The Hissem-Montague Family

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The village of Lacie, now called Lassy, in Normandy on the road between Vere and Auvray, is where this great Norman family derived its name. Arms: Azure, three swans' necks erased, argent, beaks or. See also The Lacys: A Monograph.

The scion of the family. His feudal lord was Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux, the half brother of William I. He married Emma and had two sons, Walter, whose descendents ruled in Ireland, and Ilbert, who's descendents ruled in Yorkshire & Lancashire.

Or Lacy, Laci. The eldest son of Hugh and brother of Walter. He was born about 1045 in Loei, Normandy, France. A companion of William the Conqueror during his invasion of England. He was noted as the first of the name Lacey to enter England. The 'Sire de Lacie' is named as one of a party of seven or eight knights who charged the English at Hastings in company, "fearing neither prince nor pope. Many a man did they overthrow, many did they wound, and many a good horse did they kill." He received for his services the castle and town of Pontefract, in Yorkshire, and all that part of the county of Lancaster now called Blackburnshire, with other lands of vast extent. At the time of the Domesday survey he possessed one hundred and seventy lordships, the greater portion of them in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire. He died in 1090 [1093] in Pontrefact, Yorkshire, England. His wife was Hawise and he left two sons, Robert and Hugh.

He was born in 1070 in Halton, Cheshire county, England. Lord of the Castle of Pontefract from 1089 to 1121 [?]. Lord of Blackburn. He acquired the Lancashire Honor of Clitheroe. Robert joined the rebellion of Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumberland, against William II. This failed and he was forced to forfeit his estates, circa 1095. These he subsequently regained. He rebelled again, this time against Henry II, but again the rebellion failed he he forfeited his lands once more. The following is notable.

"This was the fief of Pontefract and Clitheroe, which Henry I had bestowed upon Hugh de Laval, after Robert de Lacy's forfeiture in 1108. Upon the death of Hugh, about this time, the King granted this estate to William Maltravers, named above. In the year 1135 he was assassinatd at Pontefract by a knight called Paganus, and having taken the cowl, diel three days afterwards. That King Stephen restored the Honors of Pontefract and Clitheroe to Ilbert de Lacy, is proved by a charter of pardon granted by the King to the men of Ilbert de Lacy, of all forfeitures made after the deth of King Henry until the King's coronation, and particularly for the murder of William Maltravers. This suggests that Ilbert had taken violent steps to recover his father's English fiefs after King Henry's death." - from "The Lancashire Pipe Rolls of 31 Henry I., A.D. 1130, and of the Reigns of Henry II., A.D...." by W. Farrer

He was born in Pontefract, Yorkshire. Lord of Pontefract Castle from 1136-1141. He had no heirs.

He was born in Pontefract, Yorkshire and inherited upon his brother's death. He died in 1187. Lord of Pontefract Castle from 1146-1187, heir of his brother, Ilbert.

The last of the true line of de Lacey's in England. He married Agnes. He died in Palestine on 21 June 1193, dsp. Upon his death the de Lacey title, Pontefract castle and estates consisting of 60 knights' fees devolved to his cousin [some claim this was his sister], Albreda [Aubrey] De Lisoures, the daughter of Robert de Lisoures [Lizours] and Albreda de Lacy, who was herself the daughter of Robert de Lacy and Matilda du Perche.

Albreda had married Richard FitzEustace, Lord of Halton castle and constable of Cheshire. See the de Lacey Family of Halton.

Walter was born about 1043 in l'Eveque, Normandy, France. The brother of Ilbert and a companion of William the Conqueror. As early as the third year of William's reign, 1069, Walter de Lacey was sent into Wales against the Prince of Wales, Rhys ap Owen, whom they attacked and defeated with great slaughter. The conquerors of Wales eventually became Marcher lords. They included the Belleme earls of Shropshire, of the Montgomery family, who built the town and castle of Montgomery in Powys, and the de Laceys, Earls of Hereford.

Walter married Emma. He died in April 1084 [1085] in Herfordshire, England, falling from a ladder. He had three sons, Roger, Hugh and Walter. The latter was a monk at the Abbey of St Peter in Gloucestershire.

The son and successor of Walter as 2nd Baron. At His death he was in possession of ninety-six lordships, sixty-five of which were in Gloucestershire, besides four Carucates of land lying within the limits of the Castle of Civia, which King William had bestowed on his father. Conspiring, however, against William Rufus, first with Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and afterwards with Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumberland, he was banished from the realm and all his lands given to his brother Hugh.

The son of Walter and heir to Roger as 3rd Baron upon Roger's banishment. He married Adelaide. A religious man, he died without male issue and left his great inheritance to his sister, Emma.

She married Hugh Talbot (1078-1120) and had a a son, Gilbert.

The 4th Baron Lacey, 1104-1163. He assumed the name of de Lacey. He married Agnes.

The son of Gilbert. The first Lord of Meath and fifth Baron Lacey. He was Justicar of Ireland and one of the Norman conquerors of Ireland in 1169. He was granted the county of Meath by Henry II in 1172. He was the first Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1172 to 1173. He built Trim and Killeen Castles in county Meath. He was murdered in 1186, or 25 July 1185. He married Rohese de Monmouth. By her he had sons Walter, Hugh, Gilbert, and Robert. Secondly he married Rose O'Connor, the daughter of Roderick O'Connor, the last King of Ireland. By her he had sons, William, who married the daughter of Llewelyn, the Prince of Wales, and perhaps Hugo [Hugh?]. Hugo's son was another William.

Son of Hugh. Second Lord of Meath. Born in Meath, Ireland. Had lands in Donnybrook, county Dublin. 1172-1230/41. Lord of Weobley, Hereford, Sheriff of Herefordshire, Lord of Weobley, Hereford. Married Margaret de Braose. Thrown out of Meath by King John during his campaign against Walter's brother Hugh.

Son of Walter. Third Lord of Meath. Born in Meath, Ireland c1200, he died in 1230. Married Isabel Bigod, a descendent of Charlemagne. He had no male heirs.

Daughter of Gilbert. Married John de Verdon.

Daughter of Gilbert. Married Sir Geoffrey de Geneville (1226-1314). They inherited Trim Castle. He was First Lord Geneville, Sire de Vaucouleurs, Lord of Ludlow (Salop), and of Trim (Ireland).

Son of Geoffrey. Baron Geneville of Trim. Died in 1292.

Daughter of Peter. 1285-1356. Married Sir Roger de Mortimer, First Earl of March and Eighth Earl of Mortimer, 1287-1330. The Mortimers became closely associated with the House of York.

The last of the de Lacey's of Ireland. Son of Hugh and brother of Walter. Earl of Ulster 1199-1210. He married twice, but had no sons. King Henry II had made John, his son, 'Lord of Ireland' and for a time the Crown showed favour to de Courcy, the chief governor of Ireland, but when John became King of England in 1199, Hugh de Lacey was authorised to wage war on him. After campaigns lasting five years, de Courcy was driven out of Ulster. Then de Lacey incurred the wrath of the capricious king by protecting his kinsman, William de Braose, Lord of Limerick, from the King's wrath. Hugh's brother had married a Braose. Hugh had also married Rose O'Connor, the daughter of one of the last Kings of Ireland (and thus getting a little above himself). John prepared a great expedition to Ireland to break the power of his overmighty subjects, Hugh de Lacey and William de Braose. After being confronted by overwhelming force, De Lacey and de Braose fled to France.

De Lacey, however, survived to recover his lands in the next reign, being reinstated by Henry III. He died before February 1243 and his earldom reverted to the crown, presumably because of the unrecorded terms on which it had been restored to him, for he left at least one daughter, the wife of David fitz William, baron of Naas.

Steve Hissem
San Diego, California