Gervold is said to have come from a noble family, from Walgaire and Walda,[1] and he had a beautiful voice and knew the art of singing.
Gervold was charged with various diplomatic missions by Charlemagne, particularly with the Breton chief Anowarith who held the Cotentin and the Angia Island (currently Jersey ),[2] but also with Offa, King of Mercia,[3] to try to negotiate the marriage of their children.
He was also in charge of collecting customs duties in the ports and markets between Rouen and Quentovic.
[9] He enriched the library and developed cantilena, arithmetic and the art of copyists.
[10] It was during his abbacy that the monk Hardouin († 811), recluse in the hermitage of Saint-Saturnin, copied the manuscripts brought back from Rome, wrote the life of Saint Vulfran, and taught calligraphy and arithmetic to young children.