General Notes

BARONY OF HILTON (I)

ROBERT DE HILTON, son and heir of Alexander DE HILTON, of Helton or Hilton, near Wearmouth, by Agnes DE VERLY his wife, sister and coheir of Hugh DE VERLY, was a minor at his father's death in 1242. He had lands, held as 2 knights' fees of the barony of Vescy, at Shilbottle, Guyzancc and Rennington. In 1252 he released to Sir John de Vesci all right in certain land which his father Alexander had claimed against John's father, Sir William de Vesci. He must now have been of age. As Robert de Helton, son of Alexander, he gave land in the Bailey at Durham to the monks of Durham. On 2 December 1256 he obtained a charter of free warren in his demesne lands in Shilbottle, Rennington, Hilton, Swine and Winestead. In the civil war of 1264 he, with his feudal lord, John de Vesci, took the Barons' side. He fought at Lewes, and when Vesci regained his castle of Alnwick by force in 1266 Hilton was with him. Hence his lands were taken into the King's hand, and in 1267 an extent of those in Northumberland was made, and has been preserved. The King gave them to Robert de Brus the younger, who in September 1268 released them to Robert de Hilton for 1,000 marks. On 25 March 1271 he was finally pardoned and admitted to the King's peace, under the award of Kenilworth. In January 1267/8, at the Archbishop's Visitation of Swine in Holderness, it was found that Sir Robert's household was injurious to the due observance of the rule by the nuns, and so was Sir Robert himself [h].

From 1278 to 1309 he is frequently found attesting local charters. In 1280 and 1281 he and Joan his wife appear as holding land in Lawford, Essex. In 1282 he was summoned for military service against the Welsh. In 1286 he had a pardon, and from 1288 was a Commissioner in various cases. In 1288 he gave permission to the monks of Brinkburne to take wood in Hazon. He held Shilbottle in 1289. He was summoned to Parliament from 24 June 1295 to 26 August 1296, by writs directed Roberto de Hilton', whereby he is held to have become LORD HILTON. He was summoned to attend the King at Salisbury 26 January 1296/7, and was summoned for military service against the Scots from 1296 to 1303. In 1296 he was the chief holder in Shilbottle and Guyzance, and in that year was one of the "barons" who witnessed three Scottish bishops take the oath of fealty to King Edward. In 1297 he presented to Hilton chapel. In 1300 he acted with the Sheriff of Northumberland in arrays. Land was held of him in Essex and Suffolk in 1303. In 1307 the "custodes" of Northumberland and Tyndale were ordered to take oath before Robert de Hilton. In 1309, as Robert de Hilton the elder, he was party in a suit concerning lands in Guyzance.

He married, probably shortly before 1 December 1255, Joan, daughter and coheir of William LE (or DE) BRETON, a tenant in chicf in Essex. The date of his death is unknown, but he probably died between 1309 and 1311. [Complete Peerage VII:19-21, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]

[h] Giffard's Reg. (Surtees Soc.), p. 148. It was reported that two windows and the church door were insufficiently guarded, so that the canons had easy access to the nuns, as also the household of Sir Robert de Hilton, the members of which wandered freely through cloister and parlour and conversed suspiciously with the nuns. Sir Robert himself was very troublesome, and for fear of his oppression the canons (without consent of the convent) gave him a barn full of corn intended for the nuns, who do not get enough food, though the canons themselves are well cared for.