Miles of Gloucester 1st Earl of Hereford ^{2 3 4 5}

   Cause of his death was Shot while hunting in Forest of Dean.

  General Notes:

MILES of Gloucester, son of WALTER of Gloucester & his wife Berthe --- (-24 Dec 1143, bur Lanthony Priory, Gloucester). The Historia fundationis cum fundatoris genealogia of the priory of Abergavenny names "Milonem" as son of "Waltero constabulatio totius Angliæ". "Walterus de Gloucestria, assensu Milonis filii mei et Berthæ uxoris meæ" donated "ecclesiam de Cernay…ecclesiam… Sanctæ Helenæ de Halgestane…terram…de Westwode in Herchenefelde" to Gloucester St Peter by undated charter. "Walter de Gloecestria, Milo fili ei…" witnessed the charter dated to [1127] which records that "Ricard Puncii filii" granted Aston, Gloucestershire ("Hestoniam") to "Mathilli uxori mee". Henry I King of England appointed him Constable of England in succession to his father. The 1130 Pipe Roll records "Miloni Gloec" in Wiltshire (two entries). Stephen King of England granted him the honour of Gloucester and Brecknock in [1136] and appointed him Constable of Gloucester Castle. "Mylo constabularius de Gloucestria" donated property to Lanthony abbey, naming "antecessores mei Rogerus de Gloecestria et Walterus constabularius", by charter dated 1137, supplemented by another later donation (undated) jointly with "uxor mea Sibilla et filii mei Rogerus et Walterus atque Henricus" in the presence of "…Roberto Corbet…". He joined Empress Matilda on her arrival in England in 1139, acting as her Constable. She created him Earl of Hereford at Oxford 25 Jul 1141, and granted him the castle of Abergavenny. Brien FitzCount, illegitimate son of Alain IV "Fergant" Duke of Brittany, and his wife transferred the honour of Abergavenny to Earl Miles in [1141/42]. The Gesta Stephani Regis records that "Paganus filius Joannis…et Milo" of Gloucester were killed, dated to [1137/40]. It is unclear why the two deaths are reported at the same time as a later passage in the Gesta records that "comes…Herefordiæ, Milo" was killed by arrow, and in a third passage that he was killed while hunting, dated from the context to [1142/43]. A manuscript in Aske´s collections names "Milo…Erle of Herforde, Lord of Bricone and of all the Forest of Done, and also Constable of England…" among those buried at Lanthony Priory .

m ([Apr/May] 1121) SIBYLLE de Neufmarché, daughter and heiress of BERNARD de Neufmarché Lord of Brecknock & his wife Nesta [Agnes] --- (-bur Lanthony Prior, Gloucester). A manuscript narrating the history of Brecknock priory records that the founder "Bernard de Nefmarche, Norman" married "Neste qe fut apele Agnes, la file Griffin le fiz Lewelin…cruel tyrant de Gales" by whom he fathered "Mael…noble chevalier" whom it was claimed was not his son and who was deprived of Brecknock in favour of "la file [de] Neste, Sibile" wife of "Miles…fiz Watir le conestable de Gloucestre e de Hereford". The Historia fundationis cum fundatoris genealogia of the priory of Abergavenny names "Sibillam, legitimam hæredem totius terræ Breconiæ…Bernardi et Agnetis de Novo-Mercato" as wife of "Milonem", son of "Waltero constabulatio totius Angliæ". A charter dated to [10 Apr/29 May] 1121 records the arrangements for the marriage of "Miloni de Gloec" and "Sibilia filia Beorndi de Novo Mercato", the dowry being all the possessions of her father and of her mother. "Mylo constabularius de Gloucestria" donated property to Lanthony abbey, naming "antecessores mei Rogerus de Gloecestria et Walterus constabularius", by charter dated 1137, supplemented by another later donation (undated) jointly with "uxor mea Sibilla et filii mei Rogerus et Walterus atque Henricus". A manuscript in Aske´s collections names "Milo…Erle of Herforde, Lord of Bricone and of all the Forest of Done, and also Constable of England…Sibbill wiff of the seid Milo…" among those buried at Lanthony Priory .

Earl Miles & his wife had eight children: Margaret, Roger, Walter, Henry, Mahel, William, Bertha and Lucy.

[FMG/Medieval Lands]

----------------------

In 1141, during the struggle between the Empress Maud and Stephen I for the throne the former conferred the Earldom of Hereford on Miles of Gloucester, so-called from his father being hereditary Constable of the shire. Only two years earlier the new Earl had supported Stephen, but it has been suggested that he went over to the Empress's in part because his overlord, the Earl of Gloucester, was one of Henry I's many bastard sons, hence Maud's half brother. (Her generous gifts to Miles of land, houses, and castles, in addition to the Earldom, may have helped win him over.)

[Burke's Peerage]

----------------------

William II "Rufus" King of England granted the lordship of "Over Gwent" which included a castle at the mouth of the Genny where it joins the Usk, probably some time after 1088 to one Hamelin de Ballon, so called from his having been born at Ballon, in Maine. Subsequent holders of Over Gwent or Abergavenny included the 1st and 2nd Earls of Hereford of the 1141 creation and the 2nd Earl's four younger brothers, for all of whom a shadowy family connection with Hamelin de Ballon has been claimed, though this is very hard, if not impossible, to sustain.

[Burke's Peerage (page 12) on the history of Abergavenny:]

----------------------

OWNERS of the LORDSHIP of ABERGAVENNY (III) 1141-2

Miles of Gloucester, hereditary sheriff thereof, and the King's Constable, son and heir of Walter fitz Roger de Pitres, who held the former office. He was created Earl of Hereford, 25 Jul 1141. He m. 1121, Sibyl, daughter and heir of Bernard de Neufmarche, Lord of Brecon, and d. 24 Dec 1143.

[Complete Peerage I:20]

---------------------

EARLDOM OF HEREFORD (III, 1) 1141

MILES of GLOUCESTER, son and heir (apparently only son) of WALTER OF GLOUCESTER, hereditary Sheriff of Gloucester and probably constable, received from Henry I in 1121 Sibyl, daughter of Bernard DE NEUFMARCHÉ, in marriage, with all the lands of her father and mother after their death or before if they so willed it, whence came the lordship of Brecknock. By charter dated at Rouen he was confirmed in all his father's lands held in chief with the office of constable. He accounted for Gloucestershire and Staffordshire in 1130-1. At the coming of Stephen he was one of the great magnates of the West of England, and after joining him received 2 charters, granting to him and his heirs his whole bonour of Gloucester and of Brecknock and all his lands and holdings in shrievalties and other things as he held them at the death of Henry I the second, which is more precise, mentions the constableship of Gloucester Castle. He attended the Easter Court of 1136 and witnessed Stephen's Charter of Liberties, as constable. He was present at the siege of Shrewsbury in 1138, but joined the Empress on her arrival in I I 39, recciving her at Bristol "ut dominam," and taking her to Gloucester, where he did homage and received from her the castle of St. Briavell's and the whole Forest of Dean. He accompanied her to Winchester, to Reading, where he acted as her constable, and to London in 1141. At St. Albans, where she received a deputation from London, she had granted to him a house in Westminster which had belonged to Gregory, dapifer. He accompanied her in her flight to Gloucester, and was with her subsequently at Oxford, where on 25 July 1141 she created him EARL OF HEREFORD. After this creation at the request of Brien FitzCount and of Maud de Wallingford, his wife, she granted to him and his heirs the castle of Abergavenny and all the honour thereof to be held of the said Brien and Maud and their heirs in fee by the service of 3 knights' fees.

He married, as aforesaid, about April or May 1121, Sibyl, daughter of Bernard DE NEUFMARCHE, lord of Brecknock. He died 24 December 1143, and was buried in the chapter house of Llanthony Priory outside Gloucester, which he had founded. His widow, who is stated to have entered into religion after his death, was also buried at Llanthony.

[Complete Peerage VI:452-4, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]

Miles married Sybil de Neufmarché, daughter of Bernard de Neufmarché and Nesta verch Osborn, between Apr and May 1121.^{1 2 3} (Sybil de Neufmarché died after 1143 ³ and was buried in Llanthony Secunda Priory, Priory Road, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL1 2RB, GB.)