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From: (Douglas Richardson)
Subject: Re: Countess Ida, mother of William Longespee, Earl of Salisbury
Date: 8 Dec 2002 07:56:32 -0800
References: <1ac.d33f638.2b22e62c@aol.com>


Dear John ~

Thank you for your good post. Actually I do have an idea of something
which may give another indication of Countess Ida's identity.

As I recall, Countess Ida's son, William Longespee, was requested to
escort William the Lion, King of Scotland, to a meeting with King
John. I suspect this escort consisted of men who were blood related
to William the Lion through his English ancestry. If William
Longespee's mother was a Tony, he would be blood related to William
the Lion, as both the Tony family and the Scottish royal family
descended from Countess Judith, niece of William the Conqueror. The
escort obviously had to be people of trustworthiness to guarantee the
safefy of the Scottish king. Who better than the Scottish king's own
blood kinsmen to form such an escort?

As such, it seems a good avenue to locate the list of men who were
asked to escort William the Lion to meet with King John. As I recall,
William the Lion had two such meetings. It probably wouldn't be a bad
idea to get both lists. Perhaps someone with some time on their hands
can volunteer to find these lists.

If Countess Ida were a Tony, it would explain not only why her son,
William Longespee, was chosen to escort William the Lion, but also why
she and her husband, Roger Bigod, and her son, William Longespee,
appear in the early medieval source, Liber Vitae Ecclesiae
Dunelmensis. As a Tony she would have been blood related to the
Scottish king. The monks in this source seem to have been interested
in families that had links to the Scottish royal family, such as
Duncan, Earl of Fife, and his wife, Ada. Families with English royal
connections seem to have been overlooked.

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah

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wrote in message news:<>...
> Friday, 6 December, 2002
>
>
> Dear Douglas,
>
> Thank you for an interesting post, and insight into another section of
> the forthcoming Plantagenet Ancestry. Certainly the positive identification
> of 'Countess Ida', mother of William Longespee, as being afterwards wife of
> Roger le Bigod, Earl of Norfolk was one of the more noteworthy features of
> 2002 on SGM.
>
> It would be a significant additional breakthrough if the parentage of
> 'Countess Ida' could be confirmed. Discussion of her identification as a
> member of the Tosny or Tony family of Flamstead, co. Herts. seems to be the
> most likely avenue for success, but as you know has yet to yield positive
> proof to date. I would be interested to know if you may have found any
> further documentation concerning this subject.
>
> Best regards, and good luck with your many projects.
>
>
> John *
>
>
> * John P. Ravilious

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