These research notes are provided as-is and contain supplementary working research.

Renaud de Gournay (G35) Notes

Research notes for g35-renaud-de-gournay-fact-sheet.md. Synthesised v2 (May 2026) drawing on DG-I + DG-Supp, Hannay, Pettigrew, Planché, Pattou Racines Histoire (2025), French Wikipedia Famille de Gournay, FMG MedLands (Cawley), Potin 1842, NRP-I 1852.

The full Phase-0 cross-walks live in sources/FS/GC1N-CQ3/assessment.md and sources/FS/Norman_additions/assessment.md. This synthesis preserves the verbatim primary-source extracts.

1. Vital framework

Born c. 960–970, Gournay-en-Bray. Date estimated from son Hugh II’s approximate birth c. 985–990.
Father: Eudes (G37), per local tradition. (No documented son-of-Eudes attestation; the Hugues I → Renaud chain is partial editorial inference per Potin 1842 p. 89.)
Mother: Unknown.
Wife: Aubrée / Albérade (Albereda) — named in the la Ferté priory foundation charter [989/96]. The “de Montdidier” surname in the FS structured field is community-tree extrapolation; no primary source attests this.
Died dates uncertain; living when his son Gauthier founded la Ferté [989/96]. Potin 1842 p. 88 dates Hugues I’s death to c. 1040, which would put Renaud’s death well before that — perhaps c. 1010–1020.

2. The la Ferté priory foundation charter — primary attestation

The single primary source for Renaud’s existence. The charter survives only in transcription via the MS. de Gondeville Histoire de Gournay → DG (1845) → FMG. The original is lost.

2.1 FMG MedLands extract — verbatim

RENAUD. Seigneur de Gournay. m ALBERADE, daughter of —. Gauthier de la Ferté founded the priory of La Ferté en Brai, at the command of “fratre Hugone”, by charter dated to [989/96], which names his father Renaud and his mother Alberade [883]. Renaud & his wife had two children:

a) HUGUES [I] de Gournay (-after 989). Gauthier de la Ferté founded the priory of La Ferté en Brai, at the command of “fratre Hugone”, by charter dated to [989/96], which names his father Renaud and his mother Alberade [884]. The “command” of his brother suggests that Hugues was the older son, and presumably also Seigneur de Gournay.

b) GAUTHIER de la Ferté (-after 989). Gauthier de la Ferté founded the priory of La Ferté en Brai, at the command of “fratre Hugone”, by charter dated to [989/96], which names his father Renaud and his mother Alberade [885].

FMG footnote citations [884] and [885] (verbatim from FS PDF p. 5):

[884] Gurney (1845), pp. 26 and 31, citing M. de Gondeville’s MS Histoire de Gournay, but adding that the original charter no longer exists. [885] Gurney (1845), pp. 26 and 31, citing M. de Gondeville’s MS Histoire de Gournay, but adding that the original charter no longer exists.

2.2 NRP-I 1852 — fuller witness list

NRP-I 1852 p. 77–78 (Tome I, Recherches sur les Possessions des Sires Normands de Gournay) gives a fuller account:

“En 990, Gautier de la Ferté fonda, à la Ferté, un prieuré de chanoines réguliers, en présence, et du consentement de son frère, Hugues de Gournay, chef de la famille, impetrante fratre meo Hugone. A cette cérémonie religieuse assistèrent: Richard Ier, duc de Normandie, Richard, son fils, Robert, archevêque de Rouen, et un comte nommé aussi Robert. Un évêque du nom de Hugues, du consentement de l’archevêque de Rouen, fit la dédicace de l’église sous le nom de Saint-Pierre et de Saint-Paul. Le fondateur fit don à cette collégiale des églises de Fry, d’Argueil, de Saint-Samson, du Boulay et de Bruquedale.”

Translation: “In 990, Gautier de la Ferté founded, at la Ferté, a priory of regular canons, in the presence and with the consent of his brother Hugues de Gournay, head of the family [‘impetrante fratre meo Hugone’]. At this religious ceremony there were present: Richard I, Duke of Normandy; Richard, his son; Robert, archbishop of Rouen; and a count also named Robert. A bishop named Hugues, with the consent of the archbishop of Rouen, made the dedication of the church under the name of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The founder made donation to this collegiate church of the churches of Fry, of Argueil, of Saint-Samson, of Boulay, and of Bruquedale.”

The extra details over FMG are: (a) a fourth witness named Robert (“un comte nommé aussi Robert,” distinct from Robert Archbishop of Rouen — possibly Robert Comte d’Évreux, Archbishop Robert’s brother in the secular role); (b) a dedicating Bishop Hugues (different from the Hugh-de-Gournay brother) consecrated the church under the dedication of Saints Peter and Paul; © five churches given at foundation: Fry, Argueil, Saint-Samson, Boulay, Bruquedale.

NRP-I 1852 dates the la Ferté château as standing by year 1000.

2.3 The 989/96 dating window

Tightly bracketed by witness chronology:

Robert Archbishop of Rouen: appointed 989.
Richard I, Duke of Normandy: died 996.

Both witnesses can only be present together 989–996. (Richard II, also a witness, was Richard I’s son and adult by then.)

Pattou (companion p. 2) hedges this with “ou cette fondation peut-être légèrement antérieure à 1026 sous Richard II ?” — “or this foundation perhaps slightly later, around 1026 under Richard II?” — but the dual presence of Richard I + Robert Archbishop ties the foundation to 989–996.

3. Renaud’s children — synthesised

3.1 The la Ferté charter children (FMG)

Name	Status	Notes
Hugues [I] de Gournay	Confirmed; G36 in repo direct line	Older brother per “fratre Hugone” command logic; presumably Seigneur de Gournay after Renaud.
Gauthier de la Ferté	Confirmed; collateral	Younger son; founder of the priory. After his line ended (Hugh II de la Ferté, monk at Saint-Ouen 1060, no issue), the la Ferté seigneurie reverted to the senior Gournay line.

3.2 Local-tradition third son — Raoul

Potin 1842 p. 65 and NRP-I 1852 p. 77 add a third son:

“Renaud était fils d’Eudes, on ne sait pas le nom de sa mère. Il épousa Aubrée ou Albérade (Albereda) dont il eut: 1° Huc ou Hugues de Gournay; 2° Gauthier de la Ferté; 3° Raoul (Radulphus), mort sans postérité.”

Translation: “Renaud was son of Eudes; the name of his mother is not known. He married Aubrée or Albérade (Albereda), by whom he had: (1) Huc or Hugues de Gournay; (2) Gauthier de la Ferté; (3) Raoul (Radulphus), died without posterity.”

This Raoul, died without posterity does not appear in the la Ferté charter (which names only Hugh and Gauthier) or in FMG / Pattou. He is a local-tradition addition. Worth noting in the children table as a third son with caveat.

3.3 Other FS-tree children (declined)

The FS structured table over-shares five children: Nocher, Blanche, Hugues II, Gauthier, Alix. Of these:

Nocher (Geneanet community-tree only): spurious; not in FMG, not in Pattou.
Blanche (m. Osmond Tyrel de Poix 1005): spurious; the Tyrel de Poix family is real but no documented marriage to a Gournay daughter.
Alix (m. Eudes de Foucarmont): per Pattou, belongs at Hugues 1er level (sister, not daughter); generationally misplaced in FS.

Only Hugh and Gauthier are FMG-corroborated; Raoul is local-tradition; the rest are FS-tree confabulation.

4. The Delisle critique and the lost charter

DG-Supp Note 8 (p. 731) records that Léopold Delisle “examined in detail the archives at Evreux, and is quite certain this charter is not there.” Delisle (1826–1910), the leading 19th-century Norman charter scholar and director of the Bibliothèque nationale, could not locate the original la Ferté charter in the archives where it would most logically reside.

This is consistent with FMG’s footnote chain ([884]/[885]) which explicitly says the original charter no longer exists; what survives is DG’s transcription via the MS. de Gondeville Histoire de Gournay. The provenance chain is:

Original (10th-century parchment, lost) →
M. de Gondeville’s MS Histoire de Gournay (transcription, date unknown — likely 17th or 18th century) →
DG 1845 (English-language paraphrase / Latin extract) →
FMG (Cawley) MedLands (citing DG).

Potin 1842 cites a parallel local-tradition transmission line: Nicolas Cordier, curé of Notre-Dame de Gournay 1710–1738 → Cordier’s MS Histoire de Gournay → Langloys (avocat, late 17th c.) → René Potin → Pierre Potin de la Mairie 1842. This may be the same Cordier MS or a parallel one.

Implications for the repo’s status classification:

The repo currently classifies G35 as “Confirmed.” Pattou marks Renaud with ? (“? Renaud, seigneur de Gournay ép. Albérade”); French Wikipedia uses the explicit caveat “Renaud (douteux), épouse Albérade, vivent au milieu du xe siècle” — “Renaud (doubtful), married Albérade, living in the middle of the 10th century.”

The la Ferté charter is the only primary source for Renaud’s existence. The charter is preserved only in transcription. Repo position from this synthesis: retain “Confirmed” with the explicit caveat that the primary source is preserved only in transcription via the Gondeville MS, and that Delisle could not locate the original. This is a more honest classification than either bare “Confirmed” or wholesale downgrade to “Doubtful.”

Pattou’s narrative (companion p. 2 verbatim):

“Au milieu du XIXe siècle, Daniel Gurney a établi une généalogie souvent reprise dans les ouvrages d’histoire sur la région mais ses travaux ont vite été critiqués par des érudits normands comme Léopold Delisle. Daniel Gurney suggère un lien familial entre les maisons de La Ferté et de Gournay. Il fait d’Hugues de Gournay un des descendants de Renaud et Aubrée (Alberade), parents du fondateur de la collégiale de La Ferté.”

Translation: “In the middle of the 19th century, Daniel Gurney established a genealogy often reprinted in regional history works, but his work was quickly criticized by Norman scholars such as Léopold Delisle. Daniel Gurney suggests a family link between the houses of La Ferté and Gournay. He makes Hugues de Gournay one of the descendants of Renaud and Aubrée (Alberade), parents of the founder of the collegiate church of La Ferté.”

Pattou here is presenting DG’s chain (Eudes → Renaud → Hugues de Gournay) as a hypothesis DG advanced rather than a settled fact, with explicit citation to Delisle’s critique.

A topic file research/topics/dg-reception-delisle-critique.md is recommended for capturing this scholarly reception more fully (see cross-cutting work).

5. The structural Pattou-vs-FMG-vs-repo question

Three parallel structural views compared:

Source	Chain
Repo (FMG)	Eudes (G37) → Hugh I (G36) → Renaud (G35) → Hugh II (G34)
Pattou solid main	Eudes (?) → ?Hugues de Gournay → Hugues 1er (the fortifier) → Hue II
Pattou dashed alt	Eudes (?) → ? → Renaud (?) → Gauthier de La Ferté (sibling of fortifier?)
French Wikipedia	Eudes (contested) → Hugues (?) → Renaud (douteux) → Hugues 1er → Hugues II
Potin 1842	Eudes → Renaud → Hugues I → Hugues II → Hugues III → Girard → Hugues IV → Hugues V

The repo’s structure matches Potin 1842 and FMG. Pattou’s chart shows two branches:

Solid-line main chain: Eudes → ?Hugues de Gournay (an extra unnamed ? figure) → Hugues 1er → Hue II → Hugues III. Pattou’s ?Hugues between Eudes and Hugues 1er does not correspond to any generation in the repo.
Dashed-line parallel branch: Eudes → separate ? marker → “? Renaud, seigneur de Gournay ép. Albérade” → solid line down to Gauthier de La Ferté. So Pattou does include Renaud, but as a parallel-and-uncertain figure connected via dashed ? connectors rather than the main solid chain.

Pattou’s visual encoding tracks his textual narrative: he is presenting DG’s chain (Renaud → Hugues de Gournay) as a hypothesis Pattou is unwilling to fully endorse, hence the dashed lines. Pattou’s ?Hugues de Gournay between Eudes and Hugues 1er is a chart-genealogy artifact of his hyper-cautious notation rather than a documented person; Potin 1842 explicitly rejects it (Potin’s three-Hugues-pre-Girard structure already covers Hugh I + II + III without an extra figure between Eudes and Renaud).

Repo position: retain the repo’s structure (= Potin’s = FMG’s). Pattou’s ?Hugues is not adopted; the parallel dashed-Renaud branch is reconciled by treating Renaud as the bridge between Hugues 1er and Hue II per FMG.

6. Pattou date adjustment hedge — la Ferté foundation

Pattou (companion p. 2):

“Gauthier de La Ferté + après 989 (fonde le Prieuré de La Ferté-en-Bray par charte entre 989 & 996, en présence de Richard 1er, duc de Normandie, et Robert, Archevêque de Rouen ; ou cette fondation peut-être légérement antérieure à 1026 sous Richard II ?)”

Translation: “Gauthier de La Ferté, died after 989 (founds the Priory of La Ferté-en-Bray by charter between 989 and 996, in the presence of Richard I, duke of Normandy, and Robert, Archbishop of Rouen; or this foundation perhaps slightly later, around 1026 under Richard II?)”

The Pattou hedge (“ou cette fondation peut-être légèrement antérieure à 1026”) is internally inconsistent with the dual presence of Richard I (d. 996) and Robert Archbishop (appointed 989) as witnesses. Repo position: retain the 989/96 window per FMG; note Pattou’s hedge as a research-tier caveat without adopting it.

7. Argueil tithes (990 charter)

NRP-I 1852 p. 77: “En 990, les dîmes d’Argueil furent données ainsi que l’église de Fry ou Frych, aux chanoines de la Ferté, par Gauthier, fils de Renaud de Gournay.” The five churches given at foundation (Fry, Argueil, Saint-Samson, Boulay, Bruquedale) became the la Ferté collégiale’s endowment. The chanoines were transferred to Saint-Laurent-en-Lions in 1151 after Henri II of England burned la Ferté.

8. La Ferté reverts to senior Gournay line

NRP-I 1852 p. 79–80 documents the reversion:

“Hugues II [de la Ferté], ne laissant pas d’enfans, tout le domaine de la Ferté retourna aux sires de Gournay, branche aînée et alors unique de la famille.”

Translation: “Hugues II [de la Ferté], leaving no children, all the domain of la Ferté returned to the lords of Gournay, the elder and now only branch of the family.”

Specifically:

Gauthier de la Ferté (Renaud’s son) → Turold (his son) → Hugues I de la Ferté (Turold’s son) → Hugues II de la Ferté (Hugues I’s son, became monk at Saint-Ouen de Rouen 1060, died before 1047, no issue per NRP-I).
The la Ferté seigneurie reverted to Hugues III de Gournay (G33) as senior branch head.
He passed it to his son Girard (G32), who passed it to Hugues IV de Gournay (G33’s grandson and Girard’s son), with the cadet portion going to Walter / Gautier (G31).

Pettigrew (already cited in the repo) makes this reversion explicit: “By these acts, Pettigrew says, the seignories and lands of La Ferte reverted to the elder branch.”

9. Open questions

The Delisle critique and the “Confirmed” classification: the la Ferté charter is the only primary source for Renaud and is preserved only in transcription. The repo’s “Confirmed” classification is defensible (a primary document, even one preserved in transcription, is stronger than oral tradition) but should carry the explicit transcription caveat. Pattou’s ? and French Wikipedia’s “douteux” reflect the same evidentiary thinness.
Renaud’s third son Raoul: Potin / NRP local tradition only; not in the la Ferté charter or FMG. Worth recording as a candidate.
Albérade’s surname: “de Montdidier” (FS structured field) is unsupported. The la Ferté charter names her only as “Alberade.” Detach the surname.
The Eudes / Hugh I / Renaud chain: Potin 1842 p. 89 explicitly says Hugh I → Renaud succession is editorial inference, not documented. Worth flagging as a research-level uncertainty.
Pattou’s ?Hugues between Eudes and Hugues 1er: not adopted; a chart-genealogy artifact.
The Gondeville MS: location and date of compilation unknown. The Cordier MS Histoire de Gournay (c. 1710–1738) is a parallel local-tradition source per Potin 1842; whether the two are related is unresolved.

10. Sources consulted

Source	Citation handle
Daniel Gurney 1845/1848, Record of the House of Gournay Part I, p. 25	`dg-rec-pt1`
DG-Supp (1858) Note 8 (Delisle critique)	`dg-rec-supp`
Hannay 1867, p. 25	`hannay-three-hundred-years-1867`
Pettigrew 1871, Collectanea Archaeologica vol. 2 pp. 180–182	`pettigrew-collectanea-house-gournay-1871`
Planché 1874, Hugh de Gournay section	`planche-conqueror-companions-1874`
Pattou Racines Histoire (2025-08-11)	`pattou-racines-histoire-gournay-2025`
French Wikipedia, Famille de Gournay	(URL)
FMG MedLands (Cawley) [883], [884], [885]	`fmg-medlands-normacre`
Potin 1842, pp. 65, 67, 88	`dg-recherches-potin-1842` (proposed)
NRP-I 1852, pp. 77–80	`nrp-recherches-vol1-1852` (proposed)
Léopold Delisle’s critique (cited via DG-Supp Note 8 + Pattou + French Wikipedia)	`delisle-critique-of-dg` (proposed)
Gondeville MS Histoire de Gournay (location unknown)	via DG-Supp Note 8, FMG [884]/[885]
Nicolas Cordier MS Histoire de Gournay (c. 1710–1738)	via Potin 1842 preface
Fauroux, Recueil des actes des ducs de Normandie de 911 à 1066 (Caen 1961)	not yet inspected — index search needed