Sir Robert de Beaumont 3rd Earl of Leicester

   Another name for Robert was Robert "Blanchemains" (White Hands).

  General Notes:

~Weis' Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700, 8th Edition, 53:26, married to Petronilla de Grandmesnil, father of Margaret de Beaumont, with of Saher Quincy. ¹⁶⁰

~Cokayne's Complete Peerage, Appendix D Vol .VII, pg. 717 ¹⁴¹

~Pedigrees of Some of the Emperor Charlemagne's Descendants, Vol. III, p. 35, Earl of Leicester, Crusader in 1179, died at Durazzo Greece, m. Petronilla de Grantmesnil., father of Margaret, m. Saier de Quincy. ⁵³⁰

  Noted events in his life were:

• Dates & Events. ¹⁴¹
Robert, Earl of Leicester and Steward of England and Normandy, was the only son of Robert and Amice. His name first appears in 1153, when he received a charter from Henry, was to be the future King Henry II, son of The Empress, Maud, restoring to him the land then held by Robert's father, with all the lands which William de Paci held in England and Normandy and granting him the Dapifership of England and of Normandy.

Unlike his predecessors, who had augmented their fortunes by adherence to the Crown, Robert took a rebellious course soon after he succeeded his father by espousing the cause of the "young king" Henry, son of King Henry II, when he revolted in 1173. The King at once confiscated Robert's English estates and attacked the town of Leicester, which was burnt, 28 Jul 1173 while Leicester Castle held out. Robert had previously refuge inside his castle at Bréteuil in Normandy.

Robert crossed back to England, Sep 1173, with a force of Flemish mercenaries and joined his forces with Hugh Bigod, Earl of Norfolk. They plundered Norwich and took the castle of Hagenet, 13 Oct 1173. He then attempted to relieve the siege of his castle at Leicester, but was defeated by King Henry's forces commanded by Richard de Lucy. He and his countess were captured and sent to the king in Normandy who imprisoned them at Falaise. King Henry took the pair back to England with him in 1174. In the meantime the seneschal of Leicester Castle had been ravaging the countryside.

King Henry extorted from Robert the surrender of his strongholds at Leicester, Mount Sorrel, and Groby. Robert and his countess were again taken back to Normandy, but the peace treaty between The King and his rebellious sons stipulated Robert's release. Henry, however, demolished Leicester Castle.

The rebellion having been crushed, Robert was no longer a menace The King restored to him all his castles except Mount Sorrel. From 1177, when he crossed back to Normandy, until 1183, there are no records concerning Robert, except that he went on a pilgrimage in 1179.

Once more under suspicion, he was imprisoned in 1183 along with his brother-in-law, Robert, Earl of Cloucester. By 1186, he was again in favor and carried one of the swords of state at the coronation of King Richard. In 1189 he went on crusade and died on the return journey in 1190 at Durazzo.

Robert married Petronilla, heir of the Norman honor of Grandmesnil, great grandfather of Hugh de Grandmesnil, the Domesday tenant. Robert and Pernell had four daughters, Amice, who married as his second wife, Simon de Montfort, and became was to become the ancestor of the Montforts, Earls of Leicester; Margaret, who married Saher de Quincy, afterwards Earl of Winchester. Hawise who became a nun at Nuneaton; and Pernel.

~Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, (Leicester), Vol. VII, pp. 530-534

Robert married Petronilla de Grandmesnil, daughter of Hugh II de Grandmesnil Baron of Hinckley and Unknown.⁵³⁰ (Petronilla de Grandmesnil was born about 1134 and died on 1 Apr 1212 in Leicester, Leicestershire, England ^141,530.)