Alain le Roux was a second cousin of William the Conquerer, and the first Earl of Richmond.
His help during the Norman invasion, fighting at his side at the battle of Hastings in 1066, was rewarded with large tracts of land across the whole of the North of England , managed from the castle which he built for himself in Richmond.
One comparaive survey puts him as the richest man ever to have lived in England equivalent to 7% of the total national income at the time, or £81billion today.
