UNKNOWN Hélisende

Bef 0995 - Abt 1060  (> 65 years)

• Name	UNKNOWN Hélisende
  Birth	Bef 0995	St Jean d'Abbetot, le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France
  Gender	Female
  Death	Abt 1060	Tancarville, Le Havre, Seine-Inferieure, Normandie, France
  Notes	Hélisende m. bef. c. 1008 Lord Geraldus II de la Ville Tancrède* Children: Baron Raoul I FitzGerald le Chamberlain de la Ville Tancrède* Aumary (Almericus) d'Abitot Gerold (Tancarville*) de Roumare *The name of Tancarville does not appear until the early twelfth century, first shown in a charter for Henry I in 1103 for Hélisende's grandson, Earl William de Tancarville. The COUNTS of TANCARVILLE: by J.R. Planché No identification of this noble Norman has yet been made by any of the commentators on the "Roman de Rou," in which alone we find such a personage included in the list of the followers of the Duke of Normandy. Mr. Taylor says, "M. le Prévost rather inconclusively observes that Ralph, William's guardian, was too old and his children too young to be engaged," and adds, "Ralph's age is hardly itself a competent contradiction to Wace's statement; for his charter giving the Church of Mireville to Jumièges shows that he was living in 1079. William, his son and successor as Chamberlain, so appears in 1082." I certainly do not share the opinion of Le Prévost, and am at a loss to know where he found that Ralph, the Chamberlain of Tancarville, was guardian to Duke William. I have just mentioned this Ralph as the supposed brother of Gerold de Roumare and uncle of the William de Roumare I believe to have been at Hastings. Ralph was hereditary chamberlain of Normandy; but which of his family had first exercised that office is at present unknown. The small Church of St. George, in the village of that name in the forest of Roumare, first endowed by Duke William, was subsequently rebuilt by Ralph, who is styled by the Duke in his charter of confirmation, “Meus magister Aulaque et Camera mea princeps.” (“My major-domo or master of the household and first chamberlain.”) Ralph also had the church re-decorated, and confirmed the grant which his father, Geraldus, and his brothers had given to St. George. A brother of Ralph, named Giraldus, was also an officer of William's household; and it was "Coram Giraldo Dapifer meo" that William, while yet Duke of the Normans, ratified a convention between Hugh de Pavilly and the Canons of St. George, the witnesses being the same Giraldus and Robert his son. Now we have here two Gerolds, one who simply styles himself "a soldier of Christ," and the other the Dapifer (steward or seneschal) of William, King of the English. We also find one of these Gerolds rejoicing in two wives, named Albreda and Emicia, and who has a son, Robert, by the first. The other Gerold had a wife named Helisendis. Whether they were both Gerolds of Roumare; how they were connected; which was the father of Roger de Roumare, and which of Ralph the Chamberlain, has yet to be distinctly proved. The names of Gerald, Robert, Ralph, and William were much too common at that period to be of themselves sufficient identification; but that the chamberlain of Tancarville or Tankerville mentioned by Wace was Ralph, the son of Gerold and father of William the Chamberlain, I think cannot reasonably be doubted. Sources ↑ Colonial England, 1066-1215, by J. C. Holt, p. 228 Histoire du château et des sires de Tancarville" by Achille Deville, N. Périaux, 1834 The Counts of TANCARVILLE: by J.R. Planché WASHBURN FAMILY FOUNDATIONS in Normandy, England and America, by Mabel Thacher Rosemary Washburn ... WASHBURN FAMILY FOUNDATIONS The Battle Abbey Roll with Some Accounts of the Norman Lineages, by Duchess of Cleveland, publ. 1889 by John Murray, London, England. Battle Abbey Roll Urso d’Abitot – Sheriff of Worcestershire, by Eric Smith Redmarley D’Abitot Chester Southworth Washburn & Family - Rev. Daniel Washburn Jones
  Person ID	I60180	Freeman-Smith
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026

  
  

  Family	TANCARVILLE Geraldus,   b. Abt 0990, Tancarville, Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France d. Aft 1066, Tancarville, Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France (Age > 77 years)
  Marriage	Bef 1008	St Jean d'Abbetot, le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France
  Children	1. TANCARVILLE Almericus,   b. Abt 1015, Tancarville, Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France d. Aft 1066, Saint-Jean-d'Abbetot, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France (Age > 52 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F26710	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026