Count Robert at Pevensey. of the campaign.[1] But Robert, Count of Mortain and lord of Cornwall, still made Pevensey one of the strongholds of the revolt. Of the third great neighbour of these two lords, Count Robert of Eu, father of the ravager of Berkeley, we hear nothing on this side of the water.
Loyal Normans.
Earl Hugh.
William of Warren.
Robert Fitz-hamon.
Forces on the side of Rufus,
But, amid the general falling away, the throne of
William Rufus was still defended by some men of
Norman birth on whom he could better rely than on the
doubtful loyalty of the Earl of Shrewsbury. Earl Hugh
of Chester remained faithful; so, as we have seen, did
Earl Roger's neighbour, now or afterwards Earl William.[2]
And to these already famous names we must add one
which was now only beginning to be heard of, but which
was presently to equal, if not to surpass, the renown of
either. This was Robert Fitz-hamon, the son or grandson
of Hamon Dentatus, the rebel of Val-ès-dunes.[3] But
it was not on the swords of the Norman followers of his
father that the son of the Conqueror rested his hopes
of keeping the crown which the Conqueror had left him.
William Rufus had at his side two forces, either of
which, when it could put forth its full power, wascomitis honore sublimat, multa impendit multaque
promittit."]
- ↑ Orderic a little later (667 B) says, "Rogerus Merciorum comes, multique Normannorum, qui cum rege foris obsidebant, clam adminiculari quantum poterant inclusis satagebant."
- ↑ Orderic (680 C) puts the creation of this earldom somewhat later, at the Gemót held just before the invasion of Normandy in 1090. He adds that the new earl died soon after ("quem paulo post mors nulli parcens e medio rapuit"), and records his burial at Lewes, and adds his epitaph. There is no better authority than that of the Hyde writer (298) for placing the creation at this time or for placing the Earl's death a little later (see below, p. 76). But his narrative is so minute that one would think that he must have had some kind of ground for it. His words are; "Rex Willelmus . . . videns igitur principes regni nutantes et exercitum a se dilabi, sapienti usus consilio, Willelmum de Warennia, virum bellicosum, animo ferum et corpore strenuum famaque præclarum, in amicitia Asarum [what this may mean I have no notion, but the editor vouches that such is the reading of the MS.
- ↑ See N. C. vol. ii. p. 251.
