- Richard Fitz Gilbert
Infobox Person
name = Richard Fitz Gilbert, Lord of Clare, Bienfaite, Orbec and Tonbridge
caption =
dead=dead
birth_date = 1030
birth_place =Normandy ,France
death_date = 1090| death_place = St. Neot's Priory,Huntingdonshire ,England Richard FitzGilbert (1030 - 1090), was a Norman lord who participated in the
Norman conquest of England in 1066. He was the founder of the English noble family, thede Clare s.Victor at Hastings
Known as "de Bienfaite", "de Clare", and "de Tonbridge", he accompanied his reputed kinsman
William, Duke of Normandy intoEngland . He served at theBattle of Hastings , and assisted William in subduing theAnglo-Saxons .Rewards
He was rewarded with 176
lord ships and large grants of land in England, including the right to build thecastle s of Clare and ofTonbridge . Richard Fitz Gilbert took the nameEarl of Clare from one of his lordships inSuffolk , where parts of the wall ofClare Castle still stand.He served as Joint Chief Justiciar in William's absence, and played a major part in suppressing the revolt of 1075.
Rebel Baron
On William's death, Richard and other great Norman barons, including
Odo of Bayeux ,Robert, Count of Mortain , William fitzOsbern and Geoffrey of Coutances, led a rebellion against the rule ofWilliam Rufus in order to placeRobert Curthose on the throne. However, mostNormans inEngland remained loyal. William Rufus and his army successfully attacked the rebel strongholds atTonbridge ,Pevensey and Rochester.Death and succession
He died in St. Neot's Priory in 1090. His land was inherited by his son,
Gilbert Fitz Richard .Family
He was the son of Gilbert "Crispin", Count of Brionne.
The reference listed below states that Richard's Great Grandfather was
Richard I of Normandy . Richard's father is also sometimes listed as Robert I "the Devil", father ofWilliam the Conqueror . Sources as far back as the "Annals of the Four Masters " claim that Richard's great-grandson, Richard "Strongbow", was the direct descendant of Robert "the Devil". Gilbert "Crispin" was a descendant of Robert's cousin, but not Robert himself.The modern
Irish county ofCounty Clare was historically part of the NorthMunster Gaelic kingdom ofThomond , dominated by the O'Briens, Kings of Thomond. The region was granted to the De Clare family in 1275 and they became Lords of Thomond. When the boundaries of the modern County Clare were fixed bySir Henry Sidney in 1565, it was named after theDe Clare s.urrey
Richard's
Surrey lands had a value of £241: 30% of the value of his English lands. Within Surrey, Richard Fitz Gilbert owned manors in the following places: Albury,Beddington ,Bletchingley , Buckland,Chelsham ,Chessington , Chipstead, Chivington,Effingham , Apps inElmbridge , Farleigh, Immerworth (Kingston upon Thames ),Long Ditton , Mickleham,Molesey ,Ockley ,Old Malden , Shalford,Streatham , Tandridge,Tolworth ,Tooting ,Walton-on-Thames ,Warlingham , Tillingdon, andWoldingham . [ [http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm Surrey Domesday Book] ]References
*"The Royal Ancestry Bible Royal ancestors of 300 American Families" By Michel L. Call ISBN 1-933194-22-7 (chart 1696)
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