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William of Pont de L'Arche (also known as William of Pont L'Arch, Guillaume de Pont de l'Arche, William Pontdearch) was a 12th century Norman Baron who served in the Court of King Henry 1st, King Stephen and Empress Mathilda. At various points he was Sheriff of Hampshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire, Castellan of Winchester & Portchester, Keeper of the Kings Treasury at Winchester & Chamberlain to King Henry 1 & King Stephen.

William was

Birth & Origin

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No record exists of the birth of William, and there is no record of him in England before 1100 [1]. His name suggests that his family came from the town of Pont-de-l'Arche near Rouen, Normandy.

He is cited as the founder of the Priory of St Mary Overie, Southwark in 1106 [2], and he is mentioned requesting help from the Empress Mathilda in 1143 [3], so his birth can be estimated to be sometime in the 1080's, or possibly the very early 1090s.

Offices Held

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William was is not listed as being part of the court of Henry 1's predecessor, William Rufus, so it is likely he was recruited by Henry to be part of his administration. At the start of his rein Henry recruited several talented and able men from both Normandy and Brittany to administer his Kingdom REFERENCE XXX. It is not known how William came to Henry's attention, but Henry was at the town of Pont de l'Arch in 1106 prior to the Battle of Tinchebrai. [4]

Sheriff of Hampshire
William is referred to in a 1107 land grant of from King Henry to Bishop Roger of Salisbury, although he is not directly referred to as Sheriff, he is required to grant Seisin to the Bishop [5]. This implies he had some responsibility in Hampshire at that point. The first direct reference to William being Sheriff of Hampshire come in two letters from Henry dated 29th May 1110 [6] William appears to have held this office for over 20 years, as he is listed in the Pipe Roll of 1130 [7] as giving the account for the County of Hampshire and the Honour of Arundel. note i It is not known when William lost this office, but it is likely after the Rout of Winchester in 1141, during which William sided with Empress Mathilda, and the Angevin forces were forced to flee the city. Stephen regained the throne in November of that year, but William remained loyal to the Empress.

Sheriff of Berkshire
William is listed in the Pipe Roll of 1130 [8] as giving the account for the County of Berkshire.

Sheriff of Wiltshire William was named in documents from Henry I as Sheriff of Wiltshire in May 1110 [9]. It would appear the Office passed to Walter Huse, but returned to William in 1116 [10]

Keeper of the Winchester Treasury
Sometime after 1120, William purchased the "The Office and Daughter of Robert Mauduit". [11]. Robert Mauduit had been the Kings Treasurer, and William is cited as holding this office in XXX SEE GESTA Stephani

Chamberlain to King Henry I
At the same time as purchasing the Mauduit Estate, William paid an additional £84 15s for "two offices in the Chamber" , likely for him and his brother Osbert [12] XXX Check ref pipe roll P29

Receiver of Revenue Bishopric of Durham SEE PIPE ROLLS

Castellan of Winchester Castle
Castellan of Portchester Castle

Winchester

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William was the Castellan of Winchester Castle xxxxxxx, and keeper of the Kings Treasury in the city. xxxxxxxxxxx

William is listed as one of the men to whom "86 Burgesses" of the town swore an oath before undertaking the survey. This would indicate that he already held power in the city at that point, though the survey does not state his position it is likely to be as Sheriff of Hampshire.xxxxxxxxxxx

In addition to holding the castle, William also owned or had control of multiple properties in the city.

Southwark Cathedral

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William is named along with William Dauncey as the re-founder of the Priory of St Mary Overie in 1106, on an the site of an existing church.[13]. This Augustinian priory later developed into Southwark Cathedral. They were given assistance by the Bishop of Winchester and former Lord Chancellor William Giffard, on who's land the building stood.
King Henry confirmed the Priory held all its lands and rights in a decree from Winchester in 1123, to which William was a witness.[14]
King Stephen later gave a property formerly belonging to William, described as a "Fine Stone House" to the priory [15]

Portchester Castle & Priory

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In 1120 the constable of Porchester castle, Robert Mauduit, had drowned in the White Ship disaster (along with Henry 1's son and heir to the throne William Adelin). Robert had one daughter, Constance, to whom his estates passed. However, due both to the fact that Portchester was a Royal Castle and to the inheritance practice of the time, this meant the estates passed into Royal custody until Constance married. Henry 1st's Charter of Liberties also stated that the Barons had to seek permission from the crown to when marrying off their daughters.

Sometime before 1130 William "fined" (paid a fee) to the crown for "The Office and Daughter of Robert Mauduit". The price recorded was 1000 marks (£666 13s 4d), for towards which William had only paid 100 marks in 1130 [16].

William founded a colony of Augustinian Canons within the walls of the castle. We know this was prior to 1128, which also places his purchase of the land before that date [17]. William also granted them lands at Preston Candover & Applestead, later confirmed by Henry 1st. There was some controversy associated with his donation, as the lands formed part of his Serjeanty of the Castle, and therefore could only be granted by the King. This allowed Henry to claim he had found the Priory in his later charter of 1133 and "concede" Williams grant of Applestead. <re>XXXXXXX</ref>

It is also possible that William started the building work on the Great Tower at Portchester, around the same time as he founded the Priory[18].

The Anarchy

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William played an ongoing role in the Wars between King Stephen and Empress Mathilda, the daughter if Henry 1st. known as The Anarchy. On the death of Henry 1st, Count Stephen of Blois rushed to seize the throne, despite Henry naming her as Heiress to the Throne before his death. William was persuaded by The Bishop of Winchester (and Stephens younger brother) Henry Du Blois to hand over the keys to the Royal Treasury in Winchester to King Stephen in December 1135 [19]

Arrival of Mathilda in Winchester * Proc xxxxxxxxx

Start of Seige xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After the Battle of Wilton William appealed to Empress Mathilda for aid in fighting the Bishop of Winchester. Mathilda sent him troops under Robert FitzHildebrand, a man of "low birth indeed, but also of of tried military qualities". Robert was welcomed into the Castle note ii, however he then seduced the wife of William, locked William in his own dungeon and enjoyed "his castle, wealth and wife". To add insult to injury, Robert then abandoned the Countess and "made a pact with the King and Bishop". After this Robert then apparently died of Syphilis. [20].

Properties

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William clearly became a wealthy man through his offices, and held various properties all over southern England. Below is a list of properties that William either owned or held rights to, as listed in contemporary documents.

Winchester Survey of 1110
1. A tenement on the High Street, 11 plots east of the The West Gate on the South Side. Held by William of Pont de L'Arche from the "son of William son of Gilbert". [21] This location would place the plot somewhere near the modern junction of High Street and Southgate Street.
2. Land outside the West Gate.[22] Land is describe as wasteland. The description would place the plot somewhere near the modern junction of Romsey Road and High Street, possible under the Modern Hampshire County Council buildings.
3. Property in Bredenestrete (now Staple Gardens) - Odo of Sparkford held 4 messuages (plots) in the time of King Edward 1st. In 1110 the survey shows this property split between William and Bernard of St Valery, though it is not indicated how many plots each man holds. [23]
4. Scowertenestrete (now Jewry Street) - William holds one plot. [24]
5. Calpestrete (now St Thomas Street) - William holds 1 property. [25]

Winchester Survey of 1148
It is likely that William had died by the time of this survey, as all the references show him as formerly owning property.
1. High Street - Vacant Land "of the fief of William Pont" at the top of the High Street [26]. Likely corresponds to the Survey of 1110, entry 1 above. 2. Bucchestrete (Busket Lane, now xxxx). A piece of land formerly owned by William of Pont L'Arche was at the point owned by the Bishop. [27]
3. A plot of land was granted by William to Bernard the Scribe [28]
4. Calpestrete (xxxx now St. Thomas Lane) - William's son, Robert of Pont de L'Arch, shown as owning property, and a piece of waste land "formerly owned by William of Pont L'Arche" was at that stage in the hands of the monks of Odiham [29]

Other Sources 1. Manor of Thruxton - likely part of the estate of Robert Mauduit [30]
2. A Fine Stone house opposite the Shops in Dowgate, London. [31] 3. Lands involved in Porchester XXXXXXX 4. Clintons LAnds...XXXXX PIPE ROLL 5. Danegeld Pardons ... xxxxxxx

Family

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TO DO

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Check Orderic vitalis DONE Check Henry of Huntingdon DONE Check William of Malmesbury DONE Check Florence of Worcester DONE Write Anarchy Write Family Reference Southwick Doc & Section Find Southwark Cathedral References Expand Lead Paragraph & Add references

Citations

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  1. ^ Green, p146
  2. ^ https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/london/vol1/pp480-484
  3. ^ Potter 1955, p100
  4. ^ Johnson & Cronne 1956, p60, Entry 789
  5. ^ Johnson & Cronne 1956, p67, Entry 824
  6. ^ Johnson & Cronne 1956, p93, Entry 947 & 948
  7. ^ Green 2012, p29
  8. ^ Green 2012, p96
  9. ^ Johnson & Cronne 1956, p93, Entry 948
  10. ^ Johnson & Cronne 1956, p438
  11. ^ Green 2012, p29
  12. ^ Green 2012, p83
  13. ^ https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/london/vol1/pp480-484
  14. ^ Johnson & Cronne 1956, p187, Entry 1393
  15. ^ Johnson & Cronne 1956, vol iii, p360 entry 829
  16. ^ Green 2012, p29
  17. ^ Mason 1980, p1
  18. ^ https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/portchester-castle/history-and-stories/history/significance/
  19. ^ Potter 1955, p5.
  20. ^ Potter 1955, p100
  21. ^ Biddle 1976, p42, entry 49
  22. ^ Biddle 1976, p47, entry 82
  23. ^ Biddle 1976, p55, entry 143
  24. ^ Biddle 1976, p58, entry 173
  25. ^ Biddle 1976, p65, entry 259
  26. ^ Biddle 1976, p84, entry 171
  27. ^ Biddle 1976, p117, Plot 671
  28. ^ Biddle 1976, p117 Plot 680 & footnote
  29. ^ Biddle 1976, p127 Plot 830
  30. ^ https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/hants/vol4/pp387-391
  31. ^ Johnson & Cronne 1956, vol iii, p360 entry 829

Notes

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^i The Honour of Arundel lay in Sussex, however it had been seized by Henry 1 from Robert de Bellemeafter his rebellion at the Battle of Tinchebrai in 1106. The Honour was later given to Henry's second wife Adeliza of Louvain as her dowry.

^ii None of the contemporary sources directly say which Castle this refers to, however given that Winchester had been abandoned by Empress after the Rout and subsequently sacked by Kind Stephens forces, its is unlikely that William retained control of the city's castle. This would make it more likely that the castle referred to is Portchester.

References

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