William Giffard, first earl of Essex
| William Giffard | |
|---|---|
| Earl of Essex | |
| Predecessor | Title created |
| Successor | William |
| Born | 1044 Normandy |
| Died | 1080 (aged 36) Colchester, Essex, England |
| Buried | Abbey of St. Martin, Aumale |
| Noble family | Giffard |
| Spouse(s) | Sigrid |
| Issue | |
| Father | Godfrey Giffard |
William Giffard (1044 - 1080) was a Norman knight and nobleman, the progenitor of the Giffard dynasty. He became earl of Essex in 1068, after the Norman conquest of England.
Life
William Giffard was born in 1044 in the duchy of Normandy, the son of Godfrey Giffard, who had served as a knight for Duke Robert the Magnificent and later as a high-ranking servant of Robert's son, William the Bastard. Godfrey died around 1059, and his son was knighted by Duke William. In 1066 William Giffard accompanied the duke on his invasion of England. He distinguished himself as a knight at the battle of Tottenham in June 1067 and thereafter gained the firm favor of the duke, who was crowned king of England at the end of the year.
In February 1068 William Giffard was given the earldom of Essex for his services in the invasion. Thereafter he has only a scant presence in the records, although he was loyal to the House of Normandy during the civil wars that erupted after his master's death in late 1068. The earl is known to have fought beside King Richard at the battle of Reading in 1072.
In January 1077 Giffard sat as a royal justiciar to pass the death sentence on Ælfwine Haroldsson after the latter's rebellion against the king. During the winter of 1078-79 the earl also sat as a justiciar during the condemnations of Harold II's brothers Leofwine of Kent and Gyrth of Norfolk. Giffard's royal service seems to have been limited to these judicial roles, and most of the earl's surviving charters were issued at his own castle of Colchester.
Giffard died at Colchester in 1080; the exact date of his death has been lost. The later Waltham chronicle, written in the 13th century, claimed that he was strangled in his sleep by his chamberlain.
Issue
The earl had five children by his wife Sigrid, about whom nothing is known.
- Hermessent, countess of Lancaster
- Felicia, countess of Sussex
- William, who succeeded his father as earl of Essex
- Fressenda
- Hamelin (d. 1099)