General Notes

Curt Hofemann, curt_hofemann@yahoo.com, in a post-em, states:

   ROBERT, [the original, and possibly only Robert--existence of a 2nd Robert (as father) is speculative at this time]], son and heir. [details of his career from 1203 to 1232 are given. Paget says this is the elder Robert, but as I said before, I wonder whether there may really be two Roberts in succession here.] Ref: Chris Phillips 6 Oct 2001] Research note: there is question as to the accuracy of Paget's Peerage - until corroborating sources confirm the above, I leave Robert as the 1st of the line... Curt

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following is the argument for a 2 Robert theory, of which this Robert is the younger, put forth by Chris Phillips (which I have followed):

Paget gives further details of the "elder" Robert's career, from 1203 to 1227, and says he married Agatha, dau and coheir of Fulk Beaufoy [citing Blomefield's History of Norfolk], and says he had 4 daughters by her (repeating some of the errors about the daughters…). He adds that Robert married secondly Alice, widow of John de Wahull (d.1217) [citing Bracton's Notebook, no 1182] and daughter of William de Munchensi, and that Robert was still living 1232.

   Having said that, we know that the mother of the "elder" Robert's 4 daughters was not in fact Agatha de Beaufo, but Margery, daughter of William de Fresney. Also that at least two of these daughters gave birth to their heirs around 1240. And that C.J. Phillips in his History of the Sackville Family makes Agatha de Beaufo the mother of Robert, not his wife.

   So could it be that there are two Roberts here - the first who was active by 1203 and married Agatha de Beaufo, and the second who married Margery de Fresney and died around 1249 leaving 4 daughters and a widow Alice "de Merley/Marley"? Perhaps this Alice is the same one mentioned above, in any case. [Ref: Chris Phillips, message to soc.genealogy.medieval, 24 Sep 2001]