There are some doubts as to whom Wace alludes as "le Sire de la Haie," whom he describes as charging impetuously at Senlac, neither sparing nor pitying any, dealing death on all he encountered, inflicting wounds which no skill could cure.
Eudo, or, as Wace calls him in a previous portion of his "Roman," Iwun al Chapel, was the eldest son of Turstain Haldub (Halduc, and Haralduc as it is indifferently written) by Einma or Anna his wife, and subscribes himself "Eudo Haldub" in a charter A.D. 1074. At the time of the Conquest he was head of the house of Haie-du-Puits, in the Cotentin, near the Abbey of l'Essay, founded by Turstain (also called Richard) his father.
Eudo married Muriel, a daughter of Herluin de Conteville and Herleve, and sister of the half blood to the Conqueror, who we have seen summoned him to attend the family council held previous to the general assembly at Lillebonne in 1066, together with Eudo's brothers-in-law, Bishop Odo and Robert Comte de Mortain (vol. i, p. 51). It can scarcely be doubted, therefore, that he accompanied them to England, and was present in the battle. Mr. Taylor inclines to the opinion of M. le Prévost, that the Sire de la Haie of Wace was Ralph de la Haie, seneschal at that period to Robert Comte de Mortain, and it is of course probable that he might have followed his lord to England; but Robert de la Haie, son of the above Ralph, only became Lord of Halnac in Sussex by gift of King Henry I, and the confusion between Eudo al Chapel and Eudo Dapifer, son of Hubert de Rie, which commenced with Orderic, has not been cleared up by either the French or the English annotators of Wace.
Mr. Stapleton, however, in his Notes on the Norman Rolls of the Exchequer, has, adduced evidence that dissipates the doubts expressed by Mr. Taylor respecting the precise way in which the Haies succeeded to Eudo cum Capello. Robert, son of Ralph de la Haie, Dapifer to Robert Count of Mortain, married Muriel , the daughter and heir of Eudo. The charter quoted by Mr. Taylor from Gallia Christiana, which describes Robert de Haie, son of Ralph, seneschal to Robert Comte de Mortain, as the grandson (nepos) of Eudo, Dapifer to King William, has contributed to the confusion, as Robert de Haie was son-in-law to Eudo al Chapel, Dapifer to William Duke of Normandy, and in no way appears related to Eudo, son of Hubert de Rie, Dapifer to the King of England, with whom it seems to have been his fate to be confounded.
Robert's mother, wife of Ralph, appears to have been Oliva, a daughter of William de Albini Pincerna, the second of that name.
Added to this site through the courtesy of Michael Linton, who provided scanned text.