Page:English Historical Review Volume 35.djvu/492

 484 THE EARLY SHERIFFS OF NORFOLK October frater illius, vri bellaces nullisque militari industria vel quavis probitate secundi ; qui, capto rege, fidem tamen ei indisruptam servantes, intesti- num eiiisdem adversariis semper et ubique habuere conflictum.^ This devotion to Stephen,- even after his capture, will have to be borne in mind ; for he was probably as strong in the East Anglian region as the empress in the south-west.^ John, the remaining brother of the three, appears as the third witness to Stephen's charter creating Geoffrey de Mandeville ea^l of Essex, which I assign to the latter half of 1140.^ The pedigree, therefore, is as follows : * Robert Fitz Walter =r= Sibil ' de Caineto ' sheriff of Norfolk. Roger ' de Caineto ' John ' de Caineto ' William ' de Caineto ' living 1141, oh.s.p. sheriff of Norfolk, ob.s.p. sheriff of Norfolk This pedigree enables us to interpret the following Norfolk carta of 1166. Carta Roberti filh Walteri [a] Robertus filius Walteri tenuit Mor et Fileby dono Regis Henrici anno et die quo ipse Rex H[enricus] fuit vivns et mortuus, per servitimn j militis. Et [b] lohannes, filius eius, post ipsum ; et postea [c] Willelmus. Et ipse Willelmus dedit Galfrido, Cantuariensi archidiacono, Mor per servitium^ militis, et Radulfo de Clera Fileby per servitium j militis. Dominus autem voluntate sua seisivit in manu sua Mor et Fileby ; sed postea reddidit Galfrido Archidiacono Mor, quod debet servitium j militis et retinet in manu sua Fileby. Et [c] Willelmus habet, de dono domini Regis Blieburcum in Suthfolcia per servitium j militis.^ Another Norfolk carta on which the pedigree throws light is that of the bishop of Norwich.* After enumerating his knights, Bishop William proceeds : Isti milites fefiati de novo fefEamento ante mortem Henrici Regis.' Post mortem eius, tempore Guerrae,® dedit Eborardus Episcopus [b] » p. 80, ed. Hewlett, 1886, Rolla Series. Soc.),i. 415 f., Mr. Salter claims that the passage quoted applies to two of the Oxford* shire family of the name, and that its William ' de Chesney must be kept distinct from a contemporary who had the same name ' who was, like himself, a supporter of Stephen. » ' lohanne fUio Roberti filii Walteri ' : Geoffrey de Mandeville, p. 62. those members of the famUy who were sheriffs of Norfolk. » Red Book of the Exchequer, p. 402. • Ibid. p. 392. ^ This is a contradiction in terms. The bishop here appends to his list of knights the statement that they were enfeoffed ' de novo feffamento ante mortem Henrici Regis ', although he had (rightly) headed it ' de veteri feffamento ' (p. 391).
 * One is bound to add that in his CartvJary of the Abbey of Eynsham (Oxford Hist.
 * I only give as much of the pedigree as is needed to illustrate the succession of
 * i.e. 1139-46.