Christiana (Unknown) FitzAlan (abt. 1115 - bef. 1155)

Born about 1115 in Gloucestershire, England

Wife of William FitzAlan — married about 1131 in Shropshire, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before 1155 before about age 40 in England

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Biography

Birth Year Estimation

It may be said with some confidence that Christiana was a kinswoman of Robert, Earl of Gloucester. Beyond that, little is known of her origins or birth year.

A birth year of 1118 appears for her without attribution in some genealogies. This is not out of line with a birth a few years earlier of her husband. It would, however, make her aged only 13 if her marriage occurred in 1131. While all of these dates are somewhat speculative, her birth year has been advanced to 1115, making her age at marriage a more reasonable 16.

Parentage

Christiana, neptis (niece or kinswoman) of Robert Earl of Gloucester ^[1]

1131 Marriage to William FitzAlan

According to Ordericus, William married first Christiana "niece of Robert Earl of Gloucester" (and so possibly an unidentified granddaughter of Henry I). I checked the Gesta Stephani (in its Oxford Medieval Texts edn.) and could find no reference to Christiana. It does however refer to William fitz Alan; an editorial note states that he married Christiana and refers to Orderic Vitalis ^[2]

Cawley writes more confidently, stating that William "married firstly Christiana, niece of Robert FitzRoy Earl of Gloucester, daughter of ---. ^[3] Cawley also cites Orderic Vitalis stating that it records that "William fitz Alan castellan and vicecomes of Shrewsbury" married "a niece of Robert Earl of Gloucester". ^[3].

Burke joins, stating that William married first Christian, possibly a niece of Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Goucester of the 1122 cr., illegitimate son of Henry I, ^[4]

No date has been attached to his first marriage. If, as noted above, William's birth occurred around 1110, and he married at age 21, his marriage year could be estimated as 1131. R. W. Eyton noted that William FitzAlan was known to have been still a youth in 1138 when he became involved in the Anarcy of Stephen's reign. ^[5] Making an 18 year old "youth" in 1138 raises questions about hi,s other activities in the time, notably donations to abbeys, suggesting that in 1138 it is more likely he was a married "youth" of 28.

William FitzAlan was the son of Alan FitzFlaald and his [second] wife Adeline [Aveline] d'Hesdin who died in 1160. ^[3] .

William FitzAlan was the son of Alan FitzFlaad, who died 1114, and Aveline de Hesdin, who died about 1126. ^[6]

William Fitz Alan was married to Christiana at that unspecified time he "donated the fishery of Upton-upon-Severn to Haughmond abbey by undated charter, witnessed by "Walter his brother, Christiana his wife…"[68]. ^[3]

1138 William's Rebellion Against Stephen

He was Sheriff of Shropshire in 1138 and in [1155/56]. The 1156 Pipe Roll records "Wills fili Alani. Redd Comp." in Shropshire. ^[3]

William's marriage to a kinswoman of Robert, Earl of Gloucester, is a likely reason for William Fitz Alan's staunch support for the Earl of Gloucester and the Empress Maud in their rebellion against King Stephen. ^[7]

Orderic refers to William during his discussion of the rebellion against Stephen led by Robert of Gloucester and David of Scotland in 1138. ^[7]

He was the Sheriff of Salop and Castellan of Shrewsbury 1138; ^[4]

Orderic says that William fitz Alan, the castellan and sheriff of Shrewsbury, was married to a niece/kinswoman of Robert, earl of Gloucester (neptem Rodberti comitis Gloucestræ). William was one of Robert's party, rebelled against Stephen, and held Shrewsbury against him for a month. ^[7]

The Gesta Stephani Regis names "Willelmus filius Alani" among the supporters of Empress Matilda in the English civil war. ^[3]

He was besieged in Shrewsbury Castle by King Stephen as an adherent of the Empress Maud ^[4]

William fled in August and the king took the castle by assault. William's [maternal] uncle Arnulf de Hesdin refused to submit to Stephen, insulted the king, and was executed with 93 others when the town was finally taken. [IIRC, the aftermath of this siege is the setting for one of Ellis Peter's early Brother Cadfael stories.] ^[7]

The editor's note to this episode in Orderic names William's wife as Christina and says that she 'may have been' Robert's niece, but points out that 'neptis' was sometimes used more loosely to mean kinswoman. The note references the Eyton material already referred to, Sanders, and the VCH for Shropshire. [Ref: Suzanne Doig 25 Oct. 2000 msg to SMG, subject: Re: Seize Quartiers all descended from Beauclerc] ^[7]

In his section on Upton Magna in his Antiquities, vol. VII, p. 233, "Ordericus is much more full.---'William fitz Alan, Castellan (Municeps) and Vicecomes of Scrobesbury, who had in marriage a niece of Robert Earl of Gloucester [Ref: Kay Allen 2 Nov. 2000 msg to SGM, subject: Re: Seize Quartiers all descended from Beauclerc] ^[7]

Note that Henry I 'Beauclerc', father of Robert of Gloucester had children by 10+ women, so even if Christiana was a niece & not just "kinswoman" of Robert, the odds of guessing correctly (without documentary proof) who her parents were are fairly slim.^[7]

Before 1153 Death

Christiana was dead by the time her husband married his second wife, Isabel....daughter and heir of Ingram de Say, feudal Lord of Clun, Salop ^[4] Isabel survived William, and subsequently married Geoffrey de Vere, and William Boterel [II] of Cornwall. Cawley notes that the primary source which confirms Isabel's second and third marriages has not yet been identified. ^[3]

William's lands had not yet been restored to him at the time of Christiana's death, this occurring only by the time of Henry II in 1155 and at which time William also set about recovering the Barony of Oswestry, which by then was in Welsh hands; ^[4]

Issue

Ordericus mentions children, however, it is likely he had no surviving male issue by this marriage as his heirs would be his sons by his second marriage. He did have one daughter who was likely born of this marriage - Christiana Fitz Alan who married Hugh Pantulf, 4th Baron of Wem. ^[8]

Cawley ^[3] specifies that William fitz Alan had three children, the first by his first wife Christiana, the second probably by Christiana, given her name, and the third by his second wife Isabel.

1. Alan died during the lifetime of his parents, i.e., before his father's death in 1160 and before his mother's death earlier. He was buried at Haughmond Abbey. "William Fitz Alan with his wife Dame Christiana" donated land at Hales to Haughmond abbey, for the soul of "their son Alan…[buried] there", by undated charter[70]. ^[3]
2. Christiana. Her parentage and marriage are confirmed by reading several documents together: firstly, under a charter dated [3 Mar/24 Jun] 1170, Henry II King of England authorised deduction from the FitzAlan estates of revenue from the manor of Badminton "which the king had assigned as the marriage portion of William fitz Alan’s daughter"; secondly, Hugh Pantulf donated his rights in the church of Badminton to Lilleshall abbey by charter dated to [1215/18]; thirdly, Hugh Pantulf names his wife "Christiana" in a donation to Shrewsbury abbey[71]. It is assumed that Christiana was William’s daughter by his first marriage because of her name, but this is not beyond all doubt. m (before [3 Mar/24 Jun] 1170) HUGH Pantulf of Wem, son of IVO Pantulf & his [first wife ---] (-before 28 Dec 1224). ^[3] He had a daughter Christian, who married Hugh Pantulf. ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Some corrections and additions to the Complete Peerage. FitzAlan (of Oswestry) Volume 5, page 391. Research of Darlene Athey Hill, 24 October 2015
2. ↑ Orderic Vitalis, Lib XIII cap 37, cited by Darlene Athey Hill, 24 October 2015
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9} Charles Cawley. Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Medieval Lands Database. [William FitzAlan, Accessed December 6, 2017. jhd
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5} Burke's Peerage writes: William FitzAlan; feudal Baron of Oswestry, Sheriff Salop and Castellan of Shrewsbury 1138; besieged there as an adherent of the Empress Maud by King Stephen; restored to his lands by Henry II 1155 and set about recovering the Barony of Oswestry, by now in Welsh hands; founder of Haughmond Abbey; m. 1st Christian, possibly a niece of Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Goucester of the 1122 cr., illegitimate son of Henry I, and had a daughter (Christian, m Hugh Pantulf); m 2nd Isabel....daughter and heir of Ingram de Say, feudal Lord of Clun, Salop and d. 1160.
5. ↑ The Monasteries of Shropshire: their origin and founders, p. 146 Haughmond Abbey Cited in Wikipedia, Haughmond Abbey Accessed December 6, 2017 jhd
6. ↑ Marlyn Lewis. Our Royal Titled Noble and Commoner Ancestors. William FitzAlan. Last Edited 20 Sep 1998. Citing Gerald Paget. The Lineage and Ancestry of H.R.H. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, by Gerald Paget, Vol. I, p. 211. Accessed December 6, 2017. jhd
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6} Research of Darlene Athey Hill, 24 October 2015
8. ↑ Joe Cochoit 16 Apr 2002 msg to SGM, cited by Darlene Athey Hill

• Phillips, Weber, Kirk & Staggs Families of the Pacific Northwest, on rootsweb
• http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLAND,%20Kings%201066-1603.htm#ChristianaMWilliamFitzAlan