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The Ancient Regime of de Richemont dates back to the time of the Norman Conquest of England. The
family sprang from scions of the Royal House of Brittany. The united forces under William the Conqueror
consisted of three armies, his own army from the Dukedom of Normandy which he personally commanded,
the army of his father-in-law Baldwin V, count of Flanders, and the army of the Dukedom of Brittany,
under the command of William's ally, Alan Fergant de Bretegne, eldest son of Hawisa, the Duchess of
Brittany. Three of the powerful lords in the army of Brittany were (1) Hasculph Musard de Bretegne,
Viscount of Nantes, and the younger brother of Alan Fergant, (2) Alan Rufus de Penthievre, second
son of Eudo, the Count of Penthievre, who was the uncle of Duchess Hawisa, and (3) Alan Niger de Penthievre,
4th son of Count Eudo.
Following the Norman Conquest, Alan Fergant married Princess Constance, 2nd daughter of William the Conqueror, in 1086. For his part in the victory, in 1070 he was created Count Palatine in England. The Premier Honour as originally created, consisted of over 400 manors in 6 counties that had belonged to Earl Morcar before the Conquest. In 1084 Alan Fergant, as Alan IV succeeded as Duke of Brittany and reigned until 1119. Alan Fergant was succeeded as Duke of Brittany and Count Palatine in England by his son Conan the Great who was married to Princess Maud, daughter of Henry I Beauclerc, King of England.
Following the Battle of Hastings, in 1070 Alan Rufus de Penthievre was created the 1st Earl of Richemont.
The Honour of Richemont as originally created consisted of all of the lands that had belonged to Edwin, the
Earl of Mercia. It was established as a County and the construction of Richemont Castle was begun in 1071 as a bulwark against the Pict savages in Scotland. What was in those early days Richmondshire is now the
North Riding of Yorkshire. Alan Rufus died in 1089 and is buried at Bury St.Edmonds in Suffolk. Alan Rufus never married. His next younger brother Brien de Penthievre also fought at Hastings, but returned to Brittany and was created Earl of Cornouaille in 1072. This was a lesser Honour relinguished by Hoël who became in fact Duke of Brittany in 1072 when his wife the Duchess Hawisa died.
Alan Niger de Penthievre in 1070 received a barony consisting of 120 manors in Hampshire, Dorset, Norfolk, & Suffolk. In 1089 he succeeded his brother as the 2nd Earl of Richemont. He too never married. He lived until 1093 and is also buried at Bury St.Edmonds. He was succeeded by his brother Stephen, the Count of Penthievre, and 5th son of Count Eudo. Stephen was the 3rd Earl of Richemont and held the Honour until 1135. During these 42 years he rarely left Brittany. Stephen was succeeded by his eldest surviving son
Alan III Niger, Count of Penthievre & 4th Earl of Richemont. Alan III married his cousin, Bertha who
became Duchess of Brittany in 1148 upon the death of her father Conan the Great. Their son Conan IV became
the 5th Earl of Richemont upon his father's death in 1148 and succeeded his mother as Duke of Brittany in 1156. Conan IV married Princess Margaret of Huntingdon, granddaughter of St.David, King of Scotland.
The 1st great lord mentioned Hasculph Musard de Bretegne, Viscount of Nantes, returned to Brittany but his sons remained in England. The sons that remained were three knights Sir Hasculph, Sir Enisand, and Sir Hugh,
all of whom had fought at Hastings as recorded for posterity in the Great Roll of Battle Abbey. Nothing further is known of the youngest Sir Hugh Musard. The oldest son, Sir Hasculph is known to have held the Manor of Stavely in Derbyshire, enfeoff of the County Palatine. The middle son is known as Sir Enisand Musard de Richemont who was created the Hereditary Castellan of Richemont Castle and Lord Constable of the Earldom of Richemont.
Sir Roald Musard de Richemont, Lord of the Manor of Croft in Richmondshire, which he inherited from his father Sir Hasculph Musard, as 2nd son, succeeded his uncle Sir Enisand Musard as the 2nd Lord Constable of the
Earldom of Richemont. During this time when Stephen and Alan III were the Earls, because they rarely left
Brittany, Sir Roald was the de facto ruler of the Earldom of Richemont. Sir Roald le Ennasé and his wife Graciana founded the Augustine Monastery at Eastby near Richmond and are buried there. Click HERE for a reproduction of a wonderful antique Copperplate Illustration of this Monastery by Ellis.
These then are the noble beginnings of our family.
 | Richmond Lines of the East Fens | Page 1 |
| Richmond Lines of the West Fens | Page 2 |
| Richmond Lines of Lancashire | Page 3 |
| Richmond Lines of the Midlands | Page 4 |
| Richmond Lines of Wiltshire | Page 5 |
| Richmond-Webb Line of Wiltshire | Page 6 |
| Richmond Lines of Yorkshire | Page 7 |