Manasser Biset

Manasser Biset (sometimes Bisset died 1177) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman and royal official during the reign of King Henry II of England. Biset was one of the most frequent witnesses on Henry's documents, and served the king as a justice and in financial matters. He was rewarded with lands in England which have led him to be considered the first feudal baron of Biset.

Life Biset was the son of William Biset and Hawisa. The elder Biset held lands in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire as the tenant of Stephen, Count of Aumale. Besides Manasser, William and Hawisa had another son named Henry.

Biset was a follower of Henry fitzEmpress and was a witness to charters of Henry's issued in France in the period 1151 to 1153. Biset obtained the office of dapifer, or steward, to Henry II shortly before Henry became king of England. The king gave lands in Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire, Wiltshire, and Hampshire to Biset. Besides the steward's office, Biset was also a baron of the exchequer and a royal justice. He was one of the most frequent witnesses on Henry's documents.

Family and death Biset married Alice, who was the sister and heiress of Gilbert de Falaise, lord of Cany in France. Manasser's heir was his son, named Henry Bisset, who was still underage at his father's death in 1177. Besides his son, Biset also had a daughter, Margaret.