Ralph Basset
Encyclopedia
Ralph Basset (died c.
1127) was a medieval English royal justice during the reign of King Henry I of England
. He was a native of Normandy, and may have come to Henry's notice while Henry held land in Normandy prior to becoming king. Basset is first mentioned in documents about 1102, and from then until his death around 1127, he was frequently employed as a royal justice. His son Richard Basset
also became a royal judge.
near Domfort in Normandy, and possibly came to the notice of King Henry while Henry was count of Domfort during the reign of Henry's older brother King William II of England
(1087–1100). Either Basset himself or an earlier person with the same name held lands of Robert d'Oilly that were recorded in Domesday Book
as in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. Other Bassets in the area were also recorded in Domesday, including a Wiliam and a Richard. It is not clear how or if they were related to Ralph.
s dating to around 1102, where he appears as a witness. He then appears as a judge in a royal dispute with the sheriff of Yorkshire
. Basset is named as one of the commissioners of the Liber Winton, a survey of the landholdings in the city of Winchester
which took place at some point between 1103 and 1115, probably close to 1110. From his Norman lands, Basset is recorded as donating lands to the Abbey of Saint-Evroul in 1113.
Basset appears as a royal justice in 1116, serving in Huntingdonshire
. Basset was noted in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
entry for 1124 as hanging 44 thieves, during an eyre
in Leicestershire
. Possibly, Basset's severity was part of an attempt to overawe the under-tenants of the Beaumont twins, one of whom, Waleran, Count of Melun
rebelled during 1124. During the period 1110–1127, Basset was one of the leading royal justices, and was described by the medieval chronicler Henry of Huntingdon
as one of the "justices of all England". Huntingdon's implication is that Basset's scope was over all of England, not limited to his own locality.
Basset is recorded in the Pipe Roll of 1130 as having performed judicial functions in 11 different shires, even though by this point he was already dead. Basset also served on the informal vice-regency council that assisted Henry's wife and son when the king was out of England. Basset seems to have spent most of his judicial and royal career in England, as he only is a witness on one royal document that was drawn up in Normandy.
, and to have been clothed in a monk's habit while on his deathbed. A copy of a charter from Archbishop Theobald of Bec
, recorded in a cartulary, records most of Basset's manors. While most of the estates seem to have been held by Basset as a sub-tenant, four of the estates appear to have been held as a tenant-in-chief
.
The medieval writer and chronicler Orderic Vitalis
described Basset as one the new men of King Henry, who "raised them, so to say, from the dust". Among Basset's four sons were Richard Basset, and Nicholas. Another son was Ralph who became a cleric. A fourth son was Turstin, who held land around Wallingford. Basset also had daughters, but their names are not known. Only the first initial of his wife's name is known, which was A.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1127) was a medieval English royal justice during the reign of King Henry I of England
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...
. He was a native of Normandy, and may have come to Henry's notice while Henry held land in Normandy prior to becoming king. Basset is first mentioned in documents about 1102, and from then until his death around 1127, he was frequently employed as a royal justice. His son Richard Basset
Richard Basset (royal justice)
Richard Basset was an English royal judge and sheriff during the reign of King Henry I of England. His father was also a royal justice. In about 1122 Basset married the eventual heiress of another other royal justice; the marriage settlement has survived. In 1129 and 1130 Basset was sheriff of a...
also became a royal judge.
Origins
Basset was a native of Montreuil-au-HoulmeMontreuil-au-Houlme
Montreuil-au-Houlme is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-References:*...
near Domfort in Normandy, and possibly came to the notice of King Henry while Henry was count of Domfort during the reign of Henry's older brother King William II of England
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...
(1087–1100). Either Basset himself or an earlier person with the same name held lands of Robert d'Oilly that were recorded in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. Other Bassets in the area were also recorded in Domesday, including a Wiliam and a Richard. It is not clear how or if they were related to Ralph.
Royal service
The first secure mentions of Basset are in royal charterCharter
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...
s dating to around 1102, where he appears as a witness. He then appears as a judge in a royal dispute with the sheriff of Yorkshire
High Sheriff of Yorkshire
The High Sheriff of Yorkshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. A list of the sheriffs from the Norman conquest onwards can be found below...
. Basset is named as one of the commissioners of the Liber Winton, a survey of the landholdings in the city of Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
which took place at some point between 1103 and 1115, probably close to 1110. From his Norman lands, Basset is recorded as donating lands to the Abbey of Saint-Evroul in 1113.
Basset appears as a royal justice in 1116, serving in Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
. Basset was noted in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
entry for 1124 as hanging 44 thieves, during an eyre
Eyre (legal term)
An Eyre or Iter was the name of a circuit traveled by an itinerant justice in medieval England, or the circuit court he presided over , or the right of the king to visit and inspect the holdings of any vassal...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. Possibly, Basset's severity was part of an attempt to overawe the under-tenants of the Beaumont twins, one of whom, Waleran, Count of Melun
Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester
Waleran de Beaumont, Count of Meulan, 1st Earl of Worcester , was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester and Elizabeth de Vermandois, and the twin brother of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester...
rebelled during 1124. During the period 1110–1127, Basset was one of the leading royal justices, and was described by the medieval chronicler Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon , the son of a canon in the diocese of Lincoln, was a 12th century English historian, the author of a history of England, Historia anglorum, "the most important Anglo-Norman historian to emerge from the secular clergy". He served as archdeacon of Huntingdon...
as one of the "justices of all England". Huntingdon's implication is that Basset's scope was over all of England, not limited to his own locality.
Basset is recorded in the Pipe Roll of 1130 as having performed judicial functions in 11 different shires, even though by this point he was already dead. Basset also served on the informal vice-regency council that assisted Henry's wife and son when the king was out of England. Basset seems to have spent most of his judicial and royal career in England, as he only is a witness on one royal document that was drawn up in Normandy.
Death and legacy
Basset probably died in 1127, and was certainly dead in 1130. He is said to have taken ill at NorthamptonNorthampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, and to have been clothed in a monk's habit while on his deathbed. A copy of a charter from Archbishop Theobald of Bec
Theobald of Bec
Theobald was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1139 to 1161. He was a Norman; his exact birth date is unknown. Some time in the late 11th or early 12th century Theobald became a monk at the Abbey of Bec, rising to the position of abbot in 1137. King Stephen of England chose him to be Archbishop of...
, recorded in a cartulary, records most of Basset's manors. While most of the estates seem to have been held by Basset as a sub-tenant, four of the estates appear to have been held as a tenant-in-chief
Tenant-in-chief
In medieval and early modern European society the term tenant-in-chief, sometimes vassal-in-chief, denoted the nobles who held their lands as tenants directly from king or territorial prince to whom they did homage, as opposed to holding them from another nobleman or senior member of the clergy....
.
The medieval writer and chronicler Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis was an English chronicler of Norman ancestry who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. The modern biographer of Henry I of England, C...
described Basset as one the new men of King Henry, who "raised them, so to say, from the dust". Among Basset's four sons were Richard Basset, and Nicholas. Another son was Ralph who became a cleric. A fourth son was Turstin, who held land around Wallingford. Basset also had daughters, but their names are not known. Only the first initial of his wife's name is known, which was A.