History
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Section Two: William II de Warenne, Second Earl of Surrey and his wife Isabel de Vermandois
8 minutes read time Growing Power and Influence When Guillaume de Warenne, the first Earl of Surrey died, in 1088, his vast English estates in Sussex, Norfolk and Yorkshire, plus his Norman lands at Bellancombre and Mortemer, passed to his eldest son, William II de Warenne. He would hold the earldom for 50 years (apart from a 2-year break) until his death. Aged around 18-20 when his father died, William II inherited not only land and wealth but also the noble title of his father. William II had grown up in a world transformed by conquest. His father’s loyalty to the crown had secured the Warenne family’s place among the…
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Kirklees Cousins now has a YouTube Channel
I’ve been working hard over the last couple of weeks to make some Audio Visual presentations to accompany this website and, so far, there are just two videos. The first is the story of the events leading to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, where William “The Conqueror” defeated Harold Godwinson to take the throne of England. But who had the right to the English throne? There were actually four claimants! The video explains who they were and how it all came to a head after the death of Edward the Confessor in 1066, as told in the Bayeaux Tapestry. Entitled, the “Grey Apple Tree”, it is about 10 minutes…
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Early Cartography and How Ossett-born Christopher Saxton Mapped the Counties
A look at early map-making from the ancient Egyptians to the late medieval period. How Christopher Saxton, a young man from Dewsbury, became one of the great map-makers of the Elizabethan Era and produced the first county maps of England and Wales.
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Medieval Tales of Revenge and The Elland Feud
An account of the Medieval feuds between two factions of the Plantagenet family in West Yorkshire during the 14th Century...beginning with the Earls of Lancaster and Surrey, culminating in the Elland Feud.
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Fishers of Briestfield – Coal Miners
In the 1870-72 Gazetteer of England, Briestfield was described as a hamlet in Lower Whitley, situated on the edge of Thornhill parish in West Yorkshire. Also known at various times as Briestwell and Briestwistle, records show that in 1150 it was known as Brerethuisel, meaning “common or waste overgrown with briars in the confluence of two rivers”. Flint stones found nearby hark back to a much earlier occupancy and cannon balls found in the vicinity were a legacy of the Civil War bombardment of nearby Thornhill Hall. The villagers were won over to Wesleyan Methodism and a chapel was built in 1875. It is a place with which I had…
