Roger de Pitres (also called Roger de Pistri) (d. bef. 1083), 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 ...
, was the
Sheriff of Gloucester under
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 ...
and constable of
Gloucester Castle
Gloucester Castle was a Norman-era royal castle situated in the city of Gloucester in Gloucestershire, England. It was demolished in 1787 and replaced by Gloucester Prison.
Early Norman motte and bailey castle
It was probably constructe ...
.
Life
Roger's origins are confirmed in his territorial appellation, de Pitres; he was a Norman from
Pîtres
Pîtres (; medieval Pistres) is a commune in the Eure department in Normandy in north-western France. It lies on the Seine.
History
Historically, it had a bridge to prevent Vikings from sailing up the river to Paris. It was here that King Char ...
, Eure,
canton of Pont-de-l'Arche.
[K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, ''Domesday People: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents, 1066–1166'', Vol. I (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1999), p. 451] He followed William the Conqueror to England in 1066.
[M. Charpillon, ''Dictionnaire historique de toutes les communes du departement de l'Eure'', Vol. II (Delcroix, Libraire-Editeur, 1879), p. 636] Roger was an adherent of
William FitzOsbern and owed much of his landed wealth to this association.
[David Walker, 'the Honours of the Earls of Hereford in the Twelfth Century', ''Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society'', Vol. 79 (1960), p. 178] After the death of Earl William in 1071, Roger was more closely associated with the crown.
He was sheriff of Gloucester from 1071
[W.A. Morris, 'The Office of Sheriff in the Early Norman Period', ''The English Historical Review'', Vol. 33, No. 130 (Apr., 1918), p. 154 note 2] and constable of Gloucester castle, which he constructed.
[David Walker, 'Gloucester and Gloucestershire in Domesday Book', ''Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society'', Vol. 94 (1976), p. 112] Members of his family succeeded him in these hereditary offices.
[Roger's successors as Sheriffs of Gloucester and constable were his brother Durand of Gloucester (d. 1096), who in turn was succeeded by Roger's son Walter of Gloucester, and his grandson, ]Miles of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford
Miles FitzWalter of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford (died 24 December 1143) (''alias'' Miles of GloucesterSanders, I.J. English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960, p.7) was a great magnate based in the west of ...
who succeeded his father Walter before 1126. See: David Walker, 'Miles of Gloucester, Earl of Hereford', ''Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society'', Vol. 77 (1958), pp. 67-68. His brother
Durand of Gloucester (d. 1096) succeeded him as sheriff by 1083.
Both Roger de Pitres and his brother Durand were buried at
St. Peter's Abbey in Gloucester.
Family
Roger's wife was named Adeliza and together they had:
*
Walter of Gloucester, subsequently Sheriff of Gloucester
[''The Medieval English Sheriff to 1300'']
by William Alfred Morris; page 50.
* Herbert, of whom little is known other than he predeceased his brother Walter.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitres, Roger de
1083 deaths
People from Gloucester
Anglo-Normans
High sheriffs of Gloucestershire
Year of birth unknown