Geoffrey de Montbray (died 1093), also known as Montbrai, Mowbray or Geoffrey of Coutances, was a Norman nobleman,

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

, warrior and administrator who was Bishop of Coutances from 1049 to 1093. He was an adviser of

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

. Robert de Mowbray was his heir and nephew.

Career

De Montbray, from his name, was apparently from Montbrai, Manche, in the arrondissement of Saint-Lô in the Basse-Normandie region of the former

Duchy of Normandy The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple, King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo. The duchy was named for its inhabitants, the Normans. From 1066 until 1204, as a r ...

.K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, ''Domesday People, A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents 1066-1166'', Vol. I (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1999), p. 228 In 1049 he obtained the see of Coutances (), arranged by his brother Malger (see Mowbray). He was consecrated at

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

on 12 March 1049, presumably by Mauger who was Archbishop of Rouen at that time. Later that year at the Council of Reims he was accused of simony, in other words, of having purchased his bishopric.François Neveux, ''The Normans; The Conquests that Changed the Face of Europe'', trans. Howard Curtis (London: Constable & Robinson, Ltd., 2008), p. 85 In a skilful defence, Geoffrey claimed that without his knowledge his brother bought the bishopric for him.The seller was almost certainly Duke William. He owned most if not all of Coutances at the time. At the Council of Reims Geoffrey stated that when he heard of the transaction he refused his ordination and tried to flee. So his defence was that he was thrust into the office by force. See: John Le Patourel, 'Geoffrey of Montbray, Bishop of Countances, 1049-1093', ''The English Historical Review'', Vol. 59, No. 234 (May, 1944), pp. 133-34, p. 134 n. 1. He was allowed to keep his see on giving of an oath of his good faith. However irregular his election to the bishopric, Geoffrey discovered his new diocese was in very poor condition.John Le Patourel, 'Geoffrey of Montbray, Bishop of Countances, 1049-1093', The English Historical Review, Vol. 59, No. 234 (May, 1944), p. 135 For nearly a century the church in the Cotentin had not recovered from destruction at the hands of the Northmen. There was obstinate paganism, few canons, and no books, bibles, or ornamentation. A long line of bishops before him had resided at

Saint-Lô Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy. The few relics that former clerics managed to save along with the bodies of two former bishops, St. Lô and St. Rumpharius ( † ) had been kept at the church of St. Sauveur in Rouen, given to Bishop Theoderic of Coutances by count Rollo as a temporary cathedral. He was present at the

battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place appr ...

, and at his lord's subsequent coronation William was presented to his new subjects in English by Archbishop Aldred and in French by Bishop Geoffrey. His reward in England was a large

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

scattered over 12 counties. He accompanied William on his visit to Normandy (1067). Having returned to England he took a leading role in suppressing the wave of English rebellions which erupted in the late summer of 1069. While William marched north against the uprisings in

Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...

and

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

, Geoffrey gathered troops from the forces occupying

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

and

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

and led them to victory against the rebels besieging

Montacute Montacute is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 831 (2011 census). The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referring to the conically acute St ...

Castle in September 1069. In 1075 he again took the field against the

Revolt of the Earls The Revolt of the Earls in 1075 was a rebellion of three earls against William I of England (William the Conqueror). It was the last serious act of resistance against William in the Norman Conquest. Cause The revolt was caused by the king's re ...

, leading with Bishop Odo a large army against

Ralph de Guader Ralph de Gaël (otherwise Ralph de Guader, Ralph Wader or Radulf Waders or Ralf Waiet or Rodulfo de Waiet; before 1042 – 1100) was the Earl of East Anglia (Norfolk and Suffolk) and Lord of Gaël and Montfort (''Seigneur de Gaël et Montfort ...

, the rebel Earl of Norfolk, besieging and capturing his stronghold at

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

. Meanwhile, the Conqueror had invested him with important judicial functions. In 1072 he presided over the great Kentish suit between the primate and Bishop Odo, and about the same time over those between the abbot of Ely and his despoilers, and between the

Bishop of Worcester The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary (officer), head of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Worcester, Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title can be traced back to the foundation of the diocese in the ...

and the abbot of Ely, and he likely acted as a

Domesday Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

commissioner (1086), and was placed about the same time in charge of

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. He also signed the Accord of Winchester. The bishop, who attended the Conqueror's funeral, joined in the rising against

William Rufus William II (; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third son of William the Co ...

in 1088, making

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, with which (as Domesday shows) he was closely connected and where he had built a strong

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, his base of operations. He burned

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and ravaged

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, but submitted to the king before the end of the year. He appears to have been at

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

with William in January 1090, but, withdrawing to Normandy, died at Coutances in 1093. In his fidelity to Duke Robert he seems to have there held out for him against his brother Henry, when the latter obtained the Cotentin.

His character

Orderic Vitalis Orderic Vitalis (; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England.Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 6 Working out of ...

wrote that de Montbray took pride in his noble birth and was better known for his military rather than his clerical ability; he knew more about marshalling soldiers in battle than teaching psalm-singing clerks.Ordericus Vitalis, ''The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy'', Vol. III (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854). pp. 17-18 He was an integral part of the close-knit aristocratic group that formed the majority of the Norman episcopate during the reign of Duke William.David C. Douglas, ''William the Conqueror'' (Berkeley; Los Angeles: The University of California Press, 1964), p. 119 David C. Douglas states that their principal filiations may be displayed within two very restricted and connected pedigrees.

Notes

References

Additional references

* Edward Augustus Freeman, ''

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

'' and ''William Rufus'' For original authorities: * William of Poitiers * Florence of Worcester *''

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...

'' *

William of Malmesbury William of Malmesbury (; ) was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. He has been ranked among the most talented English historians since Bede. Modern historian C. Warren Hollister described him as "a gifted historical scholar and a ...

's ''Gesta pontificum'' * Lanfranc's works, ed. Giles *

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montbray, Geoffrey De 1093 deaths Companions of William the Conqueror Norman warriors 11th-century French Roman Catholic bishops Bishops of Coutances Year of birth unknown Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief