Herinnering in geschrift en praktijk in religieuze gemeenschappen

On the other hand Isabel’s royal descent, in a direct line, from Charlemagne found expression
in the heraldic arms used by her two sets of Beaumont and Warenne sons. 10 Another marriage
fifty years later produced a similar realignment of memorial practice when in 1164 Isabel,
heiress of Warenne, granddaughter of the other Isabel, married Hamelin of Anjou as her
second husband. In the years following we see a gradual disappearance of reference to her first
husband’s (William IV’s) ancestors in favour of Angevin ones. 11 Again, the shift is not sudden,
but gradual and it represents the fact that passage of time allows fading of attention paid to sets
of ancestors which lose their relevance for the present day. In fact, the 1164 marriage may have
reinforced a shift away from the family of William IV and his father King Stephen, and thus its
Blois-Chartres ancestors, that can be detected around 1157, the date of the Warenne chronicle
which, as we have seen, was aimed to foreground the Warenne connections with Henry I and
not king Stephen. Political fortune and disaster, therefore were powerful currents forcing
families to realign their past sentiments out of fear for represailles. What we must not forget,
however, is that the sources allow us, often, to trace public displays of realignment, whereas
private memorial traditions may have continued along well established lines. The Warenne
family dossier does not reveal evidence for sudden changes in commemorative practice.
Illustration 3 – Gundrada’s leaden casket; enlargement showing her name
Whether we can distinguish between memorial traditions of members of the Warenne family
in lay and in ecclesiastical circles is an impossible question to answer. The dossier under
10
D. Crouch, The Beaumont Twins: The Roots and Branches of Power in the Twelfth Century (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1986), pp. 211-12.
11
Van Houts,’The Warenne View of the Past, 1066-1203’, 114-15.
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