f 538015815 Rohesia
538015815Rohesia
Key Facts
Parents:1076031630Richard fitz Gilbert
1076031631Rohesia Giffard
Born:unknown
Died:circa early 1121
location uncertain
Buried:somewhere in "Bec" (probably Bec Abbey), Normandy, France

538015815Rohesia is mentioned in:

(1)
 Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd edition, (Salt Lake City, Utah, 2013), volume IV, pages 559-560; and
(2)
 K. S. B. Keats-Rohan, Domesday People: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents 1066-1166 (The Boydell Press, 1999), page 194, profile for "Eudo Dapifer."

538015815Rohesia is the daughter of 1076031630Richard fitz Gilbert and 1076031631Rohesia Giffard, as explained below.

Problem: Resolved
Who are 538015815Rohesia's parents?

Below is an excerpt from a 16th-century history of St. John's Abbey in Colchester, Essex, England,1 followed by a Latin transcription and English translation of the relevant portion.2

Latin: Erat eium hec de genere nobilissimo Normanorum filia scilicet Richardi qui fuit filius Gileberti comitis duxitque Rohaisam uxorem que erat soro Willelmi Giffardi episcopi Wintoniæ.

English: For she was of a most noble Norman family, the daughter, that is, of Richard, who was son of Gilbert the Earl and married Rohasia, who was sister of William Giffard, bishop of Winchester.2

This manuscript was written literally centuries after 538015815Rohesia's lifetime, and the historian fails to explain his sources, so the manuscript is of little value on its own. Fortunately, however, the manuscript's claims concerning 538015815Rohesia's parents are corroborated elsewhere:

In an undated charter, Walter fitz Robert (Walterus filius Roberti) mentions his father Robert fitz Richard (patris mei Roberti filii Ricardi) as well as the soul of his aunt Rohaise, who had founded St. John's Abbey (pro animabus Rohaise amite mee que ecclesiam Sancti Johannis fundauit).3 From these phrases, we can infer that 538015815Rohesia's father's name was "Richard." Thus, this charter, almost contemporary to 538015815Rohesia's lifetime, corroborates the 16th-century record above.

Another monastic record reads:4

Walterum de Giffard primogentum, qui alium Walterum procreavit, et dictus fuit Walterius Giffard secundus. Rohesia una sororum Walteri (duas plures enim habuit) conjuncta in matrimonio Ricardo filio comitis Gisleberti, qui in re militari, tempore Conquestoris omnes sui temporis magnates præcessit. Prædicta Rohesia supervixit et renupta Eudoni, dapifero Regis Normanniæ, qui construxit castrum Colecestriæ cum coenobio, in honore sancti Johannis, ubi sepultus fuit, cum conjuge sua, tempore Henrici primi.4

(Translated:) Walter de Giffard the firstborn, who begat another Walter, and was called Walter Giffard the second. Rohesia, one of Walter's sisters (for he had two more), was united in marriage to Richard, son of Count Gilbert, who in military matters, in the time of the Conqueror, preceded all the magnates of his time. The aforesaid Rohesia survived and was remarried to Eudonius, the dapifer of the King of Normans, who built the castle of Colchester with the cloister, in honor of St. John, where he was buried, with his wife, in the time of Henry the First.

This account has some obvious problems (For example, the writer has confused 538015815Rohesia with her mother of the same name.), but again it generally corroborates the 16th-century record above.

538015815Rohesia married 538015814Eudes. For more information on their marriage, their lives together, etc., see his profile since that information won't be repeated here.

The abovementioned 16th-century history of St. John's Abbey provides some details about 538015815Rohesia's widowhood and death. (Be aware, though, that this account is of questionable veracity, as noted above.)


An excerpt from Cotton MS Nero D VIII, folio 346v

Latin: Corpus ejus sicut disposuerat in angliam delatum est. Comitata est igitur Corpus defuncti Rohaisa uxor eius uolens in angliam illud perducere, sed retenta est a fratribus et cognatis qui sperabant in reginam leuari. Quod forsitan euenisset nisi eius et continua ægritudo et infra annum obitus impedisset.5

English: [538015814Eudes'] body, as he had willed, was carried into England. Rohasia, his wife, accompanied the body of the deceased, anxious to take it to England, but she was hindered by her brothers and relations, who hoped to raise her to the position of queen, which might perhaps have happened unless her continued ill health and death within a year had prevented.5


An excerpt from Cotton MS Nero D VIII, folio 346v

Latin: Relicta Evdonis dapiferi uxor Rohaisa, quæ illo ægrotante optauerat sibi donari a deo ne annum integrum uiro tam caro tam nobili superstes, fieret, uisa est a deo exaudiri. Toto enim reliquo uitæ suæ spatio ægrotans tandem decubuit.5

English: Rohasia, the widow of Eudo the steward, who, when he was ill, had hoped that God would grant her not to survive so dear and noble a husband one whole year, seemed to be heard by God, for she was ill for the whole of the rest of her life, and at length died.5


An excerpt from Cotton MS Nero D VIII, folio 347r

Latin: Voluit quidem suum corpus in angliam deferri et iuxta mariti corpus tumulary, fratres, eius, utpote homines seculo dediti, parcentes expensis, beccum eam deferri et tumulari fecerunt.5

English: She wished indeed that her body should be carried into England and buried by her husband's; her brothers, however, after the fashion of worldly-minded people, to save expense, had her carried to Bec and buried.5

From this account, we can infer that 538015815Rohesia died circa early 1121 and was buried at "Bec" (probably Bec Abbey) in Normandy, France. Bec Abbey is at coordinates N49.2288 E0.722.

The same manuscript makes other, often flattering claims about 538015815Rohesia's life, but due to the manuscript's general untrustworthiness, I've opted not to include that information here. This English translation may be of interest to some readers.

Sources Cited:

1: Cotton MS Nero D VIII, folio 346r

2: Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society, New Series Volume VIII, pages 124 (Latin) and 132 (English)

3: Stuart A. Moore, Cartularium Monasterii Sancti Johannis Baptise de Colecestria, Volume 1 (London, 1897), pages 165-166, an undated charter by Walterus filius Roberti

4: Sir William Dugdale, Monasticon Anglicanum [...], Volume V, page 269, number III

5: Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society, New Series Volume VIII, pages 127 (Latin) and 134-135 (English)