Wynebald de Ballon
Wynebald de Ballon[Preston Plucknett|],, was an early Norman magnate. He appeared in England during the reign of William Rufus, along with his brother, Hamelin de Ballon, later created 1st Baron of Abergavenny.
Origin
Wynebald was born in France, probably as his brother Hamelin was known to have been, in the ancient castle of Ballon, 12 miles north of Le Mans, capital of the ancient County of Maine. From its strength the castle was known as "The Gateway to Maine". Ballon is today a French commune, in the department of Sarthe, in the modern region of Pays de la Loire. Maine was invaded and conquered by William Duke of Normandy in the early 1060s, just prior to his invasion of England.Career
The two brothers, Hamelin and Wynebald, were put in charge respectively of securing Abergavenny and Caerleon. Wynebald received the lordship at Caerleon, in the southern Welsh marches, in about 1088 from King William II.Donations to Bermondsey Abbey
Bermondsey Abbey was founded in 1082 by a wealthy citizen of the City of London, Alwin Child. It was of the Cluniac order, held in much affection by the first Norman kings, as witnessed by William II having donated his royal manor of Bermondsey, Surrey as its site. It was directly across the River Thames from the Tower of London, recently built by William I as his principal seat.In 1092 Wynebald de Ballon, no doubt to please William II, made several donations of land to Bermondsey Abbey. These were:
- Upton. Shortly after 1086 he acquired the manor of Upton, then in Berkshire, today in Oxfordshire, and in 1092 donated a moiety of it to Bermondsey. It was thereafter known as Prior's Barne, and was held by Bermondsey Priory until Dissolution.
- Hardwick, Buckinghamshire. With his son Roger, he alienated part of Hardwick to Bermondsey. This donation included a church with its tithes and six yardlands. The Priory sold the church in the 13th or 14th century.
- Weedon, next to Hardwick.
- Bridesthorne, Buckinghamshire. In 1092 he donated Bridesthorne Manor to Bermondsey Abbey.
- Eastington, Gloucestershire. He donated the tithes to Bermondsey
Donation to Montacute Priory
Montacute Priory in Somerset was, like Bermondsey, a Cluniac house. An earlier donation of Wynebald's to this house, 11 miles SW of North Cadbury, was confirmed in an undated charter of King Henry I :
Charter of the said King Henry concerning the grant
of the gifts, which his barons and men have previously made,
here expressly named:
Henry, King of England, etc., grants and confirms to his
church and monks of Montacute all the gifts which his barons
and men of England and Normandy have reasonably made to
them. Namely : — of the gift of William, count of Mortain,
the market of Montacute and its tolls; of the gift of Avenantus,
two dwelling-houses in Meleborn; of the gift of Robert de Pirou,
the land of Cantoc; of the gift of Winebaldus de Baalone, the mill of Cadebiri with the man and the land belonging thereto, and the church of Karion; of the gift of Edward the stabler
the land of Cochra; of the gift of Nicholas
Arbalista, twenty shillings of land and his own land of Brugi;
of the gift of William son of Rogo, one virgate of land at
Colum; of the gift of Robert son of Martin, the land of
Thihentone. The aforesaid church and monks of Montacute to
hold all the aforesaid with all the liberties and free customs
appertaining to the same lands and tenements.
Witnesses : — Philip, bishop of Bayeux; Ro, bishop of
Evreux : Arn, bishop of Lisieux; Richard de Luci;
War son of Ger, chamberlain; Manasser Biset,
steward; Robert de Dunest and Richard de Campvilla.
At Baugi.
This donation appears to have been Wilford Mill, within North Cadbury
manor.
Donations to St Vincent's Abbey, Le Mans
St Vincent's Abbey, like Bermondsey and Montacute, was Benedictine, but not of the Cluniac variety. It was situated near the walls of Le Mans, capital of Maine. The properties given by Wynebald were the churches of Tortworth and Aust with the tithes of Gotherington, Bishops Cleeve, all in Gloucestershire, together with the tithes of Pidecombe, Somerset. The charters relating to these donations are given below:
1046. Charter of Hamelin de Baladone, giving to the abbey of St. Vincent and St. Lawrence near the walls of Le Mans, from the subsistence with which he has been endowed by his lords William and Henry kings of the English, in England and Wales, all the tithes of all Wennescoit, both of his own and of all the lands which he has given or may give . He also gives his castle called Abergavenny. He gives the church and chapel of the castle and land for making a bourg, with all dues, except the toll on market-day; land also for one plough.… and between.… water for a fishery.… the church of St. Helen and part of the wood. He also gives the tithe of all his honey and the tithe of skins from his hunting, and the tithe of the pannage of swine. In England he gives the church of Caprcolum with the priest's land and all tithes belonging to the church, and the tithe of cheeses and of all firstfruits. He also gives the church of Luton after the death of the priest, with the priest's land and all tithes and firstfruits belonging to the church.
1047. Charter of Winebaud, brother of the aforesaid Hamelin, giving the said abbey the churches of Torteoda and Augusta with all tithes, and the tithes of Godriton and Pedicovia and all his tithes in Wales, for the souls of his father and mother etc..…
1048. Charter of Henry I. confirming the above gifts for the souls of his father king William and his mother queen Matildis and his brother king William and all his predecessors. Hainrici regis; Mathildis regine; Gaudrici cancellarii; Rogerii episcopi; Willelmi Piperelli; Robert Peccati; Herluini abbatis Glastingeberii; Unfredi Aureis Testiculis; Gaudrici filii Rogerii de Curcella; Winebaudi; Elisabeth uxoris Winebaudi; Hamelini de Baladone; Agnetis uxoris ejus; Willelmi filii Hamelini; Mathei filii ejusdem Hamelini.
Donation to Gloucester Abbey
In 1126 he made a gift to St Peter's Abbey, Gloucester. This appears to have been of his lordship of Rodeford, his mill at Fromelade and half a hide at AmeneyeKing Henry I confirmed the gift of the advowson of the rectory of Inglishcombe in Somerset by Hawise de Gurnay, Wynebald's daughter-in-law, the wife of his son Roger de Ballon.
Knights
The names of two of Wynebald's knights are recorded in connection with their own donations to Bermondsey in 1092: Odo de Tirone gave the advowson of the church and tithes of Ampney Crucis in Gloucester, and Ansger Brito gave the manor ofPreston, near Yeovil in Somerset.