Henry fitzGerold was a 12th-century Anglo-Norman

Anglo-Norman

The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...

 nobleman and government official.

FitzGerold was probably the son of Robert fitzGerald, an Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

 landowner. Henry definitely had a brother named Warin. The brothers' first appearance in the documentary record was as witnesses to the foundation document of Walden Abbey

Walden Abbey

Walden Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Saffron Walden, Essex, England founded by Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex between 1136 and 1143. Originally a priory, it was elevated to the status of an abbey in 1190....

, some time between 1138 and 1144. Henry subsequently witnessed a number of the future King Henry II

Henry II of England

Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...

's charters before the latter's accession to the throne of England. Soon after 1154, he was appointed constable of Wallingford Castle

Wallingford Castle

Wallingford Castle was a major medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire , adjacent to the River Thames...

. Henry II sent him to Sens

Sens

Sens is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.Sens is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is crossed by the Yonne and the Vanne, which empties into the Yonne here.-History:...

 on a diplomatic mission to the pope in 1163.

FitzGerold was the steward to Geoffrey de Mandeville

Geoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex

Geoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex was an English nobleman. He was the son of Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex and Rohese de Vere, Countess of Essex. He inherited the Earldom of Essex from his father after his elder brother was disinherited. He died childless and was succeeded by...

, the Earl of Essex

Earl of Essex

Earl of Essex is a title that has been held by several families and individuals. The earldom was first created in the 12th century for Geoffrey II de Mandeville . Upon the death of the third earl in 1189, the title became dormant or extinct...

, from around 1154 as well as holding land worth 4 knight's fees from Mandeville. From 1158–1170 he was chamberlain

Chamberlain (office)

A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....

 to Henry II, succeeding his brother Warin. Besides the lands held of Mandeville, Henry and Warin acquired the majority of the lands of Eudo Dapifer

Eudo Dapifer

Eudo Dapifer was a Norman aristocrat favoured by William the Conqueror.-Early life:Eudo was the fourth son of Hubert of Ryes, who is legendarily known as the loyal vassal who saved the life of Duke William of Normandy in his flight from Valognes during a revolt 1047. Eudo's brothers were Ralph,...

; Henry's share amounted to more than 50 knight's fees in Essex in 1166. FitzGerold also had the farm of the royal manor of Sutton Courtenay

Sutton Courtenay

Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on the River Thames south of Abingdon and northwest of Didcot. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Today:...

 in Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

, which was worth ₤50 per annum. From 1166 until 1168 he was responsible for royal payments to knights in Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

. He also served as a royal justice in Kent during 1168–1169.

FitzGerold married Matilda de Chesney, the heiress of William de Chesney

William de Chesney

William de Chesney was an Anglo-Norman magnate during the reign of King Stephen of England and King Henry II of England . Chesney was part of a large family; one of his brothers became Bishop of Lincoln and another Abbot of Evesham Abbey. Stephen may have named him Sheriff of Oxfordshire...

, whose parentage remains unknown. They had two sons, Warin and Henry. The elder fitzGerold died in 1174–1175, and was survived by Matilda and his sons. He was buried at Reading Abbey

Reading Abbey

Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors...

. Besides grants to Reading, he had also given gifts to Southwark Priory and to the cathedral chapter of Rochester Cathedral

Rochester Cathedral

Rochester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Norman church in Rochester, Kent. The bishopric is second oldest in England after Canterbury...

.

Henry's eldest son Warin inherited the majority of his father's estates. Warin married Alice de Courcy. Warin's daughter Margaret married Baldwin de Redvers and their son was Baldwin de Redvers

Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon

Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon and Lord of the Isle was the son of Baldwin de Redvers and Margaret FitzGerold and grandson of William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon.-Family and children:...

, the 6th Earl of Devon

Earl of Devon

The title of Earl of Devon was created several times in the Peerage of England, and was possessed first by the de Redvers family, and later by the Courtenays...

. The younger Henry married Ermentrude Talbot and became prominent in the service of William Marshall

William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke

Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , also called William the Marshal , was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He was described as the "greatest knight that ever lived" by Stephen Langton...

, the 1st Earl of Pembroke

Earl of Pembroke

Earl of Pembroke is a title created ten times, all in the Peerage of England. It was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, which is the site of Earldom's original seat Pembroke Castle...

.