leicestershire
  Sapperton, Bisley, Gloucestershire
  Scottlethorpe, Beltisloe, Lincolnshire
  Seaton, Witchley, Northamptonshire / Rutland
  Seawell, Foxley, Northamptonshire
  Shangton, Gartree, Leicestershire
  Smeeton [Westerby], Gartree, Leicestershire
  Stoke [Albany], Stoke, Northamptonshire
  Syleham, Bishop's, Suffolk
  Uffington, Witchley, Northamptonshire / Rutland / Lincolnshire
  Wilbarston, Stoke, Northamptonshire
  Woolsthorpe [-by-Belvoir], Winnibriggs, Lincolnshire
  Wyville, Winnibriggs, Lincolnshire
  
  === Belvoir Castle ===
  Belvoir Castle’s history dates back to the eleventh century. It is the ancestral home of the Duke of Rutland, where the family have lived in an unbroken line for almost a thousand years.
  
  Crowning a hill, the Castle’s turrets and towers rise over the Vale of Belvoir like an illustration in a romantic fairy-tale. The name Belvoir – meaning ‘beautiful view’ in French, and pronounced today as ‘beaver’ – dates back to Norman times.
  
  Four castles have stood on this spot since 1067, and it’s a pretty perfect location for a fortified castle. Looking over the battlements from the North Terrace of the current Castle, you can see for miles over the counties of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. And on a clear day, you can even see Lincoln Cathedral, some 30 miles to the North East.
  The land at Belvoir was a gift from William the Conqueror to the family’s first recorded ancestor Robert de Todeni. One of his Norman barons, Robert de Todeni was William’s Standard Bearer in the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
  
  Todeni began building the first Castle here in 1067. It was built to a typically Norman motte-and-bailey design. With a timber framed fortress in an enclosed courtyard, it took full advantage of the site’s defensive position high up on the ridge. Todeni also founded a priory at the foot of the Castle, where he was buried on his death in 1088.
  
  By 1464, the Wars of the Roses had taken their toll on the first castle, and it was more or less in ruins.
  
  Belvoir rose again some 60 years later with the construction of the second Castle to a medieval design for Sir Thomas Manners. His grandfather Sir Robert Manners had married into the family, but Sir Thomas was the first Manners to live at Belvoir. The second Castle was a much nobler structure with a central courtyard, parts of which can still be recognized today.
  
  https://www.belvoircastle.com/castle-history/
  
  === Porte Oriflamme, Banner-Bearer of the N ===
  Porte Oriflamme, Banner-Bearer of the Norman Dukes. Horace Round writes: " Grandson of a Count of Barcelona, stepson of a Count of Evreux, son-in-law of Simon de Montfort, brother-in-law of the Earl of Hertford, and Father-in-law of a King of Jerusalem, Ralf was no ordinary Baron.
  
  === Land of Robert of Tosny ===
  Households
  Households: 2 smallholders. 1 slave.
  Land and resources
  Ploughland: 1 ploughland.
  Valuation
  Annual value to lord: 5 shillings in 1086; 1 shilling and 2 pence in 1066.
  Owners
  Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Robert of Tosny.
  Lord in 1086: Wibert.
  Lord in 1066: Algar.
  Other information
  Phillimore reference: Northamptonshire 26,11
  
  === RALPH de TONEY III was the first of the ===
  RALPH de TONEY III was the first of the de Toney family that came into England. He accompanied William the Conqueror in the battle of Hastings and he was standard bearer for Normandy. For his eminent services at that battle, William the Conqueror rewarded him with many lordships in various England counties. FLAMSTEAD MANOR in Hertfordshire, England was the head of these lordship acquisitions and where his son and future grandsons were to hold lordships, until 1401 when THOMAS BEAUCHAMP married ALICE de TONEY and became Lord of Flamstead Manor. FLAMSTEAD MANOR still exists today and is now a parish. Notation: Ruth Hoff (Richardson, Tx.) who is my cousin-Our great-grandparents were brother and sister) received this letter from the Reverend Dennis C. King, Vicar of Flamstead Parish in response to her letter written in 1991 seeking information. See Flamstead It's Church and History by I. Vincent Bullard, M.A., Vicar in my genealogy collection.
  
  === [G675.ged] Horace Round writes: " Grand ===
  [G675.ged] Horace Round writes: " Grandson of a Count of Barcelona, stepson of a Count of Evreux, son-in-law of Simon de Montfort, brother-in-law of the Earl of Hertford, and Father-in-law of a King of Jerusalem, Ralf was no ordinary Baron. The Tosny (Tony, Toeni) family was a very important one originating in France. Hugh de Tosny, archbishop of Rouen, was the source of their fortune. Roger I de Tosny fought the Muselmans in Catalogne. Robert de Toeni was on the list of companions of William the Conqueror at Hastings and was lord of Stafford with the possessions of seven earls. His brothers, Roger II and Beranger, also had considerable domains. The former (Roger II) was builder of Clifford castle (Herefordshire). Their sister, Alice, married William, son of Osborn. The following generation Ralph III married the daughter of Walthof, the sister of Baldwin, earl of Boulogne. In 1204, the Tosnys, like the Bohons, supported John and lost their lands in Normandy.
  
  === BEWARE of merging with the other Robert de Toeni LB23-61T ===
  Robert de Toeni of Stafford is different to this Robert de Toeni de Belvoir - do not merge
  
  === Ralph succeeded his father at Toesny and ===
  Ralph succeeded his father at Toesny and as Banner Bearer of the Normans. In 1060 he was accused befdore William by Roger de Montgomery, and in consequence disinherited and exiled. He then went to Spain and was restored in 1063. He was present at the council of Lillebonne in 1066 when the invasion of England was decided upon. Wm. bade him to carry the standard at the Battle of Hastings but he refused the honor so that he would be more free to fight. After the conquest of England he was rewarded with lands in Norfolk, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Worcestershire, and other counties.' He was a Domesday Lord of many estates including the Castle Clifford and his caput. After William's death in 1087 he expelled the ducal garrisons from his castles. In 1088 he fought under Duke Robert in Maine. In 1100 he was in warfare with Robert de Beaumont.
  
  === Research results ===
  THere seems to be a generation missing between Ralph and Hugh.
  
  === Land of Robert of Tosny ===
  Households
  Households: 7 villagers. 9 smallholders.
  Land and resources
  Ploughland: 6 ploughlands. 2 lord's plough teams. 3 men's plough teams.
  Other resources: Meadow 9 acres. Woodland 3 furlongs * 8 perches & 4 acres mixed measures. 1 mill, value 2 shillings and 7 pence.
  Valuation
  Annual value to lord: 1 pound 10 shillings in 1086; 1 pound in 1066.
  Owners
  Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Robert of Tosny.
  Lords in 1086: Gunfrid (of Chocques); Robert of Tosny.
  Lords in 1066: Algar; Frani .
  Other information
  Phillimore reference: Northamptonshire 26,10
  
  === consensus of vital info ===
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_II_of_Tosny
  
  Link contains conventional data on person and also includes the following regarding his part in the Battle of Hastings in 1066:
  
  "He is one of the few proven companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.[4] Tradition says he gave up the role of standard bearer, his hereditary office, to Walter Giffard, in order to be able to fight closer to William, duke of Normandy"
  
  === !Royal Ancestors ===
  !Royal Ancestors
  
  === Participated in the Battle of Mortimer i ===
  Participated in the Battle of Mortimer in 1054 and was selectedby DukeWilliam (later the Conqueror) to report the Duke'svictory to the King whosupported the losers. In 1063, however,Ralph was one of the Dukes fortheir traditional quarrellingswere deprives of all their possessions. Buthe later recoveredhis domains and was Chosen as William's standardbearer at theBattle of Hasting, 1066. He declined, however, in orderroparticipate in the actueal fighting. For his services hereceived landsHertsfordshire, Worchestershire, and Norfolk. TheDomesday Survey (1086)showed him owning 37 Manors. The way inwhich Ralph's wife was obtainedillustrates the rough manners ofthe time. Ralph carried off Alice, sisterof Richard, 3rd Countof Evereux, and gave her to Simon as his 3rd wife inexchangefor Simon's own daughter in marriage.
  
  === BIO KJMC-LJV ===
  According to Orderic Vitalis, he was "a man of the highest renown and knightly valour and was outstanding among the greatest nobles of Normandy for his wealth and honours"[2920]. Orderic Vitalis records that he was ambassador from Guillaume II Duke of Normandy to Henri I King of France in 1054, when he reported the duke's defeat of the king's supporters "across the Seine"[2921]. Orderic also records that he "carried away by night" his uterine half-sister Agnes d'Evreux and gave her in marriage to Simon de Montfort, receiving in return Simon's daughter Isabel as his wife. Per sources posted on genealogy site Geni.com
  
  === Hint: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Toeni-30 ===
  http://gen.cookancestry.com/getperson.php?personID=I3752&tree=1
  
  ------------------------------------
  Responding:
  
  Godeheut (Adelaide?) Borrell, b. Abt 995, d. Aft 1077 (Age ~ 83 years) is incorrect
  
  Adelisa de Savona, b. Abt 1042, d. 1118 (Age ~ 76 years)
  Children
  1. Adelisa de Toeni, b. 1066, Saint Savour, France Find all individuals with events at this location, d. 1136 (Age 70 years)
  
  Child and mother in the wrong position.
  
  === Seigneur de Conches; Porte Oriflamme, Ba ===
  Seigneur de Conches; Porte Oriflamme, Banner-Bearer of the NormanDukes.
  
  === Ralph [de Toeni], usually called Ralph d ===
  Ralph [de Toeni], usually called Ralph de Conches; participated inNorman invasion of England 1066; being accordingly granted lands inBerks, Essex, Glos, Herefs, Herts, Norfolk, and Worcs; marriedElizabeth/Isabel, daughter of Simon de Montfort, Seigneur of Montfortl'Amaury, and died 24 March, probably 1101/2. [Burke's Peerage]
  ------------------------
  RALPH DE TOENI III, styled more usually DE CONCHES, son and heir, byGodeheut, was born probably about 1025-30. He was banner-bearer of theNormans. In 1050 he was at the Duke's Court. In 1054 he took part inWilliam's victory over the French at Mortemer and was sent by the Duketo alarm the King of France with the news. About 1060 Ralph, Hugh deGrandmesnil and Ernald d'Echauffour were deprived of their inheritanceby the Duke and banished. In revenge Ernald and Ralph made incursionsinto Normandy and burnt the town of St. Evroul; but in 1063 they wererecalled and their lands were restored. Ralph was one of the noblessummoned to a council when the Duke heard of the death of Edward theConfessor and the coronation of Harold; and he took part in theinvasion of England and fought at the Battle of Hastings. At some timebetween the battle and the Domesday survey in 1086 the Conqueror gavehim estates in the counties of Berks, Essex, Gloucester, Hereford,Herts, Norfolk and Worcester, with the castle of Clifford, co.Hereford, which had been built on waste land by William FitzOsbern,1st Earl of Hereford; but his caput baroniae was at Flamstead, Herts.Before 30 November 1074 he assented to the Bishop of Bayeux's purchaseof land from his tenant Herbert de Agnellis. About 1078 he supportedRobert Courtheuse against the King. Probably about 1080 he went on apilgrimage to Spain; and on his safe return, as he had promised, hemade gifts to the abbey of St. Evroul, in recompense for having helpedErnald d'Echauffour to burn the town. In 1081 he was with the King atWinchester. After William's death in 1087 he was one of the Normannobles who expelled the royal garrisons from their castles. In 1088 heserved under Duke Robert in the war against Maine. His wife Isabelhaving angered her sister-in-law Hawise, wife of her brother William,Count of Evereux, the Countess induced her husband to attack Ralph. Heappealed in vain to the Duke for help; he then sent envoys to WilliamRufus, who ordered his adherents in Normandy to go to Ralph's aid. InNov. the Count of Evereux besieged Conches, but his forces weredefeated soon afterwards; and after 3 years of fighting peace wasconcluded. When Rufus and his brother made peace in 1091, the Dukegranted to the King all the land of Gerard de Gournay and Ralph deConches; after which Ralph remained one of the King's strongestsupporters. After the death of Rufus, Ralph and the Count of Evereuxinvaded the Count of Meulan's barony of Beaumont in Aug 1100, inrevenge for his having prejudiced the late King against them. Ralphwas a benefactor to the abbeys of St. Evroul, l'Estree, Conches,Croix-Saint-Leufroi, Lire, Jumieges, Bec, and St. Taurin, Evereux.
  
  He m. Isabel or Elizabeth, daughter of Simon de Montfort, Seigneur ofMONTFORT L'AMAURY (France) (a), by his 1st wife, said to be Isabel,daughter of Hugh BARDOUL, SEIGNEUR OF BROZES. He died 24 March,probably in 1101/2, and was buried at Conches. Isabel, after a longwidowhood, repenting of the fatal wantonness to which she had been toomuch addicted in her youth, took the veil at the priory ofHaute-Bruyère and lived praiseworthily in the fear of the Lord.[Complete Peerage XII/1:758-60, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger & JimWeber)]
  
  [a] Ralph obtained her as a reward for kidnapping by night hishalf-sister Agnes, daughter of Richard, Count of Evreux, and givingher in marriage to Simon.
  ----------------------
  Ralph of Toesny (d 1102), Norman baron, came in the female line of thestock of Malahulc, uncle of Rollo, the conqueror of Normandy. Hisfather Roger fought against Odo of Chartres under Richard II ofNomandy, and afterwards went ot Spain, with the intention of carvingout a principality for himself, as other Normans were doing inSouthern Italy. He married a daughter of the widowed Countess ofBarcelona, but, though he won a terrible repute by his hard-foughtvictories over the Saracens and his cannibal ferocity, his plans cameto nought, and he returned to Normandy, soon after the succession ofWilliam to the Norman duchy. Roger, who was hereditary standard-bearerof Normandy, and is described as a proud and powerful man, declared hewould not have a bastard for his duke. So he began to lay waste thelands of his neighbours, until Robert de Beaumont defeated and slewRoger and his sons Helbert and Elinand (the date must have been after1040). Roger's widow, Adeline or Helen, married Richard, count ofEvereux. His daughter Adelina was wife of William FitzOsbern.
  
  Ralph succeeded his father, Roger, at Toesny and as standard-bearer ofNormandy. In 1050 he witnessed a charter of William to the monasteryof St Evroul. In 1054, after the defeat of the French at Mortermer,Ralph was sent by William to announce the news in the camp of theFrench King. His message, delivered from a rock hard by in the dead ofthe night, struck the invading host with panic, and they hastilyretreated to their own land. About 1060 Ralph was accused beforeWilliam by Roger of Montgomery, and in consequence disinherited andexiled. He seems to have joined with Arnald de Escalfoy in an attackon the monastery of St Evroul; afterwards he went on a journey toSpain, but before his departure came to St Evroul and begged pardonfor his conduct, promising if he returned in safety to makecompensation to the monks. About 1063 he was restored to favour, atthe petition of Simon de Montfort and Waleran de Breteuil. Ralph waspresent at the council of Lillebonne in 1066, when the invasion ofEngland was decided on. Before the battle of Hastings, William badehim, as standard-bearer, take the standard which the pope had senthim. But Ralph refused the honour, that he might be more free to bearhis part in the fight.
  
  After the conquest of England he was rewarded with lands in Norfolk,Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Worcestershire, and other counties. It wasprobably not Ralph, but his son, also named Ralph, who supportedRobert of Normandy against his father in 1077. In 1081 Ralph was withWilliam at Winchester. After William's death in 1087 he expelled theducal garrisons from his castles. In the following year, however, hefought under Duke Robert in Maine. In 1090 Heloise, countess ofEvreux, out of jealousy of Isabel, wife of Ralph of Toesny, stirred upwar between her husband, William of Evreux, and Ralph of Toesny, hishalf-brother. Ralph, after appealing in vain to Duke Robert, soughtassistance from William Rufus. In November William of Evreux, with hisnephew, William of Breteuil, besieged Conches. William of Breteuil wastaken prisoner, and eventually peace was arranged, the two Williamsagreeing to take their kinsman Roger, Ralph of Toesny's second son,for their heir. Ralph's warfare forms 'an immediate part of the taleof William Rufus, and six years later he was again found supportingWilliam against his brother Robert. Two years later the English kingwhen in Normandy visited Ralph at Conches. In 1100 Ralph was engagedin warfare with Robert de Beaumont, count of Meulan, in alliance withWilliam of Evreux. He died on 24 March 1102, and was buried in theabbey of Conches.
  
  Ralph is commonly spoken of as Ralph of Conches, and it is possiblethat he, and not his father, founded the abbey and built the castle ofConches. When Ralph went to Spain he left his physician, Goisbert, tobecome a monk at St Evroul. Some years later he took Goisbert toEngland, and gave the monks Caldecot in Norfolk, and Alton in theparish of Rock, Worcestershire. His wife, Isabel or Elizabeth deMontfort, had taken an active part in her husband's warfare withWilliam of Evreux, riding, king another Penthesilea in armour, amongthe knights; she survived her husband, and spent her last years in themonastery of Haute Bruyére. Ralph eldest son, Ralph, succeeded him,and married Adeliza, daughter of Waltheof, earl of Hungtingdon; hesupported Henry I in his warfare with Robert of Normandy and died in1126, leaving two sons, Roger and Hugh.
  
  Ralph of Toesny was ancestor of the Robert de Tony who was summoned toparliament on 10 April 1299. He had two brothers, who settled inEngland - Robert, ancestor of the Staffords, earls of Stafford anddukes of Buckingham; and Nigel, ancestor of the Gresleys of Gresley.
  [Dictionarly of National Biography XVI:653-654]
  'WEST, or NORTH WROTHAM,
  Belonged to Ralph de Toni at the Conquest, (fn. 1) who was son ofRoger de Toni, Standard-bearer of Normandy, and founder of the abbeyof Conchis in that dukedom; this Ralph was Standard-bearer to theConqueror in that memorable battle against King Harold, and by hiseminent service in it, became a sharer in those large possessionswhich were after that signal conquest disposed of to his friends andfollowers, and among others, had 19 lordships in Norfolk, these threebeing part of them, the biggest of which he gave (as is beforeobserved) to Bec abbey, and left the other two to Ralph, his son andheir, who left them at his death, to Roger his son and heir, who gavethis manor and advowson, with the mill and moors, and whatever he heldelse in the township, to the monks of Conchis, (fn. 2) who held themof his gift at his death, as belonging to their cell at WottonWawen inWarwickshire, which was in 1162.
  
  1 Dug. Bar. vol. i. fol. 469.
  2 Dug. Mon. Ang. tom. i. fol. 559.'
  
  From: 'Hundred of Shropham: West, or North Wrotham ', An Essay towardsa Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: volume 1 (1805), pp.468-470. URL:http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=77138 Dateaccessed: 13 December 2008.
  
  'EAST, or GREAT WROTHAM,
  Is so called because it lies most east of the three Wrothams, of allwhich Herold was lord in King Edward's time, and Ralph de Tony in theConqueror's;
  
  === Land of Countess Judith ===
  Households
  Households: 3 freemen.
  Valuation
  Annual value to lord: 5 shillings and 2 pence in 1086.
  Owners
  Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Countess Judith.
  Lord in 1086: Countess Judith.
  Lord in 1066: Earl Waltheof.
  Other information
  Phillimore reference: Northamptonshire 56,2
  
  === SORLEY'S PEDIGREES (GS NUMBER Q929.242 S ===
  SORLEY'S PEDIGREES (GS NUMBER Q929.242 SO68) P.19;
  
  === Royal Ancestry Biography ===
  “Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial & Medieval Families,” Douglas Richardson (2013):
  “ALICE OF NORTHUMBERLAND, daughter and co-heiress, married in 1103 RALPH (or RADULPH) DE TONY, of Flamstead, Hertfordshire, seigneur of Conches, Acquigny, Portes, and Toéni (now Tosny), and, in right of his wife, of Brinkley, Kirtling, and Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire, Walthamstow, Essex, etc., 2nd but eldest Surviving son and heir of Ralph (or Radulph) de Tony, seigneur of Conches and Toéni (now Tosny), lord of Flamstead, Hertfordshire, Lower Swell, Gloucestershire, Matching, Essex, Little Cressingham and Necton, Norfolk, etc., by Isabel (or Elizabeth), daughter of Simon de Montfort, seigneur of Montfort l’Amaury. He was an adult by 1102. They had four sons, Roger, Ralph, Hugh, and Simon, and one daughter, Isabel (wife of Walter Fitz Richard). He served in the army of King Henry II at the Battle of Tinchebrai in 1106. In 1123 Ralph confirmed the gifts of his mother, Isabel, to the nuns of Fontevraud. At an unknown date, he gave his land in the little hall in Westley Waterless, Cambridgeshire to Agnes de Valoines. RALPH DE TONY died about 1126, and was buried in Châtillon-les-Conches Abbey in Normandy. Sometime in the period, 1141-48, his widow, Alice granted the church of Walthamstow, Essex to the canons of the Priory of Holy Trinity, Aldgate. At an unknown date, she also gave 1/2 hide in Durnford, Wilshire to the Templars.
  Blomefield Essay towards a Top. Hist. of Norfolk 2 (1805): 319-330. Lysons Environs of London 1(2) (1811): 699-700. Clutterbuck Hist. & Antiq. of the County of Hertford 1 (1815): 353-360. Dugdale Monasticon Anglicanum 6(1) (1846): 152 (undated charter of Aliz de Toeni to the Priory of Holy Trinity, Aldgate; charter names Ralph [Radulphi] de Toeni her late husband, and her children, Roger, Simon, and Isabel) this charter was confirmed by Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, 576 (charter of Ralph de Tony and his wife, Aelic [sic], and their sons, Roger and Ralph, to Westacre Priory); 6(2) (1846): 995 (charter of Ralph de Tony and Godehelde his mother to Wootten Wawen Priory, Warwickshire; charter witnessed by his wife, Isabel, and his son, Ralph). Munford Analysis of the Domesday Book of the County of Norfolk (1858): 32-34. Charpillon Dictionnaire historique de toutes les Communes du Département de l'Eure (1868): 791-800. Maclean Parochial & Fam. Hist. of Blisland (1868): 64-66 (Tony-Beauchamp ped.). Remarks & Colls. of Thomas Hearne 3 (Oxford Hist. Soc.) (1889): 104 (ped. chart). Madan Gresleys of Drakelowe (Colls. Hist. Staffs. n.s. 1) (1898): 1-15. Desc. Cat. Ancient Deeds 5 (1906): 91. Metals Châteaux en Eure-et-Loir 2 (Archives du Diocese de Chartres 13) (1908): Nogent-le-Roi, son Château et ses Seigneurs, 4-5 (author states Ralph de Tony died in 1120). Page Hist. of the County of London 1 (1909): 465-475. Farrer Feudal Cambridgeshire (1920): 50 (chart). C.P. 12(1) (1953): 760-762 (sub Tony). Giles Vita et Passio Waldevi Comitis in Original Lives of Anglo-Saxons and others who lived before the Conquest (Caxton Soc. 16) (1954): 1-30. Saltman Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury (1956): 388 (confirmation charter of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, to the canons of Holy Trinity of the church of Walthamstow, Essex given to them by Alice de Toeni). Sanders English Baronies (1960): 117. VCH Essex 6 (1973): 253-263. Ancient Deeds-Series A (List & Index Soc. 151) (1978): 27-28. VCH Cambridge 6 (1978): 136-141, 177-182; 8 (1978): 263-276. Procs. Battle Conference on Anglo-Norman Studies 2 (1979): 118-140. Mason Beauchamp Cartulary Charters 1100-1268 (Pubs. Pipe Roll Soc. n.s. 43) (1980): vliii-xlvii, lx (Tosny ped.), 202. VCH Wiltshire 15 (1995): 79-93. Neininger English Episcopal Acta: London, 1076-1187 (1999): 38 (confirmation of the grant of the church of Walthamstow, Essex by Alice de Tosny to Holy Trinity Aldgate Priory, London; charter probably dated 1141 x 1148). Green Aristocracy of Norman England (2002): 417. Power Norman Frontier in the 12th & Early 13th Cents. (2004): 296-297, 382 (chart). Tanner Fams., Friends, & Allies (2004): 291 (chart), 303 (chart)."
  
  === !Came with William the Conqueror Burke's ===
  !Came with William the Conqueror Burke's Estinct Peerage p. 520
  
  === RAOUL DE TOENI The Conqueror and His Co ===
  RAOUL DE TOENI The Conqueror and His Companions by J.R. Planch, Somerset Herald. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1874. Raoul (Ralph) de Toeni, Seigneur de Conches, second of that name, was the son or grandson (for it is not quite clear which) of that turbulent Roger de Toeni, who was one of the first to dispute the succession of the base-born William to the ducal throne of Normandy, and who, with his two sons Halbert and Elinance, was slain in a conflict with Roger de Beaumont. You have beard of him before as the messenger of the Duke to the French King with the disastrous tidings of the battle of Mortemer. The honourable office of gonfanonier (standardbearer) of Normandy was hereditary in their family, collateral descendants of its dukes from Mahaluc, uncle of Rolf or Rollo, but on whom it was first conferred has not transpired. Previous to the battle at Senlac, Wace tells us the Duke ordered the consecrated gonfanon, which the Pope had sent to him, to be brought forth and unfurled. Then taking and raising it, he called to him Raoul de Conches, and said, "Bear my gonfanon, for I would not but do you right. By right and by ancestry your family are gonfanoniers of Normandy, and very good knights have they all been." "Many thanks to you," answered Raoul, "for the recognition of our right, but by my faith the gonfanon shall not be borne by me this day. To-day I claim quittance of that service, for I would serve you in another guise. I will go with you into the battle and fight the English as long as I have life to do so, and be assured that my hand will be worth more than those of twenty such men!" There can be no doubt that he was as good as his word, although no especial act of gallantry has been recorded of him, for we find him rewarded by the gift of thirty-seven lordships, nineteen being in Norfolk, and making Flamstead, in Hertfordshire, his principal residence in England. Orderic tells us that this Raoul gained great glory in the wars, and was renowned among the firs t of the Norman nobles for honour and wealth, serving bravely in the armies of King William and Duke Robert, his son, for nearly sixty years. Of course he must mean alternately, for he was one of the nobles who took part with Robert Court-heuse on his first outbreak, in consequence of the insult of his brothers, William and Henry, who threw water on him from a gallery in a house where they were playing at dice. Raoul was banished, and his domains seized by the King, but through the intercession of friends obtained his pardon and the restoration of his estates. In 1077, he married Elizabeth, or Isabel, daughter of Simon de Montfort l'Amauri, whose hand he obtained by the audacious act of carrying off by night Agnes, daughter of Richard, Comte d'Evreux, who was his half-sister, and marrying her to the said Simon. Orderic gives an amusing account of this Isabel and her sister-in-law Havise, daughter of William, Comte de Nevers, the wife of her brother Willliam, Comte d'Evreux. The Countess Havise took offence, it appears, at some taunts of the Lady of Conches, and used all her influence with her husband and his barons to have recourse to arms, in which mischievous attempt she unfortunately succeeded. "Both these ladies," the chronicler tells us, "were great talkers, and spirited as well as handsome; they ruled their husbands, oppressed their vassals, and inspired terror in various ways: but still their characters were very different. Havise had wit and eloquence, but she was cruel and avaricious; Isabel, on the contrary, was generous, enterprising, and lively, so that she was beloved and esteemed by those immediately about her. She rode in knightly armour when the vassals took the field, and exhibited as much daring amongst belted knights and men-at-arms as Camilla, the renowned Virgin of Italy, among the squadrons of Tevenus." By turns the people of Evreux and Conches plundered and destroyed the property of each other. The Lord of Conches, who was less powerful than t he Count of Evreux, sought his sovereign, Robert Court-heuse, and laying before him an account of the losses to which he was exposed by the aggressions of the Count of Evreux, demanded the aid he had a right to expect from his liege lord; but Robert turned a deaf car to his prayer, and Raoul in his distress sought a more powerful protector in the King of England, promising him by his envoys the fealty of all his estates in return for his assistance. Rufus was highly pleased at the proposal, and sent orders to Stephen Count of Aumale and Gerrard de Gournay, with others in command of his forces in Normandy, to give every aid to Raoul de Toeni, and throw supplies of all kinds into his castles. In the month of November, 1090, Count William assembled a large force and laid siege to Conches, his two nephews, Richard de Montfort and William de Breteuil joining him with their respective powers. Richard de Montfort was slain while taking possession of the Abbey of St. Peter de Chtillon at Conches, and in a subsequent attack William de Breteuil was taken prisoner. This worse than civil war, the wagers of it being all nearly related to each other, lasted three years; at length the Count of Evreux and his allies, ashamed that, having commenced hostilities on so frivolous a provocation, they had suffered the greatest losses, consented to a truce, and peace was proposed upon the following terms: -- William de Breteuil paid three thousand livres for his ransom, and made his cousin Roger, eldest son of Raoul de Toeni, heir to the whole of his fief; the Count of Evreux appointed the same youth, who was his nephew, his successor in the comt. "But," adds the pious writer, "Divine Providence, which is not ruled by the will of man, provided otherwise." The boy was of an excellent disposition and much beloved by his companions, the vassals, and the neighbors. He had a great regard for the clergy and the monks, to whom he paid due reverence. Rejecting the pomp of dress, in which the nobil ity too much gloried, his whole demeanour was simple and modest. Upon one occasion, when the knights were amusing themselves in the hall at Conches, playing at various games and talking on various subjects, "as the custom is," the Lady Isabel being present, the conversation took a serious turn, and one of Roger's youthful companions said, "I had a dream lately which much alarmed me. I saw our Lord upon the cross, his whole body livid and writhing with agony. My eyes were riveted upon him in the greatest terror." The listeners gravely remarked that so solemn and fearful a dream seemed to forebode some terrible judgment of God upon him. Baldwin, the son of Eustace, Count of Boulogne, who was of that company, said, "I, too, lately saw in a dream our Lord upon the cross, but in my vision He appeared bright and glorious, and smiled benignantly upon me, stretching forth one hand and making the sign of the cross upon my head." The bystanders all agreed that this vision portended some singular grace and favour. Young Roger de Toeni, upon this, said to his mother, "I know some one not far from here who had recently a similar dream." Her curiosity being excited, she pressed him to say who it was, and what had been seen; but the boy blushed, and was unwilling to say more. At length, yielding to the general entreaties of his friends, he said: "A certain person saw in a vision the Lord Jesus, who, laying his hand on his head, blessed him, saying, 'Come quickly to me, beloved, and I will give you the joys of life.' I therefore believe firmly that one whom I know has been called by the Lord, and will not live long." The three youths, we are told, experienced different fates, corresponding with what had been foreshadowed to each of them. The first, whose name is not given, was mortally wounded in a hostile inroad, and died without having confessed or received the viaticum. Baldwin, as is well known, took the sign of the Cross, and distinguishing himself in the Holy Wars, was, on th e death of his brother Godfrey, elected King of Jerusalem. The youthful heir-presumptive of the Count of Evreux and William de Breteuil took to his bed the same year that he had seen his vision, and departing this life on the 15th of May, was buried amidst general sorrow with his ancestors in the Abbey of St. Peter's at Chtillon, now called of Conches. Leaving my readers to decide for themselves the question how much credibility may be attached to this story, the like of which are to be found by scores in the pages of our monkish chronicles, I shall only direct their attention to the interesting view it affords us of the manners and habits of the age in which it was written, the words "as the custom now is" proving that although the anecdote may be mere idle gossip, the picture of domestic life is drawn from personal knowledge and observation. Here we see the high-spirited Lady of Conches, seated on the dais or haut pas, in her own castle hall, the ruins of which were recently and may still be existing, surrounded by her family and their young companions, the knights owing service to her lord, the officers of her household, and her handmaidens in attendance on her -- all the features of the court of baron of the eleventh century familiar to the sight of the narrator; the various groups, each with its favourite pastime or topic of conversation, and the peculiar character imparted to the latter by the religious atmosphere of the age. We have here the earliest glimpse of that future King of Jerusalem when, probably, a newly-belted knight and a guest of Raoul de Toeni, he may have seen for the first time the young Countess Godechilde, daughter of his host, who, just separated from her husband, Robert de Meulent, and still under age, was shortly to become his wife, although not destined to share with him the crown of his eastern kingdom. Raoul de Toeni, like his grandfather Roger, made a journey into Sprain, but with a more peaceful object. The former had hoped to ca
  
  === 2. Robert de Stafford, possessed at the ===
  2. Robert de Stafford, possessed at the time of the General Survey, lordships in Suffolk, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, and Staffordshire, in all 131, and Dugdale surmises, that the assumption of the surname Stafford arose from him being Governor of Stafford Castle, which had been erected by William the Conqueror; for his name was originally De Toenei, and he is said to have been a younger son of Roger de Toenei, standard bearer of Normandy. Of this Robert de Stafford, who lived till the time of King Henry I., nothing further is known than his founding an Augustine priory, at Stone, in Staffordshire, upon the spot where Enysan de Waltone, one of the companions of the Conqueror, had killed two nuns and a priest. He married Avice of Clare, and was succeeded by his son, Nicholas.
  
  === Horace Round writes: " Grandson of a Co ===
  Horace Round writes: " Grandson of a Count of Barcelona, stepson of a Count of Evreux, son-in-law of Simon de Montfort, brother-in-law of the Earl of Hertford, and Father-in-law of a King of Jerusalem, Ralf was no ordinary Baron. The Tosny (Tony, Toeni) family was a very important one originating in France. Hugh de Tosny, archbishop of Rouen, was the source of their fortune. Roger I de Tosny fought the Muselmans in Catalogne. Robert de Toeni was on the list of companions of William the Conqueror at Hastings and was lord of Stafford with the possessions of seven earls. His brothers, Roger II and Beranger, also had considerable domains. The former (Roger II) was builder of Clifford castle (Herefordshire). Their sister, Alice, married William, son of Osborn. The following generation Ralph III married the daughter of Walthof, the sister of Baldwin, earl of Boulogne. In 1204, the Tosnys, like the Bohons, supported John and lost their lands in Normandy.
  
  === "Banner Bearer of the Normans, friend an ===
  "Banner Bearer of the Normans, friend and companion of William the Conqueror, Domesday Lord of many estates including the Castle Clifford and his caput baronise at Flamstead, Herts, was born around 1030 and died 24 April 1101/02. He married Isabel (Elizabeth) Montford." - Carr P. Collins, "Royal Ancestors of Magna Charta Barons" (Dallas, 1959), p. 242. [There appears to be a problem with further ancestors in this line....]
  
  === Porte Oriflamme, Banner-Bearer of the No ===
  Porte Oriflamme, Banner-Bearer of the Norman Dukes. Horace Round writes: " Grandson of a Count of Barcelona, stepson of a Count of Evreux, son-in-law of Simon de Montfort, brother-in-law of the Earl of Hertford, and Father-in-law of a King of Jerusalem, Ralf was no ordinary Baron.
  
  === Amongst the most distinguished companio ===
  Amongst the most distinguished companion in arms of the Co nqueror was Robert de Todeni, a nobleman of Normandy, upo n whom the victorious monarch conferred, with numerous othe r grants, an estate in the county of Lincoln upon the borde rs of Leicestershire. Here de Todeni erected a stately cast le and, from the fair view it commanded, gave it the design ation of Belvoir Castle, and here he established his chie f abode. At the time of the General Survey, this powerful p ersonage possessed no less than eighty extensive lordships , viz., two in Yorkshire, one in Essex, four in Suffolk, on e in Cambridge, two in Hertfordshire, three in Bucks, fou r in Gloucestershire, three in Bedfordshire, nine in Northa mptonshire, two in Rutland, thirty-two in Lincolnshire, an d seventeen in Leicestershire. "Of this Robert," saith Dugd ale, "I have not seen any other memorial than that the Couc her-Book of Belvoir recordeth: which is, that bearing a ven erable esteem to our sometime much celebrated protomartyr , St. Alban, he founded near to his castle a priory for mon ks and annexed it as a cell to that great abbey in Hertford shire, formerly erected by the devout King Offa in honour o f that most holy man." Robert de Todeni, Lord of Belvoir, d . in 1088, leaving issue by his wife Adela, William, who as sumed the surname of Albini; Berenger; Geoffrey; Robert; an d Agnes. He was s. by his eldest son, William de Albini, Br ito, Lord of Belvoir. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant , Forfeited and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., Lo ndon, England, 1883, p. 160, Daubeney, Barons Daubeney, Ear l of Bridgewater] ---------------------- Held 131 manors in Warwichshire and Lincolnshire. In his ol der age he became a monk at Eversham. From: RAOUL DE TOEN I The Conqueror and His Companions by J.R. Planché, Somerse t Herald. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1874 (made available b y Pat Patterson) "From Robert, a cadet of this house, the family of Staffor d is descended, but I have not been able to satisfy mysel f as to the exact place of Robert and his brother Nigel d e Stafford in the pedigree. They were probably younger brot hers of the subject of this memoir, or possibly his uncles . They appear in Domesday as possessors of considerable pro perty, but whether companions of the Conqueror in 1066 is u ncertain. The first Robert de Toeni who assumed the name o f Stafford, from the Castle of Stafford, married, it is sai d, Avicia de Clare; but I cannot identify any such person."
  
  === The Descent of Belvoir1 The history of ===
  The Descent of Belvoir1 The history of the important honour of Belvoir in the Norman period has been discussed by several historians, most recently by K.S.B. Keats-Rohan.2 Missing pieces of the jigsaw have been filled in and, though gaps remain, most notably about the basis of Ranulf II earl of Chester?s claim in Stephen?s reign, the picture is now much clearer. It highlights the crucial role of women in the descent of honours, bringing us to the heart of politics and patronage under the Norman kings, and the crucial question of how much manoeuvre the king had in deciding in favour of one claimant rather than another.3 In 1086 Belvoir was held by Robert de Tosny. He is known to have had three sons. One, Berengar, is recorded in Domesday Book both as his father?s under-tenant and as a tenant-in-chief.4 Berengar inherited his father?s estates in Normandy and it seems that William inherited Belvoir (the fate of the third son Geoffrey is not recorded).5 By the date of the Lindsey Survey, which was probably drawn up in summer or autumn 1115,6 some of the Lincolnshire estates held at Domesday by Robert de Tosny had passed to his son-in-law Robert de Insula, husband of Albreda.7 Keats-Rohan has demonstrated that Albreda was the sister and not the widow of Berengar de Tosny as was previously thought.8 Albreda had at least two sisters, Adeliza, the wife of Roger Bigod, and Agnes, the wife first of Ralph de Belfou and secondly of Hubert de Ryes.9 The next reference to Belvoir seems to be that in the 1130 Pipe Roll, when Adeliza accounted for an outstanding debt for her father?s land of Belvoir.10 The charters for Belvoir Priory suggest that the lords of the honour were Robert de Tosny, his son William, and William d?Aubigny the Breton.11 There survives a survey of (part of) Leicestershire which is thought to have been very close in date to the pipe roll.12 Most of Robert de Tosny?s lands, including the manor of Bottesford on which Belvoir was situated, were at the time of th e survey in the hands of William d?Aubigny (the Breton), whilst other estates were held either by Robert de Insula, or were held of Belvoir, or were in unidentified hands. This evidence, if interpreted literally (i.e. if names were all recorded at the same date), suggests that Robert de Insula was still living and in possession of some Tosny estates, and others were held by William d?Aubigny the Breton by virtue of his marriage to Cecily, Adeliza Bigod?s daughter. Those held >of Belvoir’ could have been held by Adeliza herself, or they were in the king’s hands. The danegeld pardon of six shillings in castello de Belveder in the 1130 Pipe Roll might well indicate the latter. This would not preclude William holding the castle as the king?s castellan.13 The third sister, Agnes, may well have been still living, as she and Adeliza Bigod witnessed the charter by which William d?Aubigny the butler, the latter?s son-in-law, gave the manor of Happisburgh to Wymondham priory on the day of his wife?s burial.14 Agnes?s share of her father?s lands seems to have been limited to a marriage portion at Aslackby where she gave land to Belvoir Priory, later confirmed by her son Henry de Ryes.15 William d?Aubigny the Breton was a man who rose to prominence under Henry I. He is thought to have been the son of Main, probably Main of Saint Aubin d?Aubigné.16 Father and son are mentioned in the Liber Vitae of Thorney Abbey.17 The early stages of William?s career are obscure. Belvoir priory was a dependency of St Albans abbey, and the tradition recorded there was that William had distinguished himself at the battle of Tinchebrai in 1106, which is by no means improbable.18 William seems to begin to witness royal charters frequently after about 1120, but it may be that he had some earlier involvement with Belvoir, because he may have been the William d?Aubigny who attested two royal notifications dealing with the honour.19 In the first of these, addressed to Ralph de Watnevilla, Ralph de Bosco Rohard, and Hugh de Hottot, the king gave the churches of Uffington and Barkestone to Robert bishop of Lincoln. The dating limits are 1107 and 1116 because of the attestations of William de Tancarville and Queen Matilda and the reference to the king?s crossing. William only began to attest for Henry after the battle of Tinchebrai and the king?s last crossing to Normandy before the queen's death was in 1116. The second, addressed to Ralph de Rehart [sic] and his associates, ordered him to put the bishop in seisin of Barkestone and Uffington. The address suggests that the honour was in the king?s hands at the time, possibly after the death of William de Tosny, and the attestation of William d?Aubigny (if this is the Breton) perhaps points to him as custodian. The advowson and parsonage of Uffington >as of her own inheritance’ were subsequently given by Cecily and her husband to Belvoir Priory.20 William next occurred as the sole witness of the king’s charter for St Dogmael’s.21 In 1130 he held at farm Rutland, which may have been in the king?s hands since the death of Queen Matilda, and the lands (here unidentified) formerly held by Otuel FitzCount, who had been drowned in the White Ship, plus Ketton, and Geddington.22 Adeliza was the mother of Hugh Bigod, for Hugh is known to have inherited the Yorkshire lands of Berengar de Tosny, which must have come to him through his mother?s family.23 She may have been the mother of Roger Bigod?s other children, as Keats-Rohan has also suggested, and if she was, the singling out of Cecily as her heiress was noteworthy.24 How and when did this happen? We have seen that some of the Belvoir lands had passed to her sister and her sister?s husband by 1115, and it would appear from the Leicestershire Survey that Robert de Insula was still living after the marriage of Cecily and William. Hugh Bigod inherited his father?s estates, Robert de Tosny?s Norman estates, and the English estates of his uncle, Berengar, but he was n ot to inherit Belvoir, where the claim of his sister was preferred. We cannot be certain of the exact timing and order of events, but it looks as though Adeliza was substituted as the principal heiress of Belvoir, perhaps with the intention of making her daughter Cecily, and Cecily?s husband, the next heirs. Yet in the Leicestershire Survey Robert de Insula held land at Muston and Stathern which in 1086 had been held by Robert de Tosny. Robert de Insula also held land at Eaton (probably omitted from Domesday Book) and Eastwell (held in 1086 by Aschill the king?s serjeant) which were subsequently held by Albreda?s successors, the count of Aumale and Hugh Bigod.25 How did Hugh Bigod feel about the fact that his claim to Belvoir had been sidelined? If it was the norm for a mother?s land to be used to endow a daughter in this way, then arguably Hugh had little ground for complaint. Yet, as Andrew Wareham has pointed out, Hugh?s paternal estates had already been diminished to provide a generous marriage portion for Matilda, wife of William d?Aubigny the butler, and the shrievalties of Norfolk and Suffolk, which had been held by Roger Bigod, had passed out of the family?s control by the middle years of Henry I?s reign.26 When he succeeded his brother William, Hugh had reason to hope both that his losses would be made good and for further advancement, but as Henry I died and was succeeded by Stephen, neither was forthcoming. Yet Stephen had good reason to be grateful to Hugh who had sworn that on his deathbed Henry I had nominated Stephen as his heir.27 In 1140 Hugh is recorded as having rebelled twice.28 Stephen may have granted him the title of earl, though it is not until the following year, when Hugh was found at the Empress?s court, that he attested with this rank.29 William d?Aubigny the Breton was and remained a loyal supporter of king Stephen, who presumably confirmed him in succession of Belvoir when his mother-in-law finally died. It used to be thought that the c astle of Galclint which Count Alan seized in 1140 and which was taken from him by Earl Ranulf could have been Belvoir, but recently Paul Dalton has argued persuasively that Galclint was a castle of William count of Aumale in Yorkshire.30 Nevertheless at some point Ranulf of Chester began to lay claim to Belvoir, a castle of strategic importance close to the earl?s territorial interests. A grant of the castle, the honour, and all the land of William d?Aubigny was included in Stephen?s charter for Ranulf. The timing of the charter is hard to establish, but there are reasons for dating it to 1140 rather than 1146.31 No hereditary basis for Ranulf?s claim to Belvoir has been clearly established, and from the terminology used in the charter it may well have been the case that Ranulf was asserting personal overlordship over William d?Aubigny the Breton. The earl also asserted a claim to act as advocate and defender of Pipewell abbey, four miles north of Rockingham, and twenty-four miles south of Belvoir, founded in part on land belonging to Belvoir.32 His position was strengthened by the appearance of a key member of his following, Robert Basset, at Redmile near Belvoir. Robert gave the church of Redmile for the foundation of a priory there, which Earl Ranulf confirmed.33 As Edmund King has shown the earl may never have ousted William d?Aubigny the Breton, an impression strengthened by the terminology used in the charter Henry FitzEmpress issued in the Ranulf?s favour in 1153, when Henry promised to do Ranulf right concerning Belvoir as soon as he could >as if it were of his inheritance’.34 Belvoir thereafter descended to the son of William and Cecily. On at least two occasions in the early twelfth century Belvoir passed via women. On the first occasion Albreda succeeded to the lands of her brother Berengar, and, for a time at least, to William de Tosny?s land. The former passed to her nephew Hugh Bigod, and the second occasion the latter ultimately passed to her niece Cecily.
  
  === (21) dead ===
  (21) dead
  
  === !Complete Peerage pp 168. ===
  !Complete Peerage pp 168.
  
  === Sheriff of Stafford. Standard Bearer to ===
  Sheriff of Stafford. Standard Bearer to William the Conquerer at Battle of Hastings, 1066. Some list father of William as Main de Albini whose wife is Adelisa de Bohun.

• m. ABT 1069

1. Ralph de Toeni IV de Conches, b. ABT 1069 in Flamstead, Hertfordshire, England     d. ABT 1126 in Conches, Seine-et-Marne, France
2. Alidnora de Toney, b. 1075 in Cravin, York, England     d. 1130

1. Title: Hervey Bagot, Millicent de Stafford, Hervey de Stafford and Robert de Stafford in Cokayne's Complete Peerage, Vol. 7, pg. 208 [See document in the Memories section]
   Author: Cokayne's Complete Peerage, Vol. 7, pg. 208
   Note: Hervey Bagot, Millicent de Stafford, Hervey de Stafford and Robert de Stafford in Cokayne's Complete Peerage, Vol. 7, pg. 208 [See document in the Memories section]
   Page: Hervey Bagot, Millicent de Stafford, Hervey de Stafford and Robert de Stafford in Cokayne's Complete Peerage, Vol. 7, pg. 208 [See document in the Memories section]
   
2. Title: Ancestry Family Trees
   Author: Ancestry Family Tree
   
3. Title: The Linzee family of Great Britain and the United States of America and the allied families
   Author: page 185 etc...
   Publication: Name: https://archive.org/stream/linzeefamilyofgr01linz#page/186/mode/2up;
   
4. Title: Ralph (Toeni) de Tony on WikiTree
   Author: WikiTree contributors, "Ralph (Toeni) de Tony", WikiTree, http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Toeni-4 (accessed 23 May 2022)
   Publication: Name: http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Toeni-4;
   
5. Title: Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
   Publication: Name: https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/NORMANDY%20NOBILITY.htm#RogerConchesdied1040;
   Note: ROGER [II] de Tosny [Conches] (-[after 1040]). Orderic Vitalis records that “Rogerius de Toenio” founded “cœnobium Castellionis alias de Conchis”[1454]. "…Rodgerii filii Rodulfi…Rogerii de Conchis" subscribed the charter dated to [1040] under which "Vuillelmus Ricardi magni ducis Normannorum filius" donated property to the abbey of Jumièges[1455]. Roger’s place of burial is confirmed by the charter dated to [1130] under which Henry I King of England confirmed the foundation of Conches by "Rogerius senior…", quoting the confirmation by "Radulphus de Totteneio cum Godehilde matre mea" for the burial of "patris mei Rogerii"[1456]. m as her first husband, GODECHILDIS, daughter of ---. Henry I King of England confirmed the foundation of Conches by "Rogerius senior de Toenio et filius eius Radulphus senex et Radulphus juvenis filius prædicti Radulphi senis et Rogerius filius Radulphi juvenis", quoting the foundation by "Rogerius filius Radulphi Toteniensis" for the soul of "coniugis meæ Godehildis", dated to [1130][1457]. The Miracles of Sainte-Foy recount her being cured of a serious illness by miracle, when she was still married to her first husband[1458]. She married secondly Richard Comte d'Evreux. Guillaume of Jumièges records that “Richardus Ebroicensis comes filius Roberti Archiepiscopi” married “uxore Rogerii de Toenia” by whom he had “Willelmum qui nunc Ebroicensibus principatur”[1459]. Henry I King of England confirmed the foundation of Conches by "Rogerius senior de Toenio et filius eius Radulphus senex et Radulphus juvenis filius prædicti Radulphi senis et Rogerius filius Radulphi juvenis", quoting the donation by "Godehildis comitissa Ebroicæ civitatis, quondam uxor Rogerii de Totteneio" with the consent of "seniore meo comite Richardo", dated to [1130][1460]. Roger [II] & his wife had [three] children: a) RAOUL [III] de Tosny ([before 1038]-24 Mar[1461] [1102], bur Conches Saint-Pierre). “Radulphus de Tony cum Godehelde matre mea” donated property to Wotton Wawen Abbey, Warwickshire by undated charter[1462]. - see below. b) [ADELISE (-6 Oct ----, bur Abbaye de Lyre). Guillaume of Jumièges records that “Willelmus...filius Osberni, propinquus ducis Willelmi” founded “duo monasteriain honorem...Mariæ unum apud Liram...alterum apud Cormelias”, adding that he buried “Adelinam filiam Rogerii de Toenio uxorem suam” at Lyre[1463]. There is no indication whether Roger [I] or Roger [II] de Tosny was the father of Adelise, or of the identity of her mother. "Willelmo filio Osberni et…Ælicia eius uxore filia Rogeri de Thoneio" founded the abbey of Lyre by charter dated 1046[1464]. Robert of Torigny's De Immutatione Ordinis Monachorum records that "Willermus filius Osberni Normanniæ dapifer et cognatus Willermi ducis…Aelizam uxorem suam filiam Rogeri de Toeneio" was buried in the monastery of Lyre[1465]. The necrology of Lyre monastery records the death "6 Oct" of "Adeliz uxor Willelmi hujus loci fundatoris"[1466]. The necrology of the monastery of Ouche records the death "6 Oct" of "mater Willelmi Britolii Adeliza"[1467]. m (before 1046) as his first wife, GUILLAUME FitzOsbern Seigneur de Breteuil, son of OSBERN de Crépon & his wife Emma d'Ivry (-killed in battle Cassel, Flanders 22 Feb 1071, bur Abbaye de Cormeilles).] c) [ROBERT [III] de Tosny (-[1088], bur [Evesham Abbey]). His parentage is confirmed by the charter dated to [1130] under which Henry I King of England confirmed donations to Conches, including the donation of "ecclesiam de Octona" made by "Robertus de Stafort filius Rogerii de Totteneio" with the consent of "filio meo Nicholao"[1468]. Robert’s connection with the Tosny family is confirmed by the undated charter under which “Robertus de Stafford” confirmed donations to Wotton Wawen Abbey, Warwickshire by “avus meus Robertus de Toenio et pater meus Nicolaus de Stafford”[1469]. The chronology suggests that Robert’s father was Roger [II] de Tosny, although there is no indication of the identity of Robert’s mother. Domesday Book records “Robert of Stafford” holding Denchworth in Wantage Hundred in Berkshire; “Robert de Tosny” holding Miswell in Tring Hundred and Barwythe in Danish Hundred in Hertfordshire; "Robert of Stafford" holding land in Oxfordshire; Stoneton in Northamptonshire [Warwickshire][1470]. The entries in Hertfordshire precede those which record the holdings of Raoul de Tosny in Hertfordshire, which suggests that they refer to the Robert Tosny/Stafford who was Raoul’s brother. Lord of Stafford.] - ENGLISH NOBILITY – STAFFORD.
   
6. Title: Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-20, 22
   Publication: Name: https://search.ancestry.com/collections/1981/records/45283;
   
7. Title: Ralph III de Toeni, "Find A Grave Index"
   Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGR-ZBJJ : 4 July 2020), Ralph III de Toeni, 1102; Burial, , ; citing record ID , Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
   Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGR-ZBJJ;
   
8. Title: Ralph de Limesey in the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy ~http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/enguntlo.htm#motherRobertStatford [See document in the Memories section]
   Publication: Name: http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/enguntlo.htm#motherRobertStatford;
   Note: Ralph de Limesey in the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy ~http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/enguntlo.htm#motherRobertStatford [See document in the Memories section]
   Page: Ralph de Limesey in the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy ~http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/enguntlo.htm#motherRobertStatford [See document in the Memories section]