Richard Fitz Turold
Anglo-Norman landowner
Richard Fitz Turold (died after 1103–06) (alias fitzThorold, fitzTurolf) was an eleventh-century Anglo-Norman landowner in Cornwall and Devon, mentioned in the Domesday Book. In the 13th century his estates formed part of the Feudal barony of Cardinham, Cornwall, and in 1166 as recorded in the Cartae Baronum his estates had been held as a separate fiefdom from Reginald, Earl of Cornwall.
Origins
As the prefix fitz in his surname suggests he was presumably the son of Turold/Thorold/Turolf. A certain "Turulf", presumably his father, witnessed a charter to the monastery of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, to which same monastery Richard also granted lands.
Landholdings
Cornwall
Tenant of Count of Mortain
He had a castle at Cardinham in Cornwall, in which county he was a major tenant and steward of Robert of Mortain, Count of Mortain, half-brother of King William the Conqueror. In 1086 he was Lord (who paid tax to the tenant-in-chief) of 64 settlements, mainly in Cornwall, but also in Devon and Somerset. His holdings in Cornwall included the manor of Penhallam.
Devon
Tenant-in-chief
His entry in the Devonshire section of the Domesday Book lists Ricardus filius Turoldus as a tenant-in-chief of the king and holding four properties:
Woodhuish, Brixham parish, Haytor hundred
Natsworthy, Widecombe-in-the-Moor parish, Haytor hundred
East Allington, in Stanborough hundred
One house in the City of Exeter
Mesne tenant
St Marychurch in the parish of Haytor hundred, held from the Count of Mortain.
Martin in Drewsteignton parish, Wonford hundred, held from Baldwin de Moeles, Sheriff of Devon
Progeny
His son was William Fitz Richard of Cardinham, mentioned in deeds in 1110 and 1130, date of death unknown. It has been suggested that William's daughter and heiress became the wife of Reginald, Earl of Cornwall.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Richard Fitz Turold” is anglo-Norman landowner. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Richard, Fitz and Turold, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “anglo-Norman landowner” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3430765. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1103, 1166, 1086 and 1110.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Richard Fitz Turold”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Richard Fitz Turold primary sources, Richard Fitz Turold archive and Richard research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Richard Fitz Turold”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Richard Fitz Turold” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.