Gilbert de Gant, 1st

Earl of Lincoln Earl of Lincoln is a title that has been created eight times in the peerage of England, most recently in 1572. The Hereditary peerage, earldom was held as a subsidiary title by the Duke of Newcastle, Dukes of Newcastle-under-Lyne, from 1768 to 1 ...

( 1126 – 1156) was an English nobleman who fought for King Stephen during

The Anarchy The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Duchy of Normandy, Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adel ...

. He was the son of Walter de Gant (third son of the Domesday magnate Gilbert de Gant, Gant being a contemporary name for

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

) and Maud of Brittany, a daughter of

Stephen, Count of Tréguier Stephen of Penthièvre, Count of Tréguier, 3rd Lord of Richmond (1058/62 – 21 April 1136) was a Breton noble and a younger son of Odo, Count of Penthièvre and Agnes of Cornouaille, sister of Hoël II, Duke of Brittany. In 1093, he succeed ...

. Gilbert was thus a nephew of

Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond (before 1100 – 15 September 1146), Breton ''Alan Penteur'', also known as "Alan the Black", was a Breton noble who fought for Stephen, King of England. Alan was the third son of Stephen, Count of Tréguier, and ...

, one of King Stephen's commanders. Another uncle, Robert de Gant, was

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

for King Stephen. His father Walter de Gant is thought to have accompanied David, Earl of Huntingdon (later King David I) when he came north to the Lowlands in the early 1100s. Walter de Gant became known as Walter de Lindsey, a baron in Scotland under King David. He is described in 19th-century clan records using modernized spellings as "Walter de Ghent Now Walter de Lindsay". While still fairly young, Gilbert fought on the side of King Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, where he was captured along with the king. He was then compelled to marry Rohese de Clare, daughter of Richard de Clare and Adeliza de Meschines, and a niece of Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester. In 1149 or 1150 the king created him

as a rival to William de Roumare, who had gone over to the side of

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...

. Evidence suggests that in the period 1149–1151, Stephen almost lost control of Yorkshire and that the only magnates in Yorkshire who openly supported him at the time were Gilbert de Gant and his brother Robert. He and Rohese had only one child, a daughter, Alice de Gant, who married Simon III de Senlis, son of Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton. He founded Rufford Abbey c. 1148 in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lincoln, Gilbert De Gant, Earl Of 1120s births 1156 deaths Year of birth uncertain 12th-century English nobility Earls of Lincoln People from Hunmanby People of The Anarchy Peers created by King Stephen