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.
- One is bound to add that in his CartvJary of the Abbey of Eynsham (Oxford Hist.
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.
- I only give as much of the pedigree as is needed to illustrate the succession of
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).
- i.e. 1139-46.
