1. RICHARD de RIVIERS, Seigneur de Riviers
m. ADELISE PEVEREL (d.c.27 May 1156)- d. of William Peverel and Adeline of Lancaster
d. 8 Sept. 1107, bur. Montebourg Abbey, Normandy
Ruins of Montebourg Abbey from "Atlas, M�moires de la Soci�t� des antiquaires de Normandie"- 1825
Sir Richard of Plympton, Devon was the founder of Montebourg Abbey and was listed in Domesday.
William Dugdale wrongly identified Richard de Redvers with Richard the son of Baldwin FitzGilbert (also known as Baldwin de Meules) who was sheriff of Devon under William the Conqueror. In 1890 "The Complete Peerage" stated that Richard de Redvers was the son of William de Vernon, but this is doubtful too. All that is known is that his father may have been Baldwin, one of three brothers named Redvers in Normandy in 1060, the others being William, and Richard, who died in that year.(1)
Nothing is known of Richard's early life. In about 1179 the Norman poet Wace wrote: "He who was then sire de Reviers, brought with him many knights who were foremost in the assault, bearing the enemy down with their warhorses." Referring to those who accompanied William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. It is not known if this was our Richard de Reviers.(2)
The first references to Richard appear in the 1080's. In 1086 the Domesday Book state that he held the manor of Mosterton, Dorset which he may have been given to him for his service to William the Conqueror in 1066.(3) Mortestorne (as Mosterton was known at the time) was held by Almer before 1066. It had arable land, a mill, 30 acres of meadow and a large area of woodland and was valued at �12.(4)
According to Wace the poet, in 1089 Richard de Redvers was in the service of Robert Curthose, but was allowed to join his brother Henry's retinue at Henry's request. William the Conqueror had given Normandy to his oldest son Robert, but Henry had bought parts of it from him. This included the Cotentin where N�hou, the de Redvers principal possession, was located. Since Richard also owned land in the Vexin which was retained by Robert, he had two lords, and evidently chose to support the one under whom his main property lay. From 1090 when Henry fell out with both his older brothers, Richard was unswerving in his support of Henry, so much so that he was mentioned by both Orderic Vitalis and William of Jumi�ges in their chronicles.(5) Richard's manor at Mosterton does not appear in the Redvers family records after about 1090 and it may therefore have been forfeited due to his support of Henry against William Rufus. The manor passed to the Blount family which held it until the end of the 14th century.(6)
When William Rufus died in 1100 and Henry became king, Richard was one of his most trusted advisers. He witnessed more than 20 of Henry's charters & royal writs, in several different places, and sometimes as the only witness. After Richard's death his loyalty was remarked upon by Anselm of Canterbury.(7) His stedfast loyalty resulted in Henry awarding him several large grants of land including Plympton, Devon, Carisbrooke on the Isle of Wight and Christchurch, Hampshire (now Dorset). In addition he still held his estates in Normandy at N�hou, Cotentin and Vernon, in the Vexin. He also acquired the manors of Crowell, Oxfordshire and Woolley, Berkshire by his marriage to Adelise.(8) After all the grants from King Henry, Richard's estates in Devon consisted of about 180 Domesday manors, including Tiverton and Honiton, as well as the boroughs of Exeter and Plympton. The honour of Christchurch consisted of many widely scattered manors in several counties. He held virtually the entire Isle of Wight, the exceptions being two manors held by the bishop of Winchester.(9) The island remained in the family until King Edward I bought it from the dying Isabella de Fortibus in 1293.(10) Richard rates among the twelve wealthiest barons of the time, with estates worth well over �750.(11) Less than one third of the value of Richard's estates that the king granted him were from ancient demesne and thus deprived the king of income. The majority were from escheats, including the Isle of Wight, which the king had confiscated after Roger de Breteul's failed Revolt of the Earls in 1075.(12) It was in the king's interest to have the Isle of Wight under control of someone trustworthy as it was a prime target for further attack from abroad.(13)
Richard died 8 Sept. 1107 and was buried in Montebourg Abbey, Normandy, which he had founded.(14) The top of his stone coffin with the word "Fundator" (founder) carved on it was found and preserved by a M. de Gerville.(15)
Issue-
Ref:
(1) Charters of the Redvers Family and the Earldom of Devon 1090�1217- Robert Bearman, Devon and Cornwall Record Society, Exeter, 1994- pp. 1-2
(2) "Master Wace his Chronicle of The Norman Conquest from the Roman De Rou"- Michael Linton, London, 1837- Chapter XXII
(3) Some aspects of a baronial career in the reign of King Stephen- Robert Bearman, Anglo-Norman Studies - Proceedings of the Battle Conference, 1995- Vol. XVIII, p. 28
(4)The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset- John Hutchins, J. B. Nichols & Sons, Westminster, 3rd Edition
(5) Charters of the Redvers Family and the Earldom of Devon 1090�1217- Robert Bearman, Devon and Cornwall Record Society, Exeter, 1994- pp. 2�3
(6) Ibid- p. 17; The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset- John Hutchins, J. B. Nichols & Sons, Westminster, 3rd Edition
(7) Charters of the Redvers Family and the Earldom of Devon 1090�1217- Robert Bearman, Devon and Cornwall Record Society, Exeter, 1994- p. 3
(8) Ibid- pp. 17�18
(9) Ibid- pp. 19�23
(10) Isabella de Forz, suo jure countess of Devon, and countess of Aumale (1237�1293)- Barbara English in the "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", Oxford University Press, Sept 2004
(11) Charters of the Redvers Family and the Earldom of Devon 1090�1217- Robert Bearman, Devon and Cornwall Record Society, Exeter, 1994- p. 24
(12) Ibid- p. 22
(13) Ibid- p. 26
(14) Family of Redvers- John Horace Round in the "Dictionary of National Biography" (1885�1900)
(15) "Rivers"- The Duchess of Cleveland- "The Battle Abbey Roll with Some Account of the Norman Lineages", John Murray, London, 1889- Vol. III
The Complete Peerage- St. Catherine Press, London- Vol. IV, pp. 309-11, 761-71; VII, p. 669
Domesday People- K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, Boydell Press, 1999- pp. 360, 494
Domesday Descendants- K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, Boydell Press, 2002- p. 1065
English Baronies- I.J. Sanders, Oxford University Press, 1963- p. 137
Tim Powys-Lybbe's web page at: http://www.tim.ukpub.org
m.1. ADELISE (bur. Quarr Abbey)
2. Lucy de Clare (m.1. Gilbert de Clare, d.s.p. after 1155)
d. 4 June 1155 (5)
bur. Quarr Abbey, Isle of Wight
Exeter Castle- c.1300
Baldwin succeeded his father in the earldom, the lordship of Okehampton, and the lordship of the Isle of Wight. From his residence in Exeter Castle he is usually referred to as the earl of Exeter. Baldwin was one of the first barons to rebel against King Stephen and oppressed the city of Exeter in 1136. The citizens asked the king for help and Stephen ordered 200 horse to go to their aid. Baldwin's men, having heard that the citizens had complained of them, sallied forth to take vengeance on them but were defeated. They had barely taken shelter within the castle when the king with the main body of his army entered the city. The siege and defence were conducted with all the military skill of the time. During the siege Baldwin's garrison at Plympton surrendered to the king. His rich lands were harried, and his tenants all through Devonshire were brought to submission. The blockade was strict and the garrison ran out of water which forced Baldwin to propose a surrender. By the advice of the Bishop of Winchester, Stephen at first refused to grant any terms to the rebels, and withstood a piteous appeal made to him by Baldwin's wife, Adeliza. A large number of the chief men of the king's army were against him takking severe measures, some had relatives within the castle, and some, though they were now fighting against Baldwin, had secretly advised him to revolt. They reminded King Stephen that the garrison had never taken an oath to him as king, and that in taking up arms against him they were acting faithfully to their lord. Stephen yielded to their wishes, and allowed the garrison to come forth. Baldwin fled to the isle of Wight, and made preparations to carry on the rebellion. On hearing that the king was about to embark at Southampton to attack him, he surrendered. He was banished and took shelter with Geoffrey, count of Anjou, by whom he was honourably received.(2) At the instigation of the empress he worked with the Norman lords, and raised up another revolt against Stephen in the duchy. He was taken prisoner by Ingelram de Say in a skirmish before the castle of Ormes. In 1130 he landed with a strong force at Wareham, and held Corfe Castle against the king. After a long siege Stephen turned away from Corfe upon hearing of the landing of Robert of Gloucester. Baldwin joined the empress, and was present at the siege of Winchester in 1141. She made him Earl of Devon after she took control of the government early in 1141.
Quarr Abbey- 1910
The earl was a great benefactor of religious houses. He founded a priory of Austin canons at Bromere or Breamore in Hampshire, and a Cistercian abbey at Quarr, or Arreton, on the Isle of Wight. He caused the secular canons of Christ Church at Twynham to give place to regular canons. He enriched the priory of Plympton, and gave his chapelry of St. James at Exeter, with its tithes and estates, to the monasteries of St. Peter at Cluny and of St. Martin-des-Champs. (1) The charters mention his sons Richard, William and Henry.(4) He confirmed the donations to Sainte-Marie Abbey, Montebourg, made by his father Richard de Reveriis by a charter dated c.1150.(3) In 1157 Richard donated property to St. James Priory for the souls of his father Baldwin and his mother Adel.(6)
Lucy donated property to Stoke-by-Clare priory for the souls of her husbands Earl Baldwin and Earl Gilbert.(7)Issue-
Ref:
(1)Baldwin de Revieres, earl of Devon- Robert Bearman in the "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", Oxford University Press, 2004
(2) Florentii Wigornensis Monachi Chronicon, Continuatio- p. 96; Gesta Stephani Regis I- pp. 20-9
(3) Calendar of Documents preserved in France illustrative of the history of Great Britain and Ireland- J.H. Round, London, 1899- Vol. I, p. 314
(4) Ibid- p. 314; Dugdale's "Monasticon V"- St. James Priory, Exeter- Vol. I, p. 106, also entry for Ford Abbey, Devon- Vol. I, p. 381
(5) Ex Obituariis Lirensis Monasterii- RHGF- Vol. XXIII, p. 472; Chronique de Robert de Torigny- Vol. I, 1155, p. 292
(6) Dugdale's "Monasticon V"- St. James Priory, Exeter- Vol. II, p. 106
(7) Stoke-by-Clare Cartulary: BL Cotton Appx. XXI- R. Mortimer, 1984- Suffolk Charters 4-6, No. 69
The Complete Peerage- St. Catherine Press, London- Vol. IV, pp. 311-2
Domesday People- K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, Boydell Press, 1999- pp. 360
Domesday Descendants- K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, Boydell Press, 2002- pp. 245-6, 657-8
English Baronies- I.J. Sanders, Oxford University Press, 1963- p. 137
Tim Powys-Lybbe's web page at: http://www.tim.ukpub.org
m. MABEL de MEULAN (d. after 1 May 1204)- d. of Robert de Beaumont, Comte de Meulan
d. 10 Sept. 1217
bur. Christ Church, Tiverton, Devon
William was also known as William de Vernon as he was born at Vernon Castle in Normandy. He succeeded his nephew in 1193 as Earl of Devon and Lord of the Isle of Wight. He took part in King Richard's second coronation in 1194.
William's marriage to Mabel de Meulan is confirmed by a charter from her father Robert who donated property to his daughter Mabel, wife of Earl William of the Isle of Wight dated 1 May 1204.(3)
William consistently supported King John, however, at the end of his life, the king allowed Falkes de Breat�, one of the king's captains, to marry William's widowed daughter-in-law and take her dowry. By an undated charter William de Vernon, Earl of Devon, son of Earl Baldwin, donated land to Quarr Abbey for the souls of his parents, Earl Baldwin and Countess Adeliciae and his brother Richard and his wife Mabel.(1) In Sept. 1217 King Henry III notified W. Briwerr, junior, of the death of "W. comes de Insula" and asked him to take custody of Carisbrooke Castle until a decision could be reached about its custodianship.(2) Upon William's death the earldom passed to his grandson, Baldwin de Redvers, as his son had died the year before.
Carisbrooke Castle- Isle of Wight
Issue-
Ref:
(1) Dugdale's "Monasticon V"- Quarr Abbey, Isle of Wight- Vol. V, p. 317
(2) Patent Rolls for King Henry III 1215-25- p. 90
(3) Histoire g�n�alogique de la maison de Harcourt- G.A. La Roque, 1662- Vol. IV, p. 1966
The Complete Peerage- St. Catherine Press, London- Vol. IV, pp. 315-6, 771; VII, p. 740
Domesday Descendants- K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, Boydell Press, 2002- p. 768
English Baronies- I.J. Sanders, Oxford University Press, 1963- p. 137
Tim Powys-Lybbe's web page at: http://www.tim.ukpub.org