William de Gournay II (fl. c. 1210–1250)
Ancestor fact sheet for G28 in the direct Gurney line. Knight; Lord of Harpley; father of the Crusader-turned-rebel Sir John de Gournay I. Published April 2026.
Highlights
- Father of the most dramatic figure in the junior branch. William's son Sir John de Gournay I (G27) fought on the rebel side at the Battle of Lewes (1264), had his estate seized for his rebellion against Henry III, was presented by a jury in 1257 for not accepting knighthood when required, and then accompanied the future Edward I on Crusade to the Holy Land in 1270. He also established the family coat of arms — argent, a cross engrailed gules — that his descendants bore thereafter. 5
- Attested in two separate years — 1234 and 1243. The DG pedigree cites two independent Norfolk records for William II, confirming he was a living and active landholder across a substantial span of years. This is particularly useful for a figure about whom no narrative detail survives. 6
- Wife Katherine "probably a Baconsthorpe." The Baconsthorpe family (of Baconsthorpe, Norfolk) were established Norfolk gentry closely connected to the Gournay network. Daniel Gurney flags this identification as probable but not confirmed — Katherine's surname is not explicitly stated in any surviving primary source reviewed. DG notes her son Sir William III (William II's grandson) married "Katherine, daughter of Edmund Baconsthorpe" — which may indicate a family pattern or DG's inference that Katherine the wife was also a Baconsthorpe. See Research Appendix. 7
Children
| Name | Dates | Mother | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sir John de Gournay I | fl. c. 1240–1280; living 1245 | Katherine (prob. Baconsthorpe) | G27 in direct line. Present at Battle of Lewes 1264; accompanied Edward I to Holy Land 1270. Established family arms: argent, a cross engrailed gules. 8 |
| Edmund de Gurnay | Held a quarter of a knight's fee in Houghton, 1303 (31 Edw. I) | Katherine | Named in DG pedigree. Held a quarter of a knight's fee in Houghton of the honour of Wormegay, 1303. COLLATERAL. 9 |
| Thomas | fl. c. 1240s | Katherine | Named in a Norfolk fine (DG pedigree). COLLATERAL. 9 |
Narrative
William de Gournay II is a transitional figure: securely documented but personally elusive. The sources confirm he was lord of Harpley and the associated Norfolk manors inherited from his father Matthew, that he was a knight, and that he was living and active in 1234 and 1243 — but no specific deed, court appearance, or personal act survives to bring him into sharper focus. His significance lies primarily in what his son became.
His wife Katherine — probably, but not certainly, a Baconsthorpe — gave him at least three children. The eldest, Sir John de Gournay I (G27), became the most colourful member of the junior branch since Gerard de Gournay went on Crusade. John was a rebel, a penitent, a Crusader, and ultimately the man who established the heraldic identity that the family carried for the rest of its English history. William’s second son Edmund held a minor knight’s fee in 1303. A third son Thomas appears in a Norfolk fine.
William’s own career unfolded during the turbulent middle decades of Henry III’s reign — a period of growing tension between the crown and the barons that would explode into open civil war at Lewes in 1264, after William was probably already dead. He lived through the first flush of Simon de Montfort’s reforming ambitions and the political crisis that accompanied them. His son John would choose the rebel side at Lewes and pay for it with a temporary forfeiture — a choice that suggests the Gournay family of Harpley had political sympathies that William may have shared but never acted on publicly.
He is classified as Confirmed on the basis of the two independent Norfolk records (1234 and 1243) and the DG pedigree’s consistent documentation.
Citations
- DG-I, pedigree p. 286: "Sir WILLIAM DE GOURNAY, Knt. II. Lord of Harpley, &c.; liv. 1234 & 1243." Son of Matthew de Gournay (proof: plea Appendix LIII, DG-I p. 278; pedigree continuity). ↩
- Attested living 1234 and 1243: DG-I pedigree p. 286. No death date recorded. Son John living 1245 (DG-I pedigree). ↩
- DG-I pedigree p. 286: "Sir WILLIAM DE GOURNAY, Knt. II. Lord of Harpley, &c." ↩
- DG-I pedigree p. 286: "KATHARINE, probably a Baconsthorpe." No maiden name stated. DG's identification of her as "probably a Baconsthorpe" is inferred rather than documented. ↩
- DG-I, pp. 279 and 286: Sir John I's Lewes rebellion, Holy Land Crusade, and heraldic arms. ↩
- DG-I pedigree p. 286: "liv. 1234 & 1243." Source documents not specified beyond Norfolk records. ↩
- DG-I pedigree p. 286: Katherine "probably a Baconsthorpe." Sir William III (William II's grandson, not son) married Katherine, daughter of Edmund Baconsthorpe — a different Katherine. The Baconsthorpe identification of William II's wife appears to rest on DG's inference from the family pattern. ↩
- DG-I, pp. 279, 286: Sir John de Gournay I, living 1245; Lewes 1264; Holy Land 1270; arms established. Full detail in G27 fact sheet. ↩
- DG-I pedigree p. 286: "EDMUND DE GURNAY, held a quarter of a knight's fee in Houghton, of the honour of Wormegay, in 1303, 31 Edw. I." Thomas: "THOMAS, Norf. fine." ↩
Research Appendix
Lineage Status
Confirmed. William II is attested in two independent Norfolk records (1234 and 1243), designated as a knight and lord of Harpley in the DG pedigree. His father (Matthew) and son (Sir John I) are both well documented, providing solid genealogical context.
Katherine “probably a Baconsthorpe” — Clarification Needed
DG’s “probably a Baconsthorpe” for Katherine (William II’s wife) is a common genealogical hedge in an 1848 compiled pedigree — it may reflect family tradition, a DG inference from the later Baconsthorpe marriage of grandson William III, or an intermediate document not quoted. This should not be presented in the published narrative as a confirmed maiden name without flagging the uncertainty. The fact sheet’s treatment (inline note with footnote caveat) reflects this.
Sources Consulted
- DG-I, pp. 278–279 and pedigree p. 286.
- Ancestors_v3.json; Gurney_Research_KnowledgeBase_1.md.
Negative Results
- No specific Norfolk record dates given for the 1234 and 1243 attestations — DG cites them without document title or folio.
- No burial site recorded.
- Katherine’s maiden name not confirmed.
Open Questions
- The 1234 and 1243 Norfolk records: are these Norfolk fines (feet of fines) or assize rolls? If the specific record type were known, they could be checked in the Norfolk Record Office or via the Anglo-American Legal Tradition (AALT) database, which digitises many plea rolls.
- Edmund de Gurnay (collateral son): he held land of “the honour of Wormegay” in 1303 — Wormegay was a significant Norfolk barony. Is there any fuller record of Edmund that would help clarify the family’s local connections?