Friday 2 April 2010

A Very Old Petworth Resident

How about some ancient history.  Henry I was one of the sons of William the Conqueror.  His second wife was Adeliza of Louvain, who must have been a looker because she was known as the fair maid of Brabant.  She was not only beautiful, but was from a very good family indeed.  She was a direct descendant of the emperor Charlemagne.  When she became Queen she was given various lands around the kingdom, including Arundel and its surrounding area.  She must have been keen on this particular bit of property because she made her brother Jocelyn the constable of it, and also appointed him the baron of Petworth.  A descendant of this family still owns Arundel Castle today.  Another branch of the family included Ann Boleyn and Catherine Howard.