Robert fitzRoger (died 1214) was an
Anglo-Norman nobleman and
Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk and
Northumberland
Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
. He was a son of
Roger fitzRichard and Adelisa de Vere. FitzRoger owed some of his early offices to
William Longchamp
William de Longchamp (died 1197) was a medieval Lord Chancellor, Chief Justiciar, and Bishop of Ely in England. Born to a humble family in Normandy, he owed his advancement to royal favour. Although contemporary writers accused Longchamp's f ...
, but continued in royal service even after the fall of Longchamp. His marriage to an heiress brought him more lands, which were extensive enough for him to be ranked as a
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
. FitzRoger founded
Langley Abbey in Norfolk in 1195.
Life
FitzRoger was the son of the
Anglo-Norman nobleman Roger fitzRichard, who held
Warkworth Castle
Warkworth Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Warkworth, Northumberland, Warkworth in the English county of Northumberland. The village and castle occupy a loop of the River Coquet, less than a mile from England's north-east coast. When the ...
in
Northumberland
Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
. FitzRoger was
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 ...
of Norfolk from
Michaelmas
Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in many Western Christian liturgical calendars on 29 Se ...
in 1190 to Easter 1194 and then again from Michaelmas 1197 to Easter 1200.
[Round "Early Sheriffs of Norfolk" ''English Historical Review'' pp. 491–494] FitzRoger's first appointment as sheriff was due to the influence of
William de Longchamp, who was
Lord Chancellor
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...
. Longchamp's influence also secured custody of
Orford Castle in Suffolk for fitzRoger.
[Turner and Heiser ''Reign of Richard Lionheart'' p. 116] Longchamp also arranged for fitzRoger to have custody of
Eye Castle in Suffolk.
[Heiser "Castles, Constables, and Politics" ''Albion'' p. 34] When Longchamp fell from royal favour and was replaced by
Walter of Coutances, fitzRoger was one of the few of Longchamp's appointments to retain his office of sheriff.
[Turner and Heiser ''Reign of Richard Lionheart'' p. 132]
FitzRoger founded the monastery of
Langley Abbey in Norfolk in 1195 for
Premonstratensian canons. He purchased royal confirmation of his ownership of Warkworth in 1199
[Goodall, John (2006), ''Warkworth Castle and Hermitage'', English Heritage, p.35, ] and in 1205 was granted
Newburn
Newburn is a village and district of Newcastle upon Tyne, in Tyne and Wear, England. Situated on the North bank of the River Tyne, it is built rising up the valley from the river. It is situated approximately from the city centre, east of H ...
and the barony of
Whalton in Northumberland. Warkworth and Newburn occasionally were considered baronies, but not consistently.
[Sanders ''English Baronies'' p. 150] FitzRoger also held
Clavering from Henry of Essex for one
knight's fee
In feudal Anglo-Norman England and Ireland, a knight's fee was a unit measure of land deemed sufficient to support a knight. It would not only provide sustenance for himself, his family, and servants, but also the means to furnish himself and h ...
.
[Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 953] FitzRoger's holdings were extensive enough that he was considered a
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
during the reigns of King
Richard I
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...
[Turner and Heiser ''Reign of Richard Lionheart'' p. 103] and 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 ...
.
[Russell "Social Status" ''Speculum'' p. 324] He was one of John's favourites and received the king at Warkworth in 1213.
FitzRoger married Margaret,
[Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 416] one of the daughters and heiresses of
William de Chesney, the founder of
Sibton Abbey
Sibton Abbey, an early Cistercian abbey located in Sibton near Yoxford, Suffolk, was founded about 1150 by William de Chesney (sheriff), William de Chesney, High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Abbey is a daughter house of Warden Abbey, near ...
.
[Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 370] Margaret was one of three daughters, but she inherited the bulk of her father's estates.
[Green ''Aristocracy of Norman England'' p. 380] Margaret was the widow of
Hugh de Cressy. Through Margaret, Roger gained the barony of
Blythburgh in Suffolk.
[Sanders ''English Baronies'' p. 16] He also acquired lands at
Rottingdean
Rottingdean is a village in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. It borders the villages of Saltdean, Ovingdean and Woodingdean, and has a historic centre, often the subject of picture postcards.
Name
The name Rotting ...
in
Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
from Margaret.
[Loyd ''Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families'' p. 35]
FitzRoger died in 1214, and his heir was his son by his wife Margaret,
John fitzRobert
John FitzRobert (ca. 1190–1240) (de Clavering)Richardson, Douglas, ''Magna Carta Ancestry'', 2nd edn., Baltimore, 2011: 1:487 is listed as one of the Surety Barons for Magna Carta (1215), although it seems not previously noted as a rebel. He ...
.
[ Margaret survived fitzRoger and paid a fine of a thousand pounds to the king for the right to administer her lands and dower properties herself.][ His daughter Alice married Peter FitzHerbert of Blewleveny.][Cokayne ''Complete Peerage'' Vol. 5 p. 465]
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Robert fitzRoger
Anglo-Normans
1214 deaths
Year of birth unknown
People from Clavering, Essex