de Grandmesnil Family - Ourfolk

Pernel's father was called William, as shown by a charter for St-Evroult discovered by David Crouch The Beaumont Twins, p.91, citing the Cartulary of St-Evroult, ii, fo 33v. However, the argument that her grandfather is likely to have been Robert, the eldest son of Hugh de Grandmesnil, still seems sound. To some extent it is supported by the following evidence.

In 1157, Henry II confirmed gifts made to the hospital of Falaise by William de Grentmesnil and others Cal. Docs France, no 1157. By an undated charter (perhaps from 1160 or later), one Beatrix de Rye gave land to the abbey of St Jean of Falaise, for the well-being of her mother Emma and of her brother William de Grentemesnil Lechaude d'Anisy, Extrait des Chartes ... dans les archives du Calvados, vol.1, p.232, no 9 (1834). It seems likely that this Beatrix was a daughter of Robert de Grandmesnil by his second wife, Emma d'Estouteville, particularly as the name Beatrix occurs in the Estouteville family, and was possibly borne by Emma's mother C.T. Clay, ed., Early Yorkshire Charters, vol.9, p.2 (1952). If so, this would confirm that Robert also had a son William, who would probably be Pernel's father.

Note that K.S.B.Keats-Rohan Domesday People I, p.263 (1999) states that Pernel's father William was the son of Robert by Emma d'Estouteville, but no evidence is cited for the relationship.