General Notes

RODULF (e) DE WARENNE derived his name from the hamlet of Varenne (dept. Seine-InfÈrieure) on the little river Varenne in Normandy. His parentage is unknown. He is said to have held land outside the walls of Rouen under Robert I, Duke of Normandy (died 1035), and the Cartulary of the abbey of the Holy Trinity on the Mont de Rouen proves that he held a considerable territory on both banks of the Seine upstream from Rouen. He also held land at Vascoeuil (dept. Eure), which he gave about 1053 to the abbey of St. Pierre de PrÈaux (b), and in the pays de Caux, north of Rouen, where he sold 4 churches with tithes to the Holy Trinity in 1059, and gave another church, also with tithes, in 1074. He married Beatrice, whose mother was almost certainly a sister of Gotmund Rufus DE VASCOEUIL, daughter of Tesselin, Vicomte of Rouen. She was living about 1053. [Complete Peerage XII/1:491-2, XIV:603, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]

(e) His christian name is Latinised both as Rodulfus and as Radulfus (Ralph), This confusion occurs in other families (eg. the founder of the "Tancarvilles") and is probably due to two somewhat similar names having been assimilated into one; eg. Ranulf (from Hrabenwulf) and Randolf (from Randwulf).  Scribes were then likely to change Rodulfus when copying early charters.

(b) Before May 1055 Rodulf sold to the monks land at Blosseville and Eauplet, on the right bank of the Seine, and Sotteville on the left bank.  Subsequently he sold them all his rights in Blosseville, Mesnil-Esnard, Neuvillette, Lescure and Eauplet.

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[From "The Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families"]

For this identification see Mr. Loyd's paper 'The Origin of the Family of Warenne' in Yorkshire Arch. Journal, vol. xxxi, pp. 97-113.  The hamlet of Varenne lies on the river Varenne c. 2 miles S of Arques and c. 13 miles N of Bellencombre.  The latter place, arr. Dieppe, cant. Bellencombre, where there was a castle, became the caput of the Warenne honour in Normandy.

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Curt Hofemann, curt_hofemann@@yahoo.com, provided the
following additional information on Rodulf, in a post-em:
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Rodulf (Ralph) I de Warenne

K.S.B. Keats-Rohan "Poppa of Bayeux and her Family":

1027-35: first occurrence of Ralph de Warenne in a charter for Saint-Amand [p22]

c1050: grant of land in Vascoeuil by Ralph de Warenne and wife Beatrice; charter mentions Ralph's brother Godfrey and was attested by Gotmund miles abbatis. Dateable to c1050 by a reference to Roger de Beaumont as Vicomte of Rouen [p22]

1050's: well known charters of early 1050s by which Ralph de Warenne and his wife Beatrice were associated with the lands of Roger fitz Bishop Hugh of Coutances and his sons. [p23]

Research note: K-R p22 contradicts CP (& Holloway & Wagner) by stating Rodulph/Ralph died before Beatrice.  Beatrice is listed as living 1053 (CP XII/1:492 & ES III:698) & dead before 1059 (CP XII/1:492, K-R p22, Moriarty p184, Wagner p46].  K-R states a grant "made by widow Beatrice" to Preaux of land near Dozule, Eure was "dated during the time of William son of Count Robert, suggesting that William had not yet begun the series of military achievements that enabled him to be detached from his father in such references, i.e. before c1054-60".  To do: check CP's source of the 1074 grant.  Also is the term "widow" K-R's or stated in the grant of the land near Dozule?... Curt

Regards,
Curt