Sir Robert de Berkeley, 3rd feudal baron of Berkeley (died 1220) was an Anglo-Norman baron and justice.

Life

The eldest of the six sons of Maurice de Berkeley, on his father's death in 1190 he paid to the king

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

a fine of £1,000, for livery of his inheritance; and to

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...

in 1199 60

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s for confirmation of his title and a charter of fairs in his manor of

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

. At the time of the Fourth Crusade, King John in 1202 requested that

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

absolve certain of his knights who had taken vows from serving as crusaders, for the sake of defending his realm, and Robert was one of them. In 1208 Robert was a justiciar at

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

. By 1213, with John bringing heavy financial pressure to bear, Robert made a deal under which some of his debt was forgiven for the services of ten knights during one year. Robert took a leading part in the struggle between King John and the barons. He was included in the excommunication of the barons pronounced by Innocent III, and

Berkeley Castle Berkeley Castle ( ; historically sometimes spelled as ''Berkley Castle'' or ''Barkley Castle'') is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. The castle's origins date back to the 11th century, and it has been desi ...

and its lands were seized. In 1216, however, shortly before John died, he visited the king, then at Berkeley Castle, under a safe-conduct, and made his submission. The manor of Cam, Gloucestershire was then granted to him for the support of his wife Juliana, niece of

William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147 – 14 May 1219), also called William the Marshal (Norman French: ', French: '), was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He served five English kings— Henry II, his sons the "Young King" ...

. In 1216, on the accession of

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry a ...

, Robert was restored to his lands, on payment of a fine, with the exception of the castle and lands of Berkeley.

Death

Robert de Berkeley died in 1219, still dispossessed of Berkeley Castle. He was buried in a monk's

cowl A cowl is an item of clothing consisting of a long, hooded garment with wide sleeves, often worn by monks. Originally it may have referred simply to the hooded portion of a cloak. In contemporary usage, however, it is distinguished from a clo ...

in the north aisle of St Augustine's Abbey, Bristol. He has a

chest tomb Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including cenotaphs ("empty tombs"), tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains, and comm ...

in St Mary Redcliffe.

Legacy

Robert was a benefactor of St Augustine's Abbey, Burdenstoke in Wiltshire, Stanley Priory in Gloucestershire, and the canons of Hereford. He founded St Catherine's Hospital, Bedminster, near Bristol, as an Austin priory for a warden and poor brethren and two chantries elsewhere. About 1190 Robert made a gift of a

well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

and

conduit Conduit may refer to: Engineering systems * Conduit (fluid conveyance), a pipe suitable for carrying either open-channel or pressurized liquids * Electrical conduit, a protective cover, tube or piping system for electric cables * Conduit curre ...

to the community of Redcliffe: see St Mary Redcliffe Pipe Walk.

Family

After the death of his first wife Juliana, Robert married Lucia (whose family is not known), later wife to Hugh de Gurney. He left no issue by either wife, and was succeeded by his brother

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, to whom Berkeley Castle was restored.

William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (born in or before 11677 March 1226) ("Long Sword", Latinised to ''de Longa Spatha'') was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, primarily remembered for his command of the English forces at the Battle of Damme an ...

occupied the castle after Robert's death, however, claiming that the widowed Lucia was his niece, and pregnant. Robert had owed him money. He aimed, also, at wardship of an heir.

William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (French: ''Guillaume le Maréchal'') (11906 April 1231) was a medieval English nobleman and was one of Magna Carta sureties. He fought during the First Barons' War and was present at the Battle of Lincoln ( ...

objected.

Hubert de Burgh Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (; ; ; c.1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and of his son and successor King Henry III and, as a consequenc ...

ordered Ralph Musard as Sheriff to take possession: Musard had been a household knight of the late 1st Earl of Pembroke. Thomas de Berkeley was married, as his brother had been, to a daughter of a sister of the 1st Earl of Pembroke. The matter was resolved by de Burgh, under terms by which the Earl of Salisbury gave up the castle to the king. Thomas took possession of it in 1224.

Notes

External links

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley, Robert de Year of birth missing 1220 deaths Anglo-Normans English knights English feudal barons