Richard FitzPons

Personal and Family Information

Richard was born about 1070, the son of Pons FitzPons but his mother is unknown. The place is not known.

He died about 1130. The place is not known.

His wife was Matilda FitzWalter. They were married, but the date and place have not been found. They had no known children.

Pedigree Chart (3 generations)

Events

Notes

Note 1

!Source: Richard FitzPons https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/FitzPons-15

Richard FitzPons

Born 1070 [location unknown]

Son of Pons Unknown and [mother unknown]

Brother of Hugh de Clifford, Walter FitzPons, Drogo FitzPons and Simon FitzPons

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Husband of Matilda FitzPons — married 1113 [location unknown]

Descendants descendants

Father of Roger FitzRichard, Bertha de Giffard, Simon FitzRichard and Walter de Clifford

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Died about 1130 at about age 60 in Englandmap

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FitzPons-15 created 26 Jun 2016 | Last modified 21 May 2024

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Biography

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Richard was the heir of Drogo fitz Pons , and from his name it seems almost certain that both had a father with the same unusual name Pons. In other words, it seems Richard and Drogo were brothers.

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Note:

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This person is not known to have used the surname 'Clifford.' His son Walter was the first person known to use that as a family name. Family names were still uncommon in France, including Normandy.

Richard Fitz Pons literally means Richard son of Pons. It would be very surprising if "fitz Pons" was a heritable surname this early.

There was no standard spelling so Pons, Ponz, Ponce are all possible. This was presumably the name of Richard's father. It is a relatively unusual name, Pontius in Latin.

The official language used in most documents was Latin. A typical Latin format for these names is used for Keats-Rohan's entry for him: "Ricardus filius Pontii".[1]

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A small number of charters are the key genealogical sources for Richard.

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Richard made grant of the church at Leach to Great Malvern Priory. This names two brothers, Simon fitz Pons and Osbern fitz Pons who witnessed the charter.[2]

A charter of Henry I dated to about 1126-7 confirms another grant to Malvern, this time of the church in Richard's castle at " Cantarabohan " . This names his wife Mathilda and his son and heir Simon.[2]

In about 1127 Richard exchanged land with his wife Maud . This was commented upon by the famous genealogist J.H. Round, who demonstrated using this charter that Maud was the daughter of Walter of Gloucester. Furthermore, the daughter of Richard and Maud married Elias de Giffard.[3] This charter once again names the two brothers Osbern and Symon fitz Pons as witnesses. It also gives two sons, Roger fitz Richard and his brother Walter.

Also about 1127, Richard granted Aston to his wife Maud. This charter named Richard's heir as Simon . Round also commented upon this one.[3] He commented: "The execution of this charter at Clifford implies that the family already resided there, though it has been supposed that Richard's son was the first to do so. Simon, Richard's heir apparent, sanctions the charter "in stradia," that is, probably, at Ystrad ."

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With his wife Maud of Gloucester we therefore know he had the following children:

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Simon

Roger

Walter

Bertha, who married Elias de Giffard

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Research notes

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There seems to be no reason to suggest that Richard was the heir of his apparent brother Walter, although this has been put forward by very well respected researchers such as Keats-Rohan.

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Concerning the relationship of Richard to the brothers Drogo fitz Pons and Walter fitz Pons, who were both landholders in the 1086 Domesday book, Round is apparently the source for both Sanders and Keats-Rohan. He remarked:

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Richard fitz Pons was the undoubted ancestor of the great house of Clifford. He was the heir, and presumed brother, of Drogo fitz Pons, who held Aston [" hestonia "] in 1086 as an under-tenant of the Bishop of Worcester. The absence, however, of his name in Domesday, and the facts of chronology, render it at least equally probable that he was a nephew, as that he was a brother, of Walter fitz Pons. In that case he, with his brothers Osbert and Simon, would be the sons of a younger Pons.

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Later researchers have followed Round to some extent. Sanders felt comfortable to say Richard was Drogo's brother.[4] Keats-Rohan says he was his nephew. Instead of proposing the existence of an unknown "Pons fitz Pons", like Round, she suggests that Richard is the son of Drogo and Walter's brother named Simon.[1]

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Round however only seemed to suggest the possibility of Richard being a nephew as a secondary and more complex option. It requires either an unknown father Pons the son of Pons, who also does not appear in Domesday, or else we must propose that "fitz Pons" was being used by him as a heritable family name.

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Round also seems to have made a mistake interpreting one of the relevant charters, which probably influenced Keats-Rohan. He states that the manor of Leach in Gloucestershire had been divided between Symon fitz Pons and Walter fitz Pons at Domesday, who Round describes as "presumed brothers" . In fact it was divided between Walter and Drogo.[5]

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What's more, the part which Walter held seems to have been the same as Southrop, which, along with all his other manors, seems to have gone to completely different heirs.[6]