General Notes

REFN: 4706AN
REFN: P4707
Gilbert De Umfreville 'Who went with Fitz Hamon' c1075 - c1135
Th e second son of Robert with the beard, Gilbert went with Robert Fitz
Hamon (a lso known as Fitz Haimo) to the conquest of Glamorgan in 1091. In
1095 he was created Lord of Penmark. This means that Gilbert must have
been born around 1075 (Norman males could fight at 14) and could have
lived until 1135 or late r. William II Rufus continued the conquest of
Wales started by his father and his vassals established a string of
castles along the south wales coast in o rder to secure the Bristol
channel. Welsh land was given out piecemeal to Kni ghts. Gilbert would
almost certainly have benefitted, he seems to have been g iven lands there
as a vassal of Robert Fitz Hamon as we know that Umfrevilles held land in
Glamorgan throughout the 11th and 12th century.Robert Fitz Hamo n was the
son of the Sheriff of Kent and was Married to Sibyl Montgomery the
daughter of Roger De Montgomery the Earl of Shrewsbury who held vast
lands in Wales. It was Fitz Hamon who established the first castle at
Cardiff and w as given Glamorgan as his fief and it seems very likely that
Gilbert would ha ve held lands there as a vassal of Fitz Hamon. After his
death, sometime afte r 1110, and after a transitionary period Glamorgan
passed through his daughte r Sibyl (or Mabel) to Robert of Gloucester and
thence to his son William of G loucester.Gilbert's wife is said to have
died before 1135.
So far I have no definate record of any offspring but it seems very
likely that Gilbert create d an entire new branch of the family as in 1155
a Gilbert Umfreville held 9 K nights fees3 under William Earl of
Gloucester (1147 - ?), he may be the son o f a Robert Umfreville who
appears in Glamorgan before 1130 and he is probably a grandson of this
Gilbert. William of Gloucester became Earl on the death o f his father
Robert of Caen, Earl of Gloucester in 1147. Robert of Caen was t he
favourite illegitimate son of Henry I and was married to the daughter of
Robert Fitz Hamon.
The Glamorgan Umfrevilles acquired property in Devon throu gh marriage in
the 13th century when Sibyl De Torrington of Devon married a R ichard De
Umfreville and in 1233 their son, yet another Gilbert, paid a relie f of
£20 as a 5th of the Barony4. His descendants still held land there in th e
14th century (there are two towns in Devon called Charleton Umfreville
an d Downe Umfreville). A Henry De Umfreville was born in about 1267 the
son of a John De Umfreville and Alice De La Hurne. Henry married a woman
named Isabe lla and in about 1298 a daughter named Alice De Umfreville was
born in Wales. She married Simon De Furneaux of Stringston, England
possibly in 1329 and di ed c. 1343. Simon died in 1351.
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Odonell I Baron of Prudhoe 1145 - 1166?.
Odonell witnesses Scottish charters between 1144 and 1153 which agai n,
like Robert above, indicates Scottish holdings. A pipe roll from 1187
me ntions him as the grandfather of Richard De Umfreville living in the
time of Henry II (1154-1189). Was still alive in 1162 to give a court
judgement at Wh alton, must have died between 1162 and 1166.