Hasculf de Tany facts for kids

Hasculf de Tany (pronounced HASS-kulf duh TAN-ee) was an important nobleman in England a long, long time ago, around the 1100s. He was part of the Anglo-Norman people, who were descendants of Vikings who settled in Normandy, France, and then came to England. Hasculf is thought to have been in charge of the famous Tower of London.

Hasculf's Family and Marriage

Hasculf's family likely came from a place called Tanis in Normandy, France. This area was close to Mont Saint-Michel and the border with Brittany. Some historians believe he might have been related to another important person named Otuel fitzCount.

Hasculf married a woman named Matilda (or Maud). She was the mother of his son and heir, Graelen. Historians have different ideas about who Matilda's parents were. It seems she might have been married before and had another son named Edward of Salisbury the younger. This would mean Edward was Graelen's older half-brother.

Matilda and Graelen later gave a church in Fyfield in Essex to a monastery called Bermondsey Priory. This action helps historians guess more about Matilda's family connections.

Hasculf: Keeper of the Tower of London

Around 1115 to 1117, Hasculf was seen with Otuel fitzCount, who was in charge of the Tower of London. It's believed that Hasculf de Tany took over as the castellan (which means the person in charge of a castle) of the Tower of London after Otuel died in 1120.

In 1136 or 1137, Hasculf faced a legal case. He was accused by the Holy Trinity Priory in London of taking some of their land. The case went before King Stephen of England and the Lord Chancellor. In the end, the priory got their land back.

Hasculf's name also appears in a very old financial record called the Pipe Roll from 1129-1130. This record shows he didn't have to pay a special tax called Danegeld in Essex and Middlesex. It also mentions he had a disagreement with someone named Rualon d'Avranches over land in Essex. They settled it in court.

Around 1130, Hasculf de Tany was also a witness to London's first royal charter of liberties. This was an important document given by King Henry I that gave certain freedoms to the people of London.

After Hasculf died, the job of keeping the Tower of London went to Geoffrey de Mandeville. This job was then passed down through his family.

Hasculf's Death and What Happened Next

Hasculf de Tany died sometime between 1136 and 1141. After his death, his son Graelen and widow Matilda were holding his lands.

Graelan then became a lord under Geoffrey de Mandeville, holding several "knights' fees" (which were amounts of land that could support a knight). However, by 1166, Graelen held these lands directly from the king again, as a feudal baron. This means he was a powerful landowner who held his land directly from the king, not through another lord. His main land was in Aveley in Essex, and he also had lands in Cambridgeshire.

Graelan was followed by his own son, also named Hasculf, and then his grandson, Gilbert. Gilbert died in 1221 without any sons, so the family's lands were divided up. Hasculf de Tany also seems to have had another son named Gilbert, who had a son named Graelen in later generations.