Robert fitz Wimarc (died before 1075, Theydon Mount, Ongar,

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 ...

) was a kinsman of both

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

and William of Normandy, and was present at Edward's death bed. Nothing of his background is known except his kinship to the English and Norman leadership and that his byname appears to contain a Breton female name, Wiomar'ch, apparently the name of his mother. He was brought to England by Edward and had a successful career, being rewarded with numerous lands in various parts of the country. He had a special interest in

and set up his main base at Clavering. It was to Clavering that many of Edward's Norman favourites fled when they were ousted from political power in 1052, before taking ship into exile. Despite being a Norman, Robert stayed in England and found further favour with Edward, and possibly with

Harold Godwinson Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, the decisive battle of the Norman ...

after him. Robert was later made

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

and was described as "" – high officer or sometimes staller of the royal palace. When Edward died in January 1066, Robert was one of the four inner councillors present at his death bed, along with the Queen (

Edith of Wessex Edith of Wessex (; 1025 – 18 December 1075) was Queen of England through her marriage to Edward the Confessor from 1045 until Edward's death in 1066. Unlike most English queens in the 10th and 11th centuries, she was crowned. The principal ...

), Earl

and Archbishop

Stigand Stigand (died 1072) was an Anglo-Saxon churchman in pre-Norman Conquest England who became Archbishop of Canterbury. His birth date is unknown, but by 1020 he was serving as a royal chaplain and advisor. He was named Bishop of Elmham in 1043 ...

, an event captured on the

Bayeux Tapestry The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidery, embroidered cloth nearly long and tall that depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest, Norman Conquest of England in 1066, led by William the Conqueror, William, Duke of Normandy challenging H ...

. Robert seems to have acquiesced with Harold's succession to the throne, but also seems to have kept in touch with his homeland. When William landed at

Pevensey Pevensey ( ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located north-east of Eastbourne, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The ...

it was Robert who contacted him to advise a retreat back to France. The advice was, apparently, that William had neither the strength nor numbers to win a battle against Harold, particularly as Harold was buoyed by his victory against the Norwegians at Stamford Bridge. Robert clearly remained in favour with William after his victory at

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

, and subsequent succession, as he retained his estates, and was further rewarded with others. He left his extensive estates to his son Suen (Swein of Essex), who went on to build Rayleigh Castle. Robert fitz Wimarc seems to have been a prudent man, with a fair degree of wisdom who helped to ease the transition from

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

to Norman England. He is remembered in

Rayleigh, Essex Rayleigh is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Rochford (district), Rochford District in Essex, England; it is located between Chelmsford, Essex, Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea, east of central London. It had a po ...

, where one of the town's secondary schools is named the FitzWimarc School.

References

Sources

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External links

information at the fitz Wimarc School website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzwimarc, Robert High sheriffs of Essex 11th-century English nobility 11th-century deaths Year of birth unknown People from Epping Forest District People from Clavering, Essex 11th-century Normans