William Malet (companion of William the Conqueror)
William Malet (, died 1071) held senior positions within the Norman forces that occupied England from 1066. He was appointed the second High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1068. Of the so-called companions of William of Normandy, Malet is one of about a dozen for whom there is evidence of their presence at the Battle of Hastings of 14 October 1066. For example, the contemporary chronicler William of Poitiers recorded that Malet was present at the battle. According to apocryphal accounts, Malet was related to both William of Normandy and King Harold of England. Some accounts claim that Malet took charge of Harold's body following the Norman victory at Hastings. However, there is no evidence confirming such claims. Malet held substantial property in Normandy – chiefly in the Pays de Caux, with a castle at (now a suburb of Le Havre). After 1066, he held many properties in England as well, most of them in Yorkshire and East Anglia. Biography Early life According to unverifiable, apocryphal accounts, Malet had significant, multiple ties to the Anglo-Saxon elite before the Norman Conquest. Malet's mother was said to be English. He was said to be the brother of Ælgifu, wife of Ælfgar, Earl of