Sir Robert Corbet Lord of Caus

  General Notes:

~Boyer's Medieval English Ancestors of Certain Americans, that Robert Corbet was married to Emma Pantolph the daughter of Ivo Pantulph, grandson of William Pantulph who was a close friend of Roger Fitz Corbet.

~ Eyton's Antiquities of Shropshire, Vol. VII, p. 40 (Corbet of Caus pedigree chart), Eyton gives Emma, probably a Pantulf, as Robert Corbett's wife.


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. ^733,1098

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ⁷³³
Robert Corbet's name appears for the first time in 1175, when he was amerced 20 merks by King Henry II for trespass in the Royal Forests. The fine was paid by even instalments, in 1176 and 1177. On 24 Jan 1190, King Richard "retored and confirmed" to Robert Corbet and his heirs the whole forest of Tenefrestance with its appurtenances as Robert's uncle Roger had held at the time of King Henry II. In the Pipe-Roll of 1193, the Sheriff of Shropshire is shown to have paid Robert Corbet twenty merks wherewith to support himself in the King's service.

Robert Corbet of Caus shows up in documents that date during the reigns of both Richard I and his brother John. Often he is shown being paid by the Sheriff of Shropshire for being in the King's service in Wales and for the fortification of Caus Castle. Since Robert's daughter, Margaret, married Wenhunwen (Gwenwynwn), Prince of Powis, he was often involved in King John's dealings with Gwenwynwyn.

There is proof that Robert Corbet remained loyal to King John in the fact of his obtaining letters of scutage from Henry III, Oct 1217, yet his oldest son, Thomas, did not agree. Caus Castle was seized by the crown as a precaution against Thomas. A Patent of Henry III, dated 13 Nov 1217 informed the Earl of Chester that Thomas Corbet had returned to his fealty, and had done homage to the King, and Robert Corbet had his Castle restored. By 17 Oct 1222, Robert Corbet had died.

~ Eyton's Antiquities of Shropshire, Vol. VII, p. 11-17

• Background Information: Harlington, Middlesex, England. ¹⁴⁹⁵
In 1086 the manor was held of Earl Roger by Alnod. It later belonged to the Corbet family of Shropshire, who were no doubt enfeoffed by Earl Roger or one of his sons before their earldom of Shrewsbury was forfeited in 1102. William Corbet held a knight's fee of the honor of Wallingford in 1166, [Red. Bk. Exch. (Rec. Com.), 309] and Robert Corbet of Caus (Salop) held Dawley as one fee in 1212. [Bk. of Fees, i. 119: for the Corbets, see Eyton, Shropshire, vii. 10-38.] William son of Ranulf of Whitchurch (Salop) was Robert Corbet's attorney in litigation about woodland in Dawley in 1199, [Cur. Reg. R. i. 89, 173; cf. Eyton, op. cit. vii. 14n; x. 16-17] and in 1235 Maud of Whitchurch (de Albo Mona sterio, or de Blancmuster) held the fee in Dawley. [Bk. of Fees, i. 474] In 1253 William, lord of Whitchurch, was summoned to do service to the honor of Wallingford, and called Robert Corbet's son Thomas to acquit him. [Eyton, op. cit. vii. 14n]

~A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3, pp. 261-267

Robert married Emma Pantulf, daughter of Hugh Pantulf Lord of Wemme and Christian Fitz Alan.⁷²² (Emma Pantulf died about 1227 in Shropshire, England ⁷³³.)