Swaine (Alric) FitzAlaric (abt. 1095 - abt. 1130)

Born about 1095 in England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1130 at about age 35 in Silkstone, Yorkshire, England

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Biography

In 1086, when Domesday Book was made, Swein (Suuen) the son of Ailric was already lands in Yorkshire while his father Alric was still alive. Both of them were tenants of Ilbert de Lacy, a Frenchmen, but they were English and it seems at least Alric had been lord of some of Ilbert's lands before the invasion of 1066. There was also a Swein holding land already in 1066, which might be the same person (or a relative).^[1]Hugh Thomas however believes this is unlikely to be the same person, because the son of Alric lived into the time of Henry I.^[2]

The holdings of a Swein, possibly this one, in 1086:

• Open Domesday project: https://opendomesday.org/name/swein-son-of-alric/
• PASE project: https://domesday.pase.ac.uk/Domesday?op=5&personkey=54821

Farrer noted:^[3]

Swane son of Alric was dead in 1130, when Hervey de Vescy ("de Veceio") owed L10 for the wife of Suein son of Alric with her dower in Cumberland, and Adam son of the same Suein rendered account of 5 marks for his mother's dower in Yorkshire after her death, she being then alive.

Hugh Thomas wrote:^[2]

Between 1066 and 1086, Ailric's estate was markedly altered: he lost two holdings to the Count of Mortain, and six more to Ilbert de Lacy. On the other hand, he made significant gains, acquiring holdings from Ilbert by himself and four more in conjunction another native named Gamel. At the same time, he acquired another holding as a king's thegn. His son, Swain, was also bui up an estate. In 1086, Swain held two lands formerly in his father's possession and had acquired a third holding as well.

Ailric's losses to the Count of Mortain are easily explicable. When King William gave these lands to the count, Ailric obviously failed to win his favor. Conversely, Ailric's and Swain's acquisitions are most easily interpreted as signs of Ilbert de Lacy's favor. No fewer than nine different thegns had previously held these acquisitions, is unlikely that Ailric and Swain were heirs to all of them.

Older material for possible deletion

A portion of Wennington, Farleton and Tunstall, formed the estate of Swain fitz Alreic, together with other large estates in Cumberland and Yorkshire, presumably by grant from Henry I. He was a benefactor to the Priories of Pontefract and Nostel, and died before 1130, at which date his widow had been married to Hervey de Veceio [Pipe Rolls, 32 Henry I]. His son and heir was Adam Fitz Swain, who founded the Priory of monk-Bretton, and died before 1159 [Pipe Roll, 5 Henry II].

Swein inherited the above possessions from Ailric and made a donation to the monks of St. John the Evangelist of Pontefract of the church of Silkstone, together with the chapel (capella) of Cawthorne. The original grant of this church is set out below in a shorter version from the chartulary of Pontefract.

When Adam the son of Swein was in possession, the monks obtained from him an explanatory and confirmatory charter.

Hunter constantly puzzles us. His scholarship is superb but he constantly misses important issues or contradicts himself. In the same section, he says that there was no male issue from Adam fitz Swein -whom he never calls “de Bretton” - and says the male line dies with him. This is contradicted by Hunter himself when he states, In “South Yorkshire: The History and Topography of the Deanery of Doncaster Volume II, 1831 - under the heading ‘ The Priory of Mary Magdalene de Lunda : Volgo Burton Abbey’ that Adam’s sons and grandsons witness the deeds of Monk Bretton Priory, signed both at Bretton and in Cumberland. He names them as Alexander and Richard (who he says must be his sons-in-law - although the names of his sons in law were Adam and William - and Alan de Bretton, and his brothers Adam and Richard, who were in fact Adam Fitz Swein de Bretton’s grandsons.) He also confuses Bretton with Monk Bretton although Monk Bretton was clearly known in the 12th Century as “Britton

Swein de Bretton, son of Ulkile de Bretton (Ulfkettil in another record) is probably the same person. (Whilst these names would confirm a Saxon origin for the Brettons, Swein had a brother, Henry, which is a Norman name and at least 5 sons, Hugh, Robert, William, Henry and John.

Many ancestry trees have Swaine (or Swein) as the son of Alaric, born c1095 in Silkstone, Yorkshire, died c1130 in Silkstone. They all have variations of the same father, wife and children, which generally agree with this profile. However, this profile has his wife as Aubry Vescy, while most of the Ancestry trees have it as Mathilda Vesci.

Sources

1. ↑ K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, Domesday People, Alric, p.138 & Swein, p.424.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Hugh M. Thomas, "A Yorkshire Thegn and his Descendants after the Conquest", Medieval Prosopography, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Autumn 1987), pp. 1-22. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44947023
3. ↑ Farrer, Early Yorkshire Charters, vol. 3, p. 317.

See also:

• William Farrer, Lancaster Chirographs, or Feet of Fines, p. 57.
• Ancestry-Ivy. Swaine Fitz-Alaric, born 1095 in Yorkshire, England, died 1130 in Silkstone, Yorkshire, England. Son of Alaric of Silkstone. Husband of Mathilda De Vesci. Father of Adam. 1 source.
• Ancestry-HighPlainsDrifters. Sir Swaine Fitz Ailaric, Baron of Worsborough, born 1095 in Silkstone, Yorkshire. Died 1130 in Worsborough Manor, Silkstone. Son of Ailaric Fitz Swayn (1066-1095). Husband of Mathilda de Vesci (Vescy). Father of 8 listed children.
• Ancestry-Bryan. Swaine Fitzs Alaric, son of Alaric of Silkstone. Husband of Mathilda De Vesci. Father of Adam, Maud, Richard.
• Source: S17 Author: Brøderbund Software, Inc. Title: World Family Tree Vol. 3, Ed. 1 Publication: Name: Release date: February 9, 1996
• Source: S6 Title: cordell 20020723.FTW NOTESource Medium: Other CONT
• http://www.geni.com/people/Swaine-fitz-Alaric/6000000000804907035