Latest Research and Thinking
from St Clair Research
Check back here for regular reports on what
we’re exploring.
Check back here for regular reports on what
we’re exploring.
Haimo de St. Clair was never mentioned in the Suffolk Domesday, but
there is much about land ownership of which Domesday does not tell us.
“Haimo de St. Clair is never mentioned in the Suffolk Domesday, but the
IE (Inquisitio Eliensis) (7oa2, 273, 207a2) shows him to have been a
well-endowed tenant of Bishop Odo of Bayeux.” – R. Welldon Fin, M.A.
“An Introduction to Domesday Book” p.27, 1963
It tells the story of the Norman conquest, likely commissioned by
Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William the Conqueror’s half-brother.
And then we learn that a land-grabbing opportunist – Bishop Odo –
might have been keeping Haimo de St. Clair and others in Odo’s circle hidden.
He defrauded both the Crown and the Church.
From Wikipedia – In 1076 at the Trial of Penenden Heath,
Odo was tried in front of a large and senior assembly over
the course of three days at Penenden Heath in Kent for
defrauding the Crown and the Diocese of Canterbury.
Oddly, Haimo de St. Clair was not mentioned in the
“Trial of Penenden Heath.”
In 1082, Odo was suddenly disgraced and imprisoned
for having planned a military expedition to Italy.
His motives were not certain. Chroniclers
writing a generation later said Odo desired
to make himself pope during the Investiture Controversy
while Pope Gregory VII was in severe difficulty in his conflict
with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, and the position
of pope was in contention; but the contemporary evidence is
ambiguous. Whatever the reason, Odo spent the next five years in
prison and his English estates were taken back by the king, as was
his office as Earl of Kent. Odo was not deposed as Bishop of Bayeux.
Over the years, I’ve seen lots of connections between
Bishop Odo of Bayeux, Roger Bigod, and the St.Clairs.
Odo seemed to be at the center of the actives.
The Church was just another arm of politics.
It had nothing to do with piety.
Noble families shunted the second son into the Church
to exert power at another level.
Bishop William St. Clair (in Scotland) was a classic example.
Inquisitio Eliensis (IE) described as a more on-the-ground
listing of a local area than Domesday. There’s a lot more on it in the book below.
Google – https://www.google.com/books/edition/Liber_Eliensis/fh5OozghywIC?hl=en&gbpv=0
Now look at William’s Sword at the ready.
Robert was also at the ready.
No one can be sure of why King William and Robert
were pulling out their swords.
My take is that they were not yet ready
to trust Bishop Odo of Bayeux.
Sources –
Liber Eliensis: A History of the Isle of Ely from the Seventh Century to the Twelfth. 2005
ISBN:9781843830153, 1843830159
Page count:576, Published:2005. Format:Paperback. Publisher:Boydell. Language:English.
Editor:Janet Fairweather. Translator:Janet Fairweather. Contributor:Janet Fairweather.
Family Tree DNA gets incredibly busy with testing during the December holidays and Fathers’ Day. If you’re ordering as a gift, do so soon. Click Here >>
Join our very active Clan Sinclair in Australia, Canada, Italy, or the United States. Click Here >>
Steve has re-started the podcast to discuss ongoing research and partner with our affinity families. See the “Resources” link above and look for “Sinclair DNA” on Spotify, Google, and iTunes.