MANASSES, son of [HILDUIN [I] Seigneur de Ramérupt & his wife ---] (-killed in battle Ornel, near Etain, Bar-le-Duc 15 Dec 1037, bur Verdun St Vannes). The Genealogiæ Scriptoris Fusniacensis names "comes Suessionis et comes de Dommartin et comes de Ronaco et Manasses cui agnomen Calva-asina" as brothers of "Helduino comiti de Ramerut"[2424]. This passage names both "comes de Dommartin" and "Manasses cui agnomen Calva-asina" as brothers of "Helduini comiti de Ramerut". As shown by the charter dated 4 Feb 1031 which is quoted below, "Hilduini comitis" had a brother and a son named Manassès. A sensible interpretation of the Genealogiæ is therefore that "comes de Dammartin" (named Manassès) was the brother of Hilduin [II] and "Manasses cui agnomen Calva-asina" his son. This speculation appears to be confirmed by the charter dated 1061, under which Philippe I King of France donated the village of Bagneux to the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in exchange for Combs, which recounts that "Hugonis ducis…magnus" [Hugues "le Grand"] had granted Combs to "Hilduino…comiti de Monte qui vocatur Desiderius", who died before his benefactor (i.e. before 956), and that Henri I King of France had regranted Combs to "Manasses nepos supradicti Hilduini comitis" just as "suus avunculus Hilduinus" had held it, noting that "Odo comes filius prefati Manassetis" now claimed the property as held by "avunculus patris eius Hilduinus"[2425]. Comte de Dammartin-en-Goële. Robert II King of France confirmed the donation of "Manasses comes" to Chartres Notre-Dame by charter dated 4 Feb 1031, signed by "…Manasses comitis, Hilduini comitis fratris eius, filiorum eius Manassis et Hilduini, Burcardo de Montemorenciaco, Evrardi filii Hilduini de Britoglio, Amalrici de Monteforti, Milonis de Caprosa…"[2426]. The necrology of Verdun Saint-Vanne records the death "XVII Kal Dec" of "Odo, Manasses, Euzuinus, Dudo comites ante Bar castrum prelio interempti"[2427].
m ([1023 or before]) CONSTANCE, daughter of [--- de Dammartin & his wife ---]. "Odo filius comitis Manassæ" donated a family of servants to "Carnotensi monasterio Sancti Petri", with the support of "fratre meo Hugone ac sorore nostra Eustachia", for the souls of "patre nostro Manasse et…nostra matre Constantia", by charter dated 9 Aug before 1060 "in palatio Meleduni castri"[2428]. There is no proof that she was Constance de France, daughter of Robert II King of France & his third wife Constance d’Arles [Provence], the affiliation being proposed for onomastic reasons only[2429]. It is, however, suggested by the presence of the king and queen at the donation by "Manasses comes" dated 4 Feb 1031 (see above). Rodolfus Glaber records that King Robert had two daughters by his wife Constance[2430], presumably referring to Hedwige and Adela. According to Europäische Stammtafeln[2431], the wife of Manassès was "Constance [de Dammartin]", presumably on the theory that she brought her husband the county of Dammartin.
Manassès & his wife had four children