Edward of Salisbury
Encyclopedia
Edward of Salisbury was a nobleman and courtier
(curialis), probably part Anglo-Saxon
, who served as High Sheriff of Wiltshire
during the reigns of William I, William II and Henry I
.
The Chronicon Abbatiae Ramesiensis (1293) names him as a justice during the reign of Edward the Confessor
. He may have been sheriff as early as 1070, he was certainly in that office by 1081, and perhaps carried on there until as late as February or March 1105, when he appears in a long list of sheriffs who witnessed a charter of Henry I. He probably served Henry as a chamberlain
. As sheriff Edward received the reeveland and a certain pence pertaining the shrievalty as personal property, under certain obligations. A different man, Walter Hosate, possessed the shrievalty of Wiltshire in 1107.
According to Domesday Book
(1088), Edward held five hides
of land at Salisbury
from Bishop Herman
in 1086. His manor
s in Wiltshire included Wilcot
, where he had "a very good house", Alton Barnes, and Etchilhampton
, all held "of the king", making him a tenant-in-chief
(baron). That no holder of these manors before the Norman Conquest is cited suggests that Edward, whose name was Anglo-Saxon, may have held them both before and after 1066. He may also have been the castellan
of the royal castle at Salisbury.
Edward's predecessor in many of his manors was a certain Wulfwynn, perhaps his mother. Edward had augmented Chitterne
, one of Wulfwynn's estates, with lands formerly owned by two thegn
s, Kenwin and Azor. These may have been family estates, subsequently enlarged by the grant of the manors of North Tidworth, Ludgershall
, and Shrewton
, once held by a thegn named Alfward. It is clear from sources of a century later that all of Edward's manors owed heavy knight-service
to the Crown.
Edward had a (probably younger) son, also Edward, who held land at Rogerville
and Raimes in the Duchy of Normandy
and who once witnessed a charter
there of William de Tancarville. This may indicate that Edward was of mixed Anglo-Norman extraction, and perhaps emigrated to England during the reign of Edward the Confessor. The Edward of Salisbury mentioned by Orderic Vitalis
as having fought with Henry I
in Normandy in 1119 was probably the younger. His later descendants, who founded Lacock Abbey
, claimed that he was descended from Gerold of Roumare. A certain Matilda (Maud), daughter of one of these Edwards, probably the elder, inherited a large number of estates and passed them on to her husband, Humphrey I de Bohun
. One of their sons, Walter of Salisbury, was father to Patrick
, the first Earl of Salisbury
.
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
(curialis), probably part Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
, who served as High Sheriff of Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
during the reigns of William I, William II and Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
.
The Chronicon Abbatiae Ramesiensis (1293) names him as a justice during the reign of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
. He may have been sheriff as early as 1070, he was certainly in that office by 1081, and perhaps carried on there until as late as February or March 1105, when he appears in a long list of sheriffs who witnessed a charter of Henry I. He probably served Henry as a chamberlain
Chamberlain (office)
A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
. As sheriff Edward received the reeveland and a certain pence pertaining the shrievalty as personal property, under certain obligations. A different man, Walter Hosate, possessed the shrievalty of Wiltshire in 1107.
According to Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
(1088), Edward held five hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
of land at Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
from Bishop Herman
Herman (bishop)
Herman was a medieval Bishop of Ramsbury and Bishop of Sherborne.-Life:Herman was a native of Flanders. As chaplain of Edward the Confessor he was named to the see of Ramsbury shortly after 22 April 1045. He visited Rome in 1050, where he attended a papal council, along with his fellow English...
in 1086. His manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
s in Wiltshire included Wilcot
Wilcot
Wilcot is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England, two miles north-west of Pewsey.-History:The parish was described as follows in The National Gazetteer :...
, where he had "a very good house", Alton Barnes, and Etchilhampton
Etchilhampton
Etchilhampton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England.The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded a parish population of 152.-Local government:Etchilhampton is a civil parish with an elected parish council...
, all held "of the king", making him a tenant-in-chief
Tenant-in-chief
In medieval and early modern European society the term tenant-in-chief, sometimes vassal-in-chief, denoted the nobles who held their lands as tenants directly from king or territorial prince to whom they did homage, as opposed to holding them from another nobleman or senior member of the clergy....
(baron). That no holder of these manors before the Norman Conquest is cited suggests that Edward, whose name was Anglo-Saxon, may have held them both before and after 1066. He may also have been the castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
of the royal castle at Salisbury.
Edward's predecessor in many of his manors was a certain Wulfwynn, perhaps his mother. Edward had augmented Chitterne
Chitterne
Chitterne is a village and parish in the County of Wiltshire, in the south west of England. The village lies in the middle of Salisbury Plain, to the south of the abandoned village of Imber...
, one of Wulfwynn's estates, with lands formerly owned by two thegn
Thegn
The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...
s, Kenwin and Azor. These may have been family estates, subsequently enlarged by the grant of the manors of North Tidworth, Ludgershall
Ludgershall, Wiltshire
Ludgershall is a town and civil parish north east of Salisbury, Wiltshire, at grid SU264509. The population was: 535 in 1831; 1,906 in 1951; and 3,775 in 2001. Ludgershall is now officially a town.-Historical features:...
, and Shrewton
Shrewton
Shrewton is a village in Wiltshire, England, located around 9 km west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. It lies on the A360 road between Stonehenge and Tilshead. It is close to the source of the River Till, which flows south to Stapleford. Its population at the 2001 Census was 1,826, as...
, once held by a thegn named Alfward. It is clear from sources of a century later that all of Edward's manors owed heavy knight-service
Knight-service
Knight-service was a form of Feudal land tenure under which a knight held a fief or estate of land termed a knight's fee from an overlord conditional on him as tenant performing military service for his overlord....
to the Crown.
Edward had a (probably younger) son, also Edward, who held land at Rogerville
Rogerville
Rogerville is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A village with light industry in its southern sector and farming in the northern part, in the Pays de Caux, situated some east of Le Havre, at the junction of the A131 autoroute...
and Raimes in the Duchy of Normandy
Duchy of Normandy
The Duchy of Normandy stems from various Danish, Norwegian, Hiberno-Norse, Orkney Viking and Anglo-Danish invasions of France in the 9th century...
and who once witnessed a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
there of William de Tancarville. This may indicate that Edward was of mixed Anglo-Norman extraction, and perhaps emigrated to England during the reign of Edward the Confessor. The Edward of Salisbury mentioned by Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis was an English chronicler of Norman ancestry who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. The modern biographer of Henry I of England, C...
as having fought with Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
in Normandy in 1119 was probably the younger. His later descendants, who founded Lacock Abbey
Lacock Abbey
Lacock Abbey in the village of Lacock, Wiltshire, England, was founded in the early 13th century by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, as a nunnery of the Augustinian order.- History :...
, claimed that he was descended from Gerold of Roumare. A certain Matilda (Maud), daughter of one of these Edwards, probably the elder, inherited a large number of estates and passed them on to her husband, Humphrey I de Bohun
Humphrey I de Bohun
Humphrey I de Bohun was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat, the youngest son of Humphrey with the Beard, who had taken part in the Norman conquest of England in 1066. He married Maud, a daughter of the Anglo-Saxon landholder Edward of Salisbury, through whom he acquired an honour in Wiltshire with its...
. One of their sons, Walter of Salisbury, was father to Patrick
Patrick of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Patrick of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Salisbury was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, and the uncle of the famous William Marshal.His parents were Walter of Salisbury and Sibilla de Chaworth. Before 1141, Patrick was constable of Salisbury, a powerful local official but not a nobleman...
, the first Earl of Salisbury
Earl of Salisbury
Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in British history. It has a complex history, being first created for Patrick de Salisbury in the middle twelfth century. It was eventually inherited by Alice, wife of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster...
.