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Birth:          ABT 1037 St. Georges de Bohon, Normandy
Death:          BEF 1093 Tatterford, Norfolk, England

Notes
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id=I03313
The founder of this family in England was Humphrey de Bohun, kinsman and 
companion in arms to William the Conqueror, and was generally known as "Humphrey 
with the Beard." Of this Humphrey little more is ascertained than that he possessed 
the lordship of Taterford, in Norfolk, and was s. by his son, Humphrey de Bohun. [Sir 
Bernard Burke, Dormant and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, London, 1883, p. 57, 
Bohun, Earls of Hereford, Earls of Essex, Earls of Northampton, and High Constables 
of England]

--------------------------

The following was supplied in an e-mail to me by Lora Cline, which seems to have 
been copied from a Rand Corp. employee's genealogy website:

Les Seigneurs de Bohon
(The Noblemen of Bohun)

The following material is excerpted from Les Seigneurs de Bohon by Jean LeMelletier, 
Coutances: Arnaud-Bellee, 1978. This was translated from French to English by a 
friend. The book was found at UCLA's Research Library as CS 439 D416L45 1978.

Humphrey I

(Honfroy, Onfrei, Onfroi, Unfridus, Humfridus)

Humphrey I, also called The Old, was the founder of the house of Bohon. He is mainly 
known as a companion of William the Conqueror at the conquest of England and as 
the founder of the Bohon priory. Old English books designate him Humfridus cum 
Barba or Humphrey with the Beard. His beard distinguished him from other Norman 
knights of the period because they habitually shaved. Humphrey was the godfather of 
William and was certainly close to him because we see the names of William, duchess 
Mathilde, and their children associated with Humphrey's children. The oldest mention 
of Humphrey that we know of is in William's journals. It confirms a donation made at 
the abbey of St. Trinite du Mont at Rouen by Gilbert, Osbern's vassal. William's 
signature is accompanied by that of Humphrey, son of Richard, listed with the rest of 
William's men. In 1062 we find Humphrey again with William at the Hogue de Biville, 
along with Roger de Montgomery and William, son of Osbern. At a meal in the middle 
of the road, William said they should be free like the common people of the 
neighboring priory of Heauville. In recounting the story, a monk said that a fellow diner 
criticized William's liberalism. Not taking too kindly to criticism, William threatened to 
strike him with a shoulder of pork. According to a paper from about 1060, the knight 
Humphrey, a rich and noble man, granted the priory he founded, St. Georges de 
Bohon, to the abbey of St. Martin of Marmoutier. Humphrey tells us:

with the inspiration of God and the patronage of lord earl William for the relief of my 
soul, and those of the late Richard of Mary, my father, and of the late Billeheude, my 
mother...in the octave of the Pentecost before the venerable father Geoffrey, bishop 
of Coutances... I protect the abbey of St. Martin, the servants Arnouf, Heribert, and 
Roger, and the other people whose names are inscribed here.

The authenticity of this act, of which the original documents were unfortunately 
destroyed, does not seem to bear to be contested.

The latest dates proposed for the founding of the priory come from dates of estate 
foundings (from Martene and Miss Gantier 1068; Gerville and the Bernard abbey 1092; 
L. Musset between 1066 & 1087). However, the title of earl was given to William 
before 1066 and the founding of the priory was earlier. Originally the priory was settled 
by four secular canons. The act of including the priory with the abbey was precisely to 
entrust it with the lands of a knight. (A knight cared for and protected his lands and 
those who lived there from thieves, warring lords, etc.)

In later years St. Martin became very popular. It was at Marmoutier that William himself 
joined the Battle Abbey, founded to commemorate the Battle of Hastings where it was 
fought. A document signed by Sir William, duke of the Normands, before 1066 shows 
that Humphrey de Bohon gave a garden from his fief (holdings) in Puchay to the nuns 
of St. Amand in Rouen for the repose of his soul and those of his three wives when 
one of his daughters became religious.

The monastery of St. Leger in Preaux was given the deeds to Barbeville, St. Marie's 
Church, the town of Carentan, and the neighboring rectory. Later Humphrey 
bequeathed the monastery a convent that his second daughter entered. Humphrey's 
sons Robert and Richard agreed with his actions.

By 1066 Humphrey had been married three times, two daughters had entered the 
convent, and sons Robert and Richard were old enough to assume their inheritance. 
Humphrey was a senior citizen.

Wace cited among the soldiers of Hastings: E de Bohon the older Humphrey.

Humphrey's name, a bit distorted, is seen on a majority of other lists of William's battle 
companions. As Wace's poem was written more than a hundred years after the events 
happened, some feel that Humphrey was not among the people at the Battle of 
Hastings. Taking into account the type of document (poem), it is very probable that 
Humphrey did participate in the battle. He was also with several neighbors of Cotentin 
and probably vassals, whose names were associated with his.

On the Bayeux tapestry, in a meal scene presided over by Bishop Odo, a bearded man 
is sitting to William's right. It is possible that this is Humphrey de Bohon--with the 
Beard--who would occupy a place of honor at the table out of respect for his age.

Ten years after Hastings, William was in England, so Queen Mathilda was left in 
charge of the government in Normandy. We know Humphrey was also in Normandy 
because of the act of Cherbourg, about 1076. Under the king's orders, he rendered 
justice with the monks at the Heauville priory against Bertram de Bricquebec, viscount 
of Cotentin, who had levied unfair taxes on his people.

Humphrey is mentioned in the Domesday Book (a great census taken of all the lands 
and people in England as ordered by William, between 1080 and 1086) as a champion 
and defender of the throne, and as lord of Taterford in Norfolk. Much of his wealth is 
attributed to the goodwill of William and the spoils of the campaigns, which was not a 
unique situation. However, the possession of large estates and properties in England 
was not all fun; they were hard to protect from raiders and warring lords. Humphrey 
probably also benefitted from Normandy's continued growth and profits from his 
holdings.

Humphrey's signature is on:

A treaty at Bayeaux. The king presided over the treaty between the abbey of Mont St. 
Michel and William Paynel.

Two documents of Boscherville on 30 January 1080, with the signatures of his son 
Richard, and William, Mathilda, and their two sons. One is the endowment of the 
church of St. Georges de Boscherville; the other documents a gift of St. Gervais 
Church and St. Portais to St. Florent de Saumur with other revenues by William de 
Briouze.

A document of William the Conqueror at Caen confirming the foundation of the Lessay 
Abbey on 14 July 1080.
Another document for the foundation of the Montebourg Abbey.

Humphrey's decision to combine the priory with the abbey was contested by Geoffrey 
(son of Nervee) who reclaimed the priory. The case was settled in favor of Humphrey 
by a judgment of the king's court on 27 December 1080 at Cherbourg. Among the 
witnesses were Humphrey de Bohon, his son Richard, and Torchetil de Bohon.

Continually Humphrey added his border lands to his holdings. In answer to his request, 
he received a formal deed from King William at Bernouville, probably at the end of 
1081.

Other religious establishments benifitted from his generosity.

Humphrey died between 1080 and 1093. He had four sons that we know of: Robert, 
Humphrey, Richard, and Enguerran, and two daughters. Robert died young, before his 
father. Enguerran became a monk at Marmoutier in the Bohon priory. Richard began 
another branch, whose descendents include (in France) Enjuger de Bohon and 
Richard de Bohon, bishop of Coutances, and (in England) the Bohons of Midhurst, 
Jocelin, bishop of Salisbury, and Reginald and Savary, bishops of Bath. Humphrey 
became the illustrious ancestor of the earls of Hereford.

Parents
DE MERI Richard (ABT 1010 - BEF 1068)
DE ST. SAUVEUR Billeheude (ABT 1012 - BEF 1060)

Siblings
DE BOHUN Humphrey (ABT 1037 - BEF 1093)

Marriage To ----- ----- ()
    m.  

Notes


Children by ----- ----- 
DE BOHUN Adelaide (Adeliza) (ABT 1065 - )

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