Henry fitzGerold (sometimes Henry Fitz Gerald or Henry Fitzgerald;Vincent "Fitzgerald, Henry (d. 1170x74)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' died c. 1174) was a 12th-century Anglo-Norman nobleman and government official.

Early life

FitzGerold was probably the son of Robert fitzGerald, an

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

landowner. Henry definitely had a brother named Warin. The brothers' first appearance in the documentary record was as witnesses to the foundation document of Walden Abbey, sometime between 1138 and 1144. Henry subsequently witnessed a number of the future 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 ...

's charters before the latter's accession to the throne of England. Soon after 1154, he was appointed constable of

Wallingford Castle Wallingford Castle is a medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire (historically Berkshire), adjacent to the River Thames. Established in the 11th century as a motte-and-bailey design within an Anglo-Saxon ' ...

. Henry II sent him to

Sens Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km southeast from Paris. Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second la ...

on a diplomatic mission to the pope in 1163.Vincent "Warin and Henry Fitz Gerald" ''Anglo-Norman Studies'' pp. 237–239

Career

FitzGerold was the steward to Geoffrey de Mandeville, the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

, from around 1154 as well as holding land worth 4

knight's fees In feudal Anglo-Norman England and Ireland, a knight's fee was a unit measure of land deemed sufficient to support a knight. It would not only provide sustenance for himself, his family, and servants, but also the means to furnish himself and h ...

from Mandeville. From 1158 to 1170 he was chamberlain to Henry II, succeeding his brother Warin. Besides the lands held of Mandeville, Henry and Warin acquired the majority of the lands of

Eudo Dapifer Eudo Dapifer (sometimes Eudo fitzHerbertBarlow ''William Rufus'' p. 474 and Eudo de Rie); (died 1120), was a Norman aristocrat who served as a steward (server, Latin 'dapifer') under the kings William the Conqueror, William II Rufus, and Henry ...

;Vincent "Warin and Henry Fitz Gerald" ''Anglo-Norman Studies'' pp. 233–235 Henry's share amounted to more than 50 knight's fees in Essex in 1166. FitzGerold also had the farm of the royal manor of

Sutton Courtenay Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire, England. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames south of Abingdon-on-Thames and northwest of Didcot. The 2021 census recorded th ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

, which was worth £50 per annum. From 1166 until 1168 he was responsible for royal payments to knights in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. He also served as a

royal justice Royal justices were judges in medieval England with the power to hear pleas of the Crown. They were roving officials of the History of the English monarchy, king of England, sent to seek out notorious robbers and murderers and bring them to justic ...

in Kent during 1168–1169.

Death and legacy

FitzGerold married Matilda de Chesney, the heiress of

William de Chesney William de Chesney (flourished 1142–1161) was an Anglo-Norman magnate during the reign of King Stephen of England (reigned 1135–1154) and King Henry II of England (reigned 1154–1189). Chesney was part of a large family; one of his brothers ...

. They had two sons, Warin and Henry. The elder fitzGerold died in 1174–1175,Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 893 and was survived by Matilda and his sons. He was buried at

Reading Abbey Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, ...

. Besides grants to Reading, he had also given gifts to Southwark Priory and to the cathedral chapter of

Rochester Cathedral Rochester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is in Rochester, Kent, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Rochester and seat (''cathedra'') of the Bishop of Rocheste ...

. FitzGerold's eldest son

Warin Warin () is a town in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 19 km southeast of Wismar. Warin is a small town with a population of under 4,000 persons. Warin is situated 104 km from ...

inherited the majority of his father's estates. Warin married Alice de Courcy. Warin's daughter Margaret married Baldwin de Redvers and their son was

Baldwin de Redvers Baldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon (died 4 June 1155), feudal baron of Plympton in Devon, was the son of Richard de Redvers and his wife Adeline Peverel. He was one of the first to rebel against King Stephen, and was the only first rank magn ...

, the 6th

Earl of Devon Earl of Devon is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of England. It was possessed first (after the Norman Conquest of 1066) by the Redvers family (''alias'' de Reviers, Revieres, etc.), and later by the Courtenay famil ...

. The younger Henry married Ermentrude Talbot and became prominent in the service of William Marshall, the first

Earl of Pembroke Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:FitzGerold, Henry Anglo-Normans 1170s deaths Year of birth unknown Burials at Reading Abbey