Esneval is a town in Normandy, not far from Le Havre. Not much is known about its local gentry before the late thirteenth century, when the sieur d'Esneval, Guillaume, made a very good marriage (about 1245) - his wife was Philippa de Montfort, daughter of Philippe de Montfort and a princess known in France as Marie d'Antioch (she was a daughter of Raimond Rupen de Poitiers, who had ties with the royal families of Outremer and Armenia). Guillaume and Philippa had a son, known as Robert III d'Esneval (little is known about the first two of that name, presumably Guillaume's father and grandfather).

Robert III d'Esneval married, in 1270, Marguérite de Pavilly (daughter of Guillaume). Their son Guillaume II married, about 1295, Ide de Rosny (daughter of Gui II de Rosny and Isabelle de Mello). Their son was Robert IV d'Esneval, who married Marguérite de Crèvecoeur about 1320. They had a son who died young - Robert, who married Béatrice, daughter of Robert de Wavrin, and left a young son who became Robert V (c1342-1381), baron d'Esneval and sieur de Pavilly. We do not know the name of this Robert's wife. But he had a son, Robert d'Esneval, sieur de Bourdainville, who married Jeanne le Bigot, dame de Formoville, de Campigny and de Malou; her father Jean le Bigot was Marshal of Normandy.

Their son was Robert d'Esneval, sieur de St-Maclou, St-Mards and Campigny, died after 1474; wife's name unknown. He left a daughter (or possibly granddaughter, as she was some fifty years younger) named Isabelle. She married Guillaume de Corday. Their (almost certainly, but documentation is ambiguous) daughter Hélène de Corday married François de Saint-Germain, seigneur du Post, between 1500 and 1510.

See St-Germain du Post for descendants.