Cheshire and the Domesday Book

Specific Info about the name Venables in the Domesday Book

Norman Surname Protocol

The Wirral, Cheshire in 1086 A.D. offered a very different profile than it is today. It was an important Cheshire peninsula. Domesday Wirral holdings of Norman families recorded in coastal Wirral were the villages of Eastham, Wallasey, Meols, Little and Greater Caldy, Thursaston, Ness, Neston, Little Nestone, Heswall,and Gayton. Inland Wirral included Greasby, Oulton, Mere, Prenton, Thingwall,Raby, Storeton, Saugall and Upton. Absent from the Domesday Survey were Birkenhead, Leasowe, Bidston, Moreton, Hoylake, West Kirby (included inLittle and greater Caldy), Parkgate, Newton, Irby, Frankby, Ellesmere,and other more recently built towns and villages. Chester, of course, was the hub of the whole county of Cheshire, in fact, the hub of the wholenorth west.

One of the largest landholders in Wirral at the Domesday was Robert of Rhuddlan (Roelent),he being under-tenant of the Earl Hugh Lupus (the Wolf) of Chester, whomilitarily held all greater Cheshire and North Wales, his seat being atChester. Robert's chief domain was the Castle of Rhuddlan on the northWelsh coast, which was then administratively part of the whole of Cheshireunder the great Earl Hugh. Robert of Rhuddlan was of the Tilleul en Auge,Calvados in Normandy. He was notable for his wars against the Welsh. Robertheld in Wirral at Wallasey, Meols, Thursaston( under-tenant William), Heswall(undertenant Herbert), and Gayton(under-tenant William). In now Wales he heldBagillt (under-tenant Roger), Broughton, Bryn, Brynford, Bryngwyn, Bychton,Carn-y-chain, Crychynean, Dyserth, Hiraddog, Kelston, Leadbrook, Llewerllyd,Meliden, Mostyn, Picton, Prestatyn, Pen-y-Gors (Gros), Rhyd Orddwy, St.Asaph,Trefaith, Trelawnyd, and Whitford. He may also have held Flint, Denbigh,Holywell, and villages to the west of Rhuddlan such as Llandudno, Bangor,Caernarvon, etc, but such were the ravages of the Welsh that it is difficultto fix a precise time and geographic window of his entire holdings at thetaking of the Domesday Book. In addition to his Cheshire and Welsh holdingsRobert also held as far to the east as Byfield and Marston St.Lawrencein Northampton. He also gave the church of St.Peter in the market placeof Chester to his home Abbey of St. Evroul in Normandy, with Earl Hugh's(Earl of Chester) permission.

All Cheshire washeld in chief by three Norman magnates or church prelates; Earl Hugh, theBishop of Chester, and the monks of St.Wereburg's Church. This dissertationis focused on Wirral. We will discuss eastern and central Cheshire, andChester, elsewhere. Eastham was held directly by Earl Hugh, the great Earlof Chester. Caldy was held by Hugh of Mere. Little Nestone was held byRobert Cook. Neston (one of the larger holdings) was held by William FitzNigel.Greasby, Storeton and Oulton were held by Nigel de Burcy. Mere by Gilbertde Venables. Prenton by Walter de Vernon. Thingwall and Upton by WilliamMallbank. Raby by St.Wereburg's Church.

Cheshire and theWirral was Duke William 's (the Conqueror) cornerstone defence of the northwesternregion of his kingdom, particularly against the Welsh and Irish intruders.He had wasted part of the county in 1070 in his act of rage against hisrebellious barons, and the Wirral and Cheshire land values consequentlyhad considerably diminished. However, his rage on Lancashire, Westmoreland,Cumberland and Northumberland was far more severe and, it is reported,few buildings were left standing in those counties, so much so that theborder counties of Cumberland and Northumberland were generally ignoredin the Domesday Book being in a state of waste. The Dee estuary was pivotal,strategically. It offered good navigation to both intruders and defenders.Hilbre Island, at the mouth, off the coast of Wirral, probably played amuch more important role than is realized, one that was continued lateragainst Irish intruders. Although there are many traditional tales of undergroundtunnels from Hilbre Island to the mainland at Grange Hill in West Kirbywhere there is the ruins of a small monastry, nothing so far has been found.

For those interested inthe personalities and origin of the Norman land holders of the Wirral:

Principally, youngHugh (19 at the Conquest, 39 at the Domesday Book survey), son of Richardd'Avranches, surnamed Lupus (the Wolf, or sometimes 'the Fat'), was thefirst earl of Chester, a palatine Count, a position which almost made himvirtual King of Cheshire. A very powerful man of Cheshire. He was unableto use the surname d'Avranches at this time because his father was stillalive, the great Norman Viscount d'Avranches who was at Hastings. He wasdescended from Rognald (Ronald) father of Rollo, the first Duke of Normandywho lived in 896. The close interlocking relationship with the Conqueror'sfamily gained him a great position of trust. Hugh, succeeded by his sonRichard (7 at the conquest??, 27 at the Domesday ?? (see above, physicallypossible but difficult to believe, despite early bethrothals), ) as Earlof Chester eventually married Matilda, daughter of King Stephen but wasdrowned with his wife in the Blanche Nef shipwreck in the Channel, returningto Normandy along with many other Norman magnates. After the Conquest,Hugh Lupus was one of the largest land holders in all England He eventuallybecame hereditary viscount Averanchin or Averanches, sometimes De Abrincis,in the department of Manche in Normandy, neighours of the notable Percyfamily of Northumberland and the Massey family of Cheshire whose chiefdomain was at Dunham Massey Castle. This latter family held 9 Lordshipsin Cheshire. Richard de Vernon was Hugh's palatine baron of Cheshire, ofCastle Vernon, and held in Cheshire, also held the Castle of Shipbrookon the Wever. Hugh Lupus was a sworn companion-in-arms to William de Percy.Hugh (or his father) gave the great domain of Whitby in Yorkshire to WilliamPercy whence sprang the notorious Percys of Northumberland.

Hugh held atthe Domesday as tenant in chief in all Cheshire at;
Adlington, Alsager, Antrobus, Capesthorne, Chelford, Chester, Clive,Coddington, Eastham, Eaton, Eddisbury, Elton, Frodsham, Gawsworth, Helsby,Hawarden, Henbury, Hollingworth, Lea Newbold, Little Budworth, Lower Withington,Manley, Marton, Micle Trafford, Middlewich, Northwich, Occleston, Ollerton,Over, Romilley, Tintwistle, Weaver, Weaverham, Werneth, and Wimboldsleyand Macclesfield. And in North Wales at Bodeugan, Calcot, Cwbyr, Fulbrook,and Maen Efa, and Hawarden.

Robert Cook, wasunder-tenant of Hugh at Little Neston at the Domesday, an area surroundingNeston. He was probably related to Alric Le Coq, who derived his name fromthe office of the comptroller for the Conqueror. Rodbertus or Robert Cocus,probably his brother or son, held as under-tenant in Kent, but also heldelsewhere. In the family at the time of the Conquest were sons and grandsons,each with holdings, so we can conclude the father Alric was must have beenquite old at Hastings.

Hugh de la Mere,(sometimes Hugh FitzNorman) brother of Guillaume (William, who was headof the house) was from Lamare at St-Opportune in Normandy. Their castlewas built on piles beside a lake, hence the surname. William married thedaughter of Hugh Lupus. Hugh became Lord of Lea(Leigh). His direct linebecame extinct but continued through his nephew Roger.

Walter de Vernonwas brother of Richard de Vernon mentioned above, hence the surname Vernon.They were from the arrondisement of Evreux in Normandy. They both heldmany knight's fees in Cheshire. Walter also held in Buckinghamshire. Buthis brother Richard was much more powerful in Cheshire at the time of theDomesday Book.

Gilbert de VENABLES (Venator, Veneur, Hunter,) was from Venables, Evreux in Normandy in the barony of Le Veneurs, so named because they were hereditary huntsmen to the Dukes of Normandy. Gilbert was a palatine Baron to Hugh Lupus, and held the barony of Kinderton in Cheshire. Many lines and surnames were descended, including the Butlers of Chester. Richard was also palatine Baron of HughLupus, and became Barons of Warrington. Another brother, Raoul, was baron of Chester, held in capite, and ancestor of the Grosvenors, Dukes of Westminster, Earls of Wilton and Lords of Elbury. The Hunter family moved north into Scotland where William Venator witnessed a charter by Earl David, later King David in 1124 and this family generally assumed the surname of Hunter. Venables became a prominent Cheshire and Lancashire surname, but Hunter had already achieved a large foothold in Cheshire before the move north with the Domesday Book showing Gilbert Hunter holding Brereton, Davenport, Kinderton and Witton (Northwich suburb) and Ralph Hunter holding Stapleford in Cheshire and Soughton in Wales.

The Lineage of Gilbert de Venables

Little is knownof William FitzNigel. He is not recorded as being at Hastings. He may havebeen the son of Nigel de Burcy who assumed the FitzNigel surname beforehis father's death and changed back thereafter. It would have been normalto change his surname back to Nigel de Burcy after his father's death,and the surname FitzNigel would fade away, unless it was adopted by oneof his younger sons instead of their domain name. William FitzNigel's chiefdomain in the Domesday Book was at Knutsford (said to be King Cnute's ford),and Egbrand, a freeman, held part from him, although it was not inhabitedat the time of the Domesday Survey.

William Mallbank(Millbank)was baron of Nantwich in Cheshire. He assumed this surname fromhis small domain at Wick Malbanc in Cheshire, which is not recorded inthe Domeday Book He was of the Brecy or Brassey family of Brecy, near Caenin Normandy. He was a younger brother of eldest son, Randolph de Braceio.William Mallbank also held Wistaston near Crewe in Cheshire. William Mallbankheld many lordships in Cheshire including Saughall (Massie), and this prolificfamily spread to many locations in different parts of England, using differentlocative surnames just as younger son William Mallbank had been forcedto do at Nantwich. Robert, grandson of Randolph, held three knight's feesin Cheshire from his great uncle Baron William Mallbank of Nantwich Thesurname Malbank or variations held for many centuries. The family historycan be researched in the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum, principallyunder MS 1424, fo. 1 and 96 and others. The family also acquired landsin Lancashire and Dorset and succeeding generations assumed the spellingsMallbone, Milbanks (Yorkshire), Milbanke(Baron Wentworth), and others,yet the theme of the original Coat of Arms is traceable through the family.However, tracing this name backwards from this present time, perhaps evengetting back to a tiny village in Cheshire, Wick Malbanc, would be difficultto connect the Mallbank relationship, from an obscure village name in Cheshire,to the great Norman Brecey family of Brecy, near Caen whose scion was LeSeigneur de Brecey or Bracio and who was a munificent benefactor of theAbbey of Longues, a knight of the court of Caen, a knight of the Exchequerof Normandy, who was in turn, descended from Randolph d'Anisy , Viscountof Saint Sauveur, but who, of course, could not use that surname.

Nigel de Burcy(seeabove). Serlon de Burcy was at the Conquest. Robert FitzSerlon had grantsin Cheshire from Hugh Lupus. Robert's descendants called themselves Nigelde Morden from their holdings in Wiltshire. The family was from Burci inVire, Normandy. It is most likely Nigel de Burcy and Robert are one andthe same, Nigel reverting to the Norman naming protacol of assuming thefamily name only after the father, Serlon, had died.

To appreciate thisearly Norman surname protocol the primogeniture must be understood. Itis the foundation of most locative names in Britain. During the lifetimeof the father it was very uncommon for any family member to also use thatsame surname. The chief paternal domain name could not be used except where,unusually, it was used in both Normandy and England, but even on this rareoccasion it was customary to append a I, II or III to the son's surnamein England to differentiate from the parent in Normandy. On the father'sdeath the eldest son would inherit all, including the right to the surnameboth in England and Normandy or Brittany. The younger sons usually adoptedthe locative surnames of their own new domain, such as Mallbank above,even though he is described as the Baron of Nantwich, hence the backtrackrelationship, between father and younger sons became tenuous, and difficultto link. On the eldest son's death, the rights went to his sons,unless childless, in which case it went to the next youngest son of thefather, and he changed his surname from the locative name which he hadused for part of his life. Nor were locative surnames taken lightly. Thesewould be as important, legally, as the knight's seal, and became his domainname. They were charter proof of entitlement to his holding, his new domain.Most younger sons would never get to use the family surname. Fitz names,prefixing the font name, were believed to be a sign of bastardy, or, inthose days known as 'natural' sons. However, a more plausible explanation,might be that of a younger son who did not hold a domain, and could notuse his father's surname until after the father's death. Hence, Fitz becamea temporary surname, which sometimes held in its own right.

Similarly, oneof the largest land holders in Cheshire in the Domesday Book was RobertFitzHugh. This may have been Hugh's eldest son who used that name pendinghis inheritance but unlikely. He was not mentioned at the Conquest in anyof the many Rolls. Or, it could be that Robert may have been the younger(very young) son of Earl Hugh, and younger brother of Richard who was himselfto become Earl of Chester, a calculated move to keep the county in thefamily's backpocket. Robert FitzHugh held Broxton, Beeston (Castle), Bickerton,Bickley, Bunbury, Burwardsley, Butley, Cranage, Cuddington, Hampton, Malpas( the latter very significantly), Marton, Overton (hills), Peckforton,Shocklach, Tilston, Tilstone Fearnall, Tiverton, and Tushingham. In Waleshe held Bettisfield. Theoretically, Robert FitzHugh (if the younger son)might adopt any of the names of his holdings as his own domain surname,since he didn't succeed to the Avranches name. To this Richard, Hugh'ssuccessor and eldest son, went the family surname who was in turn was succeededby Randolph, the 3rd Earl of Chester. Amongst the other holdings of RobertFitzHugh he had a choice(he could only take one, most likely Malpas, Baronsof Malpas). His other domain names may have been assumed by favoured men-at-arms,freemen, or more distant relations. Continuing, the surname Malpas emergedwith seats at Bickerton, Bickly, and Hampton, all Robert FitzHugh's holdings.To say that this Norman suname protocol and system was incestuous wouldbe to put it mildly. Holdings and control were kept in a tight family circle.Keep it in the family. Of the 25 Surety Barons signing the Magna Cartain 1215, 130 years later, 22 were still interrelated by blood or marriage.

The study of Wirralin Cheshire is the forerunner of many that will be included on this website. Cheshire was chosen as an introductory simply because it is the author'shome domain. For those interested in their local surnames in Cheshire,Lancashire, Wales and the north west you will notice that some well knownsurnames of Cheshire are already beginning in the Domesday Book to appearamongst the landholders such as Cook, Venables, Hunter, Mallbank or Millbank,Vernon, Burcy, Massey and Brassey(ie).

The history of most north of England surnames are contained in ourcritically acclaimed massive database, the product of 25 years researchby many professional historians.

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