GUILLAUME DE ROUMARE.
Lincoln Castle,
Lincolnshire
Photo © Richard Croft, August 2005
The exact identity of the "E Dam Willame de Romare" of Wace (l. 13553)
is uncertain. It has been stated that he should have chronicled Roger, the son
of Gerold de Roumare, as affirmed by Le Prevost, but Roger was living and lord
of Spalding in 1100, at which period he was young and newly married to Lucia,
daughter of Ivo Taillebois. He died some time previous to 1110 for by that time
Lucia had become the wife of Ranulph le Meschin, earl of Chester. William would
therefore not have been born at the time of the Conquest. Peter de Blois claims
that Roger Fitz Gerald had an elder brother named William, which, if true, and
assuming that he died unmarried before the compilation of Domesday, no trace
would be left of him, so he could well have been this companion of the Conqueror.
However, there is nothing to show that Robert de Roumare, elder brother of Roger,
could not have been at Senlac. About 1065 duke William confided the frontier
fortress of Neufmarche-en-Lions to Gerold and Hugh de Grantemesnil. a Gerold
made a donation to the abbey of St-Amand of the church of Roumare for the redemption
of his soul and that of his wife Albreda, then deceased, with the consent of
his son and heir Robert, and the attestation of Ralph, brother of Gerold. He
had another wife Helisenda but whether she was the mother of Roger or any other
children he may have had is not known. This Robert Fitz Gerold is written in
Domesday, in Dorsetshire, Somersetshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Berkshire. --(This name appears on the Falaise Roll).
William de Romare (born c. 1096) (also Roumare or Romayre or Romay), Earl of Lincoln, Baron of Kendall, Lord of Bolingbroke.He was the son of Roger FitzGerald (de Roumare), 1st Baron of Kendall, Lord of Bolingbroke and Lucy de Taillebois (granddaughter of the Earl of Marcia and Ælfgifu Princess of England, daughter of King Ethelred II of England). He followed his father as Lord of Bolingbroke, Lincolnshire. In Normandy, he was Seigneur (Lord) of Roumare. He was created Earl of Lincoln by King Stephen after 1143. The Earl lived at both Bolingbroke and Lincoln Castle. He was the ducal constable of the fortress of Neufmarche, stoutly resisting Hugh de Gournay, then in rebellion there, in 1118 in Normandy.
William married Hadewise de Redvers, sister of Baldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon and had the following children:
William de Roumare (c. 1151)
Hawyse de Roumare (b. c. 1117?), married Gilbert de Gant, Earl of Lincoln.
Rohese de Roumare, married Roger FitzReinfride (1114 – 1198).
The direct descendants of William de Roumare can still be found, under variations of the surname : Romare, Romayre and Romay.