RALPH DE TOENI IV, styled also DE CONCHES, 2nd but 1st surviving son and heir, assented with his mother and his elder brother, Roger, to his father's gifts to St. Evroul. He succeeded his father probably in 1102; and in 1103 he was one of the nobles who supported the claim of Rainald de Grancei to succeed to the Barony of Breteuil on the death of William de Breteuil. In the same year he was a member of the alliance formed by Robert, Count of Meulan, to force Goel d'Ivri to release his burgher, John of Meulan. He then crossed to England and, being graciously received by the King, obtained his father's lands; and in 1104 he returned to Normandy with Henry, as one of his ardent supporters. He was in the King's army in Normandy in 1106 and took part in the battle of Tinchebrai on 28 September. In 1110 he was with the King at Romsey. When rebellion broke out in Normandy in 1119, he remained faithful to Henry. About the same time by the King's advice Ralph de Gael gave him Pont-St.-Pierre and the whole valley of Pistres. In 1120 he was with Henry at Rouen. He was a benefactor to the abbeys of Bec and Conches, and perhaps to the priory of Westacre.
He married, in 1103, in England, Alice, younger daughter and coheir of Waltheof, EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND, NORTHAMPTON and HUNTINGDON, by Judith (the King's cousin), daughter of Lambert, COUNT OF LENS. Alice inherited Walthamstow, Essex. Ralph died about 1126 and was buried at Conches. His widow gave the church of Walthamstow to Holy Trinity, London, for the salvation of the souls of her son Hugh, who was buried there, and her husband. [Complete Peerage XII/1:760-2.
Ralph [de Toeni], usually called Ralph de Conches; participated in Norman invasion of England 1066; being accordingly granted lands in Berks, Essex, Glos, Herefs, Herts, Norfolk, and Worcs; married Elizabeth/Isabel, daughter of Simon de Montfort, Seigneur of Montfort l'Amaury, and died 24 March, probably 1101/2. [Burke's Peerage]
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RALPH DE TOENI III, styled more usually DE CONCHES, son and heir, by Godeheut, was born probably about 1025-30. He was banner-bearer of the Normans. In 1050 he was at the Duke's Court. In 1054 he took part in William's victory over the French at Mortemer and was sent by the Duke to alarm the King of France with the news. About 1060 Ralph, Hugh de Grandmesnil and Ernald d'Echauffour were deprived of their inheritance by the Duke and banished. In revenge Ernald and Ralph made incursions into Normandy and burnt the town of St. Evroul; but in 1063 they were recalled and their lands were restored. Ralph was one of the nobles summoned to a council when the Duke heard of the death of Edward the Confessor and the coronation of Harold; and he took part in the invasion of England and fought at the Battle of Hastings.
At some time between the battle and the Domesday survey in 1086 the Conqueror gave him estates in the counties of Berks, Essex, Gloucester, Hereford, Herts, Norfolk and Worcester, with the castle of Clifford, co. Hereford, which had been built on waste land by William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford; but his caput baroniae was at Flamstead, Herts. Before 30 November 1074 he assented to the Bishop of Bayeux's purchase of land from his tenant Herbert de Agnellis. About 1078 he supported Robert Courtheuse against the King. Probably about 1080 he went on a pilgrimage to Spain; and on his safe return, as he had promised, he made gifts to the abbey of St. Evroul, in recompense for having helped Ernald d'Echauffour to burn the town. In 1081 he was with the King at Winchester. After William's death in 1087 he was one of the Norman nobles who expelled the royal garrisons from their castles.
In 1088 he served under Duke Robert in the war against Maine. His wife Isabel having angered her sister-in-law Hawise, wife of her brother William, Count of Evreux, the Countess induced her husband to attack Ralph. He appealed in vain to the Duke for help; he then sent envoys to William Rufus, who ordered his adherents in Normandy to go to Ralph's aid. In Nov. the Count of Evreux besieged Conches, but his forces were defeated soon afterwards; and after 3 years of fighting peace was concluded. When Rufus and his brother made peace in 1091, the Duke granted to the King all the land of Gerard de Gournay and Ralph de Conches; after which Ralph remained one of the King's strongest supporters. After the death of Rufus, Ralph and the Count of Evreux invaded the Count of Meulan's barony of Beaumont in Aug 1100, in revenge for his having prejudiced the late King against them. Ralph was a benefactor to the abbeys of St. Evroul, l'Estree, Conches, Croix-Saint-Leufroi, Lire, Jumieges, Bec, and St. Taurin, Evreux.
He m. Isabel or Elizabeth, daughter of Simon de Montfort, Seigneur of MONTFORT L'AMAURY (France) (a), by his 1st wife, said to be Isabel, daughter of Hugh BARDOUL, SEIGNEUR OF BROZES. He died 24 March, probably in 1101/2, and was buried at Conches. Isabel, after a long widowhood, repenting of the fatal wantonness to which she had been too much addicted in her youth, took the veil at the priory of Haute-Bruyère and lived praiseworthily in the fear of the Lord. [Complete Peerage XII/1:758-60, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger & myself)]
[a] Ralph obtained her as a reward for kidnapping by night his half-sister Agnes, daughter of Richard, Count of Evreux, and giving her in marriage to Simon.
The chronicler Orderic Vitalis in the Ecclesiastical history describes Isabel in some detail.[6]
Orderic describes Isabel "joyful, generous, daring and well loved by all." He describes her in the hall of Conches, listening to knights talk about their dreams. Isabel unfortunately also had a conflictual relationship with her sister-in-law, Helewise of Évreux. The disagreement reached a point that her husband took up arms against William, Count of Évreux.[7] Both families came to open war in 1091–92, when William attacked Conches.
During the ensuing conflict, Isabel is said to have worn armor, joined her knights on the battlefield. The chronicler describes her in the following manner:
"In war she rode armed as a knight among the knights; and she showed no less courage among the knights in hauberks and sergeants-at-arms than did the maid Camilla, the pride of Italy, among the troops of Turnus. She deserved comparison with Lampeto and Marpesia, Hippolyta and Penthesilea and the other warlike Amazon queens." He gives no further description of her role in the battle. Isabel may have encouraged the knights, or perhaps fought actively, as the comparisons to these warlike heroines seem to suggest.
A settlement was finally reached between the warring families.[8].3
Simon de Montfort m. 3rdly, Agnes, sister and in her issue heiress of William, 3rd Count of Evreux in Normandy, being also stepsister to Ralph de Tosny, and daughter of Richard, 2nd Count of Evreux. By her he appears to have had Richard and Simon, who, in turn succeeded their half-brother Amauri, and William; and he certainly had by her a son Amauri, who succeeded the last-named Simon, and a daughter Bertrade.
[Complete Peerage VII:Appendix D:710-1].2