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Edith Forne

Birth
Greystoke, Eden District, Cumbria, England
Death
1152 (aged 67–68)
England
Burial
Oxford, City of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England Add to Map
Plot
north side of the high altar
Memorial ID
View Source
Edith Forne was the concubine of King Henry I of England and the foundress of Osney Abbey in Oxford.
Edith had two children by Henry:
Robert FitzEdith, Lord Okehampton, (1093–1172) married Dame Maud d'Avranches du Sap. They had one daughter, Mary, who married Renaud, Sire of Courtenay (son of Miles, Sire of Courtenay and Ermengarde of Nevers).
Adeliza FitzEdith. Appears in charters with her brother, Robert.
In 1120, Henry caused Edith to marry Robert D'Oyly the younger, second son of Nigel D'Oyly. As a marriage portion, she was granted the Manor of Cleydon, Buckinghamshire. Robert and Edith had at least two children, Henry, buried at Osney in 1163, and Gilbert.
In 1129, Edith persuaded her husband to build the Church of St Mary, in the Isle of Osney, near Oxford Castle, for the use of Augustine Monks - this was to become Osney Abbey. She told him that she had a dream of the chattering of magpies, interpreted by a friar as souls in purgatory who needed a church in which to rest.
Edith was buried in Osney Abbey, in a religious habit, as John Leland describes upon seeing her tomb as it was on the eve of the dissolution: ‘Ther lyeth an image of Edith, of stone, in th' abbite of a vowess, holding a hart in her right hand, on the north side of the high altaire'. The legendary dream of magpies was painted near the tomb.
Edith Forne was the concubine of King Henry I of England and the foundress of Osney Abbey in Oxford.
Edith had two children by Henry:
Robert FitzEdith, Lord Okehampton, (1093–1172) married Dame Maud d'Avranches du Sap. They had one daughter, Mary, who married Renaud, Sire of Courtenay (son of Miles, Sire of Courtenay and Ermengarde of Nevers).
Adeliza FitzEdith. Appears in charters with her brother, Robert.
In 1120, Henry caused Edith to marry Robert D'Oyly the younger, second son of Nigel D'Oyly. As a marriage portion, she was granted the Manor of Cleydon, Buckinghamshire. Robert and Edith had at least two children, Henry, buried at Osney in 1163, and Gilbert.
In 1129, Edith persuaded her husband to build the Church of St Mary, in the Isle of Osney, near Oxford Castle, for the use of Augustine Monks - this was to become Osney Abbey. She told him that she had a dream of the chattering of magpies, interpreted by a friar as souls in purgatory who needed a church in which to rest.
Edith was buried in Osney Abbey, in a religious habit, as John Leland describes upon seeing her tomb as it was on the eve of the dissolution: ‘Ther lyeth an image of Edith, of stone, in th' abbite of a vowess, holding a hart in her right hand, on the north side of the high altaire'. The legendary dream of magpies was painted near the tomb.

Gravesite Details

Cathedral no longer exists


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  • Created by: Mad
  • Added: Nov 5, 2012
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100230037/edith-forne: accessed ), memorial page for Edith Forne (1084–1152), Find a Grave Memorial ID 100230037, citing Osney Cathedral, Oxford, City of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England; Maintained by Mad (contributor 47329061).