The Harcourt Family

Albreda (de Harcourt) Trussebut

Birth: 1134/5
Albreda was aged 50 in 1185.

Father: ? de Harcourt
It is clear that Albreda's father was a de Harcourt, presumably of the Harcourt family of Normandy, but more about him is difficult to determine. In Collins's Peerage vol 4 p431 (Edgerton Brydges, in 1812, states that Albreda was the daughter of Rollo de Harcourt, the seventh son of Robert de Harcourt (who " built the castle of Harcourt; and also, with his elder brother Errand, attended William Duke of Normandy in his expedition to England, A. D. 1066") and Colede D'Argouges and that Rollo "settled in England; and by his wife, Roesia, sister and coheir to William, son of Pain Peverell, Lord of Brunne, and Standard-bearer to Robert Curtois (eldest son of William the Conqueror), in the Holy Land, was father of an only child, Albreda, the wife of Sir William Trusbut, of Yorkshire."
However, Charles Cawley, in Medieval Lands, makes the case that Albreda was the daughter of Ivo d'Harcourt (in turn, the son of Robert d'Harcourt and Agnes) and Rohese Peverel, and that she was one of five children with siblings Robert, Simon, William and Alice.
There are also some claims (e.g. The ecclesiastical history of England and Normandy vol 3 p328n (Thomas Forester, 1854)) that Albreda's father was Robert de Harcourt.
I have not seen convincing evidence of which, if any, of these hypotheses is correct, so I will leave it as unproven at this time.

Mother: Rosia (Peverell) de Harcourt

Married: William Trussebut

Children:

In Rotuli de dominabus et pueris et puellis de donatione regis 1185 p14 it is recorded that Albreda has four sons in 1185, meaning that either one of the five sons listed here had died before then, or one of the sons listed is incorrect.

Notes:
Rotuli de dominabus et pueris et puellis de donatione regis 1185 p14 (Stacey Grimaldi, 1830)
  ALBREIA DE HARWECURT est in donatione Domini Regis, et est l annorum, et habet iiij filios. Terra sua in BRANTESTON,1 que est maritagium suum, valet per annum xiiij libris, cum instauramento iiij carrucarum, et iij c ovium. In eadem villa sunt iiij virgate terre, cum pertinentiis, que pertineni ad manerium Domini Regis de FALEWESLEA, et reddunt annuatim xij solidos et iiij denarios; et dicta ALBREIA tenet illas per voluntatem Domini Regis, et cepit de terra iiij libras et x solidos, preter firmam: et qui terram tenent, tenent eam scilicet libere et hereditarie.
  1 Vel Brancestun, MS. Lansd.
This roughly translates as:
    HUNDRED OF SEGGELS.
  ALBREIA DE HARWECURT is in the gift of the Lord King, and is fifty years old, and has four sons. Her land in BRANTESTON,1 which is her marriage estate, is worth per annum 13 pounds, with the maintenance of four carriages, and three hundred sheep. In the same town are four acres of land, with the appurtenances, which belong to the Lord King's manor of FALEWESLEA, and render yearly 12 shillings and 4 pence; and the said ALBREIA holds them by the will of the Lord King, and has taken from the land 4 pounds and 10 shillings, besides the farm: and those who hold the land, hold it, that is, freely and hereditarily.
  1 Or Brancestun, MS. Lansd.

Also in 1185, Albreda paid 20 marks for her share of the land of her mother's elder sister, Matilda de Doura.
Pipe Rolls 32 Henry II 1185-1186 p35 (1913)
    De oblatis Curie.
  Albreda Trussebut redd. comp. de .xiij. l. et .vj. s. et .viij. d. pro habenda rationabili parte sua de terra que fuit Matildis de Doura. In thesauro .x. m. Et debet, .x. m..
This roughly translates as:
    Of the offerings of the Curia.
  Albreda Trussebut renders an account of 13l. 6s. 8d. for having her reasonable share of the land which was Matilda de Doura. In the treasury 10m. And she owes 10m.

Monasticon Anglicanum vol 2 p43 (William Dugdale, 1661)
   SCOKIRKE
  in agro Eboracenſi, Cella de Noſtell.
Carta Albredæ de Harcuria, relictæ Willielmi Truſſebut, filii Gaufridi, filii Pagani.
[Ibid.[Ex Cartulario de Noſtel, in bibl. Hatton.]]
ALbreda de Harecuria Dapifero ſuo, & omnibus Ballivis ſuis & hominibus ſuis Eboraciſeira, Salutem. Mando vobis, & præcipio, quatenus pro Dei amore, & domini mei Willielmi Truſſebut, & mei, manuteneatis pauperes Canonicos Eccleſiæ de Boſcho, quia dominici Canonici ſunt mei domini, & mei; & faciatis eos tenere benè, & in pace & habere libertates ſuas in boſco, in plano, in paſcuis, in porcorum paſuagiis, prout Carta eorum teſtatur quod tenere debent. 
This roughly translates as:
   SCOKIRKE
in the county of York, cella of Nostell
Charter of Albreda de Harcuria, relict of William Trussebut, son of Gaufrid, son of Pagani.
[From the Cartulary of Noftell, in the Hatton Library.]
Albreda de Harecuria to her Dapifer, and to all his bailiffs and his men of York, Greetings. I command you and enjoin you, that for the love of God, and of my lord William Trussebut, and myself, you maintain the poor Canons of the Church of Bosco, because the Lord Canons are my lords and mine; and you cause them to hold well and in peace and have their liberties in the wood, in the plain, in the pastures, in the swineherds, as their Charter testifies that they should hold.

Liber Memorandorum Ecclesie de Bernewelle pp47-8 (ed. John Willis Clark, 1907)
Qualiter ius patronatus Ecclesie de Bernewelle descendit ad Dominum Gilbertum Peccke jure hereditario.
  Tota baronia Pagani Peuerel post mortem Willelmi Peuerel inter quatuor sorores fuit diuisa. Quarum primogenita uocabatur Matildis de Doure, et ipsa sine herede de se mortua est. Et sic hereditas ipsa ad tres sorores deuoluta est, et pars predicte Matildis inter ipsas diuisa. Quarum una fuit uxor Hamonis Peche senioris que uocabatur Aelicia. Et ex illa processerunt filij et filie. Primogenitus Hamonis uocabatur Gilbertus Pecche primus. Et secundus uocabatur Galfridus Pecche. Iste Galfridus dedit canonicis Ecclesiam de Harlestone ad vesturam. De Gilberto autem processit Hamon Pecche, qui accepit vxorem nomine Euam, de partibus transmarinis oriundam, que genuit ei quinque filios et filias. Primogenitus Gilbertus Pecche, qui fuit de isto stipite vltimus noster patronus. Secunda soror uocabatur Roysia; de illa processit Albreda de Harecurt. Ex illa Albreda processerunt Galfridus Trussebut, Rogerus, Robertus, Willelmus et Ricardus Trussebut. Hijs omnibus defunctis sine herede de se, tres sorores remanserunt: scilicet Roysia, Hyllaria et Agatha. Ex Roysia Robertus de Ros senior, de Roberto Willelmus de Ros, et isti tres, scilicet Willelmus, Hillaria, et Agatha heredes sunt in parte. Tercia uero soror uocabatur Ascelina de Wateruile. Ex illa nate sunt due filie, scilicet Ascelina de Wateruille, et Matildis de Diua. De Ascelina uenit Rogerus de Torpel, et de Matilde Hugo de Diua.
This roughly translates as:
How the right of patronage of the Church of Bernewelle descended to Lord Gilbert Pecke by right of inheritance.
  The whole barony of Pagan Peuerel after the death of William Peuerel was divided among four sisters. The eldest of whom was called Matilda of Doure, and she died without an heir of her own. And so the inheritance itself was divided among the three sisters, and the part of the aforesaid Matilda was divided among them. One of whom was the wife of Hamon Peche the elder, who was called Aecilia. And from her proceeded sons and daughters. The eldest son of Hamon was called Gilbert Peche the first. And the second was called Geoffrey Peche. This Geoffrey gave the church of Harlestone to the canons for vestry. From Gilbert, however, descended Hamon Peche, who took a wife named Eva, who came from overseas, who bore him five sons and daughters. The eldest son was Gilbert Peche, who was from this stock our last patron. The second sister was called Roysia; from her proceeded Albreda of Harecourt. From that Albreda proceeded Geoffrey Trussebut, Roger, Robert, William and Richard Trussebut. All of them having died without heirs, three sisters remained: namely Roysia, Hilaria and Agatha. From Roysia Robert de Ros senior, from Robert William de Ros, and these three, namely William, Hilaria and Agatha, are heirs in part. But the third sister was called Ascelina de Wateruille. From her were born two daughters, namely Ascelina de Wateruille, and Matilda de Diua. From Ascelina came Roger de Torpel, and from Matilda Hugh de Diua.

The Baronage of England vol 1 p542 (William Dugdale, 1675)
    Trusbut.
  This William took e to Wife Albreda, Daughter of . . . . . . Harecurt, one of the Coheirs to Maude de Dover (as the Deſcent here drawn doth ſhew) and had f part of her Inheritance: which Albreda calls g the Canons of Scokirk, Dominicos, Canonicos, mei Domini & mei; her and her Husband’s own Canons.
  This William Trusbut was alſo ſeated h at Wartre, and left Iſſue three Sons; Richard i, Geffrey k, and Robert l; and three m Daughters, Roſe, Hillaria, and Agatha.
e f Rot. Pip. 1 R. 1. Cantabr. & Hunt.
g Monast. Anglic. Vol. 2. 43 a. n. 30.
h Ibid. 174. a. 60.
i Ibid.,
k Ibid. 30 a. l. 50.
l Ibid. 173 b. n. 30.
m Ibid. 30 a. l. 56

The History and Antiquities of Barnwell Abbey p16 (J. Nichols, 1786)
Pain Peverell’s second daughter's name was ROYSIA. She was the mother of Albreda Harecourt, from whom ſprang Galfridus, Roger, Robert, William, and Richard Truſſebut. But theſe all dying without iſſue, there remained only three ſiſters, Royſia, Hillaria, and Agatha.

The history and antiquities of the county of Leicester vol 2 part 1 p29 (John Nichols, 1795)
  Royſia, daughter of William Truſbut, of Wartre, in Holderneſs, and (after the death of her brothers, Richard, Geoffrey, and Robert de Truſbut) coheir, with her siſters Hilaria and Agatha, to her father’s eſtate; and alſo to that of her mother, Albreda de Harcurt, daughter of Royſia, one of the daughters and coheirs of Pain Peverell, ſtandard-bearer to Robert Curthoſe, the Conqueror’s eldeſt son, in the Holy Land.

Magni rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae sub regibus Angliæ vol 2 page lxxvi (Thomas Stapleton, 1844)
William Trossebot ... married Albreda de Harwecurt (Harecuria), who was living his widow, aged 50 years, in 1185, and then the mother of four sons; of her frank-marriage she held land in Braunston, com. Northampton, and was in the King’s gift.

The ecclesiastical history of England and Normandy vol 3 p328n (Ordericus Vitalis, translated by Thomas Forester, 1854)
CHARACTER OF HENRY I
  5 William Troussebot, son of Geoffrey, son of Paganus, married Aubrey de Harcourt. They had estates in Yorkshire; see Monast. Anglic., t. ii. p. 43. He was governor of Bonneville-sur-Touque in 1138, an office hereditary in that family, one branch of which possessed domains in the neighbourhood of Bonneville, which was a royal residence. The original seat of the family of Troussebot is supposed to have been in the north-western part of the district of Neuborg, near that of Robert I. de Harcourt, father of Aubrey, who was married to William Troussebot.

The Conqueror and his companions vol 2 p299 (James Robinson Planché, 1874)
The Troussebots are supposed to have been resident in the north-western part of the district of Neubourg, near the domain of Robert de Harcourt, whose daughter Albreda became the wife of William Trussbot above mentioned, son of Geoffrey and grandson of Pagan Troussebot, who in all probability was the combatant at Senlac.

The Battle Abbey roll vol 3 p158 (Duchess of Cleveland, 1889)
  Trousbut, or Trossebot.
…  M. le Prévost is unable to trace the origin of this family in Normandy. The Troussebots are, however, “supposed to have been resident in the north-western part of the district of Neubourg, near the domain of Robert de Harcourt, whose daughter Albreda became the wife of William Troussebot.”—J. R. Planché. ... He married Albreda de Harcourt, the daughter of one of the two co-heirs of Pain Peverell, Baron of Brunne, and the heiress of the other, Maud de Dover, who had remained childless.

Death: 1205
On 25 May 1205, Albreda's land in Branteston was granted by king John to her grandson, Robert de Ros.

Sources:
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