Ralph de Pomeroy (died pre-1100) (''alias'' de la Pomeroy, Pomeraie, Pomerei, etc.) was one of the 52

Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the we ...

of 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 ...

and was the first feudal baron of Berry Pomeroy in Devon. He held 58 landholdings in Devon.

Origins

He was from La Pommeraye,

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples and/or pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norman distillation was ma ...

in Normandy. His brother was

William Cheever William Cheever ( 1086) (''alias'' Chievre) ( Latinised to ''Capra'', "she-goat",Thorn & Thorn, part 2 (notes) chap.19 from French ''chèvre'') was one of the 52 Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief of King William the Conqueror. He held 46 landhol ...

( 1086), whose 46

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 ...

holdings later formed the

feudal barony of Bradninch {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The feudal barony of Bradninch was one of eight8 per Sanders, 1960; Pole, pp.1-31, listed 12 feudal baronies in Devonshire which existed during the mediaeval era, and had its ''caput'' at the manor of Bradninch. On ...

, Devon. Many of the holdings of the two brothers had been split from single manors into two parts, one for each brother. His sister was Beatrix, who held from her other brother William Cheever the manor of Southleigh.

Career

He participated in 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 ...

of England in 1066, for which services he was rewarded by the grant of 58 manors or other holdings in Devon and 2 manors in Somerset. He is said by historian

John Lambrick Vivian Lieutenant-Colonel John Lambrick Vivian (1830–1896), Inspector of Militia and Her Majesty's Superintendent of Police and Police Magistrate for St Kitts, West Indies, was an English genealogist and historian. He edited editions of the Heraldic V ...

(1895) to have been a benefactor to the Hospital of St John the Baptist at Falaise in Normandy, which was not, however, founded until 1127, therefore after his supposed date of death of 1100. He was one of the two commissioners appointed to carry to the royal treasury at

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 ...

the tax collected in Devon resulting from the assessment made upon the Domesday Book survey.Vivian, p.605

Death and succession

He died before 1100, leaving several sons, of whom the eldest and his heir was William de la Pomeroy (died before 1114).

References

{{reflist

Sources

*Thorn, Caroline & Frank, (eds.) ''Domesday Book'', (Morris, John, gen.ed.) Vol. 9, Devon, Parts 1 & 2, Phillimore Press, Chichester, 1985. (Parts 1 & 2 chapter 34, holdings of Ralph of Pomeroy) *Sanders, I.J. ''English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327'', Oxford, 1960 (Pages 106-7, Barony of Berry Pomeroy) * Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) ''The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620'', Exeter, 1895, pp. 605–9, pedigree of ''Pomeroy of Berry Pomeroy'' Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief 11th-century English landowners Anglo-Normans