Robert de Stafford () (''alias'' Robert de Tosny/Toeni, etc.) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, a member of the

House of Tosny The House of Tosny was an important noble family in 10th and 11th century Normandy, though it did not include any comtes or vicomtes. Its founder was Raoul I of Tosny (died after 1024). Origin The earliest account of the origin of the Tosny famil ...

and the first feudal baron of Stafford in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

in England, where he probably built a baronial castle. His many landholdings are listed 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 ...

of 1086. He was the son of

Roger I of Tosny Roger I of Tosny or Roger of Hispania (died c. 1040) was a Norman nobleman of the House of Tosny who took part in the Reconquista of Iberia. Career Roger was the son of Raoul I of Tosny, seigneur de Conches. In 1013, Roger and his father guarde ...

and the brother of

Raoul II of Tosny Raoul II de Tosny (c. 1027 - died 9 April 1102), lord of Conches-en-Ouche, was a Norman nobleman of the House of Tosny, son of Roger I of Tosny and older brother of Robert de Stafford / Tosny. He was active in Normandy, England and Wales. Befo ...

. He seems to have been the sheriff of Staffordshire. He was a big landholder in England, and there is no evidence of him inheriting land in Normandy. His property concentrated in

and

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

. An analysis of his holdings also shows a strong presence of non-Norman subtenants, with a significant presence of English and Breton ones. Moreover, he patronized many religious institutions, among them

Evesham Evesham () is a market town and Civil parishes in England, parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, England, Worceste ...

and Conches, prioritizing the former, which shows the importance he assigned to his holdings in England over the ones in Normandy. He founded

Stone Priory Stone Priory was a priory founded at Stone in Staffordshire, England, in about 670 AD. The priory's church was dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Wulfad, a local seventh-century martyr and supposedly a son of King Wulfhere of Mercia, who ruled f ...

in Staffordshire, which became the burial place of many of his family. The analysis of both his subtenants and his patronage point out to a strategy much less concentrated in Normandy than his brother Raoul II, and almost solely centered in England. He died and was buried at Evesham.

Family and Descendants

Robert de Stafford married Avice

de Clare The House of Clare was a prominent Anglo-Norman noble house that ruled the Earldoms of Pembroke, Hertford and Gloucester in England and Wales throughout its history, playing a prominent role in the Norman invasion of Ireland. They were desce ...

,Sir William Dugdale - ''Monasticon Anglicanum'', Volume VI, Part I, ''Priory of Stone'', page 231 daughter of Richard fitz Gilbert (de Clare), by whom he had sons, *Nicholas I de Stafford (d.circa 1138), eldest son and heir, 2nd feudal baron of Stafford. *Alan de Stafford *Roger de Stafford *Jordan de Stafford *Nigel de Stafford *Robert de Stafford

Notes

External links

JohnStafford.org: Searching For the First Stafford and his wife the Elusive Avice de Clare
(archived at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

)
James Moore PhD thesis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stafford, Robert de 1030s births 1100s deaths 11th-century English nobility Anglo-Normans

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

People from Stafford Burials at Evesham Abbey