Urse d'Abetot

Urse d'Abetot
The Château de Tancarville in Normandy. Urse was a tenant of the lords of Tancarville.
Sheriff of Worcestershire
In office c. 1069 – 1108
Preceded by	Cyneweard of Laughern
Succeeded by	Roger d'Abetot
Royal constable
In office after 1087 – 1108
Personal details
Born	c. 1040 Normandy
Died	1108
Spouse(s)	Alice
Children	Roger d'Abetot, Emmeline

Urse d'Abetot (sometimes Urse of Abetot,Urse de Abetot,Urse d'Abitot or Urse of Abitôt) (c. 1040 – 1108) was a Norman as well as a medieval Sheriff of Worcestershire and royal official under Kings William I, William II and Henry I. He was a native of Normandy and moved to England shortly after the Norman Conquest of England, and was appointed sheriff in about 1069. Little is known of his family in Normandy, who were not prominent. Although Urse's lord in Normandy was present at the Battle of Hastings, there is no evidence that Urse took part in the invasion of England in 1066.

Urse built a castle in the town of Worcester, which encroached on the cathedral cemetery there, earning him a curse from the Archbishop of York. Urse helped to put down a rebellion against King William I in 1075, and quarrelled with the Church in his county over the jurisdiction of the sheriffs. He continued in the service of William's sons after the king's death, and was appointed constable under William II and marshal under Henry I. Urse was known for his acquisitiveness, and during William II's reign was considered second only to Ranulf Flambard, another royal official, in his rapacity. Urse's son succeeded him as sheriff but was subsequently exiled, thus forfeiting the office. Through his daughter, Urse is an ancestor of the Beauchamp family, who eventually became Earls of Warwick.

On 5 January 1066 Edward the Confessor, King of England, died. Edward's lack of children meant there was no clear legitimate successor, leading eventually to a succession dispute. Some medieval writers state that shortly before Edward's death he named his brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, as his heir. Others claim that Edward had promised the throne to his cousin, William, Duke of Normandy, a powerful autonomous ruler in northern France. Harold, the most powerful English noble, took the initiative and was crowned king on 6 January. William, lacking Harold's proximity to the centres of English royal government, gathered troops and prepared an invasion fleet. He invaded England in October, and subsequently defeated and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. William was crowned on Christmas Day at Westminster, becoming William I.