Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby (1239–1279) was an English nobleman.
He was born at
Tutbury Castle in
Staffordshire, England, the son of
William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby, by his second wife Margaret de Quincy (born 1218), a daughter of
Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester and
Helen of Galloway.
Early years
In 1249, at the age of 10, he married the seven-year-old Mary (or Marie), daughter of
Hugh XI of Lusignan Count of La Marche, the eldest of
Henry III's half-brothers, at
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
. This arranged marriage is an indication of Henry's high regard for Robert's father. William died in 1254, so Robert became a knight and inherited the title while he was still a minor. He and his estates became a ward of
Prince Edward. In 1257, Edward sold the wardship to the queen and
Peter of Savoy for 6000 marks, which might have been a source of the later antipathy of Ferrers for the prince.
Inheritance
Robert came of age in 1260 and took possession of the vast estates he inherited. The first of these passed to him from his Norman ancestors, a large part of Derbyshire that included the area later known as
Duffield Frith, together with parts of
Staffordshire and
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
. In addition, he received
Chartley Castle
Chartley Castle lies in ruins to the north of the village of Stowe-by-Chartley in Staffordshire, between Stafford and Uttoxeter (). Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned on the estate in 1585. The remains of the castle and associated earthworks a ...
in
Staffordshire, and all
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
between the
Ribble and the
Mersey. This came from the estate of
Ranulph de Blondeville, 4th Earl of Chester, whose sister, Robert's grandfather had married. By careful management, the estate had become worth around £1500, which meant that the Ferrers family was among the wealthiest in the country.
However, the estate was crippled by charges arising from William's death. Firstly a third of its worth was accounted for by his mother's
dower
Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settlement (law), settled on the bride (being gifted into trust instrument, trust) by agreement at the time of ...
, which included the major asset of Chartley. Nearly half was supporting a debt of around £800 incurred by his father, which the exchequer was calling in. To pay this he had taken a further loan, possibly from Jewish financiers in
Worcester. Finally, there was provision for his brother William and his wife Mary, who held two manors herself. It would seem that before taking his inheritance his only income had been the
maritagium bestowed by King Henry.
Baronial unrest
Unlike his predecessors, Robert was impetuous and violent, in part, perhaps, because he had inherited a severe form of
gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intens ...
from his grandfather. He was also unreliable and lacking in political sophistication. Almost as soon as he took control of his estate, he attacked the priory of Tutbury, which his family were patrons of.
In the early years, Robert had taken little interest in politics, perhaps because of his preoccupation with the estate. Nevertheless, he was acquainted with the reforms that were being pursued, and with
Richard de Clare, Earl of Gloucester
Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 6th Earl of Gloucester, 2nd Lord of Glamorgan, 8th Lord of Clare (4 August 1222 – 14 July 1262) was the son of Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and Isabel Marshal.History of Tewkesbury by James Benn ...
, and
Simon de Montfort, friends of the family.
When Montfort returned to England in 1263 to begin a rebellion against
King Henry III that became known as the
Second Barons' War
The Second Barons' War (1264–1267) was a civil war in Kingdom of England, England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort against the royalist forces of Henry III of Engla ...
, Robert had to take sides, and moved towards Montfort. He is on record during May and June as taking the 'Three Castles'—
Grosmont,
Skenfrith, and
Whitecastle in South Wales, which belonged to Prince Edward. When in January 1264,
Louis IX of France declared the
Provisions of Oxford unlawful and invalid, further unrest followed.
Robert first attacked
Worcester in February 1264, sacking the Jewish quarter, plundering the religious and private houses, and damaging the fences and lands of the Royal parks in the neighbourhood. He carried away the bonds recording his loans, effectively ameliorating his debt problem. He then went on to join Simon de Montfort's forces at
Gloucester Castle, recently taken by Edward. To Robert's extreme annoyance, Edward escaped, having made a truce with
Henry de Montfort, Simon's son. It would seem that the motives of Ferrers were less about support for reform than they were about hatred of Edward.
The origins of this may well have been in the Ferrers family's long-held claims on the estate of
Peverel Castle through the marriage of
Margaret Peverel
Margaret Peverell, Countess of Derby (b. circa 1114, Nottinghamshire, England), was an English noblewoman who lived at Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire, England.
Family and marriage
Margaret was the daughter of William Peverel the Younger of ...
to
Robert the second earl.
King John King John may refer to:
Rulers
* John, King of England (1166–1216)
* John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237)
* John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314)
* John I of France (15–20 November 1316)
* John II of France (1319–1364)
* John I o ...
had assigned stewardship of the estate to the fourth earl, Robert's grandfather, but King Henry had taken it back and awarded it to Prince Edward. Finally there was Edward's custodianship during Robert's minority and the fact that some land had not been relinquished. Be that as it may,
Robert of Gloucester observed that ''"Of no one was Edward more afraid."''
Edward's brief escape, however, allowed him, to attack
Northampton Castle where Ferrers' brother William, Anker de Frescheville, Lord of
Crich
Crich is a village in the English county of Derbyshire. The population at the 2001 Census was 2,821, increasing to 2,898 at the 2011 Census (including Fritchley and Whatstandwell). It has the National Tramway Museum inside the Crich Tramway V ...
and Baldwin Wake, Lord of Chesterfield were taken prisoner in March 1264. Edward went on to attack Ferrers at Chartley Castle, and later to destroy
Tutbury Castle. This was followed by the
Battle of Lewes
The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264. It marked the high point of the career of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, and made h ...
in May. That Robert did not join Montfort there would support the idea that his activities were largely motivated by self-interest.
Prince Edward and the king having finally been captured gave Ferrers his opportunity, to gain the royal castles of
Bolsover,
Horston, and
Tickhill, in Yorkshire. By the end of 1264, he had also taken Peverel and, it is believed,
Chester Castles.
Retribution
Montfort's Parliament of 1265 broadened elected representation beyond the nobility to freeholder groups. Some of the Barons felt that he had gone too far and he began to lose support. Meanwhile, Edward continued under house arrest, and Montfort was working out an agreement for his release that included the surrender of large portions of his lands.
That these were lands that Ferrers had appropriated made Montfort a new and dangerous adversary. Montfort summoned Ferrers to the session of Parliament for January 1265, ordered him to surrender Peverel Castle, and accused him of "divers trespasses", after which he had him arrested and sent to the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sepa ...
.
J. R. Maddicott, writing in the ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', suggests that:
Rebellion once more
Meanwhile, Montfort was steadily losing support and, in May, the Earl of Gloucester deserted to the side of the King. With his assistance, and that of
Roger de Mortimer, Edward escaped from
Kenilworth Castle. When he defeated Montfort at the
Battle of Evesham in August 1265, the rebels were shown little mercy.
In spite of Ferrers's activities against Prince Edward's estates, his support in the North Midlands was potentially useful to King Henry, as was his money. Ferrers was released and, on paying 1500 marks, was given a pardon, his inheritance was secured, and mediation arranged in his quarrel with Prince Edward.
Far from accepting his good fortune, in 1266 he joined a number of previous Montfortian supporters, including
Baldwin de Wake, lord of Chesterfield
Baldwin is a Germanic name, composed of the elements ''bald'' "bold" and ''win'' "friend".
People
* Baldwin (name)
Places Canada
* Baldwin, York Regional Municipality, Ontario
* Baldwin, Ontario, in Sudbury District
* Baldwin's Mills, Que ...
, in a fresh rebellion. Initially, it would seem that the rebels gathered at Ferrers's substantial
Duffield Castle. However, from Tutbury, the royalist army, under Prince Henry, a nephew of Henry III, bypassed Duffield and proceeded to
Chesterfield to intercept a force from the North under
John d'Ayville
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Seco ...
.
Robert was, therefore, compelled to move northwards, crossing the
River Amber, which was then flooded, reaching Chesterfield on 15 May 1266, just as d'Ayville arrived from Dronfield. In what has come to be known as the
Battle of Chesterfield, they engaged the Royal forces in battle and were defeated. One account suggests that they were surprised in their quarters and most of them were killed. Other accounts suggest that Ferrers himself managed to take Chesterfield but was left exposed by the defeat of the other participants. Most of them withdrew into the forest where they lived as outlaws for two years. Ferrers was taken prisoner, some accounts suggesting that he was taken while having treatment for his gout, some that he was in hiding and was betrayed.
Robert was captured, attainted of high treason, and imprisoned in
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original c ...
until 1269. Duffield Castle was pulled down and Henry's second son,
Edmund
Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector".
Persons named Edmund include:
People Kings and ...
, was given possession of his lands and goods.
However, the
Dictum of Kenilworth, issued in October 1266, provided that Ferrers could reclaim his lands in return for a redemption payment of seven times their annual value. They were returned at Windsor in 1269, with a debt of £50,000 to be paid to Edmund by 9 July.
Although the chances of Robert finding such a sum were remote, Edmund and his associates made their position more secure by a move that was unlikely to have been intended by those who drafted the Dictum of Kenilworth. Ferrers was taken to the manor of
Cippenham,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-eas ...
, the property of
Richard, earl of Cornwall. There, in the presence of John Chishall, the chancellor, he was required to assign the lands to twelve manucapters
[manucaptor (antonym mainpernor) A person who stands surety that another (esp. a prisoner) will fulfil a legal obligation to appear in court on a specified day. (OED 2007)]
He was kept imprisoned at Richard of Cornwall's
Wallingford Castle until the end of May and on 9 July the estate was transferred to Edmund. In the time it would provide a considerable part of the revenues of the
Duchy of Lancaster
The Duchy of Lancaster is the private estate of the British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster. The principal purpose of the estate is to provide a source of independent income to the sovereign. The estate consists of a portfolio of lands, properti ...
, while Ferrers was left virtually landless and deprived of his title.
Declining years
Ferrers lived on for another ten years, during which he attempted to regain his estates, with little success, largely because the machinations at Cippenham had been quietly supported by the King and his council. Edmund, in any case, was absent at the
crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...
until 1273 and no legal redress could be sought.
Soon after Edmund's return, Ferrers seized his old
Chartley Castle
Chartley Castle lies in ruins to the north of the village of Stowe-by-Chartley in Staffordshire, between Stafford and Uttoxeter (). Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned on the estate in 1585. The remains of the castle and associated earthworks a ...
by force, but was soon ejected. He then took a more considered approach, enlisting the help of
Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. In 1274, when Edward, now King, returned to England, Ferrers pleaded that he had accepted the Kenilworth ruling, with its seven years' redemption period, but that Edmund had refused. Edmund's defence was the Cippenham 'agreement' and Ferrers's failure to meet its terms. Ferrers argued that the 'agreement' was made under duress, but it was held that chancellor Chishall's presence at the signing gave it full legal validity.
Ferrers's case was dismissed and, although in 1275, he was able to recover his manor at Chartley (but not the castle), it marked the end of the great position of what had been one of England's most powerful families.
His final years were spent in the company of his family. His first wife, Mary, had died sometime between 1266 and 1269, and the marriage had been childless. He married (2nd) 26 June 1269 Eleanor, daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, Knt., of Kimbolton, Huntingdonshire, and
Eleanor de Braose, and granddaughter of
Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford. Until 1275, when he recovered Chartley, the family appeared to have lived on his mother's dower lands in Northamptonshire. The couple had two children:
John born at Cardiff, Wales 20 June 1271 (who later became
1st Baron Ferrers of Chartley), and Eleanor, wife of
Robert Fitz Walter, Knt., 1st Lord Fitz Walter.
Sir Robert de Ferrers, sometime Earl of Derby, died shortly before 27 April 1279, and was buried at St Thomas's Priory at Stafford, in
Staffordshire. In Michaelmas term 1279 his widow, Eleanor, sued Edmund the king's brother for dower in a third of Tutbury, Scropton, Rolleston, Marchington, Calyngewode, Uttoxeter, Adgeresley, and Newborough, Staffordshire, and Duffield, Spondon, Chatesdene, and nine other vills named in Derbyshire, as well as other prominent landowners including Henry de Grenley (see
Grindlay family
The Grindlay family (Old English: compound">Compound_(linguistics).html" ;"title="nowiki/>Compound (linguistics)">compound''Grēne''/''Grynde'' + ''Leāh''/''Leā'') is an ancient knightly family of England and Scotland, whose ancestry can be ...
);
Edmund appeared in court and stated he held nothing in Spondon or Chatesdene, and as regards the rest Eleanor had no claim to dower in them, because neither at the time Robert had married her nor any time afterwards had he been seised of them. About 1280, Eleanor petitioned the king for the restoration of the manor of Chartley, Staffordshire, stating it was part of the inheritance of her son, John de Ferrers, who is underage and in the king's keeping. In 1284 she sued Thomas de Bray in a plea regarding custody of the land and heir of William le Botiller. In 1286 a commission was appointed by the king to investigate the persons who hunted and carried away deer and felled and carried away trees in the park of Eleanor late the wife of Robert de Ferrers at Chartley, Staffordshire. In 1290 she and her brother, Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, acknowledged they owed a debt of £200 to Robert de Tibetot and Matthew de Columbers, the king's butler. Eleanor, Countess of Derby, died on 20 February 1313/4, and was buried at Walden Abbey, Essex.
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
;Attribution
Further reading
{{DEFAULTSORT:Derby, Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl
Derby, Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of
Derby, Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of
Derby, Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of
Norman warriors
Derby, Robert de Ferrers,6th Earl of
Derby, Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of
Burials in Staffordshire
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