The victims of the White Ship disaster on 25 November 1120 (called 7 kalends of December by Farrer) have been unevenly identified by various sources. The impact of the disaster on the throne of England is well-documented, and this article presents the details of what is known (and/or believed) about the crew and passengers of the ill-fated voyage as well as those who chose not to travel on her.
Captain and crew
Thomas FitzStephen, Captain
Helmsman (unnamed), apparently drunk
Approximately 50 rowsmen and sailors (unnamed)
Approximately 250, including servants and marines. Of these, 140 were knights or noblemen and 18 were noblewomen.
The family of Henry I, King of England
William Adelin, Duke of Normandy, son and heir to the English throne of his father Henry I, youngest son of William the Conqueror. William, rescued in the only skiff available on the ship, had the crew return to get his sister Matilda. The small craft was overwhelmed by drowning passengers and crew and quickly sank. Upon hearing of his son’s death, it was said that Henry never smiled again.
Matilda (Mathilde) FitzRoy, Countess of Perche, wife of Rotrou III, Count of Perche, William’s illegitimate half-sister by Henry’s mistress known only as Edith. Interestingly, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles do not list Matilda as being aboard the ship.
Richard of Lincoln, William’s illegitimate half-brother. Richard’s betrothed Amice, daughter of the vanquished defender of Brémule, did not travel with him.
Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester, son of Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester
Lucia-Mahaut (Matilda), Countess of Chester, the king’s niece and wife of Richard d’Avranches. She was the daughter of Stephen, Count of Blois and so sister to Stephen, King of England, who chose not to board the vessel. Lucia-Mahaut’s mother was Adela of Normandy, daughter of William the Conqueror.
Ottuel d’Avranches, the illegitimate son of Hugh d’Avranches (and so half-brother of Richard d’Avranches), governor of the king’s sons
Geoffrey Ridel, Royal Justice, husband of Geva, daughter of Hugh d'Avranches (and so brother-in-law to Richard d’Avranches).
Gilbert d’Aigle, Vicomte of Exmes, father of Geoffroy and Engenulf, and married to Juliette, the second daughter of Geoffrey II, Count of Perche, and therefore sister of Rotrou III the Great. His mother was Judith d’Avranches, sister of Hugh d’Avranches.
Geoffroy de l'Aigle (survived clinging to a rock, but then succumbed to exhaustion). Geoffrey was son of Gilbert d’Aigle and Juliette du Perche (sister-in-law to the king’s daughter Matilda) who was the daughter of Goeffrey II, Count of Perche. [Goeffroy’s sister Margaret was the Queen consort of Navarre as the first wife to Garcia Ramirez “the Restorer” of Navarre.]
Engenulf d’Aigle, brother of Geoffroy de l’Aigle.
William Bigod, steward of the household of King Henry
Gisulf, the king's "iniquitous secretary"
Robert I of Mauduit, chamberlain to the king, son of William I of Mauduit. Robert’s brother William II was the great-great-grandfather of William Maudit, 8th Earl of Warwick.
Stewards, chamberlains, cupbearers and various officers
An armed marine force, who were apparently very disorderly, drunk and scarcely paid attentiton to anyone on board.
Nobles of England
A number of other nobility of England were on board, although very little is known about them.
Walter of Everci
Richard Anskill, son and heir of a Berkshire landowner
Robert Mauconduit, nobleman
Hugh of Molines.
Nobles of Normandy
Ralph the Red (Ralph le Roux) of Pont-Echanfray, who saved Richard from capture at Les Andelys. Ralph’s second wife may have also been on the ship. Some sources identify him as an illegitimate son of Robert de Lacy, which seems unlikely.
Ivo II and William de Grandmesnil, described as the “two beautiful sons” of Ivo de Grandmesnil
William of Rhuddlan, son of Robert of Rhuddlan and cousin of Ivo II and William de Grandmesnil.
Geoffrey, Archdeacon of Hereford
William, son of Roger, Bishop of Coutances, with his brother and three nephews.
Dietrich (Theodoric), son of Heinrich (d. 1105), a relative of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor. Heinrich was likely the son of Agnes of Germany, sister of the emperor. Orderic Vitalis identified him as Teodericus puer Henrici nepos imperatoris Alemannorum, which would imply that he was the grandson of Agnes. Farrer identifies him as a nephew of Emperor Henry (by his sister Agnes and Frederic, Duke of Swabia), but Dietrich’s status as grand-nephew seems more likely.
Berold, a butcher from Rouen, who was likely on board to collect the debts owed to him by the travelers.
Henry I, King of England
Matilda, wife of William Adelin and daughter-in-law of Henry I. She was the daughter of Fulk V, Count of Anjou, and Ermengarde, Countess of Maine, and did not travel on the White Ship, inexplicably going on a different ship.
Two monks of Tiron (names unknown)
Stephen of Blois, later King of England, with two men-at-arms
William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln
Edward of Salisbury, High Sheriff of Wiltshire and chamberlain to the king
Rabel, son of the chamberlain Robert I of Mauduit (see above)
Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester, a nephew of Richard, 2nd Earl of Chester
William de Pirou, steward to the king (Orderic Vitalis claims he died aboard the ship, which seems unlikely since he was apparently still alive in 1123).
As is true of all such tales, the stories about the White Ship abound with inconsistencies. Whether these amount to a conspiracy as some have claimed (e.g., Chandler, Follett (The Pillars of the Earth)), there will likely never be resolution. Even by 12th century standards, an act of mass murder of such a scale to gain political power stretches the imagination.
Nevertheless, among the inconsistencies is, first and foremost, why would an experienced captain such as FitzStephen allow his crew to get drunk, especially when ferrying such an august group of nobles. While the Royal Navy was below par following the Norman conquest, it defies imagination that a captain would allow such behavior. Nor was the ship filled with immature persons, as many senior nobles and experienced Crusaders aboard.
The king chose not to travel in the White Ship (although, as the king, he could certainly travel however he liked), but then neither did William Adelin’s wife. Perhaps the best answer was that she was merely 9 years old at the time, and so must have been under the care of a custodian. It is also suspect that William, rescued in the only available skiff, would hear his half-sister’s cries among the chaos and have the boat turn around. Perhaps he should have ensured her safety before boarding the boat. William’s half-brother Richard was betrothed to Amice, daughter of Raoul II de Gael, and yet she was not traveling to England with her fiancé. Given the victory of Henry over the French, it would be assumed that the resultant marriage would take place in London.
Surely the king’s agents must have known about the drunkenness and overcrowding of the ship and that many of the nobles (including the future king of England) chose not to board. He also would have conducted a full investigation of the incident, given that three of his children, including his only legitimate male heir, died. No results of any such investigations seem to have been recorded.
