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Staller (title)

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Staller is an Anglo-Saxon title whose origin, and exact meaning, is disputed. One suggestion is it derives from the Latin comes stabuli, or Count of the Stable, a title used in the Byzantine Empire, and later adopted by the Franks.[1]

Another theory is it is refers to a seat, or steall in the kings hall, one of the privileges granted a thegn, or royal retainer. However, this is unproved.[2]

It seems likely it was a different term for an existing position; the first confirmed occurrence in England was by Edward the Confessor, who used it for senior members of his personal household.[3] Their duties appear to have been flexible; on a charter witnessed by stallers Ansgar, Bondi, Robert FitzWimarc, and Ralph in 1065, they are described as Royal stewards.[4]

Anglo-Saxon office-holders

References

  1. ^ Barnwell 2006, p. 23.
  2. ^ Williams 2008, p. FN78.
  3. ^ Hull Domesday Project.
  4. ^ a b Williams 2008, p. FN80.

Sources

  • Barnwell, PS (2006). Emperor, Prefects & Kings: The Roman West, 395-565. The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0807820711.
  • "Constable, or Staller". Hull Domesday Project. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  • Williams, Ann (2008). The World Before Domesday: The English Aristocracy 900-1066. Continuum. ISBN 978-1847252395.