Ribald of Middleham

was the husband of Beatrix, daughter of IVO DE TAILLEBOIS. Because the mother of WILLIAM MEDECALFE DE DENT was a 'Lady out of the House de Taillebois', both were his ancestors as well as of JANE METCALFE and DAVID WALKER.
After the Norman Conquest, in 1069, the land around Middleham was given to Alan Rufus, a cousin of William the Conqueror. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 Middleham had been granted to his brother, Ribald. Rufus built a wooden motte-and-bailey castle, 500 yards to the south-west of where the present castle stands, on a site known as William's Hill. It was built to guard Coverdale and to protect the road from Richmond to Skipton. Alan Rufus was also the builder of nearby Richmond Castle. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 Middleham had been granted to Alan Rufus’s (half-)brother RIBALD. This early castle was abandoned in the 12th century when a new castle was built centered around a massive stone keep. The construction of the present castle began around 1170 by Ribald's grandson, Robert fitzRandolph when he built the keep and original bailey. The Nevilles, descendants of MALDRED DE MIDDLETON's eldest son, Robert married to Isabell Neville, acquired the place through marriage with a female descendant of Ribald in the 13th century.

RIBALD OF MIDDLEHAM held 30 Lordships in Yorkshire and Norfolk in 1086: in Yorkshire Allerthorpe [Hall], [Castle] Bolton, [East] Hauxwell, [Low] Swainby, Middleham, Redmire, Spennithorne, Thornton [Watlass], [West] Scrafton, and many more in Norfolk.

About 1121 Ribald made a gift to St. Mary's, York, for the souls of his brother count Alan and his own wife Beatrice, who may have died before 1112, with the consent of his son and heir Ralph Taillebois [EYC 5, no. 358].

He gave the church of Upton and Spalding priory, both Lincolnshire for the souls of king William, count Alan, Ivo (probably Taillebois) and himself [R.E.G. Kirk, Genealogist, n.s., 5:67 (1888)]. He had lived the final years of his life as a monk in Benedictine habits and had died latest by 1130, when his son, Ralph fitzRibald succeeded him ["Pipe Roll 31 Henry I", 1929, p.27].

Four generations later the family line ended, but not before the daughters of the family had married into the Percy and Bigod families.

Ribald was a (half-) brother of Bodin of Bedale, Bardolf of Ravensworth and 'Alan Rufus' (c. 1040-1093), 1st Lord of Richmond, who was a companion of William the Conqueror (Duke William II of Normandy) during the Norman Conquest of England. All were sons of Odo of Rennes also known as COUNT EUDES DE PENTHIÈVRE, but had different mothers.

EUDES DE PENTHIÈVRE (picture) was the youngest of the three sons of DUKE GEOFFREY I OF BRITTANY and HAWISE OF NORMANDY, daughter of Richard I. of Normandy.

When Eudes' father Duke Geoffrey I died on 20 November 1008, both Eudes and his older brother Alan were minors.

Duke Geoffrey had initiated a dynastic double marriage with Richard II, Duke of Normandy by marrying Hawise of Normandy, one of Richard's sisters, in 996; this was followed by the marriage of Geoffrey's sister Judith of Brittany to Richard around the year 1000.
So Eudes was - thus double - first cousin of Duke Richard II's children, including Richard III, Duke of Normandy and Robert I, Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror's father), nephew of Emma of Normandy, and first cousins of Emma's children Harthacnut, Goda of England, Gunhilda of Denmark and Alfred Aetheling and Edward the Confessor, who was a younger brother of ÆLFGIFU, PRINCESS OF WESSEX, grandmother of MALDRED OF WINLATON.

At Geoffrey's death, Alan became de jure Duke, as Alan III, Duke of Brittany, Hawise took on the role of Regent, and Richard asserted the role of Guardian of Brittany, an arrangement reciprocated on the death of Robert I, Duke of Normandy in 1035.

Also in 1035, after a dispute between Eudes and Duke Alan III, their uncle Judicaël Bishop of Vannes arbitrated, and Alan III gave Eudes the bishoprics of Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Malo, Tréguier and Dol-de-Bretagne, as well as the counties and baronies of Penthièvre, Goëlo, Avaugour and Lamballe. Eudes placed his capital at Lamballe, where he began issuing coins in his own name.

Following the death of his brother Duke Alan III in 1040, Eudes ruled as regent of Brittany in the name of his nephew Conan II, holding Conan in custody. Conan was freed by his supporters in 1047. Eudes' regency should have ended, when Conan reached his majority (circa 1054), but Eudes refused to relinquish control of the Duchy.

In pursuit of his own wider ambitions, Conan was fighting Geoffrey III, Count of Anjou. Since Geoffrey was also an enemy of Duke William of Normandy, the latter weighed in on Conan's side. In February 1054, as an enemy of Conan's, Eudes fought on the side of King Henry I of France at the Battle of Mortemer against William, but William won. Undaunted, Eudes maintained his alliance with Anjou.

In a charter dated to 1056/1060, Eudes granted land "in pago Belvacensi" (Beauvais, Picardy) to the Abbey of Angers Saint-Aubin (q.v. Albinus of Angers). Witnesses included his wife Orguen and their sons Gausfridus, Alanus Rufus, Willelmus, Rotbertus and Ricardus (Geoffrey, Alan Rufus, William, Robert and Richard).

By 1056 Conan gained the upper hand in Brittany, and in 1057 he captured his uncle Eudes and chained him in a prison cell. Eudes' eldest son Geoffrey Boterel continued to fight.

In 1062, peace was concluded between Conan and Geoffrey. Eudes, who was now free, continued the fight alone.

In histories favourable to the house of Penthièvre, Eudes is shown as effectively ruling Brittany between 1040 and 1062. In other histories his rule is shown as ending with his capture in 1057.

Conan was a legitimate contender for the title of Duke of Normandy, so he became a serious rival to Duke William.

In 1064, Eudes' liegeman Rivallon I of Dol invited Duke William to join him against Conan, thus initiating the Breton-Norman War of 1064-1065 in which Normandy, Anjou, Dol de Bretagne and the captive Harold Godwinson combined against Conan II, as depicted in three panels of the Bayeux Tapestry. Historians differ on whether William or Conan should be considered the victor in this conflict.

Eudes provided, trained and equipped 5000 Breton soldiers for William the Conqueror's army. Of these, 4000 were professionals, comprising light cavalry, heavy cavalry, archers, crossbowmen and axemen; he also trained 1000 levied (conscripted) spearmen. Eudes put these troops on 100 ships under the command of his sons Count Alan Rufus and Count Brian, and they sailed from Brittany to join the Norman forces gathering at Barfleur then on to William's staging point at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, in readiness to cross the Channel.

Despite his advanced years, Eudes was involved in the failed 1075/1076 rebellion against Hoel II, Regent of Brittany, by Geoffrey Grenonat of Rennes and Ralph de Gael (fresh from his 1075 rebellion against King William). Hoel II was supported by King William, briefly placing Eudes and William on opposing sides once again, a situation that was soon resolved when, to William's disappointment, Hoel came to terms with the rebels.

On 7 January 1079, at about 80 years of age, Eudes died in Cesson-Sévigné, an eastern suburb of Rennes. He was buried in Saint-Brieuc Cathedral (picture).

In his memory, “Comes Alanus Rufus” (Count Alan Rufus), his second son, donated property to Swavesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire, for the soul of “patris sui Eudonis comitis” (his father Count Eudes), by an undated charter witnessed by “…Ribaldus et Bardulfus fratres comitis…” (Ribald and Bardulf, brothers of Count Alan).

RIBALD DE MIDDLEHAM was married to BEATRIX DE TAILLEBOIS, eldest daughter of Ivo the Taillebois and had children. A mid-15th century manuscript lists "Radulphum, Heruey … dictum Tailbois, Raynaldum … dictum Taylboys, Willelmum … dictum Tailbois" as the sons of "Ribaldus frater comitis" and his wife "Beatrix uxor Ribaldi". 

RALPH (Radulphum) fitz RIBALD succeeded his father by 1130 [Pipe Roll 31 Henry I, 1929, p.27].

He was married to Agatha 'de BRUS', daughter of Robert de Brus II. and Euphemia de Crosebi (Crosbj) of Aumale. [1145-1154] "Hoc est maritagium quod Robertus de Brus dedit Agathe filie sue in liberali maritagio quando eam Radulfo Ribaldi filio dedit, videlicet Ailewic in Hertenes ...", which states that Robert de Brus gave to Agatha, his daughter, when he gave her in marriage to Ralph son of Ribald, the manor of Elwick in Hartness (co. Durham).

Because Ralph occasionally used the name 'Taillebois', WILLIAM FILS MALDRED was perhaps married  to one of his and Agatha's possible daughters, but it cannot be verified for sure though, because none of Ralph's descendants used it later on. His family settled on eventually the surname 'Fitz Randolph' in the end.

Ralph fitz Ribald held 15 knights' fees of the honour. He occurs among the principal tenants of count Stephen in Yorkshire at Michaelmas 1130 and about the same time witnessed the charter of count Stephen to Roald the constable. He witnessed charters of earl Alan, 1136-45 and charters of earl Conan, post 1156, 1159-71, and 1163-4. In 1159 he made a payment of 5 marks in Norfolk and Suffolk. In 1162 he paid half a mark for scrutage in Norfolk and Suffolk in 1165 he rendered account of 50 marks in Yorkshire and in 1168 half a mark in Norfolk and Suffolk for the aid for the marriage of the king's daughter. "At first sight it seems doubtful whether all these references relate to the same man but the cumulative evidence does not support any alternative suggestion."