Anglo-Norman Origins of Clan Rose
The story of Clan Rose begins long ago in Normandy France where the family going by the name “de Ros” or “Roos” appears to have been nobility holding a small fiefdom in the Canton of Tilly, about two miles from Caen, in what is now the modern town of Rots. Like most families of that time, how they gained their initial social status is not clearly defined in known literary sources. Written records do not provide much information until after the Norman conquest of England in 1066 when records of lands held by men of the de Ros family and their deeds were recorded. Most of the original structures and historic documents were lost during World War II.
The following is an excerpt from: ‘The Battle Abbey Roll with some account of the Norman lineages', By Catherine Lucy Wilhelmina Powlett, Duchess of Cleveland,
published London 1889:
“In Domesday; that is William, to whom the Conqueror had given the Abbey of Fecamp in 1079, with a small Sussex barony added to its revenues; and Anchitel, Ansgot, Goisfrid, and Serlo, who all held as under-tenants. They derived their name from the parish of Ros, now Rots, two miles from Caen, where they held a fief, but not the entire domain, which pertained to the De Patrys and others.”
Another source documenting the Norman de Ros origin is taken from the plaque in the church at Dives-sur-Mer, Normandy, France where William the Conqueror and his knights said mass before setting sail to invade England in 1066. A plaque lists all the knights who are known to have taken part in the invasion including Serlon de Ros, Geoffroi de Ros, Ansgot de Ros, and Anquetil de Ros.
While many accounts tie the family to the village of Rots/ Ros there are also nearby ruins of an ancient feudal manor house close to the village of Hamel that is believed to have belonged to one of the de Ros family. It is from this site research and the research of a nearby church that indicates the four de Ros’s who went with William I to take England were brothers.
What is certain at this point is that four knights of the de Ros bloodline are recognized as having participated in the Norman conquest and bringing the bloodline to England.
De Ros roots planted in England
These Domesday Book entries show the influence of the family being great in the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire areas denoting that the de Ros knights were close kin and most likely siblings, thought it cannot be proven with absolute certainty:
1. Robert de Ros: Robert de Ros is mentioned as a landowner in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. He held substantial estates in these regions, including lands in Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire.
2. Everard de Ros: Everard de Ros is recorded as a landowner in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire as well. He held extensive lands in both counties.
3. Hugh de Ros: Hugh de Ros is mentioned as a landowner in Lincolnshire.
He held lands in several places, including Coningsby, Horncastle, and Scrivelsby.
4. Walter de Ros: Walter de Ros is listed as a landowner in Lincolnshire, holding estates in places such as Gedney, Langton, and South Thoresby.
What we do know is that the Rose family came to great prominence through some very successful marriages which brought a bounty of financial and societal gains. Among these marriages was the union of Everard de Ros to Roysia (Rhohese) de Trusbutt that brought several estates into the line including the Barony of Hamlake (now Helmsley). It is from this union that the familiar armorial device of three water-bougets became common among the descendants of this pair.
While there are conflicting genealogical accounts at this time, there is a belief that the ancestry of Clan Rose comes through Knights Templar and Magna Carta Surety, Robert de Ros, who married a natural daughter of William I “the Lion” of Scotland. Use of the gold “Or” with the three water-bougets resting in a field of gold in de Ros arms first appears with Robert de Ros of Wark, the son of Robert and Isabel. The grandson Robert of Wark (Spelled “Werk” in some text) was labeled a traitor by the English for falling in love with a Scottish lass and siding with the Scots against King Edward I. His arms are often cited as being the same as the first de Ros/ Rose Baron of Kilravock.
Please see the Heraldry of Kilravock and the Rose Line in Scotland for further information and to continue the story of our Clan.