William Fitz-Ansculf was a Norman-French landowner who suceeded his father, Ansculf de Picquigny

Ansculf de Picquigny

Ansculf de Picquigny was a French baron who followed William the Conqueror to England.He was born the son of Guermond de Picquigny of Picquigny, a village near Amiens in Picardy and with his brother Gilo, crossed to England with Duke William of Normandy...

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Birth and early life

William's date of birth is not known, though it was likely in Picquigny, Somme, France in the mid 11th Century

11th century

As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century is the period from 1001 to 1100 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian/Common Era....

. William inherited many lands in central England that had been granted to his father, Ansculf de Picquigny by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest in 1066.

Lands held

The 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...

 of 1086 shows William holding from the Crown around one-hundred estates in twelve counties. Many of these were estates formerly held by King Harold Godwinsson, Lady Godiva, Earl Algar and Ulwin, a thegn based in the Midlands. William was either Lord, or tenant-in-chief.


List of land held by William Fitz Ansculf in 1086:

Domesday place name	Modern place name	Owner in 1066
Abinceborne	Abinger, Surrey	King Edward and a huscarl
Belintones	Bellington, Worcestershire	Alric and Holland
Berchelai	Bartley Green, Birmingham	Wulfwin
Bradefelt	Bradfield, Reading	King Edward and Horling
Bradewelle	Bradwell, Milton Keynes Milton Keynes Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...	Alric son of Goding, Godwin and Sibbi
Bremingeham	Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...	Wulfwin
Caldecote	Caldecote, Buckinghamshire	Four thegns
Catspelle	Chasepool, Staffordshire
Clive	Clyffe Pypard Clyffe Pypard Clyffe Pypard is a village and civil parish about south of Wootton Bassett in North Wiltshire.The parish includes the hamlet of Bushton.- History :... , Wiltshire	Aelfric, Burghelm, and Godiva
Contone	Compton Beauchamp Compton Beauchamp Compton Beauchamp is a hamlet and civil parish southeast of Shrivenham in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Location:... , Berkshire	King Edward and Almer
Dudelei	Dudley Dudley Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...	Earl Edwin
Elesberie	Ellesborough, Buckinghamshire	King Edward and Leofnoth, son of Osmund
Escelie	Selly Oak, Birmingham	Wulfwin
Franchelie	Frankley, Worcestershire	Wulfwin
Hadena	Great Hampden and Little Hampden, Buckinghamshire	Archbishop Stigand and Baldwin, son of Herlewin
Honesworde	Handsworth, Birmingham	Alfrith and Alwin
Hingepene	Inkpen Inkpen Inkpen is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire about southeast of Hungerford, close to the county boundaries with Wiltshire and Hampshire.-Amenities and landmarks:... , Berkshire Berkshire Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...	King Edward
Michelham	Mitcham, Surrey	King Edward, Brictric and two men
Mildetone	Milton, Surrey	King Edward and Wulfric
Moleslei	Moseley, Wolverhampton	Countess Godiva
Morve	Morfe and Little Morfe, Staffordshire	Three free men
Nevport	Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire	King Edward and Ulf Fenman
Nordfeld	Northfield, Birmingham	Alwold son of Erngeat
Padendene	Paddington, Surrey	King Edward and a huscarl
Pendeford	Pendeford, Wolverhampton	Ulstan and Godwin
Segleslei	Sedgley, Dudley	Earl Algar
Stoche	Bradenstoke, Wiltshire	Strami
Stoches	Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire	Earl Harold, Tubbi and Sired
Telingham	Tyringham, Buckinghamshire	Aelfeva, wife of Harold; Estan of Farningham, Godric, Godwin the priest, Harold of Tyringham
Ticheforde	Tickford, Buckinghamshire	Ulf Fenman
Tornelle	Thornhill, Wiltshire	Aelfric, Burghelm and Godiva
Wandesorde	Wandsworth, London	King Edward and six free men
Wamburne	Wombourne, Staffordshire	Thorsten
Wavre	Churchover, Warwickshire	Vagn of Wootton
Willingeuuie	Willingwick, Bromsgrove	Earl Edwin, Alwin, Alwold son of Erngeat, Brictred, Earl Edwin's thane, Erngeat son of Grim, Frani son of Erngeat
Wlsiestone	Little Woolstone, Milton Keynes	King Edward and Edward the noble