Robert of Burgate was a 13th-century landowner, nobleman, and household knight for

John, King 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 Empi ...

Origins

Robert was born in 1180, and was a minor knight who held two knighthood

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

s in

Burgate Burgate is a small village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, about south-west of Diss in Norfolk. The church, dedicated to St Mary and dating from the 14th century, was restored in 1864 and is a Grade II* listed ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. By 1205, the barony

Honour of Eye In the kingdom of England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was the highest degree of feudal land tenure, namely ''per baroniam'' (Latin for "by barony"), under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. The ...

was in the hands of the King John's half-brother

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 ...

. That year, Robert and his squire William Talbot made a pledge of

surety In finance, a surety , surety bond or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a surety or guarantor to pay ...

for the earl of two

casks A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, u ...

of wine. Robert was probably able to use his association with the Earl of Longsword as a stepping stone to the royal court.

Career and family

In 1208, Robert acquired the Honour of Eye (presumably as an administrator) through his service to the royal household. Closely associated with the earl, he was frequently mentioned in documents. Robert was responsible for collecting the earl's monetary payment (known as a money fief) from the

exchequer In the civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty’s Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's ''current account'' (i.e., money held from taxation and other government reven ...

in 1210, and the earl was one of the men who vouched for Robert's ability to pay the 700

marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel '' ...

for his marriage to Gallena Dammartin. The king's half-brother, the Earl of Longsword's word carried weight; his decision to vouch for Robert implies that they were close. By 1210, Robert helped the king pay imprests (petty cash) and wages for troops for the campaign in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Although he held a significant amount of land in Suffolk, he gained additional property there through his wife. Robert was also known to have had acquired several manors and estates for his service to the crown; during his career, he acquired the

great house A great house is a large house or mansion with luxurious appointments and great retinues of indoor and outdoor staff. The term is used mainly historically, especially of properties at the turn of the 20th century, i.e., the late Victorian or ...

of Wascheth in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

and the manor of

Daventry Daventry ( , historically ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority in Northamptonshire, England, close to the border with Warwickshire. At the 2021 Census Daventry had a population of 28,123, making ...

. Robert was the king's paymaster and commander of his sergeants in 1213, and was ordered to prepare for an expected French invasion. He was often employed to handle the king's financial matters. Robert was appointed

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

Dover Castle Dover Castle is a medieval castle in Dover, Kent, England and is Grade I listed. It was founded in the 11th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. Some sources say it is the ...

from 1211 to 1213, although William Talbot may have been the ''de facto'' castellan. Around 1215, he became part of a diplomatic mission to Otto of Brunswick. In 1216, Robert and fellow knights Engelram de Furnet and Gilbert de Sanes were given custody of

Framlingham Castle Framlingham Castle is a castle in the market town of Framlingham in Suffolk in England. An early motte and bailey or ringwork Norman castle was built on the Framlingham site by 1148, but this was destroyed (Slighting, slighted) by Henry II of E ...

(a confiscated rebel castle). He was ordered to return to the king's side, leaving the other two knights to manage the castle (presumably because Robert was one of the king's closest men). At some point in King John's reign, Robert was custodian of the archbishop of York and of the castle and

Honour Honour (British English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of socia ...

Knaresborough Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd. It is east of Harrogate. History Knaresborough is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Chenares ...

during

Brian de Lisle Brian de Lisle (de L'Isle, de Insula) (died 1234) was an English soldier. By April 1200 Lisle was in the service of King John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testa ...

's brief estrangement from the king. Robert married Gallena Dammartin Brewern, widow of John Brewer and heir of William de Dammartin, and they had three sons. He died in 1220, at age 40.

References

{{reflist 13th-century English landowners 1180 births 1220s deaths English courtiers Castellans English knights People from Mid Suffolk District