Sir Richardus Forester, Knt.

I would like to point out that Ricardus Forestarious did EXIST and is NOT FICTITIOUS! His Genealogy can be found on the following websites: stirnet.com , books.google.com and |Wikitree.com and geneanet.com. Probably on other websites too!

Richard's genealogy and history were fabricated and if he existed, he was certainly not the son of Baldwin V, count of Flanders Baldwin of Flanders]. I am disconnecting him from Baldwin.

Margaret-curator

Biography

• Sir Richard Forester of Flanders
• Posted on September 27, 2011 by markeminer
• https://minerdescent.com/2011/09/27/sir-richard-forester-of-flanders/

28th Gen. – Sir Richard FORESTER (1) (wiki) of Flanders, (1050 – ) was knighted after the battle of Hastings. He was sixteen years old in 1066 when he joined William the Conqueror, passing from Flanders to England after the decisive Battle of Hastings.

Sir Richard is popularly known as the son of BALDWIN V Count of Flanders, descended from the first Forester,  Anarcher Great Forester, of Flanders, died A. D. 837.  [See ANARCHER’s page for details of his life and the Counts of Flanders in the 9th – 11th Centuries]

However, histories of Baldwin V don’t show a child named Richard.  While it is possible that a Richard Forster was knighted by William the Conqueror at age 16, he was probably not a son of Baldwin V,  or a brother to Baldwin’s daughter Matilda who married William. My guess is his royal parentage was the invention of Frederick Clifton Pierce in his 1899 tome Foster genealogy, Part 1.

Perhaps Richard did come to England as a yeoman soldier or possibly a squire to one of William’s knights and was knighted for bravery after the battle of Hastings. However, his origins are obscure.  Richard might have been from one of the Germanic provinces with Forster (with an umlaut over the ‘o’) as his place of origin,  probably a well-known forest. Not many had true surnames in this time period and were known by occupational or place names. He may even have been the son of a forester.

It was after they had reached England that Richard was knighted for his service to William in the Battle of Hastings, and became Sir Richard.  William gave him land on the Anglo-Scottish border in Nothumberland and Berwick Counties.  Being on the border of England and Scotland, Northumberland has been the site of many battles. Our Forester ancestors participated in nine major battles between 1066 and 1415.   Here’s a fun review of Medieval English Knights from a Forester (Foster) point of view.  Characters from Shakespeare,  the Lion in Winter, The Pillars of the Earth  and Sharon Kay Penman‘s novels come alive.

In 1072, Sir Richard married and had one son, Sir Hugo. Sir Richard may have had other children, but they are unknown to history. Sir Richard stayed as a tried and true friend of the monarchy of England, and was a leader of men, usually into battle. Sir Richard’s heirs went on to become a large part of the history of England, whose lands resided mainly in Northumberland, England, and owned the castles in Etherstone, Bamborough, and several abbeys.

https://sallysfamilyplace.com/the-forster-family/

Sir Richard Forester descendants include the Forester of Etherston and Bamborough Castles in Northumberland, and the Blake Forester of Ashfield and Knockmoy Abbey, County of Galway and Inchorey Castle, County of Clare.

The Forester of Bamborough Castle were Lords of Blanchland in Northumberland, and for several generations they were Knight Bannerets, Lords Warden of Middle Marches, High Sheriffs of Northumberland and hereditary Governors of Bamborough Castle from the reign of James 1, to that of George I.

The Forester of Etherstone – the head of this house- from whom those of Bamborough descended, won their honors on the field of battle; and their descendants, of Hunsdon, by their profound skill in legal knowledge.
(Note by H.F.S. – Sir Thomas and Sir Robert Foster of Egham were descendants of the Undsdon Foster, both chief Justices.)

From Burke, John. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank: But Univested with Heritable Honours, Volume 3. Page 280-281. < GoogleBooks >

"The BIDDULPHS do derive themselves (says Erdeswick) from one Ormus le Guidon, the son of RICARDUS FORESTARIUS” of Norman race, who held, as appears by Domesday, ten lordships in the county of Stafford, which were conferred upon him in reward of his services. Biddulph, and other large possessions were not included in these.

The tradition is that RICHARD THE FORESTER was only sixteen years of age when he came in, and that subsequently, having the Saxon heiress given to him in marriage, these latter were restored either to him or to his son, in whose possession we find them in the succeeding reign. A great part of these estates lay in a wild country bordered by the river Trent, and much covered with wood, he thence probably derived the designation of FORESTARIUS, for, he may have held such an appointment under his Sovereign. Surnames had not been generally adopted, but men were distinguished by their birth as Fitz-; by personal or mental qualities, as Rufus, Beauclerc; or by their office or employment, as Forestarius, and his neighbour de Ferrarius, or Ferrers. Thus Ormus "le Guidon" must have been a Standard-bearer to the king, or to one of the great barons de Toni, (Stafford) Ferrers, Chester, or Shrewsbury, whose territories lay in the same neighbourhood as his own, and with whom it seems Richard and his son were joined, when the chivalry of Cheshire and Stafford 1 were led against the Welch in the reigns of William the First, and William Rufus, to the end of which latter, the Forrester, having survived his master the Conqueror, seems to have lived.

ORMUS LE GUIDON, his only son, succeeded him in all his possessions. He was also called de Darleston, from a Lordship near Stone, the seat of his principal residence. He wedded the daughter of NICOLAS de BEAUCHAMP,* Vice Com. de Stafford, by Emmeline, daughter and heir of Urso de Abitot, both great and powerful nobles. Ormus, it should seem, lived through the reigns of the William II. Henry I. and Stephen. What part he took in the affairs of those stirring times is not precisely stated, nor under whose banner he acquired his honourable cogAs large possessions were conferred upon him, in addition to those which he inherited from his father Richard the Forester, and those he held as predatory to the church of Burton,† there seems no doubt but he served his sovereigns with valour and fidelity.

Family 1 : Richard "Forestarius" (Forester) de Flanders (Abt 1030 / 1050 - Abt 1080)

1. Sir Hugo "Foresturious" Forster born 1071 England died 1121
2. Orme “ le Gulden”

--------------------------------------------

https://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/bb4fz/biddulph01.php

• Ricardus Forestarius = Richard the Forester (a 1086, a Norman) m. a Saxon heiress
  • 1. Ormus 'le Gudion' (the standard bearer) of Darlaveston, Buckinghall, Biddulph, etc (a 1086) m. _ Beauchamp (dau of Nicholas (sb Walter??) de Beauchamp by Emmeline, dau of Urso de Abitot)
    • A. Robert FitzOrm de Darleston and Biddulph
      • i. Ralph de Darleston (dsp)
      • ii. Alice de Darleston m. Ingenulfus de Eresley
    • B. Edward of Middle Biddulph ancestor of the Biddulph family below ...
    • C. Thomas of Over Biddulph and Normanscote ancestor of families called Overton
    • D. Alured of Knipersly ancestor of families called Knipersly or Knippersley
    • E. Ralph FitzOrm in Staffordshire m. Lettice de Montgomery (dau of William (or Robert) Montgomery of Cubley)
      • i. Emma Y m. Adam of Alditheley (d before 1211)

Main source: (1) For upper section : Commoners (vol iii, Biddulph of Biddulph)

References

1. http://www.buckhart.com/History/Foster.htm
2. Irving, James M. (Revised 2015) “ Foster History: A compilation of information extracted from published research about Foster ancestors.” < PDF > page 6. “Regardless of his parentage, there was a Richard Forestarious that fought with William the Conqueror, was made a knight and given lands in the north. Richard did take to living on the lands he was assigned, anglicized his name to Forester, took a wife (name unknown) and was the progenitor of a distinguished line of Forster families. Richard is believed to have died in 1105; while some researchers put his death as early as 1080.” Page 7. “ Sir Richard who was made knight and awarded lands by King William is believed to have resided in Scotland (not Northumberland – but the northern border of Northumberland is questionable and could include lands in Scotland) for the remainder of his life with an unnamed wife by whom it is believed he had several children, at least three; he died sometime between 1080 and 1105, depending on whose data you believe. This 25 year span is an example of why it is difficult to attribute truth to dated claims. Specifically where in Scotland Sir Richard resided is not known. It is presumed that at least two children, at least one was a son, stayed in Scotland, but no information on them has surfaced. Hugo is the son of Sir Richard that we know of by name. Other offspring of Sir Richard are only hinted at.
3. http://minerdescent.com/2011/09/27/sir-richard-forester-of-flanders/
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Richar...
5. Burke, John. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank: But Univested with Heritable Honours, Volume 3. Page 280-281. < GoogleBooks >
6. Fictitious origins: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fosterfamily/foster2.html
7. New England families, genealogical and memorial: a record of the …, Volume 4 edited by William Richard Cutter 1908 Pearce, Frederick Clifton (1899). Foster Genealogy Being the Record of the Posterity of Reginald Foster. Chicago: W. B. Conkey. pp. 11–12. OCLC 3354831
8. http://www.sallysfamilyplace.com/Wheeler/bamburgh_castle.htm#Sir Randolph Forster died 1256
9. http://www.bamburghcastle.com/castle.php
10. http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,546354.msg3999737.html
11. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~bluebel/Adderstonehall/NewFiles/C...
12. http://www.mathematical.com/forsterthomas1474.html
13. FOSTER’S AND THEIR ANCESTRY. Prepared from various sources, a list of which will be given at the end. By: Lieutenant Ivan Leon Foster, Field Artillery, U.S. Army (1927) < link 10. SIR RICHARD FORESTER, mentioned above as the first to naturally bear the name, was head of the powerful Northumberland family of Foresters. They were the principal chieftains of the country in very early times. … The Forsters of Bamborough Castle were lords of the Blanchlands in Northumberland, and for several generations they were Knights-Banneret, Lords Warden of the Middle Marches, High Sheriffs of Northumberland and hereditary Governors of Bamborough Castle. Sir Richard was succeeded by his sun: 11. SIR HUGO, who fought against Magnus, King of Norway, when he invaded England in A.D. 1101.
14. https://sallysfamilyplace.com/the-forster-family/ Comments: “He had another son, Orme le Guildon (of Darleston), some of whose sons took the name of Biddulph after the eponymous town (village) in Staffordshire, near which they lived in the 12th century. My maternal grandmother, Dora Biddulph, was descended from him.”
15. Famous Ormes” < link > Orme of Darlaston / Orme le Guidon (England) 11th/12th centuries. Orme's father, Richard the Forester, was the forester in charge of all of the new forest. During (or near to) 1086, Orme was married to Alice - the daughter of Hervens, a Norman nobleman - and was given four caracutes of land in Lancashire and neighbouring counties.