Robert (Lancaster) de Lancaster (1250 - 1310)

Descendants

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Biography

The father of the first John de Lancaster of Howgill was Robert de Lancaster, although some transcriptions of old documents name him as Roger.

• The earliest sighting Ragg claims for this Robert was in 6 Edward I (1277) concerning the question of services claimed by Robert's overlord, Sir Roger de Lancaster of Rydal.
• In 1291 Ragg seems to say that Robert the son of Walter was one of the sureties for Isabella de Lancaster of Sockbridge's payment to keep custody of her underage son Gilbert, after the death of Roger de Lancaster of Sockbridge.
• In the post mortem inquest of William de Lyndsey, dated 10 Nov 10 Edward I (1281/2) a Robert de Lancastre is mentioned as a freeholder under Lyndsey in Witherslack and Barton. This is in contrast to Roger de Lancastre in Bannisdale, in the same inquest, who must be the one from Sockbridge.
• In 1292, the same year he first appears in an action of Richard Musgrave, Robert de Lancaster, here named as a son of Walter, was involved in a case concerning Milburn (the parish which contains Howgill Castle) in 1292 (Assize Roll 987). Specifically, he claimed that Robert de Veteripont had handed over 10 acres of land in Milneburne to Shap Abbey while he was under age, and in the custody of Veteriponte due to his father's death. From the relevant records it can be determined that the land involved was Milburn Grange, next to Howgill Castle. Nicolson and Burn say that Veteripont had purchased the land from Nicholas Stuteville, but there seems to have been some possible disagreement about whether he had the right to. Curwen writes, concerning the little chapel of St Cuthbert there:

Robert de Veteripont granted Milburn Grange to Shap Abbey for the purpose of establishing this chantry, the abbot and convent were to find a chaplain and pay him a salary of £4 a year out of the revenues of the Grange.

John son of Roger [sic] de Lancaster by his will, dated 13 January, 1353–4, desired that his body should be buried "in capella Sci Cuthberti de Milnebourne" and left a legacy to pay for a priest who should sing masses for his soul.

• In 1292 Robert de Lancaster, together with Richard de Musgrave, was summoned on a charge of infringing the rights of one John de Helton in Murton. Robert was actually imprisoned, but Richard paid a fine to get himself and his men released.
• John, son of Robert de Lancaster was in court about 1312, in Helton under the Lyth, concerning a claim that he had disseised William de Helton of a parcel of land (Assize Roll 993)
• John de Lancaster of Howgill is in the patent rolls of 24 Dec 1314, when John son of Robert de Lancastre of Holegille (which was a common spelling for Howgill) was pardoned for the murder of John de Helton.

Sources

• Lancaster, Andrew (2007), "The de Lancasters of Westmorland: Lesser-Known Branches, and the Origin of the de Lancasters of Howgill", Foundations: Journal of the Foundation of Medieval Genealogy 2 (4)
• F. W. Ragg (1910), "De Lancaster", Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society: 395–493)
• The website of Andrew Lancaster about this family.