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).