Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester
Encyclopedia
Hugh d'Avranches also known as le Gros (the fat) and Lupus (Wolf) was the first Earl of Chester
and one of the great magnates of early Norman England.
and Emma de Conteville, and inherited from his father a large estate, not just in the Avranchin
but scattered throughout western Normandy.
Hugh became an important councillor of William, Duke of Normandy
. He contributed sixty ships to the invasion of England
, but did not fight at Hastings
, instead being one of those trusted to stay behind and govern Normandy.
in Staffordshire, but in 1071 he was promoted to become the first Earl of Chester
, with palatine powers
in view of Cheshire
's situation on the Welsh border
where he was to function as the main bulwark against the Welsh. Tutbury with its surrounding lands was passed to Henry de Ferrers
.
In 1082, Hugh would succeed to the title of Vicomte d'Avranches. Hugh would also found the Abbey of St. Sever in Normandy and St. Werburg at Chester, as well as endow that of Whitby, Yorkshire.
Hugh remained loyal to King William II
during the rebellion of 1088, and would serve as one of the principal councillors of King Henry I
.
. Together with his cousin Robert of Rhuddlan
he subdued a good part of northern Wales. Initially Robert of Rhuddlan held north-east Wales as a vassal of Hugh. However in 1081 Gruffydd ap Cynan
King of Kingdom of Gwynedd
was captured by treachery at a meeting near Corwen
. Gruffydd was imprisoned by Earl Hugh in his castle at Chester, but it was Robert who took over his kingdom, holding it directly from the king. When Robert was killed by a Welsh raiding party in 1088 Hugh took over these lands, becoming ruler of most of North Wales, but he lost Anglesey
and much of the rest of Gwynedd in the Welsh revolt of 1094, led by Gruffydd ap Cynan
, who had escaped from captivity.
in an attempt to recover his losses in Gwynedd. Gruffydd ap Cynan retreated to Anglesey, but then was forced to flee to Ireland
when a fleet he had hired from the Danish settlement in Ireland changed sides. The situation was changed by the arrival of a Norwegian fleet under the command of King Magnus III of Norway
, also known as Magnus Barefoot, who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the Menai Strait
s. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself. The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year Gruffydd returned from Ireland to take possession again. Hugh apparently made an agreement with him and did not again try to recover these lands.
Hugh d'Avranches is credited as siring children to many mistresses. He married Ermentrude of Claremont, by whom he had a son, Richard
, and a daughter, Matilda d'Avranches. Other children accredited to Hugh and Ermentrude include Maud d'Avranches, Robert FitzHugh I, Hugh (Lupus) d'Avranches II, Helga de Kevelioc, and Geva d'Avranches.
Allegedly illigetimate children include Robert d'Avranches, Otuel d'Avranches, and Giofu d'Avranches.
On 23 July 1101, Hugh became a monk and died four days later, being buried in the cemetery of St. Werberg. His body was later moved by earl Ranulp le Meschin and reburied in the Chapter House. He was succeeded as Earl of Chester by his son Richard, who married Matilda of Blois, a grand-daughter of William the Conqueror. Both Richard and Matilda died in the White Ship
disaster (1120), and Hugh was then succeeded by his nephew Ranulph le Meschin, Earl of Chester.
Earl of Chester
The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs-apparent to the English throne, and from the late 14th century it has been given only in conjunction with that of Prince of Wales.- Honour of Chester :The...
and one of the great magnates of early Norman England.
Early career
Hugh was the son of Richard le Goz, Viscount of AvranchesAvranches
Avranches is a commune in the Manche department in the Basse-Normandie region in north-western France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called Avranchinais.-History:...
and Emma de Conteville, and inherited from his father a large estate, not just in the Avranchin
Avranchin
The Avranchin is an area in Normandy, France, corresponding to the territory of the Abrincates, tribe of Celts who also gave their name to the city of Avranches, main town of the Avranchin....
but scattered throughout western Normandy.
Hugh became an important councillor of William, Duke of Normandy
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
. He contributed sixty ships to the invasion of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
, but did not fight at Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
, instead being one of those trusted to stay behind and govern Normandy.
Earl of Chester
After William became king of England, Hugh was given the command of Tutbury CastleTutbury Castle
Tutbury Castle is a largely ruinous medieval castle at Tutbury, Staffordshire, England, in the ownership of the Duchy of Lancaster. It is a Grade I listed building...
in Staffordshire, but in 1071 he was promoted to become the first Earl of Chester
Earl of Chester
The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs-apparent to the English throne, and from the late 14th century it has been given only in conjunction with that of Prince of Wales.- Honour of Chester :The...
, with palatine powers
County palatine
A county palatine or palatinate is an area ruled by an hereditary nobleman possessing special authority and autonomy from the rest of a kingdom or empire. The name derives from the Latin adjective palatinus, "relating to the palace", from the noun palatium, "palace"...
in view of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
's situation on the Welsh border
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
where he was to function as the main bulwark against the Welsh. Tutbury with its surrounding lands was passed to Henry de Ferrers
Henry de Ferrers
Henry de Ferrers was a Norman soldier from a noble family who took part in the conquest of England and is believed to have fought at the Battle of Hastings of 1066 and, in consequence, was rewarded with much land in the subdued nation.His elder brother William fell in the battle. William and Henri...
.
In 1082, Hugh would succeed to the title of Vicomte d'Avranches. Hugh would also found the Abbey of St. Sever in Normandy and St. Werburg at Chester, as well as endow that of Whitby, Yorkshire.
Hugh remained loyal to King William II
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...
during the rebellion of 1088, and would serve as one of the principal councillors of King Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
.
Wales
Hugh spent much of his time fighting with his neighbours in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Together with his cousin Robert of Rhuddlan
Robert of Rhuddlan
Robert of Rhuddlan was a Norman adventurer who became lord of much of north-east Wales and for a period lord of all North Wales....
he subdued a good part of northern Wales. Initially Robert of Rhuddlan held north-east Wales as a vassal of Hugh. However in 1081 Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan was a King of Gwynedd. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales...
King of Kingdom of Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
was captured by treachery at a meeting near Corwen
Corwen
Corwen is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire in Wales; it was previously part of the county of Meirionnydd). Corwen stands on the banks of the River Dee beneath the Berwyn mountains. The town is situated west of Llangollen and south of Ruthin...
. Gruffydd was imprisoned by Earl Hugh in his castle at Chester, but it was Robert who took over his kingdom, holding it directly from the king. When Robert was killed by a Welsh raiding party in 1088 Hugh took over these lands, becoming ruler of most of North Wales, but he lost Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
and much of the rest of Gwynedd in the Welsh revolt of 1094, led by Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan was a King of Gwynedd. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales...
, who had escaped from captivity.
Norwegian invasion
In the summer of 1098 Hugh joined with Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of ShrewsburyHugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury
Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat.-Lineage:He was the second surviving son of Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel of Bellême...
in an attempt to recover his losses in Gwynedd. Gruffydd ap Cynan retreated to Anglesey, but then was forced to flee to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
when a fleet he had hired from the Danish settlement in Ireland changed sides. The situation was changed by the arrival of a Norwegian fleet under the command of King Magnus III of Norway
Magnus III of Norway
Magnus Barefoot or Magnus III Olafsson was King of Norway from 1093 until 1103 and King of Mann and the Isles from 1099 until 1103.-Background:...
, also known as Magnus Barefoot, who attacked the Norman forces near the eastern end of the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
s. Earl Hugh of Shrewsbury was killed by an arrow said to have been shot by Magnus himself. The Normans were obliged to evacuate Anglesey, and the following year Gruffydd returned from Ireland to take possession again. Hugh apparently made an agreement with him and did not again try to recover these lands.
Marriage and succession
Hugh due to his gluttony became so fat that he could hardly walk, earning him the nickname of le Gros (the Fat). He would also earn the nickname Lupus (Wolf) for his savage ferocity against the Welsh.Hugh d'Avranches is credited as siring children to many mistresses. He married Ermentrude of Claremont, by whom he had a son, Richard
Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester
Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester was the son of Hugh, 1st Earl of Chester and Ermentrude of Clermont.-Early life:...
, and a daughter, Matilda d'Avranches. Other children accredited to Hugh and Ermentrude include Maud d'Avranches, Robert FitzHugh I, Hugh (Lupus) d'Avranches II, Helga de Kevelioc, and Geva d'Avranches.
Allegedly illigetimate children include Robert d'Avranches, Otuel d'Avranches, and Giofu d'Avranches.
On 23 July 1101, Hugh became a monk and died four days later, being buried in the cemetery of St. Werberg. His body was later moved by earl Ranulp le Meschin and reburied in the Chapter House. He was succeeded as Earl of Chester by his son Richard, who married Matilda of Blois, a grand-daughter of William the Conqueror. Both Richard and Matilda died in the White Ship
White Ship
The White Ship was a vessel that sank in the English Channel near the Normandy coast off Barfleur, on 25 November 1120. Only one of those aboard survived. Those who drowned included William Adelin, the only surviving legitimate son and heir of King Henry I of England...
disaster (1120), and Hugh was then succeeded by his nephew Ranulph le Meschin, Earl of Chester.