GUILLAUME DE PANTOUL.

Guillaume de Pantoul occurs in Domesday as baron of Wem, holding great estates in Shropshire, in which county he was one of the chief officers in the administration of the earldom of Shrewsbury, for Roger de Montgomery. He came to England at the Conquest and in 1077 made an expedition to the court of Robert Guiscard, duke of Salerno, "who received him with distinguished honours and tried to retain him in his service having offered him three towns if he would remain in Italy." William refused and returned to England, where he encountered considerable hostility from Mabel de Belesme, wife of earl Roger de Montgomery; she was afterwards murdered by Hugh d'Ige, a close friend of William, who was accused of implication in the deed, by the earl and his sons, who seized and confiscated his estates. Later he was acquitted of the charge and reinstated in all his possessions, after which he again journeyed to Apulia, from whence he returned with a tooth from St-Nicholas, which he bestowed on the monks of St-Evroult. He took arms against Robert de Belesme, third earl of Shrewsbury, who disinherited him, but going over to king Henry I, William was largely instrumental in crushing de Belesme at Bridgenorth, on which account he was given the custody of the castle of Stafford and his estates were restored to him. He was succeeded in England by his son Robert, from whom descended the barons of Wem, and his son Philip inherited his estates in Normandy. He was a great benefactor to the abbey of St-Evroult; and his name appears in Dugdale and is on the rolls of Holinshed, Worcester, and Dives.

--(This name appears on the Falaise Roll).