Norman

The Norman period had a significant impact on our area as many of the followers of William 1st spoke Cornish and were the obvious choice to ease their way into the hearts and minds of the locals. The Breton Nobles in turn would influence the stories of Geoffrey of Monmouth and his legend of Arthur and Tintagel, would influence later Norman Kings and Princes who associated themselves with the legend. This played a further part in the history of this part of Cornwall and, arguably, the Cornwall of today. .

William 1st had conquered England in October 1066 but this was really the defeat of Harold, not the conquest of all the lands of England. There was a certain amount of tidying up to do, especially towards Devon and Cornwall.

Two years after the initial conquest of 1066 William led his army westward towards Exeter. However, Harold Godwinson’s mother Gytha Thorkelsdóttir was made of firm stuff and refused to surrender. There followed a siege of 18 days until the City finally capitulated.

One of William’s supporters at Exeter was a Breton called Judhael and he was awarded the Baronetcy of Totnes and Barnstaple, along with, 106 manors in Devon and one in Cornwall. The manor in Cornwall was at Froxton (Forchetestane), near Whitstone.

In 1069 there was a further insurrection launched from Ireland by Harold’s sons, but this too was crushed by a supporter of William, called Brien (or Brian) of Brittany, who was the son of Oezen, Count of Penthiѐvre. He had Norman parentage and he was rewarded 227 manors in Cornwall and became the first Earl of Cornwall.

However, Brian became an invalid around 1072 and relinquished his Cornish Estates and, perhaps, returned to Brittany. William 1st then gave the Cornish estates to Robert, Count of Mortain, the half-brother of the King. Earl Robert now held around eight hundred and twenty manors throughout England and he now commenced the building of four castles in Cornwall, two are local to us at Launceston and Tintagel.

Although Count Robert held much of Cornwall, he sub-tenanted most of his manors to fellow Breton Nobles. From the Domesday list of manors held locally, historians are confident in identifying a number of named landlords as having Breton ancestry. I am referring to these people as Breton Nobles, but they were often the sons of nobles who simply took up the offer of land and opportunities in Cornwall. Alvred, for example, who I will introduce later, was butler to Robert, but was of the family Montague. Some of these manors were quite small, often heavily wooded but, equally, some of the local manors comprised of up to 200 acres.

We know their names as they are identified in a much-treasured document held at Exeter Cathedral Library. The Exon Domesday book. There should be a little caveat here when considering these names as sometimes the incoming Lord of the manor took the name of the person who held the manor “in the times of Edward”, (Tempore regis Edwardi). Often abbreviated in historical documents as TER. This name-switch proved useful as there were often property disputes to be settled and this was resolved by a jury of an equal numbers of local people and “French”. It is probable that as a new Landlord, this name continuity smoothed the transfer process and eased the minds of the jurors.

And an interesting footnote to this relates to the Manor of Stratton. This was taken by Count Robert de Mortain and probably sub-let to Alvred (Old Breton Alfred)- see below.

Stratton had formerly been the possession of someone with the name, or named as, Alfred the Marshall. He held the manor in conjunction with bishop osbern of Exeter. It’s been suggested that the label “Marshall” was adopted by the jurors of the Hundred to distinguish the previous TER tenant from the incoming tenant of the same name.

Below, I give the modern names of the local manors together with the Domesday Book names in parenthesis. It should be appreciated, however, that these early names may no longer apply, or the farms may no longer exist.

Our first locally identifiable Landlord was Alvred (Often written as Alfred) who held six manors in the Stratton Hundred:

Buttsbears Cross: Bottesborogh (Bretelesbeorge) near Ham, Morwenstow.

Launcells (Landseu) just to the East of Stratton.

Cann Orchard (Orcet) and Thurlebere (Tirelbere) – SW and SE of Launcells.

Hilton (Hiltone) to South of Marhamchurch.

And, finally Alvred also held at least one further manor at Roscaret or Roscarrock near St. Endellion.

Ruald Adobed held Borough (Borge) actually just to the SE of Bridgerule (Ponsrowald). The community around the manor took the name of Ruald or Rowald and added Pons to give the village its name today.

Brian or Brien of Brittany – the one I mentioned earlier. He was awarded numerous Cornish manors but locally they included the manors of Whalesborough (Walesbrau) just to the east of Bude and Widemouth (Whitemot). Plus, the manor of Penfound (Penfou), near Poundstock.

The name of Hammelin is associated with many local manors and throughout England. His name appears so often that it is questioned whether it relates to more than one man. It is thought to derive from Old Breton, “Hamelin” – a name which is still quite popular in France and Brittany. Whoever he was, this name appears on the Domesday record for the manors of Milton (Middleton) and Lee (Lega), Morwenstow. Plus, the manor of Marhamchurch (Maronacirca) and Thorn (Torna). Thorn adjoins Froxton, mentioned earlier and, he held Wadfast (Wadefeste), both near Whitstone. Hemmelin also held the manors of Boyton (Boiaton) and Bennacot (Betnacot), south and east of Whitstone.

This name is of additional interest in a wider context as he owned at least two manors around Parkham and Bucks Cross. Over time the name of Hammelin evolved into Hamlyn and it is thought that the Hamlyn family, who have owned Clovelly for centuries, are descended from this Breton Hamelin family.

A Breton with the name Blohin held numerous manors to the south of Widemouth, around Boscastle and Tintagel and these lands connected with the water catchment for the River Camel, which Geoffrey of Monmouth seems to have identified with “Camlan”. This is the site where both King Arthur and Mordred died.

Hamelin also held a manor linked to the King Arthur legend at St Cleer. This is the manor of Rosecraddoc (Rekaradoc). The manor is of particular interest as Geofrrey of Monmouth probably took the name and invented Ulphin Riscaradoc -a follower of Uther Pendraggon.

A little footnote to the St Cleer story gives a sense of the size of our local communities. At the time of the Domesday survey of 1086 there were 7 villagers, 16 smallholders and 6 slaves within this holding. That does not include the immediate families of the villagers, just the heads of the family. In fact, the population of the whole of Cornwall, at this time, was little more than 20,000 people.

I must finally mention the Breton Nigel who held numerous manors in North Cornwall, but one at Woolstone (Ulnoteston) near Widemouth.

To bring the Cornish-Breton people story and connections with the King Arthur legend to conclusion, I must briefly mention the family of William Boterell of Boscastle. I have left him to the last as he appears to have been of Norman descent, but locally important in this story.

There is much that could be written about this family as they, probably, held numerous manors throughout the land. They certainly were significant players in North Cornwall and held manors in and around Tintagel. There is much to suggest that Geoffrey of Monmouth visited the estates of this family, among all the other families I have mentioned who held local manors. It is no longer a surprise, therefore, that these people and the features within their estates should have played so large a part in the writings of Geoffrey. And, specifically his treatise on, “The Cornish Bretons”.