Ansfrid (Ansfroi) I "le Danois" dit "le Goz" Hrolfsson, vicomte d'Exmes - Rating of J. R. Planché - speculator or historian?

It is said that Mr. Planché reviewed existing sources and tried to improve upon the accuracy of what he found. It is my understanding that he was not a professional historian, but was known as an "antiquitarian", and the author of some scholarly works. His peers considered him an expert.

I scanned the book - he quotes this passage as coming from "les Recherces", which, in this context, seems to be the Domesday Book. (There are two occurences of the term "Recherces" in the book, attached to different sources.)

If this was in the Domesday Book, I'd expect to see the claim be more widely mentioned.

Yours is a good question. However, for me, the real question is the origin of Rollo. I am beginning to believe that he may be from Dacia, now known as Denmark.

I do not doubt that Ansfrid is the son of Rollo Thurstan Brico, but I now question whether Rollo Thurstan Brico is truly the son of Ragnvald Mørejarl.

To me, this statement: "Rongwald (Ragnvald) had several children by a favorite slave whom he had married "in more Danico", and one of these was Hrolf Turstain." could be considered as here-say, a rumor which is difficult to prove.

All we have on these people (Rollo, Ragnvald and the like) is the histories, mostly written several hundred years later. All of them would be considered hearsay if they were quoted for modern events - the reason we quote them is that it's all that we have.

Finding that the Domesday Book said something about Thurstan and Ragnvald would be a huge boost to our knowledge.

Harald said: "Finding that the Domesday Book said something about Thurstan and Ragnvald would be a huge boost to our knowledge."

Indeed, it would!

I am anxiously awaiting the DNA results which are due to be released this autumn which were taken from Rollo’s grandson, and great-grandson, Duke Richard the fearless and son Duke Richard the good. This should also give us some answers which are more based in science....I think that the answers will eventually be revealed, in time.