General Notes

The following information taken from Medieval English Genealogy website at:
http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/families/arg/argoutl1.shtml

Moving forward to the turn of the 11th century, we find a Reginald de Argentein, who held land in the north of Hertfordshire, near the Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire borders (and whose descendants later had possessions in all these counties). This Reginald seems certain to have been related in some way to the David de Argentein of Domesday Book, but there is no evidence for the exact relationship. Keats-Rohan suggests that they were probably father and son, which is plausible chronologically.

Whatever his relationship to David, Reginald's connections with the later Argenteins are clear. In later records he is named as the father of his successor John, and as the grandfather ('avus') of John's successor Reginald. (It is therefore probable, though not certain, that John was the father of the younger Reginald.)

From later evidence we know that Reginald was granted the manor of Great Wymondley, in Hertfordshire, by King William [I or II] after the estate had escheated to the Crown. The land was held 'by serjeanty', namely, by acting as cupbearer at the king's coronation (Round, pp.265-6). The Argenteins and their descendants continued to perform this service for more than 600 years, and as a result they bore arms showing three silver covered cups on a red field.

Together with the manor of Great Wymondley, Reginald was granted the advowson of the church there, and was said to have presented two priests to the church, the second a man named Osbert. (In the time of Reginald's grandson, the advowson was the subject of a legal dispute with the Abbess of Elstow, and it is from the evidence given then that we know the details of the grant.)

We are fortunate enough to have the text of a notification of Henry I, dating from the early years of his reign (perhaps from 1102), confirming an agreement between Reginald and the Abbot of Ramsey. This provided for Reginald to hold the mills at Ickleford (about 5 miles north-west of Great Wymondley), in return for a payment of 10 shillings a year, after which the mills were to revert to the abbey. The agreement also provided for Reginald to be buried at Ramsey Abbey if he died in England. This provision may suggest that the family still held land in Normandy at this time.

Reginald was dead by 1130, when an entry on the Pipe Roll shows his widow Matilda accounting for £8:10s:8d, for her dower and marriage in Suffolk. Farrer (vol.1, p.238) suggests on this evidence that Matilda had brought as her marriage-portion the manor of Halesworth in Suffolk. If this is true, Matilda must have been the grandmother of the younger Reginald, as Halesworth remained in the family for centuries afterwards and became one of the family's favourite seats.