| History |
Hervey de Glanville was a member of an Anglo-Norman family which had, by 1086, already established itself among the significant landholders in East Anglia, especially Suffolk.
Except for two moments in his career, almost nothing is known of Hervey\'s life. His son Ranulf rose to become Henry II\'s justiciar 1180-1189, and a number of other family members achieved royal office.
In 1147, he appears as leader of a group of East Anglian crusaders who combined with others from England, Normandy, Flanders and the Rhineland to travel by sea to the Holy Land. At Dartmouth, where the fleet mustered, the leaders of the separate contingents formed a sworn commune, under which they agreed to be ruled in matters of discipline, justice and policy. During their passage along the Atlantic seaboard, the crusaders were asked to help the king of Portugal capture Lisbon from the Moslems. In the debate over the proposal Hervey\'s strong appeal to martial honour and the unity of the commune apparently secured agreement.
Whether or not Hervey subsequently proceeded to Palestine is unclear, although many of his colleagues did. In 1150 Hervey appears again, at a joint meeting of the shire moots of Norfolk and Suffolk, held at Norwich in the bishop\'s garden, attended by the king\'s steward, the bishop of Ely and other East Anglian barons.
The case hinged on the rights and immunities of the abbey of Bury St. Edmund\'s which the royal advocates were attempting to set aside in order to prosecute one Hubert and his accomplices. Once again Hervey\'s eloquence swayed the meeting, this time, as far as can be ascertained, according to a neutral witness. Hervey pleaded for the traditional jurisdictional independence of the abbey to be upheld against royal encroachment, citing in support of his testimony fifty years\' experience of shire court business. As in Portugal a few years before, Hervey stood his ground on precedent and established legal agreements.
It has been assumed that the two Herveys, crusader and shire court veteran, are the same man. Whether one or two, Hervey de Glanville nevertheless indicates the complexity of experience in the ranks of the second-rate provincial nobility: military adventure; idealism; horizons at once local and limitless; practical experience in law as in the management of men or estates. [1] |
Ellie Wood Keith Genealogy
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