Robert Bastard
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Robert Bastard (fl.1086) (also known as Robert le Bastard, Latinised as Rotbertus / Robertus Bastardus) was a
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...
warrior who assisted in the 1066
Norman Conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
under King
William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...
. He was subsequently rewarded with landholdings in Devonshire and is one of the
Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the we ...
of that monarch, with a holding of 10 manors or estates held in chief, 8 of which he held in
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
, i.e. under his own management without tenants. He had at least one further holding as a mesne tenant, at Goosewell, Plymstock parish,
Plympton Plympton is a suburb of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. It is in origin an ancient Stannary, stannary town. It was an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a seaport before the River Plym silted up and trade moved down riv ...
hundred, held from William of Poilley, a Norman tenant-in-chief from Poilley in Normandy, most of whose 21 landholdings were later granted by King
Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...
(1100–1135) to his trusted supporter
Richard de Redvers Richard de Vernon seigneur de Redvers (or Reviers, Rivers, or Latinised to ''de Ripariis'' ("from the river-banks")) ( 1066 – 8 September 1107), 1st feudal baron of Plympton in Devon, was His origins are obscure, but after acting as ...
(died 1107),
feudal baron of Plympton The feudal barony of Plympton (or Honour of Plympton) was a large feudal barony in the county of Devon, England, whose ''caput'' was Plympton Castle and manor, Plympton. It was one of eight feudal baronies in Devonshire which existed during the ...
in Devon. The last 5 of Robert's holdings in-chief listed in the Domesday Book had all been held by the Saxon Alwin before the Norman Conquest. Soon after 1086 Robert's overlord became Richard I de Redvers, feudal baron of Plympton, the king having granted him large estates in Devon and elsewhere, thus Robert Bastard was in effect demoted from the high status of a tenant-in-chief. His origins are unknown but he is assumed to have been a Norman. His one tenancy from William of Poilley, a Norman tenant-in-chief from Poilley, appears to be his only recorded connection to any locality in Normandy. His surname "
Bastard Bastard or The Bastard may refer to: Parentage * Illegitimate child, a child born to unmarried parents, in traditional Western family law ** Bastard, an archaic term used in English and Welsh bastardy laws, reformed in 1926 People * "The Bastard" ...
" indicates that, like his duke and king
William the Bastard William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was ...
, he was of illegitimate birth.


Holdings in-chief

His holdings in-chief were as follows, in order of listing in the Domesday Book: *Backstone, in Rackenford parish, Witheridge hundred; held in
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
; before the Norman Conquest held by the Saxon Aelfric; *Hazard, Harberton parish, Stanborough hundred (later Coleridge hundred); held in
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
; before the Norman Conquest held by the Saxon Aelfric; *Combe Royal, Churchstow parish, Stanborough hundred; Robert's tenant was Osbern; before the Norman Conquest held by the Saxon Aelfric; *Dunstone, Ermington hundred, later in Yealmpton parish, Plympton hundred; Robert's tenant was Ranulf; before the Norman Conquest held by the Saxon Alwy; *Blachford, Cornwood parish, Ermington hundred; held in
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
; before the Norman Conquest held by the Saxon Alwin; *
Efford Efford (anciently ''Eppeford, Elforde'', etc.) is an historic manor formerly in the parish of Eggbuckland, Devon, England. Today it has been absorbed by the city of Plymouth to become a large, mostly post-World War II, eastern suburb of the ci ...
, Eggbuckland parish, Roborough hundred; held in
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
; before the Norman Conquest held by the Saxon Alwin; * Stonehouse, St Andrew's parish, Plympton, Roborough hundred; held in
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
; before the Norman Conquest held by the Saxon Alwin; *Bickford, Plympton St Mary parish, Plympton hundred; held in
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
; before the Norman Conquest held by the Saxon Alwin; *
Meavy Meavy is a small village, civil parish and former manor in the English county of Devon. Meavy forms part of the district of West Devon. It lies a mile or so east of Yelverton. The River Meavy runs near the village. For administrative purposes ...
, Roborough hundred; held in
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
; before the Norman Conquest held by the Saxon Alwin; *Land of St Peter's Church in Plympton, Plympton hundred; the land contained 2
villein A villein is a class of serfdom, serf tied to the land under the feudal system. As part of the contract with the lord of the manor, they were expected to spend some of their time working on the lord's fields in return for land. Villeins existe ...
s returning an income of 5 shillings; held in
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
; before the Norman Conquest held by the Saxon Alwin.


Holding as mesne tenant

*Goosewell, Plymstock parish, Plympton hundred, held from William of Poilley, a Norman tenant-in-chief from Poilley in Normandy, whose lands were later granted to Richard I de Redvers, feudal baron of Plympton.


Succession

Robert Bastard is extremely unusual not only in having founded an English family which is said to continue in the male line to the present day (although the
heraldic visitation Heraldic visitations were tours of inspection undertaken by Kings of Arms (or alternatively by heralds, or junior officers of arms, acting as the kings' deputies) throughout England, Wales and Ireland. Their purpose was to register and regulat ...
s pedigree does not show an unbroken line of succession, with the whole of the 15th century unaccounted for), but also one which retained possession of several of his Domesday Book estates for many centuries, most notably the Bastard family's seat at
Efford Efford (anciently ''Eppeford, Elforde'', etc.) is an historic manor formerly in the parish of Eggbuckland, Devon, England. Today it has been absorbed by the city of Plymouth to become a large, mostly post-World War II, eastern suburb of the ci ...
held until the death of Sir Baldwin Bastard in 1345, during the reign of King
Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...
(1327-1377). In the
Book of Fees The ''Book of Fees'' is the colloquial title of a modern edition, transcript, rearrangement and enhancement of the medieval (Latin: 'Book of Fiefs') which is a listing of feudal landholdings or fief (Middle English ), compiled in about 1302, bu ...
(c.1302) Nicholas le Bastard is listed as holding ''Eppeford'' (Efford) from the
honour of Plympton The feudal barony of Plympton (or Honour of Plympton) was a large English feudal barony, feudal barony in the county of Devon, England, whose ''caput'' was Plympton Castle and Manorialism, manor, Plympton. It was one of eight feudal baronies in De ...
. By the 16th century the Bastard family had moved to Gerston in the parish of
West Alvington West Alvington is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Kingsbridge in South Hams, Devon on the A381 road. In 2021 the parish had a population of 606. The appropriate electoral ward is called Westville and Alvington. Its population at th ...
, Devon, when it was the seat of William Bastard (d.1638/9) of Gerston, Recorder of Totnes and a Member of Parliament for Dartmouth. In the 18th century the Bastard family moved to Kitley in the parish of
Yealmpton Yealmpton () is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the England, English county of Devon. It is located in the South Hams on the A379 road, A379 Plymouth to Kingsbridge road and is about from Plymouth. Its name derives fr ...
, where they remain'' Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry'', 15th Edition, ed. Pirie-Gordon, H., London, 1937, pp.115-6, pedigree of ''Bastard of Kitley'' at the present day, running their manor house as a hotel, making them one of the most ancient of Devonshire gentry families.


References

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Further reading

*Henri Bruno de Bastard d'Estang, ''Généalogie de la Maison de Bastard, Originaire du Comté Nantais, Existant Encore en Guienne, au Maine, en Bretagne et en Devonshire'', Paris, 1847, Chapters 15 & 16, ''Seigneurs d'Elforde et de Gerston en Devonshire et de Kitley, etc

Anglo-Normans Norman warriors People from Plymouth, Devon