John fitzRichard facts for kids

John fitzRichard was an important Anglo-Norman nobleman. He lived around the year 1076. After the Norman Conquest, he became a big landowner in England. People sometimes called him John Monoculus.

Who Was John fitzRichard?

John fitzRichard was born around 1056. His father was Richard fitzRanulf. His uncle was Waleran fitzRanulf. Waleran's father, Ranulf 'the Moneyer', bought a mill in Vains, Normandy in 1035.

A Legal Battle Over a Mill

In 1076, John took control of the mill in Vains. But the King's Court, led by William I of England, decided he was wrong. They ruled that the mill should go back to the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel. This shows how laws worked even back then!

John's Lands in England

In 1086, a very important survey was done. It was called the Domesday survey. This survey listed all the lands and who owned them in England. John was listed as 'John, nephew of Waleran'. He owned many lands in Norfolk and Essex.

He held lands in places like Carbrooke, Hunstanton, Ringstead, and Elsenham. He also directly controlled lands in Brettenham, Griston, and West Carbrooke. This made him a very powerful person.

His Family

John fitzRichard had several children. They were:

• Pain fitzJohn (who died in 1137)
• Eustace fitzJohn (who died in 1157)
• William fitzJohn
• Alice, who became the head of Barking Abbey
• Agnes, who married a man named Roger de Valognes