The Battle Abbey Roll. Vol. III.
by
The Duchess of Cleveland.
Prepared by Michael A. Linton
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Vasderoll : I believe that here an s has inadvertently slipped into the place of an l, and that we should read Val de Roil, or Val de Ruel, from the castle of Vaudreuil in the arrondissement of Louviers. "The fortress of Vallis Rodolli has been constantly reputed the villa in which Fredegundis, the widow of Chilperic, was constrained to fix her abode."—T. Stapleton. It was one of the important frontier fortresses of Normandy, and gave its name to a former bailifry of the Duchy. "Joannes de Valle Deruile" is entered in Duchesne's Feoda Normanniae as holding one fee of Hugh de Montfort; and Stephen de Valle Rodolli occurs in the Norman Exchequer Rolls of 1189-90. At the battle of Hastings, "the archers of Val de Roil put out the eyes of many an Englishman with their arrows."—Wace. Brian de Valle de Rieul (Valle Rodolli) witnesses two charters to Shrewsbury Abbey in the time of Stephen (v. Eyton's Salop): and Roger de Valle Rodolli was of Worcestershire 1155-58.—(Rot. Pip.)