Ranulph le Meschin, 1st Earl of Chester
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| Ranulph "le Briquessart" le Meschin, Vicomte of Bayeux Vicomte d'Avranches |
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| Born | 1074 Briquessart, Livry, France |
| Died | January 1129 Cheshire, England |
| Office | Earl of Chester 1121-1129 |
| Preceded by | New Creation |
| Succeeded by | Ranulph de Gernon |
Ranulph le Meschin also known as Ranulph de Meschines III "le Briquessart" (1074-1129) was the 1st Anglo-Norman Earl of Chester in Cheshire.
After the Norman conquest of England and the subsequent subjection of the North (the Harrying of the North), Ranulph le Meschin received large grants, including the honour of Appleby and the city of Carlisle. Some have maintained that he was earl of Carlisle or of Cumberland, but this is probably an error. He succeeded his first cousin, Richard d'Avranches, in the earldom of Chester in 1121.
Ranulph also became the largest landholder in Lindsey through his marriage (c.1093) to a woman referred to as "Countess Lucy", (c.1079-1138), possibly the daughter of Turold, Sheriff of Lincoln, but more probably the granddaughter maternally of William Malet, lord of Graville. Her parentage, and marriages, have been much disputed.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
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| By Lucy | |||
| Sir Ranulph de Gernon | 1100 | 1153 | 2nd Earl of Chester. |
| Adelize/Alice de Gernon | 1102 | 1128) | m. Sir Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford in 1116. |
[edit] References
- Cyril Hurt, "William Malet and His Family," Anglo-Norman Studies XIX
- K. S. B. Keats-Rohan, "Antecessor Noster: The Parentage of Countess Lucy Made Plain", Prosopon, issue 2
