Richard Fitz Turold (died after 1103–06) (''alias'' fitzThorold, fitzTurolf) was an eleventh-century Anglo-Norman landowner in Cornwall and Devon, mentioned in the

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 ...

. In the 13th century his estates formed part of the

Feudal barony of Cardinham The Feudal barony of Cardinham (or Honour (feudal barony), Honour of Cardinham) is one of the three feudal baronies in Cornwall which existed during the medieval era. Its ''caput'' was at Old Cardinham Castle, Cardinham Castle, Cornwall. The Barony ...

, Cornwall, and in 1166 as recorded in the

Cartae Baronum In the kingdom of England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was the highest degree of feudal land tenure, namely ''per baroniam'' (Latin for "by barony"), under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. The du ...

his estates had been held as a separate

fiefdom 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 ...

from Reginald, Earl of Cornwall.

Origins

As the prefix ''

fitz Fitz (pronounced "fits") was a patronymic indicator used in Anglo-Norman England to help distinguish individuals by identifying their immediate predecessors. Meaning "son of", it would precede the father's forename, or less commonly a title held ...

'' in his surname suggests he was presumably the son of Turold/Thorold/Turolf. A certain "Turulf", presumably his father, witnessed a charter to the monastery of

Mont Saint-Michel Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately off France's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is i ...

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 ...

, to which same monastery Richard also granted lands.

Landholdings

Cornwall

Tenant of Count of Mortain

He had a castle at

Cardinham Cardinham () (the spelling 'Cardynham' is almost obsolete) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and a village in mid Cornwall, England. The village is approximately three-and-a-half miles (6 km) east-northeast of Bodmin. The hamlet ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, in which county he was a major tenant and steward of

Robert 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 ...

Count of Mortain The County of Mortain was a medieval county in the Duchy of Normandy in France centered on the town of Mortain, disputed between France and England during parts of the Hundred Years' War. A choice landholding, usually either kept within the family ...

, half-brother 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 ...

. His holdings in Cornwall included the manor of Penhallam.

Devon

Tenant-in-chief

His entry in the Devonshire section of the Domesday Book lists ''Ricardus filius Turoldus'' as a

tenant-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, a tenant-in-chief (or vassal-in-chief) was a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as opposed to holding them ...

of the king and holding four properties: *Woodhuish, Brixham parish, Haytor hundred *Natsworthy, Widecombe-in-the-Moor parish, Haytor hundred *

East Allington East Allington is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Hams district of Devon, England, south of Halwell and just off the A381 road. It lies about from Kingsbridge and about from Totnes. The coast at Slapton, Dev ...

, in Stanborough hundred *One house in the

City of Exeter A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Mesne tenant

*St Marychurch in the parish of Haytor hundred, held from the Count of Mortain. *Martin in Drewsteignton parish, Wonford hundred, held from Baldwin de Moeles,

Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Kings's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

Progeny

His son was William Fitz Richard of Cardinham, mentioned in deeds in 1110 and 1130, date of death unknown. It has been suggested that William's daughter and heiress became the wife of Reginald, Earl of Cornwall.Sanders, p.110, note 2

Notes

References

* Ian N. Soulsby, Richard Fitz Turold, Lord of Penhallam, Cornwall, Medieval Archaeology vol. 20 (1976) pp. 146–8
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitz Turold, Richard Anglo-Normans Medieval Cornish people Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief 11th-century Normans 12th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown