His father, born in Ferrières, Normandy, France accompanied William the Conqueror during his invasion of England.
He took a large body of Derbyshire men northwards to assist in repelling an invasion of the Scots under King David I of Scotland, nominally on the behalf of Matilda.
Little actual fighting took place, but Thurstan, Archbishop of York, won the Battle of the Standard on Stephen's behalf, fought near Northallerton, on 22 August 1138.
(The undertenant family names derive from Notre-Dame-de-Courson, Livet-en-Ouche and Boscherville, all part of the Ferrers barony in Normandy.)
These undertenants retained their ties to the Ferrers after the families had moved to England following the Norman Conquest.