Reginald de Dunstanville, 1st Earl of Cornwall

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Reginald de Dunstanville
1st Earl of Cornwall
High Sheriff of Devon
Bornc.1100
Died1 July 1175
Spouse(s)Mabel fitzRichard
FatherHenry I of England
Mother

Reginald de Dunstanville (c. 1110 – 1 July 1175) (alias Reginald FitzRoy, Reginald FitzHenry, Rainald, etc., French: Renaud de Donstanville or de Dénestanville) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman and an illegitimate son of King Henry I (1100–1135). He became Earl of Cornwall and High Sheriff of Devon.

Origins[]

Reginald was born in Dénestanville in the Duchy of Normandy, an illegitimate son of King Henry I (1100–1135) by his mistress ,[1] a daughter and co-heiress of Sir Robert Corbet, lord of the manor of Alcester, Warwickshire, who was at some time the wife of "Herbert the King's Chamberlain".

Career[]

During the war between Matilda and Stephen, Reginald, who supported Matilda, was in control of Cornwall. Subsequently forced out of Cornwall by Stephen's forces, Reginald lost the earldom to Alan of Richmond.[2] By 1141, Stephen's forces had been beaten and Reginald was invested with the Earldom of Cornwall by his half-sister Matilda in 1141.[a][3] In about 1173 he granted a charter to his free burgesses of Truro in Cornwall, and addressed his meetings at Truro to "All men both Cornish and English" suggesting a differentiation of nations. He served as High Sheriff of Devon from 1173 to 1174.

Marriage and progeny[]

Reginald married Mabel FitzRichard, daughter of William FitzRichard, a substantial landholder in Cornwall, by whom he had the following progeny:

Illegitimate progeny[]

Reginald also had illegitimate children by his mistress Beatrice de Vaux (also known as de Valle), the daughter of Hubert I de Vaux, later the wife of William Brewer:

Death and burial[]

Reginald died at Chertsey, Surrey, and was buried in Reading Abbey.[6]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Malmesbury states Robert of Gloucester invested Reginald as Earl of Cornwall[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Clark 1995, p. 122.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Matthew 2002, p. 97.
  3. ^ Chibnall 1991, p. 101.
  4. ^ de Pontfarcy 1995, p. 357.
  5. ^ Powicke 1933, p. 260.
  6. ^ Baxter 2016, p. 77.

Sources[]

  • Baxter, Ron (2016). The Royal Abbey of Reading. The Boydell Press.
  • Chibnall, Marjorie (1991). The Empress Matilda: Queen Consort, Queen Mother and Lady of the English. Basil Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-631-15737-3.
  • Clark, Cecily (1995). Jackson, Peter (ed.). Words, Names, and History: Selected Writings of Cecily Clark. D.S. Brewer.
  • Matthew, Donald (2002). King Stephen. Hambledon and London.
  • de Pontfarcy, Yolande (1995). "Si Marie de France était Marie de Meulan". Cahiers de Civilisation Médiévale Année (in French). 38–152.
  • Powicke, F.M. (1933). "Loretta, Countess of Leicester". In Tait, James (ed.). Historical Essays in Honour of James Tait. Manchester University Press.


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