William Malet (Norman conquest)
Encyclopedia
William Malet is one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror
known to have been present at the Battle of Hastings
in 1066, as recorded by the contemporary chronicler William of Poitiers
(c.1020-1090). He held substantial property in Normandy
, chiefly in the Pays de Caux
, with a castle at Graville-Ste-Honorine, at the mouth of the River Seine
near Harfleur
(nowadays a suburb of Le Havre
).
Divided loyalties or no, Malet fought on the Norman side at Hastings. William of Poitiers
wrote as follows: "His (King Harold's) corpse was brought into the Duke's camp and William gave it for burial to William, surnamed Malet, and not to Harold's mother, who offered for the body of her beloved son its weight in gold". Malet is not described by Wm. of Poitiers as active during the battle, but rather as present in the Duke's camp after the battle. This should however suffice to deem him one of the very few proven participants in the battle.
Malet's activities during the first few years of the Norman conquest of England are not known. But after York
was captured in 1068, he was appointed the first High Sheriff of Yorkshire
and was one of the commanders of the garrisons in the new castles built in the city of York. His efforts at defending the shire from Danish raids were, in the end, a terrible failure, for the next year the city was burned and the garrison slaughtered. Malet, his wife, and two of their children were held as hostages, and finally released when the Danes were driven off.
Malet was relieved of his duties in the north, but seems not have lost the king's favour, for he soon was appointed High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk
, and given the great honour
of Eye
, with lands in Suffolk and several other shires. It was in fact the largest lordship in East Anglia
. He built a motte and bailey castle at Eye, and started a market there.
He died around 1071, probably during the rebellion of Hereward the Wake
. He had married Hesilia (Helise or Elisee) Crispin de Brionne, a great-grand daughter of Rollo, 1st Duke of Normandy. He was succeeded by his son Robert
as Lord of Eye and Sheriff of Suffolk. His other son Gilbert founded the Malets of Shepton Mallet.
The Domesday Book
also mentions a Durand Malet, who held land in Lincolnshire and possibly some neighboring shires. This may be William Malet's brother, but this is not certain.
On screen, Malet has been portrayed by Peter Halliday
in the two-part BBC
TV play Conquest (1966), part of the series Theatre 625
, and by Gawn Grainger
in the TV drama Blood Royal: William the Conqueror (1990).
Companions of William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror had men of diverse standing and origins in France, under his command at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, along with others completing his Norman conquest of England until after the Harrying of the North and before the Anarchy....
known to have been present at the Battle of 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...
in 1066, as recorded by the contemporary chronicler William of Poitiers
William of Poitiers
William of Poitiers was a Norman chronicler most famous for his eulogistic account of Duke William of Normandy , called the Gesta Guillelmi II ducis Normannorum.-Life:...
(c.1020-1090). He held substantial property in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, chiefly in the Pays de Caux
Pays de Caux
The Pays de Caux is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French département of Seine Maritime in Haute-Normandie. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cliffs on the English Channel coast - its coastline is known as the Côte d'Albâtre...
, with a castle at Graville-Ste-Honorine, at the mouth of the River Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
near Harfleur
Harfleur
-Population:-Places of interest:* The church of St-Martin, dating from the fourteenth century.* The seventeenth century Hôtel de Ville .* Medieval ramparts * The fifteenth century museums of fishing and of archaeology and history....
(nowadays a suburb of Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
).
Biography
Legend has it that his mother was English, and that he was the uncle of King Harold II of England's wife Edith (the claim being that he had a sister Aelgifu who married Aelfgar, Earl of Mercia, who was the father of Edith).Divided loyalties or no, Malet fought on the Norman side at Hastings. William of Poitiers
William of Poitiers
William of Poitiers was a Norman chronicler most famous for his eulogistic account of Duke William of Normandy , called the Gesta Guillelmi II ducis Normannorum.-Life:...
wrote as follows: "His (King Harold's) corpse was brought into the Duke's camp and William gave it for burial to William, surnamed Malet, and not to Harold's mother, who offered for the body of her beloved son its weight in gold". Malet is not described by Wm. of Poitiers as active during the battle, but rather as present in the Duke's camp after the battle. This should however suffice to deem him one of the very few proven participants in the battle.
Malet's activities during the first few years of the Norman conquest of England are not known. But after York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
was captured in 1068, he was appointed the first High 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...
and was one of the commanders of the garrisons in the new castles built in the city of York. His efforts at defending the shire from Danish raids were, in the end, a terrible failure, for the next year the city was burned and the garrison slaughtered. Malet, his wife, and two of their children were held as hostages, and finally released when the Danes were driven off.
Malet was relieved of his duties in the north, but seems not have lost the king's favour, for he soon was appointed High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk
High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Norfolk and Suffolk. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually by the Crown. He was originally the principal law enforcement officer in the county and presided at the Assizes and other important county meetings...
, and given the great honour
Honour (land)
In medieval England, an honour could consist of a great lordship, comprising dozens or hundreds of manors. Holders of honours often attempted to preserve the integrity of an honour over time, administering its properties as a unit, maintaining inheritances together, etc.The typical honour had...
of Eye
Eye, Suffolk
Eye is a small market town in the county of Suffolk, East Anglia, England, south of Diss, and on the River Dove.Eye is twinned with the town of Pouzauges in the Vendée Departement of France.-History:An island...
, with lands in Suffolk and several other shires. It was in fact the largest lordship in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
. He built a motte and bailey castle at Eye, and started a market there.
He died around 1071, probably during the rebellion of Hereward the Wake
Hereward the Wake
Hereward the Wake , known in his own times as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile, was an 11th-century leader of local resistance to the Norman conquest of England....
. He had married Hesilia (Helise or Elisee) Crispin de Brionne, a great-grand daughter of Rollo, 1st Duke of Normandy. He was succeeded by his son Robert
Robert Malet
Robert Malet was an English/ Norman baron and a close advisor of Henry I.-Biography:Malet was the son of William Malet, and inherited his father's great honour of Eye in 1071. This made him one of the dozen or so greatest landholders in England...
as Lord of Eye and Sheriff of Suffolk. His other son Gilbert founded the Malets of Shepton Mallet.
The 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...
also mentions a Durand Malet, who held land in Lincolnshire and possibly some neighboring shires. This may be William Malet's brother, but this is not certain.
On screen, Malet has been portrayed by Peter Halliday
Peter Halliday
Peter Halliday is a Welsh actor.He is probably best known for his role as Dr. John Fleming in A for Andromeda and its sequel,...
in the two-part BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV play Conquest (1966), part of the series Theatre 625
Theatre 625
Theatre 625 is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and transmission being in the higher-definition 625-line...
, and by Gawn Grainger
Gawn Grainger
Gawn Grainger is a leading British stage and screen actor and husband of actress Zoë Wanamaker.-Early life:Some sources indicate he was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 12 October 1937. He is the son of Charles Neil Grainger and his wife Elizabeth...
in the TV drama Blood Royal: William the Conqueror (1990).