Nigel Fossard (sometimes Niel Fossard;Page (ed.) "Parishes: Hinderwell" ''History of the County of York: North Riding: Volume 2'' died after 1120) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman who held the honour of Mulgrave in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

and by virtue of that is considered the feudal baron of Mulgrave.

Life

Fossard came from the western part of

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

.Keats-Rohan ''Domesday People'' pp. 302–303 Fossard held lands of

Robert, Count of Mortain Robert, Count of Mortain, first Earl of Cornwall of 2nd creation (–) was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother (on their mother's side) of King William the Conqueror. He was one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror at t ...

in the Domesday survey of 1086. In all, Fossard held 58

carucate The carucate or carrucate ( or ) was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season. It was known by different regional names and fell under different forms of tax assessment. ...

s and 6 bovates of land in Yorkshire from Robert, which before the

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 ...

had been owned by

Ligulf Ligulf (sometimes Liulf or Ligulf of Lumley; died 1080) was an Anglo-Danish nobleman with landholdings in the north of England. Ligulf was married to Ealdgyth, the daughter of Ealdred the earl of Northumbria.Aird "Ligulf" ''Oxford Dictionary of Na ...

.Williams ''English and the Norman Conquest'' p. 67 Throughout all three

ridings of Yorkshire A riding is an administrative jurisdiction or electoral district, particularly in several current or former Commonwealth countries. Etymology The word ''riding'' is descended from late Old English or (recorded only in Latin contexts or forms, ...

, Fossard's holdings amounted to over 500 carucates. His landholdings were only in Yorkshire, however. Fossard and another tenant of Robert of Mortain, Richard de Sourdeval, held the majority of the count's lands in Yorkshire.Walker "Fossard family" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Although the count was a large landholder in Yorkshire, his two tenants effectively controlled all his lands and this weakened the comital power in the county.Blakely ''Brus Family'' p. 130 When Robert of Mortain rebelled and lost in 1088, Fossard became a tenant-in-chief of the King. His holding of the honour of Mulgrave in

means he is considered a feudal baron of Mulgrave.Sanders ''English Baronies'' p. 66 Under 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 ...

, Fossard worked to concentrate his holdings around Lythe Castle, an act that was encouraged by the king in order to secure royal authority in Yorkshire. Because his lands were all in Yorkshire, it is likely that Fossard spent most of his time in that county.Dalton ''Conquest, Anarchy and Lordship'' p. 68 Fossard gave gifts to St Mary's Abbey in

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

, including lands and churches. He also gave a church to

Ramsey Abbey Ramsey Abbey was a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine abbey in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, Ramsey, Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire), England. It was founded about AD 969 and Dissolution of the Monasteries, dissolved in 1539. The site ...

. In the

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

for this gift, he mentions himself, his wife, who is unnamed, and his son and heir – also unnamed.Farrer (ed.) ''Early Yorkshire Charters Volume 2'' pp. 330–331 It also mentions King

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 ...

, the queen

Matilda of Flanders Matilda of Flanders (; ; German: ''Mechtild)'' ( 1031 – 2 November 1083) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy. She was the mother of ni ...

, and the king and queen's eldest son,

Robert Curthose Robert Curthose ( – February 1134, ), the eldest son of William the Conqueror, was Duke of Normandy as Robert II from 1087 to 1106. Robert was also an unsuccessful pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of England. The epithet "Curthose" ...

. For all the people listed, Fossard sought "fraternity" with the monastery.Marritt "Prayers for the King" ''Anglo-Norman Studies'' p. 198 This relationship was, according to the historian Janet Burton, "a spiritual union with the community" of the monastic house, effectively making them like a member of the community.Burton ''Monastic Order in Yorkshire'' p. 207 The name of Fossard's wife is not known. Fossard's heir was his son

Robert Fossard The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

. He also had a daughter, Gertrude, who married first Robert de Meinil and then Jordan Paynel. The Walter Fossard who attested Nigel's charter giving lands to St Mary's may have also been Nigel's son. Fossard died likely after 1120, and perhaps as late as 1128. He witnessed a charter of

Thurstan :''This page is about Thurstan of Bayeux (1070 – 1140) who became Archbishop of York. Thurstan of Caen became the first Norman Abbot of Glastonbury in circa 1077.'' Thurstan or Turstin of Bayeux ( – 6 February 1140) was a medi ...

, the

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...

that is dated to between 1114 and 1128.Farrer (ed.) ''Early Yorkshire Charters Volume 2'' pp. 325–327 In 1129, his lands were controlled by the king, and his heir had to pay a fine to recover his inheritance. Why the lands were in the king's control is not recorded.

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fossard, Nigel Anglo-Normans 1120s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain English feudal barons