Anchetil de Greye

In his Latinised name of Anschtallus de Grai (an alternative spelling for Anschetillus) he is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as the lord of six Oxfordshire manors,[1] all held from William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford[1] (c. 1020 – 1071), lord of the manor of Breteuil, in Normandy, a relative and close counsellor of William the Conqueror, whose chief residence was Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, one of many English castles he built.

[5] Greye's origins in Normandy are unclear, although it is believed he came from the vicinity of today's Graye-sur-Mer (Calvados, Graieum 1086, Graia 1172, Gray 1183[6]) which would have been within the domain of William I.

The "Greye" in his name then was either simply a reference to his estate, or to his mixed Scandinavian-Frankish ancestry which was also common in Normandy by the time of the invasion of England.

Between them, on the river Seulles, at Orival near Creully, lies an ancient quarry where building stone is said to have been dug and lime burned since Gallo-Roman times.

One of the key resources found in chalk mines is flint, which was used for tools, construction and making fire.