William Corbet

  General Notes:

It isn't clear which of Roger Fitz Corbet's sons followed and was the father of the next generation, Simon Corbet. In Eyton's Antiquities of Shropshire, Vol. VII [pp. 10-13], Eyton claims that William, son of Roger Fitz Corbet, died without issue, and he was followed by his younger brothers Ebrard and finally Simon. He proposes that Simon was the father of both Roger Corbet (II) who died about 1165, and the next Simon Corbet, father of Robert Corbet, of Caus living in 1176-1219. Robert Corbet, son of Simon, succeeded his Uncle, Roger Corbet.

Eyton's proposed pedigree:
Corbet
|
Roger Fitz Corbet
|
Simon
|
Simon
|
Robert

In Boyer's Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans, William [p. 62], the son of Roger Fitz Corbet, is given as the father of Simon Corbet, rather than William's brother Simon as Eyton proposing.

Boyer's propsed pedigree:
Hugh le Corbet
|
Roger Fitz Corbet
|
William
|
Simon
|
Robert

Whether the third generation was William or Simon, both agree that the fourth, and following generation is Simon Corbet followed by Robert Corbet, 4th Baron of Caus.

There are other pedigrees that completely leave out a generation(s) between William and Sir Robert, so the names of the generations between William, son of Roger Fitz Corbet and Sir Robert Corbet, Lord of Caus is unsure. One such referrence is The English Baronets, A Genealogical and Historical Acount of their Families by Thomas Wotton, p. 74, says "William Corbet, of Watlesboroug, had two sons, 1. Thomas, of Watlesborough, and 2 Robert Corbet, of Caus Castle, from whom the Corbets of Hope, Sir Richard Corbet, of Longner, com.Salop, Bart. and the Corbets, or Leigh, are descended."

For the earliest Corbet line, I used Barons of the Welsh Frontier by Janet Meeisal as a referrence. On page six there is a chart that shows the Corbet of Caus starting with Corbet the Noman who died circa 1080, and who had two sons, Roger I (died circa 1134) and Robert, Barton of Longdon & Alcester. Roger I's sons are shown as William (died circa 1150), Evrard, Roger and Robert the founder of the Scottish branch of Corbets. For the next generation, sons of William are Roger II, William, Walter, Hugh and Simon of Pontesbury. Simon of Pontesbury's children are Robert (died 1222) who married Emma Pantulf, Hugh, William and a sister who married Iorworth and was the mother of Llewellyn ap Iorwerth. Children of Robert Corbet and Emma Pantulf were Thomas who married Isabel de Vautort, Robert, Hugh, William and Margaret who married Gwynwynwyn, Price of Powis. ^{721,733,1098,1490}

  Noted events in his life were:

• Web Reference: The Anglo-Norman Corbets from The Corbett Study Group.
Roger's son, and probable heir, William was called William of Wattlesborough in a lineage recorded in a sixteenth century court book of Moreton Corbet. [Shropshire Record Office, Acton Reynald Collection: 322 Box 2] Eyton suggests that William, whose name appears in connection with a gift to Shrewsbury Abbey, was the eldest son: the vill of Winsley was given with the consent of Roger's sons William and Evrard. He further suggested that William died "unmarried or childless" because of a later gift by his brothers Evrard and Simon - but this is slight basis for such an assumption, perhaps reading back into earlier times the stricter inheritance rules that came to be established. [48]

Roger's sons Everard and Simon made a gift to Shrewsbury Abbey of a ferndeel of land in Wentnor, mentioned in a confirmation charter of 1155. The editor of the Shrewsbury Cartulary assigns the gift to the years after 1139, since it is not in Stephen's charter of that date. Everard and Simon also gave land to Haughmond Abbey, Everard with the consent of Simon. [49] We do not know of any daughters of Roger: if there were any they doubtless led more conventional lives than their cousin Sibyl, being married to their father's friends and neighbours, or entering a convent.

• Background Information. ¹⁰⁹⁸
William's father, Roger Corbet, died sometime before the granting of King Stephen's charter to Shrewbury Abbey in 1136. In this charter, Stephen confirms Roger's gift of Winsley to the Abbey. The charter also adds that Roger's donation is conformed by his sons William and Evrard. [Monasticon Anglicanumm 3:519a]

~ Barons of the Welsh Frontier: The Corbut, Pantulf, and Fitz Warin Families, 1066-1272, p. 6