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OF NORMANDY Gundrada
Birth: ABT 1060 Normandy
Death: 27 May 1085 Castle Acre, Norfolk, England
Notes
Stuart says she is sister of Gerbod, Earl of Chester, a Fleming and does not show
parentage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gundred,_Countess_of_Surrey
Gundred or Gundreda (Latin: Gundrada) (died 27 May 1085)[1] was the Flemish-born
wife of an early Norman baron, William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey. She and her
husband established Lewes Priory in Sussex.
Life[edit]
Gundred was almost certainly born in Flanders, and was a sister of Gerbod the
Fleming, 1st Earl of Chester.[2][3][4][5] She is explicitly so called by Orderic Vitalis,[6]
as well as the chronicle of Hyde Abbey.[7] She was also the sister of Frederick of
Oosterzele-Scheldewindeke, who was killed c.1070 by Hereward the Wake.[8]
Gundred married before 1070[9] William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey (d. 20 June
1088),[1] who rebuilt Lewes Castle, making it his chief residence. Sometime between
1078 and 1082,[10] Gundred and her husband set out for Rome, visiting monasteries
along the way. In Burgundy they were unable to go any further due to a war between
Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII. They visited Cluny Abbey and were impressed with the
monks and their dedication. William and Gundred decided to found a Cluniac priory on
their own lands in England. They sent to Hugh, the abbot of Cluny, for monks to come
to England at their monastery. Hugh was reluctant yet eventually sent several monks,
including Lazlo, who became the first abbot. The house they founded was Lewes
Priory, dedicated to St. Pancras.[11][12] Gundred died in childbirth on 27 May 1085 at
Castle Acre, Norfolk, one of her husband's estates, and was buried at the Chapter
house of Lewes Priory.[1][12] He was later buried beside her.[13]
In the course of the centuries which followed, both tombstones disappeared from the
priory. In 1774 Edward Clarke discovered Gundred's in Isfield Church (seven miles
from Lewes), over the remains of Edward Shirley, Esq., who died in 1550. William
Burrell had it removed on 2 October 1775 to St. John's Church, Southover, where it
was placed on display.[14][15]
In 1845, during excavations through the Priory grounds for the Brighton Lewes and
Hastings Railway, the lead chests containing the remains of the Earl and his Countess
were discovered and were deposited temporarily beneath Gundred's tombstone.[14] In
1847 a Norman Revival chapel was erected by public subscription, adjoining the
present vestry and chancel. Before the remains were reinterred in this chapel, both
chests were opened to ascertain if there were any contents, which was found to be
the case. New chests were made and used, and the ancient ones preserved and
placed in two recessed arches in the southern wall. The Earl's chest has lost some
lead. Gundred's chest remains in a good state of preservation. Across the upper part
of the right arch is the name Gvndrada. Her tombstone is of black Tournai marble.[16]
Family[edit]
The children of William de Warenne and Gundred were:
William II de Warenne (d. 11 May 1138), buried in Lewes Priory.[2][17]
Reginald de Warenne, an adherent of Robert of Normandy.[2][13]
Edith de Warenne, married first Gerard de Gournay, Lord of Gournay-en-Bray[18] and
second Drew de Monchy.[2][13]
Controversy on parentage[edit]
Legends based in part on late Lewes Priory cartulary[a] suggested Gundred was a
daughter of William the Conqueror by his spouse Matilda of Flanders,[19] but this is
not accepted by most modern historians.[20][21] The early-19th-century writer Thomas
Stapleton had argued she was a daughter of Matilda born prior to her marriage to
Duke William.[22] This theory sparked a debate consisting of a series of published
papers. It culminated with those of Edmond Chester Waters and Edward Augustus
Freeman, who argued the theories could not be supported.[23][24][b] Nonetheless,
some genealogical and historical sources continue to make the assertion that she was
the Conqueror's daughter.[25][26][27]
Parents
____ William I "the Conqueror" (14 Oct 1024 - 9 Sep 1087)
OF FLANDERS Maud (Matilda) (1028 - 2 Nov 1083)
Siblings
____ Robert II ("Curthose") (ABT 1054 - 2 Oct 1134)
OF NORMANDY Gundrada (ABT 1060 - 27 May 1085)
OF NORMANDY Adele (Alice) (ABT 1062 - 8 Mar 1137)
____ Henry I "Beauclerc" (1070 - 1 Dec 1135)
Marriage To DE WARENNE William I (ABT 1045 - 24 Jun 1088)
m.
Notes
his first
Parents
DE WARENNE Rodulf (Ralph) I (ABT 1001 - AFT 1074)
DE VASCOEUIL Beatrice (Beatrix) (ABT 1003 - )
Children by DE WARENNE William I ABT 1045 - 24 Jun 1088
DE WARENNE Edith (Ediva) (ABT 1076 - )
DE WARENNE William II (1081 - 11 May 1138)
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