36 Facts About Urse d'Abetot

Urse d'Abetot built the earliest form of Worcester Castle in Worcester, which encroached on the cathedral cemetery there, earning him a curse from the Archbishop of York.

Urse d'Abetot helped to put down a rebellion against King William I in 1075, and quarrelled with the Church in his county over the jurisdiction of the sheriffs.

Urse d'Abetot continued in the service of William's sons after the king's death, and was appointed constable under William II and marshal under Henry I Urse was known for his acquisitiveness, and during William II's reign was considered second only to Ranulf Flambard, another royal official, in his rapacity.

Urse d'Abetot's son succeeded him as sheriff but was exiled, thus forfeiting the office.

The main sources for Urse d'Abetot's life are English documents such as charters and writs which mention his activities.

Urse d'Abetot came from an undistinguished family, and made his way on military reputation.

Urse d'Abetot was probably born in about 1040, but the exact date is unknown.

Urse d'Abetot was from St Jean d'Abbetot in Normandy, where his family had lands, and where he himself was a tenant of the lords of Tancarville.

Urse d'Abetot had a brother usually called Robert Despenser, sometimes known as Robert fitz Thurstin, who became a royal official.

Urse d'Abetot is probably the same person as the "Urse d'Abetot" who was a witness to a charter of William before the invasion of England.

Urse d'Abetot arrived in England after Hastings, but it is unknown if his brother Robert arrived with him or separately.

Urse d'Abetot was appointed Sheriff of Worcestershire some time after the Norman Conquest of England, probably in about 1069, part of the wholesale replacement of English royal officials with Norman and other immigrants that took place in the early part of William's reign.

Urse d'Abetot oversaw the construction of a new castle at the town of Worcester, although nothing now remains of the castle.

Urse d'Abetot's actions kept the rebels from seizing control of the Severn Valley and joining up with the other English rebels, Waltheof, the Earl of Northumbria, and Ralph de Gael, the Earl of Norfolk.

Urse d'Abetot received his share of complaints, but he was part of a wider trend during the early years of William I's reign.

Urse d'Abetot complained that this immunity reduced his income, but this did not affect the outcome of his dispute with Wulfstan, who prevailed.

Urse d'Abetot was involved in a dispute between Wulfstan and Evesham Abbey over lands in Worcestershire as, after the Conquest, Urse d'Abetot acquired the lands of Azur, a kinsman of an earlier Bishop of Worcester, Beorhtheah.

Azur had originally leased the lands from the diocese, but after Urse d'Abetot confiscated the lands, the sheriff did not return the lands to the bishop, and instead kept them for himself.

The 12th-century chronicler William of Malmesbury records how, shortly after Urse d'Abetot was appointed sheriff, he built a castle which encroached on the cemetery of the cathedral chapter of Worcester Cathedral.

Gerald of Wales, a late 12th- and early 13th-century writer, wrote that Wulfstan uttered the curse after Urse d'Abetot had attempted to have Wulfstan deposed as bishop.

Urse d'Abetot gained a reputation for greed and avarice, especially with regard to church lands.

The Domesday Book of 1086 documents that while the majority of Urse d'Abetot's lands were in Worcestershire, he held land in Warwickshire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire.

All of these payments were guaranteed by Urse d'Abetot, who had to make up any shortfall.

Domesday makes it obvious that Urse d'Abetot was the most powerful layman in Worcester, and the only person who could contest his power in the county was the Bishop of Worcester.

In 1088, shortly after William Rufus became king, Urse d'Abetot was present at the trial of William de St-Calais, Bishop of Durham, and is mentioned in De Iniusta Vexacione Willelmi Episcopi Primi, a contemporary account of the trial.

Urse d'Abetot became a constable in the king's household for both William II and Henry I, and under William II, he ascended to the office of marshal.

Urse d'Abetot was an assistant to William II's main minister, Ranulf Flambard, and frequently served as a royal judge.

Urse d'Abetot's estates grew under William II, partly as a result of the inheritance of some of the lands of his brother, Robert Despenser, who died about 1097.

Later, Urse d'Abetot consolidated his holdings by exchanging some of Robert's lands in Lincolnshire with Robert de Lacy for lands closer to his base in Worcestershire.

Urse d'Abetot gained and passed to his heirs an estate that later became the Barony of Salwarpe, Worcestershire.

Urse d'Abetot continued to attest many of Henry's charters until 1108, although he did not use the title of "constable" in those charters.

From this, the historian Judith Green speculates that Urse d'Abetot had been summoning these courts at unusual times and then fining those who did not attend.

Urse d'Abetot had a daughter, probably named Emmeline, who married Walter de Beauchamp.

Urse d'Abetot's exactions were mentioned in Domesday Book, where an entry in the survey for Gloucestershire noted that he oppressed the inhabitants of Sodbury so much that they were unable to pay their customary rents.

Urse d'Abetot intimidated the monks of the Worcester cathedral chapter into granting him a lease of two of their estates, Greenhill and Eastbury.

Urse d'Abetot was one of a new breed of royal official, one who was not opposed to royal power but rather welcomed it, as it helped his own position.