Hamelin de Ballon (or Baalun, Baalan, Balun, Balodun, Balon, etc.) (born ca. 1060, died 5 March 1105/6) was an early

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

and the first

Baron Abergavenny The title Baron Bergavenny (or Abergavenny) was created several times in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain, all but the first being baronies created by error. Abergavenny is a market town in South East Wales with a ...

and Lord of Over

Gwent Gwent may refer to: Places *Kingdom of Gwent, a post-Roman Welsh kingdom or principality which existed in various forms between about the 5th and 11th centuries, although the name continued in use later *Gwent (preserved county), a preserved count ...

and

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

; he also served

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 ...

.J. Horace Round, "The Family of Ballon and the Conquest of South Wales", ''Studies in Peerage and Family History'' (1901), pp. 181-215.

Origin

Hamelin is traditionally made son of a Drogo (or Dru) de Ballon, lord of Ballon, today a commune in the department of

Sarthe Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the '' Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It ha ...

Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire (; but can also mean 'Lower Loire') is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, located on the country's Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital an ...

. It was located within the medieval

County of Maine Maine () is one of the traditional provinces of France. It corresponds to the former County of Maine, whose capital was also the city of Le Mans. The area, now divided into the departments of Sarthe and Mayenne, has about 857,000 inhabitant ...

, invaded and conquered by Duke William of Normandy in the early 1060s, just before his invasion of England.

Rewards and duties

Hamelin de Ballon and his brother

Wynebald de Ballon Wynebald de Ballon (variously spelt Baalun, Baalan, Balun, Balodun, Balon etc.), (c.1058–c.1126), was an early Normans, Norman magnate. He appeared in England during the reign of William II of England, William Rufus, along with his brother, ...

appear first to have come to England during the reign of William II. Wynebald was granted lands in Gloucestershire and Somerset out of those forfeited by

Turstin FitzRolf Turstin fitz Rolf, also known as Turstin le Blanc and Tustein fitz Rou (Old Norse: ''Þorsteinn Hrólfsson'') played a prominent role in the Norman Conquest of England and is regarded as one of the few proven companions of William the Conqueror ...

, and was made seneschal of

Caerleon Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable ...

, referring to himself as one of

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

's most important noblemen. Hamelin was given lands in southeast Wales, in what was to become the

Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...

, and in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, where he held

Castle Eaton Castle Eaton is a village and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England, on the River Thames about northwest of Highworth. It was historically in the area governed by the (former) Wiltshire County Council, but since 1997 has ...

, Cheverel and

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

. He sited the early

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

version of

Abergavenny Castle Abergavenny Castle () is a ruined castle in the market town of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales, established by the Normans, Norman lord Hamelin de Balun . It was the site of a massacre of Welsh noblemen in 1175, and was attacked during the e ...

and organised the early Norman protection of the settlement of what became the town of

. Together with his brother Wynebald, he also founded the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

Priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

in the town as an alien cell of St Vincent,

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

, ca. 1100. He was already a benefactor of the latter foundation.

Succession

Hamelin had two sons, William de Ballon and Matthew de Ballon, both of whom predeceased him without issue. His heirs were thus his two daughters. Emmeline de Ballon married Reginald, son of Roger, Earl of Hereford. His other daughter's name is unknown, but she was the mother of Hugh de Gundeville, administrator and justiciar of king

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

. Hamelin was succeeded in some of the lands and the de facto title

by a favourite of king

Henry I of England Henry I ( – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henr ...

Brian Fitz Count Brian fitz Count (also Brian of Wallingford) was descended from the Breton ducal house, and became an Anglo-Norman noble, holding the lordships of Wallingford and Abergavenny. He was a loyal adherent of Henry I, King of England, and a staunch s ...

, who held it, like his other lands, in right of his wife.

References

External links

a penny of King William I struck at Rhuddlan or maybe Abergavenny
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballon, Hamelin de Anglo-Normans in Wales 1100s deaths Year of birth unknown Feudal barons of Abergavenny