Vitalis

Male
DWP
4 of 5

Discussion of the name

Vitalis is a Latin masculine name derived from the adjective vitalis ‘vital, pertaining to life’ and was the name of a third-century continental saint; in Old French it developed into the name Vi(t)el and its variants, but forms representing Vitalis seem to predominate in DB and other contemporary sources so that name is retained as the head-form here (von Feilitzen 1937: 405-6; Tengvik 1938: 226; Farmer 1992: 483).

There are five entries related to this name in the PASE corpus: Vitalis 1 was abbot of Westminster c.1076-85, Vitalis 2 occurs as pincerna in a continental charter of c. 1082 relating to land in Dorset and Vitalis 3 is a catch-all for occurrences in DB; other forms are Vital 1, a man occurring in the Bayeux Tapestry, and Vitale 1, a monk occurring in a spurious eighth-century charter.

Bibliography

Farmer 1992: D. H. Farmer, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, 3rd edn (Oxford, 1992)

von Feilitzen 1937: Olof von Feilitzen, The Pre-Conquest Personal Names of Domesday Book, Nomina Germanica 3 (Uppsala: Almqvist and Wiksells, 1937)

Tengvik 1938: Gösta Tengvik, Old English Bynames, Nomina Germanica 4 (Uppsala: Almqvist and Wiksells, 1938)

Forms of the name

Spellings in Domesday Book: Fitel, Fitheus, Phitelet, Vitali, Vitalis, Vitel, Vithelet

Exon: Fitellus

Forms in modern scholarship:

  von Feilitzen head forms: Vitalis

  Phillimore edition: Vitalis, Vitalet

  Alecto edition: Vitalis

Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

Holder 1066

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Devon 36,13 Spreacombe Vitalis Vitalis of Cullompton - Theobald fitzBerner - 0.25 3.00 1.00 C Map
Devon 42,13 Hacche Vitalis Vitalis of Cullompton - Odo fitzGamelin Alwig 'of Worlington' 0.50 1.00 1.00 C Map
Devon 42,9 Shirwell Vitalis Vitalis of Cullompton - Odo fitzGamelin Gilbert 'the man of Odo fitzGamelin' 0.25 0.25 0.25 C Map
Hampshire 23,3 South Charford Phitelet Vitalis 'of Fittleton' Edward, king Hugh de Port William de Chernet 0.63 0.75 0.50 D Map
Somerset 33,2 Horethorne Vitel Vitalis 'of Fittleton' - Robert fitzGerald - 10.00 18.00 0.00 C Map
Somerset 38,1 Luccombe Vitalis Vitalis of Cullompton - Odo fitzGamelin Vitalis 1.00 2.00 2.00 C Map
Wiltshire 42,10 Ebbesborne Wake Fitheus Vitalis 'of Fittleton' - Robert fitzGerald Robert 'the man of Robert fitzGerald' 7.00 6.00 7.00 C Map
Wiltshire 42,2 Fosbury Vitel Vitalis 'of Fittleton' - Robert fitzGerald Rayner 'of Fittleton' 10.00 5.00 5.00 C Map
Wiltshire 42,8 Fittleton Vitel Vitalis 'of Fittleton' - Robert fitzGerald Rayner 'of Fittleton' 10.00 12.00 12.00 B Map
Totals

Subtenant in 1086

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Devon 16,129 Bramford Speke Uitalis Godmann 'of Bramford Speke' - Baldwin the sheriff Vitalis of Colyton 1.00 1.00 2.25 - Map
Devon 42,24 Willand Vitalis Eadmær 'of Essebeare' - Odo fitzGamelin Vitalis 1.00 2.00 2.00 C Map
Dorset 29,1 Corton Vitalis 2 thegns - Roger de Courseulles Vitalis ‘of Corton’ 5.00 9.00 7.00 B Map
Essex 28,9 Little Wigborough - Gauti, housecarl of Earl Harold - Hamon the steward Vitalis 'of Little Wigborough' 8.00 7.00 7.00 - Map
Hampshire 1,44 Hurstbourne Tarrant Vitalis - Edward, king William, king Vitalis the priest 0.50 0.70 0.70 B Map
Herefordshire 29,13 Stretton - Alweard 'of Almundestune' - Hugh l'Asne Vitalis 'of Stretton' 0.50 0.50 0.50 - Map
Kent 2,14 Whitstable - Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury - Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury Vitalis 'of Whitstable' 3.30 6.25 14.33 - Map
Kent 2,16 Westgate - Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury - Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury Vitalis 'of Whitstable' 0.50 0.88 1.00 - Map
Kent 2,21 Wingham - Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury - Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury Vitalis 'of Whitstable' 2.00 1.93 2.25 - Map
Kent 5,139 Swalecliffe Uitalis Edward Snoch Edward, king Odo, bishop of Bayeux Vitalis 'of Whitstable' 1.00 1.05 1.50 - Map
Kent 5,140 Whitstable - Wulfsige 'of Whitstable' Edward, king Odo, bishop of Bayeux Vitalis 'of Whitstable' 0.50 0.50 1.00 - Map
Kent 5,43 Siffleton - Leofwine 'of Siffleton' - Odo, bishop of Bayeux Vitalis 'of Whitstable' 0.75 1.00 2.50 - Map
Kent 5,43 Siffleton - Wulfwine 'of Cooling' - Odo, bishop of Bayeux Vitalis 'of Whitstable' 0.75 1.00 2.50 - Map
Lincolnshire 57,15 Osbournby - Ælfric 'of Osbournby' - Guy de Craon Vitalis 'of Osbournby' 2.00 2.00 6.00 - Map
Lincolnshire 57,48 Houghton in Grantham - Æthelstan son of Godram - Guy de Craon Vitalis 'of Osbournby' 3.31 4.00 3.00 - Map
Oxfordshire 6,9 Dorchester - Wulfwig, bishop of Dorchester - Remigius, bishop of Lincoln Vitalis 'of Dorchester' 2.50 1.32 2.23 - Map
Somerset 21,94 Ashington Vitalis Godwine 'of Ashington' - Roger de Courseulles Vitalis 3.00 2.00 2.00 D Map
Somerset 21,95 Mudford Sock Vitalis Toki 'of Mudford Sock' - Roger de Courseulles Vitalis 1.50 0.75 0.75 D Map
Somerset 38,1 Luccombe Vitalis Vitalis of Cullompton - Odo fitzGamelin Vitalis 1.00 2.00 2.00 C Map
Staffordshire 11,27 Hilderstone - Wulfric 'of Hilderstone' - Robert of Stafford Vitalis 'of Hilderstone' 0.10 0.25 0.25 - Map
Staffordshire 11,27 Hilderstone - Dunning 'of Mercia' - Robert of Stafford Vitalis 'of Hilderstone' 0.10 0.25 0.25 - Map
Wiltshire 1,23b Burbage Vitalis - Edward, king William, king Vitalis the priest 0.25 1.00 1.00 B Map
Totals