Judith of Lens

Last updated

Judith of Lens
Born1054 or 1055
Lens, Normandy
Diedafter 1086
Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire, c. 1090
Noble family House of Boulogne
Spouse(s) Waltheof, 1st Earl of Northampton
Issue Maud, Countess of Huntingdon AKA Matilda (1074-1130)
Judith (1075-1137) Adelise / Alice (c. 1075-1126)
Father Lambert II, Count of Lens
Mother Adelaide of Normandy

Judith of Lens (born Normandy, between 1054 and 1055 - died Fotheringhay, c. 1090) was a niece of William the Conqueror. She was a daughter of Lambert II, Count of Lens and Adelaide of Normandy (Countess of Aumale), the sister of William the Conqueror. [1]

Contents

Life

In 1070, Judith married Earl Waltheof of Huntingdon and Northumbria. They had three children – Maud de Lens aka Matilda (1074-1130), Judith (1075-1137) and Adelese aka Alice (c. 1075/76-1126). Their eldest daughter, Maud, brought the earldom of Huntingdon to her second husband, David I of Scotland. Their daughter, Adelise, married Raoul III de Conches whose sister, Godehilde, married Baldwin I of Jerusalem.

In 1075, Waltheof joined the Revolt of the Earls against William. It was the last serious act of resistance against the Norman Conquest of England. Some sources claim that Judith betrayed Waltheof to the bishop of Winchester, who informed her uncle, the king. Other sources say that Waltheof was innocent and that it was he who notified the bishop and king of the plot. Waltheof was beheaded on 31 May 1076 at St Giles Hill, near Winchester.

After Waltheof's execution, Judith was betrothed by William to Simon I of St. Liz, 1st Earl of Northampton. Judith refused to marry Simon and fled the country to avoid William's anger. He then (temporarily) confiscated all Judith's English estates. Simon married Judith's daughter, Maud, in or before 1090.

Properties

Judith held properties in 10 counties in the Midlands and East Anglia. Before the Norman invasion, these would have been lands held by her Saxon husband, Waltheof. After the transfer of property to the Norman's, Waltheof was left with only one manor in his name.

Judith's holdings included land and properties in:

Judith held eight manors in her own name - i.e. manors which Domesday shows were not let, by her, to local lords. Those eight manors, scattered around the ten counties, may have been used by Judith as homes when visiting her various estates. Included in them were the manors of Elstow and Kempston in Bedfordshire.

Judith founded Elstow Abbey in around 1078, as a Benedictine nunnery, possibly as a memorial to Waltheof. She endowed the Abbey with a considerable amount of her properties in several counties. Judith also founded All Saints church in Kempston. Given these strong local connections, it is possible that Judith's primary home may have been at the manor at Kempston. Judith also founded a church at Hitchin and Elstow Abbey held a large amount of her property in that area.

Direct quotations from the Domesday Book

In POTONE Hugh holds ½ virgate of land from the Countess. Land for 1 plough; it is there, with 1 smallholder. The value is and was 5s; before 1066, 2s. Earl Tosti held this land in Potton, his manor.

Countess Judith holds POTONE herself. It answers for 10 hides. Land for 12 ploughs. In lordship 3½ hides; 3 ploughs there. 18 villagers and 2 Freemen with 8 ploughs; a ninth possible. 13 smallholders and 3 slaves. 1 mill, 5s; meadow for 12 ploughs; pasture for the village livestock. In total, value £12; when acquired 100s; before 1066 £13. King Edward held this manor; it was Earl Tosti's. There were 4 Freemen who had 1 hide and 1 virgate; they could grant to whom they would.

In (Cockayne) HATLEY Countess Judith holds 3 hides and 2½ virgates as one manor. Land for 6½ ploughs. In lordship 1 hide and ½ virgate; 2 ploughs there. 8 villagers with 4½ ploughs; woodland, 4 pigs. Value £6 5s; when acquired 100s; before 1066 £6. Earl Tosti held this manor. It lies in Potton, the Countess' own manor. A Freeman had 1 virgate; he could grant and sell, and withdraw to another lord.

Ranulf brother of Ilger holds EVERTON from the Countess. It answers for 5 hides. Land for 5 ploughs; 2 ploughs there; 3 possible. 4 villagers; 5 smallholders. Meadow for 1 plough. Value £3; when acquired 100s; as much before 1066. Earl Tosti held this manor. It lay in Potton, the Countess' own manor.

Related Research Articles

Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria was the last of the Anglo-Saxon earls and the only English aristocrat to be executed during the reign of William I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallamshire</span>

Hallamshire is the historical name for an area of South Yorkshire, England, approximating to the current City of Sheffield local government area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Huntingdon</span> Title in the Peerage of England

Earl of Huntingdon is a title which has been created several times in the Peerage of England. The medieval title was associated with the ruling house of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burton Latimer</span> Human settlement in England

Burton Latimer is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, approximately 3.1 miles (5.0 km) from Kettering. At the 2011 census, its population was 7,449.

Maud, Countess of Huntingdon, or Matilda, was Queen of Scotland as the wife of King David I. She was the great-niece of William the Conqueror and the granddaughter of Earl Siward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charwelton</span> Human settlement in England

Charwelton is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) south of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 220.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Bedfordshire</span> History of Bedfordshire County in England

Bedfordshire is an English ceremonial county which lies between approximately 25 miles and 55 miles north of central London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph de Gael</span> 11th-century Earl of East Anglia

Ralph de Gaël was the Earl of East Anglia and Lord of Gaël and Montfort. He was the leading figure in the Revolt of the Earls, the last serious revolt against William the Conqueror.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Grafton</span> Human settlement in England

Temple Grafton is a village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England, situated about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Alcester and 14 miles (23 km) west of the county town of Warwick. The place name is misleading, the Knights Templar never having any association with the place but owing to a naming error made in the time of Henry VIII the mistake has been perpetuated. During the reign of Richard I the estate in fact belonged to the Knights Hospitaller. During the reign of Edward III in 1347 the village was recorded as Grafton Superior while neighbouring Ardens Grafton was named Inferior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elstow</span> Human settlement in England

Elstow is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Bedford town centre.

Simon I de Senlis, 1st Earl of Northampton and 2nd Earl of Huntingdonjure uxoris was a Norman nobleman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denchworth</span> Human settlement in England

Denchworth is a village and civil parish about 2.5 miles (4 km) north of Wantage. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 171. The parish is bounded by the Land Brook in the west and the Childrey Brook in the east. The Great Western Main Line between Reading and Swindon runs through the parish just south of the village, but there is no station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elstow Abbey</span>

Elstow Abbey was a monastery for Benedictine nuns in Elstow, Bedfordshire, England. It was founded c.1075 by Judith, Countess of Huntingdon, a niece of William the Conqueror, and therefore is classed as a royal foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardens Grafton</span> Human settlement in England

Ardens Grafton is a hamlet or small village in the Stratford-on-Avon District of Warwickshire, England, situated about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Alcester and 14 miles (23 km) west of the county town of Warwick. It has a main street and consists mostly of houses constructed of local stone with tiled roofs, with the exception of two properties, 'Manor Cottage' and 'Chapel House' both of which have timber-framed walls and a thatched roof. Two other buildings retain fragments of ancient framing. During the reign of Edward III in 1347 the village was recorded as Grafton Inferior while neighbouring Temple Grafton, 0.50 miles (0.80 km) to the East, was named Superior Other designations used during the Middle Ages were Nether Grafton, Grafton Inferior or Grafton Minor whilst the larger village of Temple Grafton was distinguished as Over Grafton, Grafton Superior, Church Grafton, or Grafton Major. A reference to 'Temple Grafton alias Ardens Grafton' occurs in 1650.

Castle Camps was a Norman Castle located in what is now the civil parish of Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sawtry Abbey</span>

Sawtry Abbey was a Cistercian abbey located between Sawtry and Woodwalton in Cambridgeshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1147 by Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Northampton, who was the grandson of Earl Waltheof and Judith, the niece of William the Conqueror who held the manor when the Domesday Survey was compiled. It is the only Cistercian abbey in the county.

Truthwall is a hamlet southeast of Crowlas in the civil parish of Ludgvan, west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.

Sir David Olifard was the first recorded Justiciar, governing the southern half of Scotland south of the rivers Forth and Clyde. Olifard was godson to King David I of Scotland, whose life he saved at the Rout of Winchester in 1141. Olifard is the first known chief of Clan Oliphant today.

Trenant Park is a Grade II listed country house in the civil parish of Duloe in east Cornwall, England, UK. It is surrounded by a large park and woodland. It is sited on a tongue of land between the East and West Looe rivers. The house was possibly built in the early 17th century, remodelled in the early 18th century, extended in the mid 19th century and divided into flats in the 20th century.

Sir John de Radynden (1274-c.1350) was the only child of Walter and Agatha. He inherited his father's estate of Radynden, as well as the properties of his mother and his aunt, Alice de Mucegros. He initially was in the service of Hugh Despenser the Elder and later was a Member of Parliament for Sussex.

References

  1. LoPrete 2007, Chart 2.

Sources