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People of 1066AD - Walter Giffard

⚔️ Walter Giffard — Normandy Holdings (1066)

Walter Giffard (d. 1084), Lord of Longueville, feudal baron, companion of William the Conqueror. Son of Osbern de Bolbec and Avelina de Crépon (sister of Duchess Gunnor). One of the few proven companions at Hastings.¹

️ 1. Lordship of Longueville — core honour

Seigneurie de Longueville-sur-Scie

Location: Longueville-sur-Scie, Seine-Maritime, Normandy. Strategic lordship in eastern Normandy.²
Inheritance: Son of Osbern de Bolbec, Lord of Longueville, and Avelina de Crépon. Succeeded his father as Lord of Longueville.³
Kinship: Nephew of Duchess Gunnor, thus kinsman of Duke William.⁴

2. Castle of Longueville

Longueville Castle: Principal fortress of the lordship. Walter held and administered this castle as his Norman seat.²

⚔️ 3. Military service — Normandy

Battle of Mortemer (1054): Walter, together with Robert, Count of Eu, defeated the French army of Count Odo and Count Renaud camped at Mortemer. The French were surprised while drunk and asleep; most were killed or captured. This victory secured Normandy's eastern frontier.⁵
Siege of Arques (1054): Walter led the resistance of the castle of Arques against the siege of William of Talou, who had rebelled against Duke William.⁶

️ 4. Spanish expedition — Reconquista

Barbastro (c.1064–1065): Walter participated in the Reconquista in Spain, earning the epithet 'de Barbastre' at the Siege of Barbastro, a campaign sanctioned by Pope Alexander II against the Moors. He returned to Normandy with a gift from a Spanish king for Duke William — a magnificent war horse, which William rode at the Battle of Hastings.⁷

Santiago de Compostela: Walter made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela following the siege of Barbastro before returning to Normandy.⁸

⛵ 5. Contribution to the Conquest

Council of Lillebonne (1066): Walter was one of six key magnates consulted by Duke William. All agreed to the invasion plan.⁹
Ships and knights: Provided 30 ships and 100 knights for the invasion fleet.¹⁰
Standard-bearer: Offered the honour of carrying William's standard at Hastings, but respectfully declined, wishing to have both hands free to fight.¹¹

6. Succession — Norman estates

Walter Giffard, 1st Earl of Buckingham: Succeeded by his son, Walter Giffard II, who was later created Earl of Buckingham.¹²

REFERENCES
1. Complete Peerage, vol. II, p. 386.
2. French Wikipedia: 'Walter Giffard, seigneur de Longueville'.
3. Keats-Rohan, K.S.B. Domesday People (1999), p. 456.
4. Schwennicke, D. Europäische Stammtafeln, III/4, Tafel 695.
5. Neveux, F. A Brief History of the Normans (2008), p. 127.
6. Douglas, D.C. William the Conqueror (1964), p. 388.
7. Archer, T.A. 'Giffard of Barbastre', EHR 18 (1903), p. 304.
8. Lomax, D.W. 'The First English Pilgrims', Studies in Medieval History (1985), p. 166.
9. Van Houts, E. 'The Ship List', ANS X (1988), p. 161.
10. Ship List, Appendix 4.
11. Freeman, E.A. Norman Conquest, vol. III, p. 465.
12. Complete Peerage, vol. II, p. 387.

⏺️ FOOTNOTES: English estates (107 lordships, barony of Long Crendon) excluded. Walter's Norman holdings: Longueville lordship and castle, participation in Mortemer and Arques, Barbastro expedition.