Richard FitzRoy (c. 1190 – June 1246) (''alias'' Richard de Chilham and Richard de DoverSanders, I.J. ''English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086–1327'', Oxford, 1960, p. 111, note 5) was the

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

son of 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 Empi ...

and was

feudal baron A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely be ...

Chilham Chilham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Ashford in Kent, England. It sits on the north bank of the Great Stour around to the southwest of Canterbury and northeast of Ashford. It is a mostly agricultural parish, with settlemen ...

, in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. His mother was

Adela de Warenne Adela de Warenne (born c. 1170) was an Anglo-Angevian noblewoman and the mistress of her half-first cousin King John. Family Adela was born about 1170. She had a brother, William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey and two sisters. Her father ...

, his father's first cousin and a daughter of

Hamelin de Warenne Hamelin de Warenne, Earl of Surrey ( 1130 – 7 May 1202) (''alias'' Hamelin of Anjou and, anachronistically,"It is much to be wished that the surname "Plantagenet," which since the time of Charles II, has been freely given to all descendants of ...

by his wife Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey. Richard served in his father's army as a captain during the baronial revolt. In 1216 he was made constable of

Wallingford Castle Wallingford Castle is a medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire (historically Berkshire), adjacent to the River Thames. Established in the 11th century as a motte-and-bailey design within an Anglo-Saxon ' ...

. The following year he took a prominent part in a naval battle off the Kent coast. Richard had

scutage Scutage was a medieval English tax levied on holders of a knight's fee under the feudal land tenure of knight-service. Under feudalism the king, through his vassals, provided land to knights for their support. The knights owed the king militar ...

for

Poitou Poitou ( , , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical ...

in 1214. By right of his wife he became Lord of

Chingford Chingford is a suburban town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The centre of Chingford is north-east of Charing Cross, with Waltham Abbey to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, Walt ...

, Little Wyham and Great Wenden, all in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, and Lesnes,

, and Lutton,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

.https://archive.org/stream/victoriahistoryo02adki#page/584/mode/2up Victoria County History of Northamptonshire: Lutton However, in 1229 their manor of Chingford Earls was temporarily in the hands of a creditor, Robert de Winchester. In 1242 they leased the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...

of Chingford to William of York, Provost of Beverley. Before 11 May 1214, Richard married Rohese de Dover, daughter and heiress of

Fulbert de Dover Fulbert is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Fulbert of Cambrai, Bishop of Cambrai (died 956) * Fulbert of Chartres, Bishop of Chartres (1006–1028) * Fulbert of Falaise (fl. 11th century), maternal grandfather of William the ...

by his spouse Isabel, daughter of

William Briwere William Briwere (died 1244) was a medieval Bishop of Exeter. Early life Briwere was the nephew of William Brewer, a baron and political leader during King Henry III of England's minority.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 213 Nothing else is kn ...

. Their children were: # Richard de Dover, feudal baron of Chilham, married Matilda, 6th Countess of Angus # Isabella, married 1247 Sir Maurice de Berkeley of Berkeley, Gloucestershire. # Lorette (d. bef. 1265), married 1248 Sir William Marmion, 2nd Baron Marmion of Winteringham and of

Tanfield Tanfield may refer to: People *Charlie Tanfield (born 1996), British racing cyclist *Elizabeth Tanfield (1585–1635), English poet and dramatist *Francis Tanfield (1565–?), Proprietary Governor of the South Falkland colony in Newfoundland *Lawr ...

, Yorkshire. Richard's widow remarried, between 1250 and 1253, William de Wilton (killed at 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 ...

), a prominent justice. She died shortly before 11 February 1261, when there was a grant of her lands and heirs to the Queen,

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence ( 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a Provence, Provençal noblewoman who became List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III of England, Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served ...

. Rohese's heart was buried at

Lesnes Abbey Lesnes Abbey is a former abbey, now ruined, in Abbey Wood, in the London Borough of Bexley, southeast London, England. It is a scheduled monument, and the abbey's ruins are listed at Grade II by Historic England. The adjacent Lesnes Abbey Wo ...

References

Bibliography

* * Given-Wilson & Curteis. ''The Royal Bastards of Medieval England'', 1995 * Oxford University Press, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', 2004 * * 1190s births 1246 deaths Year of birth uncertain

Richard FitzRoy Richard FitzRoy (c. 1190 – June 1246) (''alias'' Richard de Chilham and Richard de DoverSanders, I.J. ''English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086–1327'', Oxford, 1960, p. 111, note 5) was the illegitimate son of King John of ...

Illegitimate children of English monarchs Children of John, King of England Christians of the Fifth Crusade Sons of kings {{UK-noble-stub