Basset, Ralph (Justiciary of England)

Origin

The exact origin of Ralph is unknown. He was not very noble, the Orderik Vitaly calls him among those whom Henry I exalted "from the dust." William Reedy, in the introduction to the publication of the Basset charter, indicates that the generic name comes from the old French word basset , which means low growth ^[4] . Warder Vitali, describing the campaign conducted by Geoffrey V Plantagenet in 1136 in Normandy , indicates that he attacked the "Castle of Mosterolo", adding that it belonged to Ralph Basset. This castle is identified with in Normandy near Donfron in the modern French department of Orne . Not far from it was the , in which there was a monk Warderik and whom Ralph patronized. In 1086, the Doomsday Book indicated a certain Ralph Bassett ^[5] who kept the manors in Buckinghamshire and Tiskot in Hertfordshire from . Basset could have been associated with Robert d'Uilly and in Normandy, because he may have arrived in England from Willy-le-Basset ^{[3] [6] [7]} .

If Ralph Bassett mentioned in the Doomsday Book was not the same person with the Justiciary Ralph Bassett, then it is possible that he could be his father ^[8] . In the Doomsday Book, two more Bassets are mentioned - William ^[9] and Richard ^[10] , but it is not known what kindred relationship they had with Ralph ^[2] . Justiciary himself owned lands in Montreux, which in 1150 amounted to 2 English manors, as well as in and ^[4] .

Royal Justiciary

Since Bassett came from Montreuil, it is possible that he attracted the attention of the future King Henry I, when during the reign of his elder brother William II the Red (1087–1100), he was Earl of Domforon in Normandy ^[6] . For the first time in documents, his name appears in 1101 or 1102, when he, as a witness, endorsed one of the royal charters. In 1106, Henry I appointed him to the Judicial Commission, which was to consider a complaint against Osbert, the . Around 1110, Bassett was appointed to the commission, which was to establish royal rights in Winchester - the city that was missed when they compiled the Doomsday Book. In the same or next year, he attended a meeting of the royal court in the “Winchester’s treasury” (possibly at a meeting of the Treasury court), when a lawsuit was heard regarding ^{[3] [8]} . Later, he continued to take part in financial affairs and can be considered the early ^[11] . In 1113, he made a donation to the Abbey of Saint Evrul in Normandy ^[2] .

Between 1110 and 1127, Bassett was one of the most important judges of Henry I. The chronicler Heinrich Huntingdon calls him “the Justiciary of all England”, which indicates the geographical scope of his power, which distinguishes him from those Justiciar who acted on behalf of the king only in specific area. The duties of the royal justiciary included visiting various places in order to administer royal justice ^[3] . Bassett was first mentioned as Justiciary in 1116, when he exercised royal justice in Huntingdonshire. ^[12] This is reported by Orderik Vitaliy, indicating that Ralph was conducting a trial on a man named Brikstan, accused of hiding treasures. Another case reported by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle : by the order of Basset in Leicestershire in 1124, 44 thieves were hanged ^{[3] [13]} . It is possible that this decision was connected with the uprising of 1124 Galeran IV de Beaumont, Count de Melan ^[14] .

The 1130 Treasury Scroll reports that Bassett performed judicial functions in 11 different counties, including Yorkshire , Norfolk , Suffolk , Middlesex , Surrey and Devon , although he was already dead by this time ^{[3] [12]} . He was also a member of the informal regency council, helping the wife and son of Henry I to rule the kingdom when the king was absent from England ^[15] .

Apparently, Bassett spent most of his life in the service of Henry I in England, since his signature is only on one royal charter drawn up in Normandy. At the same time, he assured a number of charters drawn up at royal residences in Woodstock , Westminster and Winchester ^[3] . According to William Reedy, “there is more evidence that Ralph served the king of England” than about any other royal servant who would not be a priest ^[16] . At the same time, Reedy doubts that Bassett was the main Justiciary ^[17] .

For his service, Bassett received a number of manors from the king, although most probably he kept as a tenant. The most important of these was Manor, owned by in 1086 ^[3] .

Death and inheritance

Ralph was mortally ill in Northampton . Sensing the approach of death, he tonsured the monks of Abingdon Abbey. The exact year of his death is not mentioned in the documents, most likely it happened in 1127. He was definitely dead in 1130 ^[3] .

Ralph knows 4 sons. The eldest of them, Richard , was also an Justiciary during the reign of Henry I. 2 sons, Nicholas and Turstan, owned lands in . Another son, Ralph, became a clergyman. ^[3] Later, the genus founded by him was divided into several branches, of which by the end of the 13th century 3 Baron clans were formed: the Basset from the in Northamptonshire, the Basset from in Leicestershire and the Basset from in Staffordshire ^{[7] ]} .

The name of Ralph’s wife has not been preserved, it is only known that it began with the letter “A”. She died no earlier than 1120. He knows 4 sons ^{[3] [7]} :

• Richard Bassett (d. 1144), Justiciary of England ^{[3] [7]} ;
• Nicholas Bassett (d. 1166), owned land in Wallingford ^{[3] [7]} ;
• Turstan Basset (I) (d. After 1166), owned land in Wallingford, the founder of the Basset branch from ( Berkshire ) ^{[3] [7]} ;
• Ralph Bassett , Priest ^[3] .

Ralph also had several daughters, but their names are unknown ^[3] .

Comments

Sources

• Green JA Basset, Ralph (d. 1127?) // Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
• Round JH Basset, Ralph (d.1127?) // Dictionary of National Biography / Edited by Leslie Stephen. - London: Elder Smith & Co. - Vol. III. Baker - Beadon. - P. 385.
• Crouch D. The Beaumont Twins: The Roots and Branches of Power in the Twelfth Century . - Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986.- 242 p. - ISBN 9780521302159 .
• Hollister CW Henry I / Edited Frost AC. - New Haven, London: Yale University Press, 2003 .-- 588 p. - (The English Monarchs Series). - ISBN 978-0-300-09829-7 .
• Loyd LC The Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families. - Reprint ed .. - Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1975. - ISBN 0-8063-0649-1 .
• Newman CA The Anglo-Norman Nobility in the Reign of Henry I: The Second Generation. - Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988 .-- ISBN 0-8122-8138-1 .
• Reedy WT Basset Charters c. 1120 to 1250. - London, 1995. - (Pipe Roll Society NS Vol. L). - ISBN 9780901134127 .
• Reedy WT The First Two Bassetts of Weldon, Part One // Northamptonshire Past and Present. - 969-1970. - No. 4 . - P. 241-245.

• BASSET (English) . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Date of treatment August 4, 2019.