'Robyn stode in Bernesdale' - A Lytell Geste of Robyn Hode
'My name is Robyn Hood of Barnesdale' - Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne.
'The wooddi and famous forest of Barnesdale,
wher they say Robyn Hudde lyvid like an outlaw' - John Leyland's Collectanea, Itinerary c. 1540.
Looking in the time of Roger De Laci we find a family living at Skelbrooke manor called Butler. Their pedigree provides a vertical column of detail, over a sustained time in a geographic area which came to be known by travellers of the Great North Road as 'Barnsdale'. They are probably descended from Herewig [Hervey or Herveus] who held lands in Skelbrooke in D.B from Ilbert De Laci and lands at Great and Little Haseley and three other manors in Oxfordshire from Odo the Bishop of Bayeaux. These latter properties became part of the De Laci fee after Odo's banishment.
From Herewig probably descended Thomas De Armthorpe [nr. Doncaster] born ~ 1125. According to a analysis of the genealogy by W.P. Baildon [1926], Thomas produced two sons :
1. Alan born ~ 1150 d. by 1202
2. Robert d. by 1202
According to Baildon, Alan's son was Hugh Pincerna [i.e. Butler] of Skelbrooke, Armthorpe and [Parva or Kirk] Sandal. He was born about 1175 and was of age in 1202. According to Holmes he had tenure of office as seneschal/butler 1211 to 1216. This person is believed to have been the butler to the De Lacis of Pontefract during the first five years of John II De Laci, Constable of Chester's time. He is described by Holmes for the year 1216 as the "aged Hugh Butler, seneschal of Pontefract." [although the Pontefract Chartulary is much devoid of dateable charters so this is suspect].
Butlers of Skelbrooke, Barnsdale [by W.P. Baildon1, A.S. Ellis2, Holmes, modified with additions]
Herewig+============? D.B. 1086 "In Skelbrooke....now Herewig has [it] from Ilbert".
of D.B. 1086 |
/?/
______________________|_______
| |
Robert & Thomas De Armthorpe*==========?
b~1125 b~1125 |
d~1160
________________________________________________________________ _______ ?_______ _______
| | |
Alan========? Robert ====== Roger De Skelbrooke
b~1150 d. by 1202 active Galloway
d. by 1202 R.H. has been predicted active 1180's- 90's | 1186 |
Hugh Pincerna# [Le Boteler or Butler] ========Avice De Savile John De Armthorpe
Of Skelbrooke, steward/seneschal/butler to of Savile Hall, Dodworth liv. 1200-1212
De Lacis of Pontefract 1211-1216 | d. of heiress of Golcar
b.~1175, of age by 1202 d~1246 liv.1246
_________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | |
Richard=====? William**===? Idonia==Michael Dionisia
Butler/Pincerna/Sevile/Sevilla son of Hugh Pincerna De Doncaster++ d~1240-6
b~1200 d~1240-6 b~1200 ?dsp 1240-6 d. 1240-6
|
___________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | |
Richard=====Agnes Robert====Constance Ralph De Savile Gerard De Savile
Le Botiller/Butler | of Spaldington
b~1225 d 1267-68 E. Yorks.
| |
Hugh Butler======Isabel Robert Le Botiler=======~1269===Agnes§
b~1250 liv 1287 d. 1299 ?FitzWilliam
|
______________________________________________________________________________
| | |
Robert III Butler===Constance Edmund Butler^ ======Agnes William Butler
b~1275 ?murdered ~1330 | ? De Langthwaite d. 1336
charged for robbery, theft, rape and homicide Seneschal of Pontefract
provided names but would not plead in Henri De Laci's time |
pressed to death 1294 in the
time of his mother, father & wife |
?dsp ____________________________________________________
| |
John Butler§============Joan William
b~1300 ? De Sutton of Sutton Holderness liv. 1331-1354
liv. 1333-36
Roi De Bruant |
Agnes Butler##======1334=======Thomas De La Hay of Spaldington
liv. 1336
Key:
+ Herewig [Herveus or Hervey] possibly a Breton who lived in the reign of William The Conqueror, he held lands in Oxfordshire from the Bishop of Bayeaux., these became part of the Laci fee after Odo's banishment. Herewig held Skelbrooke under Ilbert De Laci in 1086. Herewig's successors or descendants were styled Pincerna or Le Boteler [Butlers to the De Laci family of Pontefract].
* Armthorpe is to the east of Doncaster near 'Sandal Parva' [now Long Sandall] and Kirk Sandal other early lands of the Butler line.
# According to Holmes his tenure of office as steward [seneschal] was 1211 - 1216 [i.e. during John II De Laci, constable of Chester's time]. Hugh replaced Robert Wallensis of Burghwallis who had previously been Roger De Laci's seneschal from 1195 - 1211. Hugh held Skelbrooke and Armthorpe in King John's time for on the 6th January 1215/1216 King John ordered the then sheriff of Yorkshire to give a Master Robert Talebot [Talbot] full seisin of the land of Hugh Pincerna in Armthorpe and Skelbrooke, Hugh had fallen foul of King John. This coincides with the end of Pincerna's tenure as seneschal of Pontefract
** He paid yearly a pair of white gloves at Christmas for his lands.[elements of Gilbert Withondes or Gilbert of the White hand?] Probably the person who held lands of his ancestor, Herewig.
++ Elements of the name ''Roger De Doncaster'? the prioress of Kirklees lover.
§ This appears to be John Le Botiler who forfeited houses in Pontefract on the 28th October 1322 probably after supporting Thomas of Lancaster. The houses were granted to William De Morley, "King of the North", a minstrel king of Edward II.
John Le Botiler was known as Roi De Bruant or King of Bruant, a former King of the Minstrels. Thus he may have been Thomas Earl of Lancaster's and Alice De Laci's 'King of the Minstrels for the North'. See Ph.D by George Rastall 1968, p.38.
## In 1336 Agnes founded a chantry in the newly built Skelbrooke Chapel on the north side of the church. There is a glass window in the church of the mid 1300's with the image of a young man with a foliate background [the 'Greenman' or the earliest representation of Robin Hood?]. This may also be a representation of her grandfather's brother, to whom the chantry was perhaps dedicated.. The connection will not go amiss. Skelbrooke Chapel was first built, probably by the Butler family, in the 1100's. Only a few extant fragments remain from this time. [elements of R.H. wishing to return to Barnsdale to his chapel to St. Mary Magdalene?] The original dedication of the church is not known but when the chantry was founded in 1336 the church was dedicated to St John the Evangelist, the church was rededicated in the 1800's as St. Michael's and All Angels.
^ Edmund Butler was probably named after one of the sons of the Lord of Pontefract, Henry De Laci [ 3rd earl Lincoln and earl of Salisbury d. 1311]. Edmund Butler was a younger brother to Robert III Butler. Edmund was also a steward [Fr: seneschal] to Henry De Laci at Pontefract Castle and presumably following his elder brother's death, became Lord of Skelbrooke as heir of Hugh Butler [Pincerna]. In 1311 Edmund Butler was granted a free warren in Skelbroc and Slephull [Sleephill] and he had a road enclosed in Skelbrooke which led under his house toward the north pasture called 'Skelbrocthornes' [1326]. Thus Edmund benefitted greatly from his elder brother's demise, which leads us to question whether Edmund had a hand in the capture of his brother. Edmund may have later been Thomas Earl of Lancaster's steward as Edmund did not die until ~1330.
3rd April 1330 at Woodstock -
'Commission of oyer and terminer to Richard de Willughby, Adam de
Everyngham, and Thomas Deyvill touching the murder of Edmund le
Botiller, at Pontefract, co. York. By K.' [C.P.R. Edward II, 1327-1330, p.558.]
In 1333, Henry De Percy, John De Eland et. al. were justices who outlawed three persons [Edmund and brother Hugh Brearley and William Hebble, outlawed for not appearing 4th July 1333]23 for the death of Edmund Butler. John De Eland appears 3 times in the W.C.R. 1232 -1333. John De Eland's relative, Margaret De Savile, was a prioress of Kirklees 1350-1360. See prioress
§ It could be speculated that Agnes, mother of Robert III Butler was Agnes FitzWilliam d < 12 May 1303, grand daughter of Adela Plantagenet. Adela was the daughter of Hamelyn Plantagenet of Conisbrough Castle, illegitimate half brother of Henry II and Isabel De Warrene of Surrey and the Wakefield Manor. This would make Robert III Butler of Skelbrooke of the illegitimate Anglo-Norman royal bloodline! I rarely use exclamation marks, the pedigree looks like this :
______________________________
| | |
William III Ada======Henry Ela [Adela]===Sir William Empress ==== Geoffrey ====concubine
De Warrene De Warrene earl of Huntingdon | FitzWilliam Matilda | of Anjou | Adelaide
Lord of Emley De Angers?
| d 1148 | |
Avicia De Tani===== Sir William FitzWilliam=====Albreda De Lizours Henry II Hamelyn ===Isabel
De Clairfait of Sprotbrough Plantagenet Warrene
Lord of Emley and Hampole* | [illegit.] |
Sir William FitzWilliam |
Lord of Emley, Hampole and Sprotbrough==================Adela Plantagenet
b 1174 d >1218
|
Sir Thomas FitzWilliam=========Agnes Bertram
b 1209 Emley
|
Robert II Butler=====~1269====== Agnes ?FitzWilliam** d >12 May 1303
of Skelbrooke^ |
Robert III Butler
of Skelbrooke d 1294
*
William 'Clairfait'
established Hampole priory
as a nunnery with his wife Avicia
De Tani [?Tanfield], the date varies
but between 115011-1170.** Agnes FitzWilliam's older sister, Albreda FitzWilliam married Richard Le Waleys of Burghwallis [marriage settlement 1250-1260] so there is evidence of the FitzWilliam daughters marrying locally. Agnes FitzWilliam had land close by regranted by her nephew at Adwick -Le-Street in 1303. The FitzWilliam lands at Sprotbrough adjoined those of the Butlers of Skelbrooke at Scawsby. As well the Skelbrooke lands abutted the Hampole lands, the latter held by the FitzWilliams since the time Sir William FitzWilliam De Clairfait [d. 1148] was Lord of Hampole. Robert II Butler's second son was Edmund as with the second son of Sir William FitzWilliam of Emley and Sprotbrough, [nephew of Agnes, d. by 1342] and Robert II's third known son was named William which is naturally a common name in the FitzWilliam line.
^ Gained lands at Spaldington [East Yorkshire] from his mother Constance : "1269, Trinity Term. - Fine between Robert le Butiler junior [here Robert II] and Agnes [FitzWilliam?] his wife, plaintiffs, and Robert le Butiler senior and Constance his wife, deforciants, of 12 bovates of land in Spaldington. The deforciants admit the property to be the right of Robert junior and Agnes by the gift of Robert senior and Constance; Robert junior and Agnes grant to Robert senior and Constance for life, to hold of Robert junior and Agnes and the heirs of their bodies, paying yearly 1d. at Pentecost for all service; reversion to Robert junior and Agnes and the heirs of their bodies, to hold of the chief lords; remainder to the right heirs of Constance, quit of any other heirs of Agnes (Feet of Fines, Yorks., case 266, file 53, no. 43)." W.P. Baildon [1929] Parentheses my addition - T.M. Spaldington is 13 miles west of Hotham [Hode in the D.B.]
Does this give credence to the idea that Robin was of noble blood? John Major first proposed Robin Hood was a noble outlaw [1521] and it was Henry VIII's antiquarian, John Leyland [Collecteanea] who also suggested that Robin Hood was of nobility 'Kirkley monasterium monialium ubi Ro. Hood nobilis ille exlex sepultus'. Leyland had visited Barnsdale in the early 1500's on his fact finding travels about the country and had obviously been impressed. Note the presence of Prince Henry of Scotland as an earl of Huntingdon associated with the descending FitzWilliam line. Later a daughter and heiress of William Clinton [Fiennes] of Climpton Oxon. married into the FitzWilliam line. William Clinton had been made an Earl of Huntingdon by the young Henry III in 1337 for he had been one of Edward's followers, who in 1330 entered Nottingham Castle and arrested Roger Mortimer. The association may have been enough for Anthony Munday to introduce the legendary hero as the 'Earl of Huntington' into his plays.
See Nottingham Coup.
The connection between Robert III Butler and Agnes FitzWilliam needs proving but the filial and geographical associations surrounding the families of Butler and FitzWilliam are very compelling.
The Huntingdon theme makes a late appearance in the late 1500's but one other way the Huntingdon idea may have entered the Robin Hood tales into Munday's works is through another sometime resident of the Barndale area, John I De Hastings who held Fenwick from his mother Joan De Canteloupe. John's grandmother was the Scottish Ada Ceann mhor [Canmore] daughter of David earl of Huntingdon. For this connection to the Royal Scottish House of Dunkeld he claimed the crown of Scotland in 1292 under Edward I. However over the twelve other 'Competitors' he was not successful, the prize going to the soon to be vassal king, John Balliol.
If we also trace back the genealogy we have predicted for Robert III Butler, from Sir William FitzWilliam De Clairfait we can take the pedigree back to Charlemagne, King of France from whom the Capetian kings descended and all the 'noble' families of Europe and through Adelle De Vermandois to King Alfred The Great, King of England :
Charlemagne----->
Louis I The Pious De Aquitane, King of France + Judith----->
Adelaide De Aquitane + King Robert I of France----->
Hugh Magnus De Neustria Count of Paris + Hedwige of Saxony----->
Hugh Capet, King of France + Adelaide of Poitou----->
Robert II Capet The Pious, King of France + Constance of Toulouse------>
Henri I Capet, King of France + Anna Agnesa Yarovlavna of Kiev----->
Hugh Capet Magnus + Adelle De Vermandois*----->
Isabella Capet De Vermandois De Crepi [second marriage] + William II De Warrene------>
Ela [Adela] De Warrene Sir William FitzWillam, Lord of Emley----->
Sir William FitzWilliam De Clairfait, Lord of Emley and Hampole [Gt x3 grandfather of Robert III Butler of Skelbrooke].
* A descendant of Alfred The Great, King of England --------->
Edward The Elder, King of England------->
Edgina + Henri third Count De Vermandois------>
Hubert fourth Count De Vermandois--------->
Adelle De Vermandois
During Alan's [son of Thomas De Armthorpe d. by 1202] time and before Hugh's stewardship a 'Roger De Scelboc' is known to have departed Skelbrooke in the De Laci lands and become a vassal knight of Duncan, son of Gilbert of Galloway*. It would appear that this Roger was either a member of the Butler family of Skelbrooke [e.g. Alan's brother] or had married into it for we find the lands of Herewig in the hands of a William De Scalebroc [probably the William in the above genealogy, son of Hugh Pincerna] in Henry III's time which were by then a parcel of the De Laci lands. *And probably also for Gilbert of Galloway.
Gilbert of Galloway had his brother Uchtred murdered in order to gain control of Galloway. This murder set the stage for Uchtred's son Roland of Galloway to oust Duncan in battle on 5th July 1185. Whilst this was occurring, Henri Curtmantle was pleased to see William the Lyon, then King of Scotland, being otherwise engaged in his own country instead of trying to regain the three northern English counties lost by his brother, Malcolm IV. Henri had been encouraging this approach since he released King William from Falaise Castle in 1175, when the Galwegians again, as in 1160 under Malcolm, revolted and even Hugh De Morville, Constable of Scotland had to abandon his lands here at this time when every Anglo-Norman the Galwegians could find was killed.
Now Roger De Laci's daughter who died in 1209 [name not known, perhaps Helen or Alice, sister of John Constable of Chester later, earl of Lincoln] is referred to by Stringer as having married Alan of Galloway. Alan was the son of Roland. This indicates that the De Laci's were trying to make cross-border ties and were very familiar with the Lords of Galloway.
We might ask what was a knight, probably a member of the Butlers of Skelbrooke, strongly associated with the De Laci household, doing in Galloway assisting Duncan? Duncan's line eventually lost Galloway whilst later the De Lacis tried to develop this connection with the Pictish enclave through marriage to Duncan's opposing Galwegian line in Alan of Galloway [his first or second marriage with no issue].
In 1186 Roger De Scalebroc is recorded as having built a ring structured castle at Greenan west of Ayr which was then in Northern Galloway. Duncan was defeated in 1186, and presumably so was his tenant and vassal Roger De Scelbroc. Duncan made peace, renouncing claims to Southern Galloway and was awarded the earldom and lordship of Carrick [the northern part of Galloway, i.e. basically Ayrshire]. His descendant Marjorie of Carrick married Robert VI Bruce who produced King Robert Bruce. Roger may have had a daughter, Maria [Marie] De Scalebroc who married Henry Livingston of Livingstoun
What was going on here between Galloway and the De Lacis? Was king Henry trying to encourage bonds with Galloway to undermine the Scots under William The Lyon? The answer would have to be a resounding yes, for these cross-border marriages were a regular strategy of the Norman kings to reduce the chances of the Scots massing into Northern England.
How does this relate to our investigation of who we think Robin Hood was? If Robin was resident in Barnsdale in the 1180's he could very easily have been drawn to Roger De Skelbrooke's cause, to fight for the Pictish Galwegians against the Scots, William the Lion and David earl of Huntingdon and all their progeny. This would suit Robin's cause as well as that of Roger De Skelbrooke's, Robert Le Waleys [a Galwegian descendant], Roger De Laci's and King Henry's. Does this help to explain why we have reports of Robin Hood in Cumberland*, the English county adjacent to Southern Galloway, his appearance in references to Carlisle and Inglewood? Was Galloway an early exploit before he was declared an outlaw in the 1190's?
*Written by the Scotsman Andrew De Wyntoun, a cannon of St. Andrew's and prior of St. Serf's Inch on Loch Leven. He wrote under the patronage of Sir John Macduff of Wemyss 3rd earl of Fife [d. 1428] who moved his residence from 'Macduff's Castle' to West Wemyss, Fife. John Fordun continued De Wyntoun's work in the 1440's. Mentions that R.H. and Little John had been outlaws in Inglewood and Barnsdale c. 1283. De Wyntoun was the only writer to mention Inglewood, which is in Cumberland.
Associations with A Lyttel Geste of Robyn Hode
In addition, our columnar history of the Butler family of Skelbrooke exhibits elements found in the narrative A Lytell Geste of Robyn Hode. We have a small church or chapel built here in the 1100's which associates itself with Robin Hood's wish to return to Barnsdale to build a chapel [he has helped the Butlers to build?] dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene.