Robert fitzRoger (died 1214) was an
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
nobleman and
Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk
This is a list of Sheriffs of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Sheriff (since 1974 called High Sheriff) is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually by the Crown. He was originally the principal law enforcement officer in the c ...
and
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
. He was a son of
Roger fitzRichard and Adelisa de Vere. FitzRoger owed some of his early offices to
William Longchamp
William de Longchamp (died 1197) was a medieval Lord Chancellor, Chief Justiciar, and Bishop of Ely in England. Born to a humble family in Normandy, he owed his advancement to royal favour. Although contemporary writers accused Longchamp's fa ...
, but continued in royal service even after the fall of Longchamp. His marriage to an heiress brought him more lands, which were extensive enough for him to be ranked as a
baron. FitzRoger founded
Langley Abbey
Langley Abbey was an abbey of Premonstratensian Canons in Langley Green, now in the civil parish of Langley with Hardley, Norfolk, England. The monastery was founded by Robert fitzRoger in 1195.
There are remains of the church and barn as well ...
in Norfolk in 1195.
Life
FitzRoger was the son of the
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
nobleman Roger fitzRichard, who held
Warkworth Castle
Warkworth Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Warkworth in the English county of Northumberland. The village and castle occupy a loop of the River Coquet, less than a mile from England's north-east coast. When the castle was founded is unc ...
in
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
. FitzRoger was
sheriff of Norfolk from
Michaelmas
Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, ...
in 1190 to Easter 1194 and then again from Michaelmas 1197 to Easter 1200.
[Round "Early Sheriffs of Norfolk" ''English Historical Review'' pp. 491–494] FitzRoger's first appointment as sheriff was due to the influence of
William de Longchamp
William de Longchamp (died 1197) was a medieval Lord Chancellor, Chief Justiciar, and Bishop of Ely in England. Born to a humble family in Normandy, he owed his advancement to royal favour. Although contemporary writers accused Longchamp's fa ...
, who was
Lord Chancellor
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...
. Longchamp's influence also secured custody of
Orford Castle
Orford Castle is a castle in Orford in the English county of Suffolk, northeast of Ipswich, with views over Orford Ness. It was built between 1165 and 1173 by Henry II of England to consolidate royal power in the region. The well-preserved ...
in Suffolk for fitzRoger.
[Turner and Heiser ''Reign of Richard Lionheart'' p. 116] Longchamp also arranged for fitzRoger to have custody of
Eye Castle
Eye Castle is a motte and bailey medieval castle with a prominent Victorian era, Victorian addition in the town of Eye, Suffolk, Eye, Suffolk. Built shortly after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the castle was sacked and largely destroyed ...
in Suffolk.
[Heiser "Castles, Constables, and Politics" ''Albion'' p. 34] When Longchamp fell from royal favour and was replaced by
Walter of Coutances, fitzRoger was one of the few of Longchamp's appointments to retain his office of sheriff.
[Turner and Heiser ''Reign of Richard Lionheart'' p. 132]
FitzRoger founded the monastery of
Langley Abbey
Langley Abbey was an abbey of Premonstratensian Canons in Langley Green, now in the civil parish of Langley with Hardley, Norfolk, England. The monastery was founded by Robert fitzRoger in 1195.
There are remains of the church and barn as well ...
in Norfolk in 1195 for
Premonstratensian canons. He purchased royal confirmation of his ownership of Warkworth in 1199
[Goodall, John (2006), ''Warkworth Castle and Hermitage'', English Heritage, p.35, ] and in 1205 was granted
Newburn
Newburn is a semi rural parish, former electoral ward and former urban district in western Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. Situated on the North bank of the River Tyne, it is built rising up the valley from the river. It is situated ...
and the barony of
Whalton
Whalton is a small village in Northumberland, England. The population at the 2001 census was 427, which increased to 474 by the 2011 Census.
It hosts an annual ''Bale Fire'' on 4 July, the date on which midsummer's eve was celebrated before the ...
in Northumberland. Warkworth and Newburn occasionally were considered baronies, but not consistently.
[Sanders ''English Baronies'' p. 150] FitzRoger also held
Clavering from Henry of Essex for one
knight's fee
In feudal Anglo-Norman England and Ireland, a knight's fee was a unit measure of land deemed sufficient to support a knight. Of necessity, it would not only provide sustenance for himself, his family, and servants, but also the means to furnish h ...
.
[Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 953] FitzRoger's holdings were extensive enough that he was considered a
baron during the reigns of King
Richard I
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 ...
[Turner and Heiser ''Reign of Richard Lionheart'' p. 103] and King
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 ...
.
[Russell "Social Status" ''Speculum'' p. 324] He was one of John's favourites and received the king at Warkworth in 1213.
FitzRoger married Margaret,
[Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 416] one of the daughters and heiresses of
William de Chesney, the founder of
Sibton Abbey.
[Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 370] Margaret was one of three daughters, but she inherited the bulk of her father's estates.
[Green ''Aristocracy of Norman England'' p. 380] Margaret was the widow of
Hugh de Cressy
Hugh de Cressy (died 1189) was an Anglo-Norman administrator and nobleman. Little is known of his ancestry and he first served two brothers of King Henry II of England before becoming a royal official. He was rewarded with a marriage to an he ...
. Through Margaret, Roger gained the barony of
Blythburgh
Blythburgh is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is west of Southwold and south-east of Halesworth and lies on the River Blyth. The A12 road runs through the village which is split ...
in Suffolk.
[Sanders ''English Baronies'' p. 16] He also acquired lands at
Rottingdean
Rottingdean is a village in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. It borders the villages of Saltdean, Ovingdean and Woodingdean, and has a historic centre, often the subject of picture postcards.
Name
The name Rotting ...
in
Sussex from Margaret.
[Loyd ''Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families'' p. 35]
FitzRoger died in 1214, and his heir was his son by his wife Margaret,
John fitzRobert
Robert FitzJohn de Stokkes, poss. Sheriff of London
John FitzRobert (ca. 1190–1240) (de Clavering)Richardson, Douglas, ''Magna Carta Ancestry'', 2nd edn., Baltimore, 2011: 1:487 is listed as one of the Surety Barons for Magna Carta (1215), alt ...
.
[ Margaret survived fitzRoger and paid a fine of a thousand pounds to the king for the right to administer her lands and dower properties herself.][ His daughter Alice married Peter FitzHerbert of Blewleveny.][Cokayne ''Complete Peerage'' Vol. 5 p. 465]
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Robert fitzRoger
Anglo-Normans
1214 deaths
Year of birth unknown
People from Clavering, Essex