Judith of Lens


Judith of Lens was a niece of William the Conqueror. She was a daughter of Lambert II, Count of Lens and Adelaide of Normandy, the sister of William the Conqueror.

Life

In 1075, Judith's husband, Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria, joined the Revolt of the Earls against William. It was the last serious act of resistance against the Norman Conquest of England. Some sources claim that Judith betrayed Waltheof to the bishop of Winchester, who informed her uncle, the king. Other sources say that Waltheof was innocent and that it was he who notified the bishop and king of the plot. Waltheof was executed on 31 May 1076 at St Giles Hill, near Winchester.
After Waltheof's execution, Judith was betrothed by William to Simon I of St. Liz, 1st Earl of Northampton. Judith refused to marry Simon and fled the country to avoid William's anger. He then confiscated all Judith's English estates. Simon married Judith's daughter, Maud, in or before 1090.

Marriage and children

In 1070, Judith married Earl Waltheof of Huntingdon and Northumbria.
They had:
  1. Maud, Countess of Huntingdon was married to Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton. She brought the earldom of Huntingdon to her second husband, David I of Scotland.
  2. Adelise, married Raoul III de Conches

    Properties

Judith held properties in 10 counties in the Midlands and East Anglia. Before the Norman invasion, these would have been lands held by her Saxon husband, Waltheof. After the transfer of property to the Normans, Waltheof was left with only one manor in his name.
Judith's holdings included land and properties in:
  • Elstow, Bedfordshire
  • Kempston, Bedfordshire
  • Potton, Bedfordshire
  • Hitchin, Hertfordshire
  • Sawtry, Huntingdonshire - the parish of Sawtry Judith is named after the countess.
  • Ashby Folville, Leicestershire
  • Lowesby, Leicestershire
  • Earls Barton, Northamptonshire
  • Great Doddington, Northamptonshire
  • Grendon, Northamptonshire
  • Merton, Oxfordshire
  • Piddington, Oxfordshire
Judith held eight manors in her own name - i.e. manors which the Domesday Book of 1086 shows were not let, by her, to local lords. Those eight manors, scattered around the ten counties, may have been used by Judith as homes when visiting her various estates. Included in them were the manors of Elstow and Kempston in Bedfordshire.
Judith founded Elstow Abbey in around 1078, as a Benedictine nunnery, possibly as a memorial to Waltheof. She endowed the Abbey with a considerable amount of her properties in several counties. Judith also founded All Saints church in Kempston. Given these strong local connections, it is possible that Judith's primary home may have been at the manor at Kempston. Judith also founded a church at Hitchin and Elstow Abbey held a large amount of her property in that area.