Elisabeth Austin PhD Thesis - University of St Andrews

If Osbert was not a priest, who was he? The name is
unfortunately not uncommon, especially at the ducal court. It seems
likely that Osbert maintained some connection with the ducal family,
for two of his sons came early to the attention of William the
Bastard's half-brother. The Hexham chronicler asserted that Thomas
II was of high birth, but whether this reflects only the dignity of his
father, Samson bishop of Worcester, it is difficult to say. Osbert's
status cannot be deduced from the scanty evidence available, and
nor can the identity of his wife.
Muriel is a Similarly unremarkable name. As the sources in
general mention women by name only rarely, the hope of identifying
Thomas' mother is a slim one. A sister of Odo of Bayeux bore the
same name, but she is inconveniently known to have married
someone not called Osbert. If Thomas had been a nephew of Odo of
Bayeux, much of his early history might have been explained, but it
seems not to be the case. In the end, all that we know of his parents
is their names, which is still more than can be said for many of
Thomas' peers.
If the subject of Thomas' parentage seems largely to have
escaped contemporary comment, the striking number of Osbert's
descendants who occupied episcopal sees on both sides of the
channel could not have done. In Normandy, the family's
preeminence at Bayeux informs generations of entries in the Livre
Noir. Osbert's sons, Thomas and Samson, each held the dignity of
treasurer of Bayeux; Samson may have been dean. Samson's son,
Richard II, held the bishopric itself from 1107 to 1133; and another
bishop Richard (from 1133 to 1142) was Samson's illegitimate
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