Robert Corbet (abt. 1054 - aft. 1122)

Born about 1054 in Pays De Caux, Normandy, France

Descendants

Died after Jan 1122 after about age 68 in Alcester, Warwickshire, England

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Biography

Sir Robert Corbet was a member of the aristocracy in British Isles.

Name

• Robert FitzCorbet^[1]
• Rodbertum. Orderic Vitalis records Rogerium and Rodbertum, sons of Corbatum, as vassals of Roger de Montgommery in Shropshire in 1071. ^[2]

• Of Longdon, Warks and Alcester, co. Salop.

Parentage

Younger son; 'burgess of Caen' (CP Vol V (Gloucester), p. 683).

Robert was the fourth son of Hugo. He was the Domesday Baron of Longdon and Alcester ^[3] he also held t4he manor of Wigmore in Herefordshire, and flourished from 1070 tyo 1130 ^[4]

1054 Birth Year Estimation an

Robert's birthdate has been shown as 1042. As the youngest son, this would place his birth far too early. If Renaud's birth was estimated as 1052, estimate Robert's as 1054. Robert Fitz Corbet. Visitation of Shropshire reports Robert as one of two sons of Corbet nobilis Normannus. Robertus cognominatus Corbet]] floruit tempore Will’s Conq. Vt apparet in Regiswtro abbathiae de Salop ae 1187 (witnessed the charter of Henry I, to the abbey of Shresbury 1121; held fifteen manors in Salop. ^[5]

1066 Battle of Hastings

Pelham believes that Robert accompanied his father to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. ^{[6] [7]}

Other sources do not find the Corbet names in the Battle Abbey roll and regard Roger and his brothers as too young to have participated.

1071 Arrival in Shropshire

Roger and Robert were said by Le Carpentier to be the second and fourth sons of Corbet. (Blakeway questions the naming of the father as Hugh, c. 1040 in Normandy, and the use of Corbet as a surname at so early a date. Surviving documents refer to Corbet and to Roger and Robert as sons of Corbet.) They must have been young men when they were brought to Shropshire to serve Earl Roger; they were still alive fifty years later. ^[8]

1071: Orderic Vitalis records "Guillelmum cognomento Pantulfum et Picodum atque Corbatum, filiosque eius Rogerium et Rodbertum" as vassals of Roger de Montgommery in Shropshire, dated to [1071] from the context[2778]. ^[2]

Unknown Marriages

Marriage to Unknown First Wife

The name of Robert’s [first] wife is not known. ^[2]

Although his wife was mentioned in charters, she was not named. ^[1]

Marriage to Unknown Second Wife

We do not know whom they married, nor when, nor the dates of birth of their children. This is not surprising for most of the evidence comes from witness-lists to charters. ^[8]

m [secondly] ---. The name of Robert’s [second] wife is not known. This second marriage is suggested by the difference in age between Robert’s two daughters, as explained below, although their estimated dates of birth could fall within the reproductive range of one woman. ^[2]

Adele

Some popular genealogies report a marriage with "Adele", and make her the mother of daughter Sibilla. No records have yet been found supporting a marriage to "Adele".

1070 in company with earl

Shortly after 1070 he was in company with Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, and from 1083 he attested the Earl's charters to the Abbey of Shrewsbury. ^[1]

He was governor of Nortyhumberland upon the pacification of northern England. He held lands in Yorkshire, Noerthumberland, Durham, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire and elsewherre as well, in addition to lands in Wales. ^[9]

1086 Land Holdings Domesday

He held his lands (15 manors containing approx. 22 hides at Domesday Book, 1086) of the Earl of Shrewsbury, incl. a grant of the manor of Alcester, Warkwickshire by King Henry I.

1086: Domesday Book records “Robert fitzCorbet” holding Woolstaston, Ratlinghope, Womerton, Woodcote, Longden and several other places in Shropshire[2779]. ^[2]

Curt Hofemann states that between them, they were granted 38 lordships, as recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, in Shropshire where they assisted Earl Roger (de Montgomery) in the administration of his domains in that county. ^[10]

The holdings in Derbyshire of the father, called Norman, Roger the second eldest son and Robert the youngest son, both sons sometimes listed as FitzCorbet, are listed together as family domains. They were under-tenants of Earl Roger in Shropshire. Edderton, Forden, Mellington, Hem, Hopton, Thornbury, Hyssington, Leighton, Weston ^[10]

Robert Corbet, at Domesday, held under the Earl twenty manors in this county, including chiefly the parishes of Alberbury, Pontesbury, Westbury, Cardeston, and Worthen, including Bausley and Loton, still held by the Leightons, his descendants.

Together with his brother Roger, Robert held Acton Burnell, Alberbury, Brompton, Cardestone, Cause, Choulton, Eyton, Farley, Great Hanwood, Longden, Loton, Marrington, Middleton (Chirbury), Oakes, Pontesbury, Preist Weston, Ratlinghope, Stapleton, Wattlesborough, Welbatch, Wentnor, Westbury, Whitton, Winsley, Wollaston, Wormerton, Woodcote, Woolstaston, Worthen, Yockleton ^[10]

Henry I King of England granted the manor of Alcester, Warwickshire to Robert Corbet[2780]. ^[2]

1121 Shrewsbury Abbey

1121. "Rogerius filius Corbet, Robertus frater eius" subscribed the charter dated to [May 1121] under which Henry I King of England confirmed Shrewsbury abbey[2781]. ^[2]

A manuscript reciting the foundation of Shrewsbury abbey records donations including by "Robertus Corbeth" of “villam…Lochetonam”, with the consent of "filius eius Robertus"[2782]. ^[2]

He was witness to charter of Henry I to Shrewsbury Abbey, 1121.

English Civil War

He was an ardent supporter of Matilda (reigned 1141) in her war with Stephen (reigned 1135-1154).

Scottish Connections

A Robert Corbet appears in the records for Scotland. Cawley explores whether it is the same Robert or a different one.

• 1119: "…Robto Corbet…" witnessed the charter dated to [1119/24] under which "David comes filii Malcolmi regis Scotorum" founded the monastery of Kelso[2783].
• "…Robertus Corbet…" witnessed the charter, dated to the reign of Alexander I King of Scotland, under which "David predicti regis Scotie germanum…Cumbrensis regionis princeps" listed the lands of the church of Glasgow[2784].
• "…Rob Corbet…" witnessed the undated charter under which David I King of Scotland donated property to "ecclesie sci Johis de castro de Rokesburg"[2785]. m [firstly] ---. ^[2]

1124 Death

Robert Corbet died after 1124. ^[2]without legitimate male heirs. Robert's barony of Longdon and Alcester was eventually divided between the heirs of his two daughters, ^[11]

Augusta Corbet's Pedigree of the Barons of Caus shows Roger Fitz-Corbet, Domesday Baron of Caus, ob. (circa) 1134 ^[12] as the father of four children: William Corbet of Wattlesborough, Baron of Caus; Everard, ob. s. p.; Simon, ob. s. p.; Roger, Lord of Tasley, ob. 1175, and Robert, founder of the Swedish Branch of Corbets.

Issue

He had three children, Robert, Sybil and Alice. ^[1]

Children of Robert Corbet and Unknown first wife

1. Sybyl Corbet, shown as born in Shropshire, 1092, (1090/5-aft 1157) mistress of Henry I King of England, m. 1115/25 Herbert FitzHerbert, son of Herbert FitzHenry and his 1st wife Emma de Blois. Boyer shows Sybil also called Adela and lucia. she was buried in the Church of Astal, Oxfordshire; mistress of henry I, Beauclerc, of England, and wife of Herbert fitz Herbert, with children by both. ^[1]

Children of Robert Corbet and Unknown second wife

1. Robert Corbet shown as born Alcester, 1083, (d. aft 1141), has an uncertain history either dying childless and unmarried or a Scotland settler related to Walter Corbet. ^[2] Robert had no heir ^[1] Boyer states that the Robert who settled in Scotland was a first cousin of this Robert, the son of Roger of Hugo.,
2. Alice Corbet, shown as born Alcester, 1100, (b. 1115/20) m. (1140 or aft) William Boterel. Alice became the ancestress of the Baronial House of Boterell or Botreaux." ^[11] She married William de boterel, lord of boscatel; had son William de Bottrell, who married Isabel de Say, lady of Clun. ^[1]

Research Notes

In contradiction of the above, per John Atkinson's post here:

Henry I de Pomeroy married Rohese the daughter of Sibyl Corbet, and more likely with Henry FitzHerbert, rather than Henry I.

"Henry I de Pomeroy and Rohese FitzHerbert, had a son Henry II de Pomeroy who married firstly Matilda de Vitre and had a son Henry III, and secondly Rohais Bardolf, who married secondly John Russell.

"However Rohese/Rohais Bardolf is described as the daughter of Doun Bardolf, not his sister as we currently have on WikiTree.

"This is all based on K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, Domesday Descendants: A Prospography of Persons Occurring in English Documents 1066-1166, Vol. 2 Pipe Rolls to Cartae Baronum, Boydell Press, 2002. And she appears to be citing Sanders, English Baronies.''

There is a charter of Lord Falmouth transcribed that "proves that Rohesia de la Pomerai was sister of Reginald, Earl of Cornwall; and it is likewise proved, from the great Roll of the Exchequer, that she was sister of Daun Bardolph; for, in the 3rd year of King John, John Russell owed 50 marks to the King's Exchequer for marrying the sister of Daun Bardolph. That the wife of John Russell was Rohesia, relict of Henry de la Pomerai, is abundantly proved by contemporary evidence; and, being shown above to have been sister, both of Reginald, Earl of Cornwall, and of Daun Bardolph, she could only stand in that relationship to both these persons by being born of the same mother; for the father of the Earl of Cornwall is known to have been King Hen. I., whilst the father of Daun Bardolph was Thomas Bardolph.

"Adela, daughter of Sir Robert Corbet, Lord of the Manor of Alcestre in Warwickshire, one of the concubines of King Henry I, was mother of Reginald, Earl of Cornwall; and she must therefore have been the mother of Rohesia de la Pomerai. This relationship is alluded to in a passage in Hoveden, who informs us that, upon the conquest of Ireland, King Henry II in 1177 gave the Kingdom of Limeric to Herbert Fitz Herbert and William his brother, brothers of Reginald, Earl of Cornwall, and to Joscelyn de la Pomerai, their nephew; but they refused to accept it, because it was not yet conquered; whereupon it was given to Philip de Braione. Herbert and William Fitz Herbert were sons of Adela Corbet, by Herbert, another husband. Whether Adela was ever married to Thomas Bardolph does not appear." ^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Carl Boyer 3rd. Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans. By the author: Santa Clarita, California, 2001. Robert Fitz Corbert is #3 on page 61.
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10} Charles Cawley. Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Medieval Lands DatabaseCORBET English Nobility: Corbet Accessed October 20, 2017. jhd
3. ↑ Eyton, 7:6, cited by Boyer, 61
4. ↑ AEC, 27, cited by Boyer, 61
5. ↑ Robert Tresswell, Somerset Herald, and Augustgine Vincent, Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms. Part I, London, 1889. pages 132-144 Corbet Family Pedigree; The Visitation of Shropshire Taken in the Year 1623, pages 132-144. Accessed October 14, 2017. jhd
6. ↑ Rev. A. T. Pelham, paper on Moreton Corbet, reported in [http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA125&lpg=PA126&dq=Thomas%20Corbet%20pilgrim%20shropshire&sig=2SRFZ2_r5_pMf6frI7XXV076YaI&ei=KwwdTMzOGo-ONfnsxJIF&ct=result&id=YHA-AAAAYAAJ&ots=HmA7sT8Rvp&output=text The Antiquary], Volume 8, pp. 125, Accessed October 17, 2017. jhd
7. ↑ Corbet: citing The Battle Abbey Roll; Note that the Battle Abbey roll has been proven to be less than factual...
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Barabara Coulton, The Anglo Norman Corbets © Barbara Coulton. J. C. Nobel, The Corbett One Name Study, The Corbet Study Group. Accessed October 18, 2017. jhd
9. ↑ AEC, 25-28, cited by Boyer, 61
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2} Posting by Curt Hofemann on Jim Weber, Rootsweb. Phillips, Weber, Kirk and Staggs Families of the Pacific Northwest Accessed October 17, 2017. jhd
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Eyton, _Antiquities_, 6:152, 158. Cited by Jim Weber, Rootsweb. Phillips, Weber, Kirk and Staggs Families of the Pacific Northwest Accessed October 17, 2017. jhd
12. ↑ Augusta Elizabeth Brickdale Corbet. "Pedigree of the Barons of Caus." The Family of Corbet: Its Life and Times]. London: the St. Catherine Press, 1915. Volume I, page 161.
13. ↑ Journal, Vol. 1, pp. 29-32, by Royal Institution of Cornwall, 1865

See also:

• Visitation of Shropshire Page 133: Corbet
• Gen-Medieval Archives - Posting of therav3 on 26 Apr 2004 re: CP Addition: Ancestry of the Lords Botreaux
• https://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id=I03186
• Soc.gen.medieval posting of Alan B. Wilson, 1 Feb 1998: Adela Corbet, mother of Rohesia