Grimaldi – Crispin

Source: Dean Whitney, gwhitney@jps.net

The early history of the Grimaldi line in early England is not well established. The following account is from: "FALAISE ROLL, RECORDING PROMINENT COMPANIONS OF WILLIAM DUKE OF NORMANDY AT THE CONQUEST OF ENGLAND by William Crispin, Princton University, 1896 and Leonce Macary , professor of the College of Falaise O.I." published by the American Genealogist, Volume XVI, Number 1, July 1939. Page 66 and 67.
Much of this information was taken from articles written by Stacey Grimaldi in the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE of October 1832 which published a genealogy of the Grimaldi-Crispin-Toustain Fitz Rou de Bec (Whitney) lines:

"Crispina, a supposed daughter of Rollo, first duke of Normandy, married Grimaldus I, prince of Monaco, c. 920, and had issue Guido, Prince of Monaco, Giballinus, a celebrated warrior against the Saaracens, and Ansgothus Crispinus, who settled in Normandy and possessed the barony of Bec. The latter, (Ansgothus), married Heloise, daughter of Rodulph, count of Guynes and Boulogne, by Roselle, daughter of the count Saint-Paul, whose children were Herluin, abbot of Bec, Gilbert baron of Bec, lord of Tillieres, constable of Normandy and marshal of the army, who relinquished the surname Grimaldi to assume that of Crispin, Odo and Roger, both named in a charter by abbot Herlluin as his brothers, and Rollo or Rolf. This pedigree asserts that Gilbert Crispin was the father of William Crispin, baron of Bec, Gilbert Crispin, Lord of Tilleires, and Milo Crispin.
It furthur records that Rolf had two sons, Gosfrid Fitz Rou du Bec, the Conqueror's marshal, and Toustain Fitz Rou le Blanc, the standard bearer, sometimes called du Bec. ( Toustain, after being awaded thousands of acres of land and many thanes by William the Conquerer, after the victory over England in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings, married Agnes daughter of Alfred de Marlbourough and had two sons Rollo and Eustace. Euastace settled on Toustan's land at Whitney in Herferdshire and eventualy took the name for his own and became Eustace Whitney. Eustace is the first of the Whitney surname from which all other Whitney's came.)
Duke Rollo had only one daughter mentioned in history, Gerlotte, later called Adele, who married William, count of Poitou and duke of Aquitaine (932-63), and if he had another daughter by the name of Crispina, it is nowhere else recorded.
There was no barony of Bec in the Crispin family before c. 1250 which has been identified, and no prince of Monaco until the 13th Century. "The first authentic ancestor of this family was Otto Canella, (died 1142), whose son Grimaldo was thrice consul of Genoa from 1162 to 1184. These great Genoese lords did not come to Monaco until 1270, whence they were driven by the Gibelins. This genealogy was composed in 1646 by Charles de Venasque-Ferriol, secretary of Honore II, prince of Monaco, and Jean Le Laboureur, the historian, Renee du Bec-Crispin, and her husband Jean Baptiste de Budes, comte de Guebriant, and Perigord, under the title, of HISTORICA ET GENELOGICA GRIMALDA GENTIS ARBOR. Although it was published by Ferriol, the clever work of Le Laboureur can easily be detedted. Countess Renee in 1645 escorted the queen of Poland from fParis to her estate, on which account she was granted the title of ambassadrice extraordinaire de France, an honour never accorded to tany other lady: she was also lady of honour to Marie-Therese.
These powerfiul families with the desire to obtain a Carlovingian descent through Grimoald, duke of Brabant, son of Pepin d'Heristal, (slain 714), imagined a fabulous Grimaldus to whom according to an apocryphal manuscript exhumed at the library of Ambrois at Milan, the emperor Otho gave, about 960, the sovereignty of Monaco. It was this recorded Grimaldus (700), count of Flanders and mayor of the palace, son of Pepin, by his wife Theodesinde had Theobald (750) married to Aliarde, whose son Hugo Grimaldus (800) had Passanus (850), who was the father of Grimalduls I, prince of Monaco, married to Crispina. Charles III, prince of Monaco (1856-89), branding this pedigree as untrue, gave an order to his successive archivists, Cais de Pierlas, Saige and Labande, to write a correct one founded on authentic documents and not falsified as this one and the famous donation of the gulf de Sambracie, later called gulf de Grimaud (Saint-Tropez in 980) admittedly were.
Nevertheless, the Grimaldi found their Arms were identical with those of the Crispins of Normandy which had been on record before their advent to Monaco, both of whom bore fusily argent and gules.
It is a very strange coincidence that such distinguished and influential families had the same armorial bearings, but with so simple a coat great importance cannot be attached to it unless fortified with other evidences of relationsshjip. Miles Crispin appears on the Battle Abby Roll under the name of Valingford."

There is much information in the above quoted passages about various families. It also brings up the disagrement betwee genealogists and historians of these early lines. I would hope that more and better documents can be found to either substantiate of repudate Stacy Grimaldi's claims on the accuracy of his Genealogy in 1832. Information I have found on the Whitney and Crispin side of the question supports Stacy Grimaldi's assertions and when one looks at the Heraldic ARMS used by both the Crispin and Grimali families and see that they are exactly the same it lends creedance to Stacy Grimaldies position.
I would appreciate any one else's comments or information on these early lines. It has been 170 years since Stacy wrote and 100 years since this passage was written. Surely more information has been found. E-mail me or post to the forum.
Regards to all.....Dean Whitney