Robert de Romille (also de Rumilly) was an

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

r from

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

who joined the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

in their

Conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...

of Britain. After 1086

King William I 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 ...

made him lord of the estates of Bolton Abbey. Romille built the first

Skipton Castle Skipton Castle is a Grade I Listed medieval castle in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1090 by Robert de Romille, a Norman baron, and has been preserved for over 931 years. History Skipton Castle was originally a motte a ...

in 1090 to repel the expansions of

Malcolm III of Scotland Malcolm III (; ; –13 November 1093) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Alba from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" (, , understood as "great chief"). Malcolm's long reign of 35 years preceded the beginning of the Scoto-Norma ...

. In 1102 Romille's lands were greatly increased by

Henry I of England Henry I ( – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henr ...

to include all of upper Wharfedale and upper Airedale. His male line died out before 1310; but by his daughters he has many descendants today.

History

Said to have come from an 'old and respected family in Brittany and Normandy', it is uncertain where Robert de Romille came from. The oldest references state that the family was located in both Brittany and Normandy. There is a town in eastern Brittany named

Romillé Romillé (; ) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Romillé are called ''romilléens'' in French. See also *Communes of the Ille-et-Vilaine department The following ...

that gave rise to a de Romillé family, but Robert may instead have been a younger son of Rainfred Rumille from

Remilly-sur-Lozon Remilly-sur-Lozon () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Remilly-les-Marais.Saint-Lô Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy.County of Mortain The County of Mortain was a medieval county in the Duchy of Normandy in France centered on the town of Mortain, disputed between France and England during parts of the Hundred Years' War. A choice landholding, usually either kept within the family ...

Estates

In the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

the multiple estate of

Bolton Abbey Bolton Abbey Estate in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England, takes its name from a 12th-century Augustinian monastery of canons regular, now known as Bolton Priory. The priory, which was closed in the 1539 Dissolution of the Monasterie ...

was listed as going from the lordship of

Edwin, Earl of Mercia Edwin (Old English: ''eadwine'') (died 1071) was the elder brother of Morcar, Earl of Northumbria, son of Ælfgār, Earl of Mercia and grandson of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on Ælfgār's de ...

to the Clamores of Yorkshire. The Bolton Abbey estate then included 77 carucates of ploughland (9240 acres/3850ha):

Halton East Halton East is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, east of Skipton. The population of the parish was estimated at 90 in 2015. The place was first recorded in the Domesday Book as ''Haltone''. The name is derived from the ...

Embsay Embsay is a village in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is paired with the neighbouring hamlet of Eastby to form the civil parish of Embsay with Eastby. The parish population as of the 2011 census was 1,871. Until 1974 it was part of ...

, Draughton, Skibeden, Skipton, Low Snaygill, Thorlby,

Addingham Addingham (formerly Haddincham , Odingehem 1086)Mills, A. D. (2003). ', Encyclopedia.com is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford West Yorkshire, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated near the A65 road, A65, south-east ...

Beamsley Beamsley is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is just within the boundary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and about six miles east of Skipton and two miles north of Addingham. The village lies immedia ...

, Holme,

Gargrave Gargrave is a large village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the A65 road, A65, north-west of Skipton. The village is situated on the very edge of the Yorkshire Dales; the River Aire and the Leeds ...

, Stainton, Otterburn, Scosthrop,

Malham Malham is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. In the ''Domesday Book'', the name is given as Malgun, meaning "settlement by the gravelly places". Until 1974 it was part of the Settle Rural District, in the ...

, Anley,

Coniston Cold Coniston Cold is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. The village lies north-west of Skipton along the A65. It was historically part of the Staincliffe Wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire. From 1974 to ...

Hellifield Hellifield is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England (). Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the village was once an important railway junction on the Settle-Carlisle Railway between ...

Hanlith Hanlith is a small village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near Kirkby Malham and the tourist attraction of Malham Cove. It is about north west of Skipton, and consists of only 13 houses. Its populati ...

. But after 1086 that lordship was transferred to Romille. Finding the Saxon manse at Bolton Abbey beyond repair Romille selected a rocky outcrop in more strategic location in 1090 and built the eminently defensible

page 210Castle Explorer: Skipton Castle
Access date July 2012 After 1102 King Henry I confiscated the nearby Craven lands of the rebellious lords

Roger the Poitevin Roger the Poitevin or Roger de Poitou (mid-1060s – before 1140) was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat possessing large holdings both in England and through his marriage in France during the early 12th century. He was the third son of Roger of Montg ...

, Erneis of Burun and Gilbert Tison. He put those in upper

Wharfedale Wharfedale ( ) is one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated at source in North Yorkshire and then flows into West Yorkshire and forms the upper valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale (downstream, from west to east) includ ...

and upper

Airedale Airedale is a valley, or Dale (landform), dale, in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. It is named after the River Aire, which flows through it. The upper valley, from Malham Cove to Airton, is known as Malhamdale, named after the vill ...

into the governance of Romille. Clearly intent that Craven become a compact structure the King added in estates from his own

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. ...

Descendants

Robert de Romille's heir was his daughter Cecilia, who married William le Meschines, the lord of Copeland. Cecilia became famous as foundress of the Embsay Priory that became

. Cecilia and William had two sons: Ranulph and Matthew but both died without issue, so their daughter Alice, wife of

William fitz Duncan William fitz Duncan (a modern anglicisation of the Old French Guillaume fils de Duncan and the Middle Irish language">Middle Irish Uilleam mac Donnchada) was a Scottish prince, the son of King Duncan II of Scotland by his wife Ethelreda, daughte ...

, was the eventual heir.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romille, Robert de Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 11th-century Breton people Norman conquest of England