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From: "Todd A. Farmerie" <>
Subject: Re: Confusion re. the earliest Normans
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 11:54:41 -0400


Jim Stevens wrote:
>
> While looking over line # 184 in Weis' AR7 I noticed that, in genertation
> 1, Osbern de Bolbec's wife is said to be DUVELINA, sister of the Duchess
> GUNNORA. The source I had used for this branch of my tree had given
> Osbern's wife as Avelina, daughter of Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark.
>

Robert de Torigny, the only source we have for the existance of Osbern
de Bolbec, says that he married a sister of Gunnora, named Wevia. Some
copies appear to have dropped a couple of phrases, making it appear that
a different sister, Duvelina was mother, but this appears to be
incorrect.

> I don't think anyone has ever proposed that GUNNORA was a daughter of
> Bluetooth. Weis' AR7 (121E:20) calls GUNNORA the dau. of the forester of
> Arques. Another source calls her the daughter of Herbastus, a Danish
> knight. I suppose the forester and the knight could be one and the same.
>

Well, . . . Gunnora (and hence Wevia) were sisters of yet another,
(whose name I forget) who was wife of the forester. In addition, they
had a brother, Herfast/Arfast who was of similar rank. We do not know
who their father was, but it wasn't Bluetooth.

> Can anyone tighten it down for me ? or - more specificaly - who indeed was
> Osbern de Bolbec's wife and who were her parents?
>

Wevia, and no one knows.

Todd

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