The House of Beaumont was one of the great Anglo-Norman baronial noble families, who became rooted in England after the Norman Conquest.

Beaumont
de Beaumont
Noble Family
CountryNormandy, France
Current regionFrance
Place of originBeaumont-le-Roger
FounderHumphrey de Vieilles, Roger de Beaumont
Titles

History

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Roger de Beaumont, Lord (seigneur) of Pont-Audemer, of Beaumont-le-Roger, of Brionne and of Vatteville, was too old to fight at the battle of Hastings and stayed in Normandy to govern and protect it while William was away on the invasion. As a reward, he received lands in Leicestershire. His son Robert de Beaumont, comte de Meulan, who commanded the Norman right wing at Hastings, became the first Earl of Leicester. His brother Henri de Beaumont was created Earl of Warwick.

During Stephen's reign, the twins Galéran and Robert were powerful allies to the king, and as a reward Galéran (already comte de Meulan) was made Earl of Worcester.

Counsel from the Beaumonts was important to the Dukes of Normandy, then by the kings of England.

Family Tree

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?
└─>Torf le Riche, seigneur de Pont-Audemer (born c. 910)
   │
   └─>Turold de Pont-Audemer (c. 940)
      │
      └─>Onfroi de Vieilles called de Harcourt (c. 975)
         │
         └─>Roger de Beaumont (le Barbu) († 1094)
            │
            ├─>Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester (1050 – 1118)
            │  │
            │  ├─>Galéran IV de Meulan (1104 – 1166)
            │  │  └─> Earls of Worcester branch
            │  │
            │  └─>Robert II de Beaumont (1104 – 1168)
            │     └─> Earls of Leicester branch
            │
            └─>Henri de Beaumont called de NeufBourg (1046 – 1123)
               │└─> Earls of Warwick branch                                                                                                                   .              │                                                                                                                                           .              └─>Robert de Neubourg

First creation (1107)

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Arms of Beaumont, Earls of Leicester (1st Creation): Gules, a Cinquefoil Ermine, which were adopted by the town of Leicester[1]

Early members of the house of Beaumont

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Anglo-Norman branch:

French branch:
The French Vicomtes de Beaumont au Maine date from approximately 930 AD and contrary to many false assumptions never had, and do not have, any connection with the Norman Beaumonts descended from Roger de Beaumont. The French family take their name from the village of Beaumont-sur-Sarthe (formerly Beaumont le Vicomte) which is 30 km north of Le Mans. (Beaumont-le-Roger is about 125 km away, in the vicinity of Rouen). The French family came to England in the late 14th century (see Isabella de Vesci) and modern Beaumonts are descended from her brother Henry de Beaumont who was the first of the English barony and later Viscounts.

They are not a branch of the Norman family - rather they fought against the Normans on behalf of the French (see Hubert de Beaumont).

Armorial

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The Beaumont family was founded before heraldry (c. 1160). So, different branches of the family adopted different arms.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1904). The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopaedia of Armory. T.C. & E.C. Jack. p. 195. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  2. ^ Source: Arms of "Thomas, Earl of Warwick" stated in several 13th-century Rolls of Arms, incl. Collins' Roll, c. 1296
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