MATHIEU DE LA FERTE-MACE.

Wace (l. 13707) designates this personage, "sire de la Ferte," who came to England at the conquest from La Ferte Mace in the arrondissement of Domfront, department of the Orne, in the Passais-Normand, in the contingent of Henri de Domfront. Turulph, a companion of Rollo, obtained in 912 the barony of La Ferte (Firmitas) near Evreux, now la Ferte-Fresnel. His grandson of the same name lived in the time of Richard I. Radulphus de la Ferte lived before 1000; William his son gave the forest of Notre Dame des Bois to St-Evroult abbey. Hugh de la Ferte is considered by Norman People and Cleveland as the personage referred to by Wace, but this is an error, as pointed out by Le Prevost, who establishes that Hugh II, seignior of Ferte-en-Bray, became a monk in the abbey of St-Ouen in Rouen before the conquest, without leaving issue. William de la Ferte, who with Turgis de Tracie were governors of Main in 1073, were perhaps of this family. A William de la Feritate held Weston and Stokes by barony from the conquest of England. A sire de Ferte Mace, probably either Mathieu or William, married a sister of Odo, bishop of Bayeux, and his son William is mentioned in a charter of an archbishop of Tours, temp. St-Louis, from which it may be assumed that William also was present at Senlac. Richard de la Ferte accompanied duke Robert of Normandy to Palestine in 1096. From this family descended the marquesses of Sligo, barons Kilmaine and viscounts Montague.

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