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..Fulbert de Lucy and Richard de Lucy - The Justiciar |
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This webpage provides information on the very earliest known Lucy ancestors. A timeline is available at the bottom of this page to illustrate these individuals.
The only Barony with knight's fees outside Kent, for Castle Guard at Dover, was that of William d'Avranches (c1120-1177) - also in Suffolk and Norfolk; Lord of Folkestone and related to Richard le Goz of Falaise. His grandfather Nigel de Muneville, Lord of Folkestone married Emma d'Arques. Her father William d'Arques and wife Beatrix (de Bolbec or Malet) had a direct link with Lonlay-l'Abbaye in a grant of 1095. Folkestone Priory was dependent on Lonlay. The upkeep of Lonlay was the responsibility of the Barony of Lucé-sur-Orne. Richard de Lucy's brother, Walter de Lucy was initially a monk at Lonlay-l'Abbaye. Folkestone and all its dependencies were held by William d'Arques from Bishop Odo of Bayeux. Various early nineteenth century texts, refer to Fulbert de Lucy or Lucie, Lord Chilham, who married Athelix (also spelt Adelit or Athelize); one of the eight knights who under the command of Sir John de Fiennes, built and maintained one of the eight towers erected as an additional defence at Dover Castle. His widow remarried before 1140 and the dowry and marriage is recorded in the 1129/1130 Pipe Roll for Devonshire, "uxore Fulbti de Doura cum dote et maritagio suo" on her behalf by William FitzRichard (died after 1136), son of Richard FitzTurold, Lord of Cardinham, Cornwall. The relationship between William FitzRichard and the family of Fulbert de Lucy was clearly close. Sir John de Fiennes is first recorded in the Merton Register of the Red Book of the Exchequer (c1230) and was referred to again by William Lambarde in his "Perambulation of Kent" of 1576 and by John Philipot (1589?-1645) in "Villare Cantianum". He states "John Fynes, created by William the Conqueror, Wardein of the Portes, and Constable of Dover, by gift of inheritance". Apparently John de Fiennes acted as Constable at Dover for a very short period after the disgrace of Odo (Bishop of Bayeux) in 1084, when the 56 knight's fees for Dover became forfeited possessions - John apparently died in 1085. His responsibilities were taken on by his son and grandson, named James and John, from 1085 and 1111 respectively. We are told that John was the third son of Eustace of Boulogne and Alice of Silvesse. Dover was besieged by Eustace de Boulogne (d. 1087) in 1067 and his great-grandson Eustace de Boulogne (son of King Stephen) became Constable of Dover 1140-1153. After his death the post was taken by Pharamus de Boulogne. Pharamus was in charge of King Stephen's family when he was captured in 1141. Pharamus was also the uncle of Godfrey de Lucy, second son of Richard de Lucy the Justiciar (d. 1179). Sybilla, the daughter of Pharamus married Ingelram de Fiennes. Their son William de Fiennes became Constable of Dover in 1184. Chilham or the later named Calderscot Tower at Dover Castle was built and maintained by Fulbert de Lucy, named after his estate at Chilham. He later styled himself Dover. The keep at Dover was reconstructed much later in 1180. Fulbert de Lucie had two sons:- (1) Hugh de Dover, who married Mathilde Peverel (also spelt Matilda or Maud) and died after 1168. Mathilde was the daughter of Payn Peverel, apparently one of three illegitimate sons of William the Conqueror, by Ingelrica, the wife of one of the King's retainers, Ranulph de Peverell. Hugh was granted Chilham in 1140 but had no surviving offspring by Maud and his nephew, John, son of William de Dover became heir to the Chilham estate. He was Sheriff of Kent 1143-1146. This role was taken over by Richard de Lucy in 1148 after he was recalled to England from Falaise in 1140. (2) William de Dover, who was alive in 1140, had three sons, John, William and Ralph. John married Roesia de Lucy, daughter of Geoffrey de Lucy and granddaughter of Richard de Lucy. John was alive in 1140 and was the heir to his Uncle Hugh's estate of Chilham. He died after 1174 when he made claims for "Garcote" - possibly Charlecote and "Whittesage" in Warwickshire and Leicestershire. Charlecote came through the female line via Cecily de Lucy, around 1200 and her sons William and Simon styled themselves de Lucy. A deed by John de Dover in the Surrenden Library referring to the mill near St.Mildred's Church, Canterbury, given to him by his Uncle, Hugh de Dover was witnessed by Robert de Lucy. John and Roesia's son was another Fulbert de Dover (or Robert of Dover) who was granted Chilham Castle in 1180. It had been rebuilt in 1171-74. Fulbert de Dover's seal is a Chequy a Luce hauriant (a single Luce over a chequered background). A reference to his Lucy connections.
From the 'History of Kent' by William Henry Ireland 1829.......... "Fulbert de Dover's Tower was erected by Fulbert de Lucie, who accompanied the Conqueror to England. Being appointed one of the knights to defend the fortress, by John de Fiennes, he assumed the name of Dover, and on his personal services being no longer required at the castle, retired to his baronial residence of Chilham: his successor, Hugh de Dover, his son, and Richard de Dover, a descendent of the latter, held the vast possessions of his progenitors: he ultimately retired to the abbey of Lesnes, which he had founded in 1179; and dying there, this famous name became extinct, when the estates passed, by the marriage of a female relative, to an illegitimate son of King John" NB: This history goes as far as stating that Richard de Dover (ie. Lucy) was the descendent of Hugh de Dover although further reading about this author may put some doubt on this, particularly as they were of similar age. From the earlier 'History of Town and Port of Dover' by Rev. John Lyon 1814.......... The history states that Richard de Dover (Chief Justice) was probably interred with some of his ancestors at Lesnes, for on digging up the foundations of the chapel in the reign of King James, the workmen discovered a vault in which there were several coffins, richly ornamented, with the arms - Gules, three lucies hauriant, between eight cross crosslets, or. In 'Villare Cantianum' by John Philipot (1589?-1645) he stated that "this Richard de Lucy, the founder, was son of Richard, who was son of Roger de Chilham, and he was son of Fulbert de Dover, who entered England with William the Conqueror, and changed his name of Lucy to Dover..." In 1140 Hugh of Chilham granted the Church of Chilham to the Church of St. Bertin for his soul, and that of his father Fulbert de Dover, mother Adelit, his relations and that of Matilda his wife. In Domesday, Fulbert is recorded holding Chilham of the Bishop of Bayeux in 1086. On the Bishop's forfeiture and the creation of the Barony of Fobert, as one of the eight Lordships constituting the Constabulary of Dover Castle, the King granted Chilham, as part of that Barony, to Fulbert. This Barony consisted of 15 knight's fees of which Chilham furnished two. The Manor of Kingston was part of the lands given by the Conqueror to Fulbert de Dover, being held "in capite" by barony. In the 1600's this was sometimes known as the Barony of Fobert or Chilham. The historian Sir Alfred Clapham in his 1915 History of Lesnes Abbey also agrees that Richard de Lucy's father was Robert de Lucy together with listing his wife as Rohese and Richard's brothers, Walter and Robert. He cites that "from another charter it appears that this Robert was brother to Walter de Lucy, Abbot of Battle, who is known to have been brother to Richard, the founder of Lesnes; thus Robert de Lucy (the elder) was the father of all three brothers." "A copy of the charter is preserved amongst the state papers of Henry VIII. He calls himself Robert, son of Robert de Lucy and continues: 'Be it known that I have given for the love of God and the good estate of my most dear lord Richard de Lucy and for the souls of my father and mother and of all the faithful, to the Abbey which the said lord Richard de Lucy founded at Westwood, in Lesnes, in honour of God and the blessed Thomas the Martyr" (ref: PRO vol. 4 no. 3587).
A charter for Henry I, from the summer of 1131, possibly at Dieppe confirms an earlier charter of February that year from Rouen:-
This early record for Richard de Lucy (Ricardo de Luceio) infers that Aveline (the mother of Richard de Lucy) was probably the granddaughter (nepte) of William Goth. The use of 'nepte' in early documents can also refer to a neice. This charter has been transcribed from the "Red Book of Seéz". It also records that Aveline and Richard held the allodial inheritance of Laleu (S.E. of Seéz - now Sées, between the rivers Sarthe and Tanche) and therefore had to sell to the King as 'joint owners', probably because Richard had not come of age; for the benefit of Henry's illegitimate son Robert of Gloucester, who granted it to Seéz Cathedral. This document appears to post-date, the February 1131, Rouen Charter for Séez Cathedral, recorded by Dugdale, which mentions a fief which Henry I bought from Richard de Lucy and his mother Aveline, the niece and heiress of William Goth. The surname Goth is apparently difficult to decipher in the original. It could actually read 'Goz'. Horace Round considered 'Goz' to be variant of 'Goiz' and 'Guiz', recognised variants of 'Gouviz' and 'Gouvis'. It should also be noted that Thurstan Goz was viscount of the encompassing county of Hiémois between 1017 and 1025. Hugh d'Avranches (1047-1101) was the son of Richard le Goz. The 'Complete Peerage', again referring to Dugdale also confirms that the family appeared to have taken their name from Lucé-sur-Orne, a commune in the department of Orné, a short distance south-east of Domfront, and in the Bailiwick of Passeis. In the return of the Norman fees of 1172 there occurs the following: "De Baillia de Basseis/Passeis . . . Ricardus de Lusceio j militem et sibi xvij milites". Lucé lies geographically in Maine, and its real connection with Normandy dates from the occupation in 1092 of Domfront, the castle of Robert de Belleme, by Henry Beauclerc, the Count of the Cotentin. It seems probable that this particular connection between Henry I and the southern border of Normandy may have first brought the family to the King's notice. There is also a record in a charter regarding Sheppey Monastery, Kent c1130 referring to a fee and a half of plough-land of Richard de Lucy in the Isles of Sheppey and Grain, acquired by William Archbishop of Canterbury (1123-1136), from Aveline, the mother of the aforesaid Richard de Lucy of Newington. "....et dimidium sulingum terre de feodo Ricardi de Lucy ex adquisitione ejusdem Willielmi archiepiscopi per Avelinam matrem praefati Ricardi de Lucy de Newenthon et terram de Rypen in insula de Scapeye et in insula de Gryen redditus sex librarum quas predictus archiepiscopus mercatus est de ipsis heredibus......" Prior to this, c1100 a Robert Latin or Latimer (the interpreter), a sheriff's officer in Kent, made a deathbed bequest for the sake of his soul to the church of St Andrew (Rochester) of marshland in the Isle of Grain which he held of Archbishop Anselm. This same Robert Latin held Litelai or Lesnes on behalf of Bishop Odo in 1086. Newington, Kent was a prebendal manor, historically held by the realm's top administrators. It was originally part of the adjacent Milton Regis, the King's manor; before 1066, held by Swithgar (Sidgar), the King's secretary or scribe. By 1086 Newington was the manor of Albert of Lorraine, the King's clerk and chaplain. Both these individuals were from the religious community. Ralph or Richard Goiz held Newington 1107-16 after which Richard de Lucy held it as a paternal inheritance granted by Henry I. Orderic's Chronicle and Dugdale confirm that on 1st October 1138, Richard de Lucy was Constable of Falaise in Normandy for King Stephen, and held it so stoutly against Geoffrey Earl of Anjou that he was rewarded with thirteen additional knight's fees in Essex, including the town of Grinstead. He followed King Stephen to England at the end of 1138 and fought on the King's side throughout his contest with the Empress Maud, and routed the forces of the latter in a pitched battle near Wallingford. Richard was in constant attendance on Stephen and witnessed 135 of his charters. He first witnessed King Stephen's charters in 1138. He was with Stephen at Oxford, Norwich and London in 1139-40 and at Lincoln in March 1140-February 1141. At Christmas 1141 he was in Canterbury. When the agreement between Stephen and Henry Duke of Normandy was entered upon in 1153, by which Henry was named as successor to the throne, "for the better securing of that Accord, the Tower of London, and Castle of Windsor, by the advice of the whole Clergy, were then given into the hands of this Richard de Lucie, he (by his solemn Oath) promising that upon the death of King Stephen he would faithfully deliver them to Henry; and for his more effectual performance of that Trust, gave up his own Son as a Hostage." (Dugdale).
The new King, on his accession, rewarded and employed him. He had a grant of the whole hundred of Angré (Ongar) with other manors in Essex; although Richard had been a tenant in Essex to the Honour of Boulogne before 1152 and definitely by 1153. Richard built his castle at Chipping Ongar, Essex between 1153-54. He was the sole witness to the coronation charter of Henry II in 1154 and during 1162 was appointed Lord Justiciary of England, the highest post of honour that could be held by a subject.
In the early 1100's, the Lord's of Mayenne surrendered the custody of their castles at Ambieres and Gorron. A Geoffrey de Goreham or Gorron/Gorram (born in le Mans of a noble Normandy family), the Abbot of St. Albans (1119-1146), was summoned from Maine and was recorded as a kinsman of Robert de Lucy who he 'introduced to the royal circle'. Some sources record him as Geoffrey de Lucé. His grandfather was Rivallon de Dol. It has been suggested that Aveline's grandfather or Uncle (mother of Robert de Lucy), William Goth, could have been mistranscribed from 'Gorh', shorthand for Goreham. Walter de Lucy, brother to Richard de Lucy, originally a monk of Lonlay, lived for some time with Geoffrey de Goreham (again noted as a relative) prior to being appointed the Abbot of Battle Abbey (1139-1171). A nephew of Geoffrey, Robert de Goram (1151-1166) was a sacrist at St.Albans and there is evidence of the marriage of a Gorram to Cristina in the Thorney Abbey Annals. Geoffrey's remains were removed from the Chapter House at St.Albans Cathedral in 1978 and reburied in the choir of the Abbey Church. He had a brother William de Gorron of St. Berthevin-la-Tanniere, who married Matilda and had sons Giles, Ive, Robert (mentioned above), another brother Ralph (who married Hersendis, daughter of Walter, Lord of Maine) and a sister Olivia (who married Hugh, son of Humbald of Westwick, Hertfordshire, later Gorhambury). St. Berthevin-la-Tanniere is located just west of Gorron. There is also a record of a Geoffrey de Lucy (monk) mentioned at Savigny in 1137 (possibly a younger son). A group of monks from Savigny formed Jervaulx, Wensleydale in 1145 among other English settlements. A Ralph de Lucy is recorded in 1140-48 in a charter regarding Foucarmont. Their first Abbot came from Savigny when it was founded in 1130. Richard's brother, Walter de Lucy was initially a monk at Lonlay-l'Abbaye, which is only five and an half miles from Domfront. Another of Richard's brothers was Robert de Lucy of Chrishall and Elmdon, Essex.
On the 11th June 1178, Richard de Lucy founded the priory of Westwode (later known as Lesnes Abbey) in the diocese of Rochester, Kent in honour of St. Thomas, of Canterbury, the martyr, which he munificently endowed. In this priory he subsequently assumed the habit of a canon regular and departing this life soon after (14th July 1179), was buried there, possibly in the chapter-house.
According to John Weever in his 1630 "Discourse on Funeral Monuments", he states that a Sir John Hippesley, the then owner of the Lesnes property, "appointed certaine workemen to digge amongst the rubbish of the decayed fabricke of the Church (which had laine a long time buried in her owne ruins, and growne over with oke, elme, and ashe-trees) for stones, and these happened upon a goodly funerall monument; the full proportion of a man, in his coate armour, his sword hanging at his side by a broad belt, upon which the flower-de-luce was engraven in many places: (being, as I take it, the rebus, or device, of the Lucies:) this, his (Sir Richard Lucie's) representation, or picture, lay upon a flat marble stone; that stone upon a trough, or coffin, of white smooth hewn asheler stone: in that coffin, and a sheet of lead, (both being made fit for the dimension of a dead body,) the remaines of an ashie drie carkasse lay enwrapped, whole, and undisjointed, and upon his head some haire, or a simile quiddam of haire, appeared; they likewise found other statues of men in like manner proportioned, as also of a woman in her attire and abiliments, with many grave-stones and bones of the deceased; to see all which, great confluence of people resorted, amongst which number I was not the hindmost."
In 1909, Sir Alfred Clapham excavated the buried remains of Lesnes Abbey again and within the Lady Chapel a stone effigy of a man in mixed mail and armour plate was found, representing a member of the de Lucy family from about 1320. This is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Godfrey de Lucy was the second son of Richard de Lucy and his wife Rohese. He became Dean of St. Martin le Grand in London before being appointed Archdeacon of Derby in the diocese of Lichfield about 1171. He was Archdeacon of Richmond in the diocese of York before 18th August 1184 and also held prebends in the Dioceses of Exeter, Lincoln, London and Salisbury. He was also a Royal Justice and was nominated to the See of Winchester on 15th September 1189 and consecrated on 22nd October 1189. He died on the 11th September 1204. There is evidence of a long standing clandestine marriage with Agatha (a wet nurse employed by Eleanor of Aquitaine) who later married William of Gaddesden. Godfrey held property in the Strand, London and had three known illegitimate sons namely, Geoffrey (d. 1241) Arch Deacon of London, Dean of St. Pauls and Chancellor Oxford University; John (who received gift of the house in the Strand) and Philip, clerk of chamber until 1207. Godfrey also referred to Pharamus de Boulogne (nephew of Queen Matilda of England 1103-1152) as his 'avunculus' or uncle.
Some other contemporary individuals with this name were:-
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The seal of Fulbert de Dover 
