Robert of Ropsley was an important household knight who had a close relationship with

John 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 * Secon ...

, King of England

Origins

He was the leader of a minor knightly family in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

owing fealty to William d'Albini of Bevoir.

Life and career

He was

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

Bristol castle Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port. Built during the reign of William the Conqueror, and later owned by Rob ...

from August 1204 to March 1208. From July 1207 to sometime in 1210 he held the castle of

Kenilworth Castle Kenilworth Castle is a castle in the town of Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England managed by English Heritage; much of it is still in ruins. The castle was founded during the Norman conquest of England; with development through to the Tudor pe ...

, an extremely important castle as it controlled the trade routes to

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

and was an important administrative center in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

. In 1207 he was appointed

itinerant justice An eyre or iter, sometimes called a general eyre, was the name of a circuit travelled by an itinerant justice in medieval England (a justice in eyre), or the circuit court over which they presided, or the right of the monarch (or justices acting ...

in Warwickshire. It is known that he held the Honour (Barony) of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

as custodian in 1205-1209 along with the

archdeacon of Stafford The Archdeacon of Lichfield (called Archdeacon of Stafford until 1980) is a senior cleric in the Diocese of Lichfield who is responsible for pastoral care and discipline of clergy in the Lichfield archdeaconry. The archdeaconry was erected – as ...

shire. He was sheriff of Warwickshire and

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

between 1212 and 1215. It is likely that Robert had considerable control in Leicestershire given the fact that he was custodian between 1205 and 1209 and thus had the chance to establish himself as a powerful player within the

shire Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...

. In 1215 he was among the representatives sent to Otto of Brunswick along with Robert of Burgate. During King John's reign Robert is recorded as having witnessed 20 charters, an indication that he was at the kings side in intervals and he was an important member of John's court. Shortly after June 14, 1215 he had defected to the

barons Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

side in the Second Barons War despite his close relationship with king John. This was because he held some of his lands from or near rebels: William d'Albini of Belvoir and some lands in the richmong honour. Despite four letters offering safe conduct to Robert if he would rejoin the royal cause, he was a rebel through and through after 1215.

Fiefs

From William d'Albini of Belvoir: Manor of Ropsley - Lincolnshire From The Barons of Richmond: Manor of Frampton - Lincolnshire Manor of Donington - Lincolnshire

Family

He married Mabel de Limsey daughter of Gerard de Limsey and widow of

Hugh Bardulf Hugh Bardulf or Hugh Bardolf (died c. 1203) was a medieval English administrator and royal justice. Known for his legal expertise, he also served as a financial administrator. He served three kings of England before his death. Bardulf began hi ...

. The marriage was almost certainly arranged by the king as a reward for his services.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robert, Ropsley de 12th-century births 1226 deaths Knights 12th-century English people 13th-century English people Anglo-Normans Norman warriors High Sheriffs of Warwickshire High Sheriffs of Leicestershire Medieval English knights People of the Barons' Wars