William de Grandmesnil

Events 

Date of Birth: unknown.

Place of Birth: unknown.

Date of Death: unknown.

Place of Death: unknown.

Relationships

Father: uncertain.

Probably he was Robert de Grandmesnil (See Chris Phillip’s remarks cited in the Commentary section below.) Keats-Rohan gives this relationship (p. 263).

Mother: uncertain.

Probably she was Emma de Stuteville (See Chris Phillip’s remarks cited in the Commentary section below.) Keats-Rohan gives this relationship (p. 263).

Spouse: unknown.

She was possibly named Agatha. 

Children: 

(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)

Petronilla de Grandmesnil (died 1 April 1212) married Robert de Breteuil. 

Commentary

On William’s parents (from Phillips):

In 1157, Henry II confirmed gifts made to the hospital of Falaise by William de Grentmesnil and others [Cal. Docs France, no 1157]. By an undated charter (perhaps from 1160 or later), one Beatrix de Rye gave land to the abbey of St Jean of Falaise, for the well-being of her mother Emma and of her brother William de Grentemesnil [Lechaude d'Anisy, Extrait des Chartes ... dans les archives du Calvados, vol.1, p. 323, no 9 (1834)]. It seems likely that this Beatrix was a daughter of Robert de Grandmesnil by his second wife, Emma d'Estouteville, particularly as the name Beatrix occurs in the Estouteville family, and was possibly borne by Emma's mother [C.T. Clay, ed., Early Yorkshire Charters, vol.9, p.2 (1952)]. If so, this would confirm that Robert also had a son William, who would probably be Pernel's father.

References

Crouch, David.”Breteuil, Robert de, third earl of Leicester (c. 1130-1190)” in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004).

Crouch, David.”Grandmesnil, Petronilla de, countess of Leicester (d 1212)” in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004).

Keats-Rohan, K.S.B. Domesday People. (1999).

Phillips, Chris. “Leicester” in “Some corrections and additions to the Complete Peerage: Volume 7: Leicester, on Some Notes on Medieval English Genealogy (Website, accessed 15 April 2023).