William Fitz Allan, Lord of Oswestry
Encyclopedia
William Fitz Allan was a Norman noble, the eldest son of Alan fitz Flaad and the lord of Oswestry
.
William married Isabella de Say
, the niece of Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
. William was appointed the High Sheriff of Shropshire
by Adeliza of Louvain
, the second wife of Henry I
.
During the Anarchy
, William declared for the Empress Maud and in 1138 held Shrewsbury Castle
for four weeks against King Stephen. William escaped before the fall of the city, to accompany the Empress at the siege of Winchester Castle
, spending the next fifteen years in exile before the return of Henry II
to power in place of Stephen in 1153-4. William attached himself to Henry and when Henry marched against Hugh de Mortimer in July 1155, and recaptured the castles at Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth, William fitz Alan was the chief beneficiary. At Bridgnorth ‘the king restored his lands’ and William took the homages of his men. He was restored as High Sheriff of Shropshire
in 1155 until his death in 1160.
On his death he left his lands to his son, also called William Fitz Allan
. He was buried at Shrewsbury Abbey. His daughter Christiana married Hugh Pantulf, 4th Baron of Wem, a later High Sheriff of Shropshire.
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
.
William married Isabella de Say
Isabella de Say
Isabella de Say was an Anglo-Norman heiress. Isabella was the only surviving child of Helias de Say upon his death in 1165; Helias was the third lord of Clun, a powerful Norman stronghold in Shropshire, England, along the Welsh border. She was also a niece of the influential Robert, 1st Earl of...
, the niece of Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Robert Fitzroy, 1st Earl of Gloucester was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. He was called "Rufus" and occasionally "de Caen", he is also known as Robert "the Consul"...
. William was appointed the High Sheriff of Shropshire
High Sheriff of Shropshire
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
by Adeliza of Louvain
Adeliza of Louvain
Adeliza of Louvain, sometimes known in England as Adelicia of Louvain, also called Adela and Aleidis; was queen consort of the Kingdom of England from 1121 to 1135, the second wife of Henry I...
, the second wife of 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...
.
During the Anarchy
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
, William declared for the Empress Maud and in 1138 held Shrewsbury Castle
Shrewsbury Castle
Shrewsbury Castle is a red sandstone castle in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It stands on a hill in the neck of the meander of the River Severn on which the town originally developed. The castle is situated directly above Shrewsbury railway station....
for four weeks against King Stephen. William escaped before the fall of the city, to accompany the Empress at the siege of Winchester Castle
Winchester Castle
Winchester Castle is a medieval building in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1067. Only the Great Hall exists now; it houses a museum of the history of Winchester.-Great Hall:...
, spending the next fifteen years in exile before the return of Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
to power in place of Stephen in 1153-4. William attached himself to Henry and when Henry marched against Hugh de Mortimer in July 1155, and recaptured the castles at Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth, William fitz Alan was the chief beneficiary. At Bridgnorth ‘the king restored his lands’ and William took the homages of his men. He was restored as High Sheriff of Shropshire
High Sheriff of Shropshire
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
in 1155 until his death in 1160.
On his death he left his lands to his son, also called William Fitz Allan
William Fitz Alan, 1st Lord of Oswestry and Clun
William Fitz Alan was a Norman nobleman who lived in Oswestry and Clun, near Shrewsbury, along the medieval Welsh Marches. William was the son of William Fitz Alan and Isabella de Say; he was the first Fitz Alan to hold both the castles of Clun and Oswestry in his own right, and was responsible for...
. He was buried at Shrewsbury Abbey. His daughter Christiana married Hugh Pantulf, 4th Baron of Wem, a later High Sheriff of Shropshire.