General Notes

[Joanne's Tree.1 GED.GED]

2  SOUR S332582
3  DATA
4  TEXT Date of Import: 14 Jan 2004


[daveanthes.FTW]

The Gournays are ancestors of people usually found today with the name in the form Gurney.  The name is derived from Gournay-en-Brai, a fortified town in the Neufchatel district of the Dept. of Seine Inferieure in France.  The notable medieval family of de Gournay had a family tradition that they were descended from Eudes, one of the senior henchmen (or possibly relation) of Rollo, the Viking chieftan who was successful in settling his followers in what became Normandy; and in persuading the French King, Charles the Simple, to allow them to stay, in a settlement of 911.  In the following year, Rollo is said to have assigned the territory of Le Brai, containing the town of Gournay, to Eudes.  A son of Eudes, Hugh, is said to have suceeded as Lord of Gournay and to have built its fortifications, which are certainly of very early date.

There are no written records that can be dated before the 990s.  It is therefore with Renaud (ie, Reginald), possibly a son of Hugh I, and his wife Alberarda, that the Gournay pedigree begins; and they are known to us because it is in a foundation deed of the Priory of La Ferte-en-Brai dating from between 989 and 996 that they are named as the parentss of Gautier (i.e., Walter) de Ferte, the actual founder.  But it is with Gautier's elder brother Hugh I, also named in the deed, and commending his brother's action, who succeeded Renaud as Lord of the main property, Gournay.

Gautier's line ended with his gradson, another Hugh, but named de la Ferte, who died as a monk; and the la Ferte estate reverted to the senior line. The books Record of the House of Gournay pts 1 & 2 - over-glamorizes the family but contains much historical material [Brøderbund WFT Vol. 3, Ed. 1, Tree #6402]


This file is as error-free as my sources.  IF you should discover an error, I would appreciate it if you would bring it to my attention and provide me with the correct information and source for that information. Many thanks.