Reginald de Dunstanville, Earl of Cornwall

Reginald de Dunstanville
1st Earl of Cornwall
Titles and styles	High Sheriff of Devon
Born	c.1100
Died	1 July 1175
Spouse(s)	Mabel fitzRichard
Father	Henry I of England
Mother	Sibyl Corbet

Reginald de Dunstanville (c. 1110 – 1 July 1175) (alias Reginald FitzRoy, Reginald FitzHenry, Rainald, etc., French: Renaud de Donstanville or de Dénestanville) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman and an illegitimate son of King Henry I (1100–1135). He became Earl of Cornwall and High Sheriff of Devon.

Origins

Reginald was born in Dénestanville in the Duchy of Normandy, an illegitimate son of King Henry I (1100–1135) by his mistress Sybilla Corbet, a daughter and co-heiress of Sir Robert Corbet, lord of the manor of Alcester, Warwickshire, who was at some time the wife of "Herbert the King's Chamberlain".

Career

During the war between Matilda and Stephen, Reginald, who supported Matilda, was in control of Cornwall. Subsequently forced out of Cornwall by Stephen's forces, Reginald lost the earldom to Alan of Richmond. By 1141, Stephen's forces had been beaten and Reginald was invested with the Earldom of Cornwall by his half-sister Matilda in 1141. In about 1173 he granted a charter to his free burgesses of Truro in Cornwall, and addressed his meetings at Truro to "All men both Cornish and English" suggesting a differentiation of nations. He served as High Sheriff of Devon from 1173 to 1174.

Marriage and progeny

Reginald married Mabel FitzRichard, daughter of William FitzRichard, a substantial landholder in Cornwall, by whom he had the following progeny:

• Nicholas de Dunstanville (1136–1175).
• Hawyse (or Denise) de Dunstanville (1138–21 April 1162), wife of Richard de Redvers, 2nd Earl of Devon.
• Maud FitzRoy de Dunstanville of Cornwall (b. 1143, Dunstanville, Kent, England), wife of Sir Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan
• Ursula de Dunstanville (b. 1145), wife of Walter de Dunstanville, Lord Castlecomb.
• Sarah de Dunstanville (b. 1147), wife of Ademar V, Viscount of Limoges.
• Reginald de Dunstanville (b. c. 1152).
• Joan FitzRoy (b. c. 1150), wife of Ralph de Valletort, feudal baron of Trematon in Cornwall.

Illegitimate progeny

Reginald also had illegitimate children by his mistress Beatrice de Vaux (also known as de Valle), the daughter of Hubert I de Vaux, later the wife of William Brewer:

• Henry FitzCount (d. 1222), Sheriff of Cornwall and Earl of Cornwall.
• William FitzCount.

Death and burial

Reginald died at Chertsey, Surrey, and was buried in Reading Abbey.

Sources

• Baxter, Ron (2016). The Royal Abbey of Reading. The Boydell Press. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Chibnall, Marjorie (1991). The Empress Matilda: Queen Consort, Queen Mother and Lady of the English. Basil Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-631-15737-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Clark, Cecily (1995). Jackson, Peter (ed.). Words, Names, and History: Selected Writings of Cecily Clark. D.S. Brewer. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |editorlink= ignored (|editor-link= suggested) (help)
• Matthew, Donald (2002). King Stephen. Hambledon and London. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• de Pontfarcy, Yolande (1995). "Si Marie de France était Marie de Meulan". Cahiers de Civilisation Médiévale Année (in French). 38–152. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Powicke, F.M. (1933). "Loretta, Countess of Leicester". In Tait, James (ed.). Historical Essays in Honour of James Tait. Manchester University Press. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |editorlink= ignored (|editor-link= suggested) (help)