Robert fitz Martin
Encyclopedia
Robert fitz Martin was a Norman
knight
and first Lord of Cemais
, Wales
.
Geva de Burci's second husband was William de Falaise, with whom she had daughters, Emma and Sybil. "Emma de Falise married William de courcy as her second husband. Earlier, she had been briefly married to William fitz Humphrey, but was evidently a widow soon after 1100 for, by 1106, she and her sister, Sybil, attested their father's charter
without mention of their husbands. As a bride's possessions passed to her husband on marriage, he would normally attest before her but a widow acted in her own right." (Flanders 2009, p. 45)
Emma de Falise married William de Courcy, a son of Richard de Courcy of Courcy-sur-Dives, Normandy
. They received the manor of Stoke (renamed Stoke-Courcy, now Stogursey
) in Somerset
from William, and were grandparents of John de Courcy
. This made Robert fitz Martin a brother-in-law of William de Courcy, who "was most active in royal administration during the first decade of the reign" of Henry I
, to whom de Courcy was a royal dapifer (Flanders, op. cit.).
, Dorset
, and Devon
. At some point early in the reign of Henry I
he participated in the Norman invasions of Wales
, and obtained for himself the barony of Cemais, located between Fishguard
and Cardigan
, setting his caput at Nanhyfer, or Nevern
.
He married Maud Peverell, and with her, founded St Dogmaels Abbey, Cardigan
, between 1115 and 1119. Maude was a sister or daughter of William Peverel the Younger
. The couple are not recorded as having any children.
During The Great Revolt 1136–1137 much of Cemais was reclaimed by the Welsh. Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, lord of Ceredigion
, was ambushed and killed by the men of Iorwerth ab Owain. News of his death led to an invasion of Ceredigion by the sons of Gruffydd ap Cynan
. Around Michaelmas
they made an alliance with Gruffydd ap Rhys
of Deheubarth. The combined forces made for Cardigan, and engaged the Normans at the Battle of Crug Mawr
, two miles outside the town.
The Normans were led by Robert fitz Martin, supported by Robert fitz Stephen, constable of Cardigan Castle, with the brothers William and Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan
. After some hard fighting, the Norman forces broke and were pursued as far as the River Teifi. Many of the fugitives tried to cross the bridge, which broke under the weight, with hundreds said to have drowned, clogging the river with the bodies of men and horses. Others fled to the town of Cardigan, which however was taken and burned by the Welsh. However, Robert fitz Martin successfully managed to defend and hold the castle. It was the only one to remain in Norman hands at the end of the rebellion.
Robert spent the years 1136-1141 serving the Empress Maud during The Anarchy
, and her son, Henry II
. His activities from 1142 to 1155 are unknown.
he had a new wife – Alice de Nonant of Totnes
(died 1194) – and three young children.
Robert seems to have died about 1159, survived by his wife Alice and their children. Of them, Robert fitz Robert was dead by 1162 and buried in Totnes Priory. Sybil is known to have married a Warin de Morcelles and was alive in 1198.
William fitz Robert fitz Martin, (c. 1155–1209) inherited the family property, and via a marriage with Angharad, a daughter of Rhys ap Gruffydd
, regain the lost territory of Cemais. The family would continue to hold lands in both England and Wales until the extinction of the senior line in 1326. Cadet lines still flourish in England, Wales, Ireland and beyond.
He is an ancestor to, among others, the Martyn
family of The Tribes of Galway.
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
and first Lord of Cemais
Cemais (Dyfed cantref)
thumb|200px|right|Ancient Dyfed showing the cantref of Cemais and its commotesthumb|200px|right|Pembrokeshire showing the hundred of CemaisCemais was a cantref of Dyfed, and now part of Pembrokeshire, Wales...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Family background
Robert fitz Martin was born some time in the late 11th century to Geva de Burci, heiress of Serlo de Burci, and an otherwise unknown man called Martin.Geva de Burci's second husband was William de Falaise, with whom she had daughters, Emma and Sybil. "Emma de Falise married William de courcy as her second husband. Earlier, she had been briefly married to William fitz Humphrey, but was evidently a widow soon after 1100 for, by 1106, she and her sister, Sybil, attested their father's charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
without mention of their husbands. As a bride's possessions passed to her husband on marriage, he would normally attest before her but a widow acted in her own right." (Flanders 2009, p. 45)
Emma de Falise married William de Courcy, a son of Richard de Courcy of Courcy-sur-Dives, Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. They received the manor of Stoke (renamed Stoke-Courcy, now Stogursey
Stogursey
Stogursey is the name of a small village and civil parish in the Quantock Hills in Somerset, England. It is situated from Nether Stowey, and west of Bridgwater...
) in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
from William, and were grandparents of John de Courcy
John de Courcy
John de Courcy was a Anglo-Norman knight who arrived in Ireland in 1176. From then until his expulsion in 1204, he conquered a considerable territory, endowed religious establishments, built abbeys for both the Benedictines and the Cistercians and built strongholds at Dundrum Castle in County...
. This made Robert fitz Martin a brother-in-law of William de Courcy, who "was most active in royal administration during the first decade of the reign" of Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
, to whom de Courcy was a royal dapifer (Flanders, op. cit.).
Life
Robert inherited property from William, and of his grandfather, Serlo de Burci, in SomersetSomerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, and Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. At some point early in the reign of Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
he participated in the Norman invasions of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and obtained for himself the barony of Cemais, located between Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
and Cardigan
Cardigan, Ceredigion
Cardigan is a town in the county of Ceredigion in Mid Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Teifi at the point where Ceredigion meets Pembrokeshire. It was the county town of the pre-1974 county of Cardiganshire. It is the second largest town in Ceredigion. The town's population was 4,203...
, setting his caput at Nanhyfer, or Nevern
Nevern
Nevern is a small village or hamlet, of just a few houses in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. It lies in the valley of the River Nevern close to the Preseli Hills of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park east of Newport.-Nevern Parish Church:...
.
He married Maud Peverell, and with her, founded St Dogmaels Abbey, Cardigan
Cardigan, Ceredigion
Cardigan is a town in the county of Ceredigion in Mid Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Teifi at the point where Ceredigion meets Pembrokeshire. It was the county town of the pre-1974 county of Cardiganshire. It is the second largest town in Ceredigion. The town's population was 4,203...
, between 1115 and 1119. Maude was a sister or daughter of William Peverel the Younger
William Peverel the Younger
William "the Younger" Peverel was the son of William Peverel. He lived in Nottingham, England.He married Avicia de Lancaster in La Marche, Normandy, France. She was the daughter of Roger "The Poitevin" Montgomery and Countess Almodis of La Marche. In 1114, she bore a daughter, Margaret Peverel...
. The couple are not recorded as having any children.
During The Great Revolt 1136–1137 much of Cemais was reclaimed by the Welsh. Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, lord of Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, was ambushed and killed by the men of Iorwerth ab Owain. News of his death led to an invasion of Ceredigion by the sons of Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan was a King of Gwynedd. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales...
. Around Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
they made an alliance with Gruffydd ap Rhys
Gruffydd ap Rhys
Gruffydd ap Rhys was Prince of Deheubarth, in Wales. His sister was the Princess Nest ferch Rhys.-Early life:Following the death of Gruffydd's father Rhys ap Tewdwr in 1093, Deheubarth was taken over by the Normans, and Gruffydd spent much of his early years in exile in Ireland.In 1113 Gruffydd...
of Deheubarth. The combined forces made for Cardigan, and engaged the Normans at the Battle of Crug Mawr
Battle of Crug Mawr
The Battle of Crug Mawr took place in September or October 1136, as part of a struggle for control of Ceredigion which had been captured by the Normans....
, two miles outside the town.
The Normans were led by Robert fitz Martin, supported by Robert fitz Stephen, constable of Cardigan Castle, with the brothers William and Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan
Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan
Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Maynooth, Naas, and Llanstephan) was a major figure in the Norman invasion of Ireland....
. After some hard fighting, the Norman forces broke and were pursued as far as the River Teifi. Many of the fugitives tried to cross the bridge, which broke under the weight, with hundreds said to have drowned, clogging the river with the bodies of men and horses. Others fled to the town of Cardigan, which however was taken and burned by the Welsh. However, Robert fitz Martin successfully managed to defend and hold the castle. It was the only one to remain in Norman hands at the end of the rebellion.
Robert spent the years 1136-1141 serving the Empress Maud during The Anarchy
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
, and her son, 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...
. His activities from 1142 to 1155 are unknown.
Second marriage and descendants
By the reign of Henry IIHenry 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...
he had a new wife – Alice de Nonant of Totnes
Totnes
Totnes is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
(died 1194) – and three young children.
Robert seems to have died about 1159, survived by his wife Alice and their children. Of them, Robert fitz Robert was dead by 1162 and buried in Totnes Priory. Sybil is known to have married a Warin de Morcelles and was alive in 1198.
William fitz Robert fitz Martin, (c. 1155–1209) inherited the family property, and via a marriage with Angharad, a daughter of Rhys ap Gruffydd
Rhys ap Gruffydd
Rhys ap Gruffydd or ap Gruffudd was the ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales. He is commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh Yr Arglwydd Rhys, but this title may not have been used in his lifetime...
, regain the lost territory of Cemais. The family would continue to hold lands in both England and Wales until the extinction of the senior line in 1326. Cadet lines still flourish in England, Wales, Ireland and beyond.
He is an ancestor to, among others, the Martyn
Martyn
Martyn, or Martin is the surname of one of The Tribes of Galway, Ireland.-Family history:The Martyn family were one of a group of fourteen families of mixed Irish, English, Welsh, French and Norman descent who became the premier merchant and political families in the town of Galway during the late...
family of The Tribes of Galway.
Sources
- The Baronial Martins, Lionel Nex, Orphington, 1987.
- The Lords of Cemais, Dilwynn Miles, Haverfordwest, 1996.
- The Tribes of Galway, Adrian J. MartynAdrian J. MartynAdrian James Martyn , is local historical writer in Galway, Ireland. He is the author of The Tribes of Galway , and several prior and subsequent articles dealing with aspects of local history...
, Galway, 2001. - De Courcy:Anglo-Normans in Ireland, England and France in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Steve Flanders, Four Courts Press, 2009.