Search
the PDA web site

About the PDA
membership information, purpose, committees, officers, contact us

Annual Reunion
next reunion, registration, past reunions, annual member's meeting

Family History & Research
Don't miss this section! gedcom database, research (Jersey, America & EPARC), photo album, cemeteries, links to other web sites, obituaries, and much more

Merchandise
items for sale with the Poingdestre crest

Guestbook
sign our guestbook, read what others are saying

About Isle of Jersey
tips for travel to Jersey and England, about the island, Jersey web sites, more...

fun stuff for kids, with genealogy, games, homework helpers and famous Poindexters

Members
display our logo on your web site

What's New
on this web site

Accessibility
how to navigate this web site when assistance is needed

Home Page

William the Conqueror 1028-1087 A.D.

7th Duke of Normandie, Duke William ll of Normandie, King William l of England

Our content on this page is not the "expert" source for information on this topic, rather it provides a starting place for Conqueror enthusiasts. There are several sites on the web that can be found by doing a search.

A female Lempriere (an old Jersey surname) line married into the Poingdestre line in Jersey. According to some scholars, it is believed that the Lempriere's descended from William the Conqueror's Great Grandfather, Duke Richard l (also see our page on Charlemagne and Rollo). Duke Richard's paternal linage (Viking) goes as far back as Ivar of the Uplands, Earl of the Uplands whose son Glumra, Eystein the Noisy, Jarl of the Uplanders was born in 788 A.D. [ reference ]

We do need to include some background on Duke Richard's great grandson because he had much influence on how Jersey became a possession of the English crown when as Duke of Normandie, he did claim his thrown in England in 1066.

William's father was Robert I, sixth Duke of Normandy who was no older than 21 at the time of William's birth, and came from a family with a rich heritage. He was a direct descendant of Rolf (or Rollo) the Viking, ruler of Neustria, whose power passed on to William Longsword l, then Duke Richard I, then to the Conqueror's grandfather, Duke Richard II [ reference ].

Note, a daughter of Duke Richard l was Emma of Normandie. She married the Saxon king Edward the Confessor [ reference ]. They had no children to inherit the throne of England and so Edward had promised it to William, Duke of normandie. When Edward died, Harold, with support of the Saxon nobles, ursurped the throne, leading to William's invasion of England in 1066.

Willliam's mother was Herleve, an ordinary girl of Falaise, who would become one of the most important women in North-West Europe's history. Shortly after she gave birth to William (during a relationship with Robert I), she married the Viscount of Conteville, with whom she had two children: one would become Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, the other, Robert Count of Mortain. Both men were to be key to William the Conqueror's success. [www.domesdaybook.co.uk]

The Bayeaux Tapestry tells the story of the Norman Conquest. The Village of Bayeaux has a historical description on its web site. When visiting Normandy in 2000, I visited the museum where the tapestry is on display. I highly recommend the visit. (webmaster)

During the last years of his reign, King William had his power threatened from a number of quarters. The greatest threats came from King Canute of Denmark and King Olaf of Norway. In the Eleventh Century, part of the taxes raised went into a fund called the Danegeld, which was kept to buy off marauding Danish armies.

One of the most likely reasons for the record to be commissioned, was for William to see how much tax he was getting from the country and therefore how much Danegeld was available.

The Domesday book was commissioned in December 1085. The first draft was completed in August 1086 and contained records for 13,418 settlements in the English counties south of the rivers Ribble and Tees (the border with Scotland at the time).

Doomsday Book links:

• Purchase on CD for the serious researcher, from Phillimore & Co. Ltd., the translated content of the book.
• The Doomsday Book Online, timeline of Willaim's life, timeline of the Doomsday book, about life in England after the Norman Conquest, placenames and much more presented in an easy to read web site.