Robert de Vieuxpont

Robert de Vieuxpont AKA Robert de Veteripoint From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robert de Vieuxpont or Robert de Veteriponte was an Anglo-Norman landowner and administrator in the north of England.

He was born the younger son of William de Vieuxpont and his wife Maud de Morville.

He entered royal service and was initially employed in Normandy as a paymaster of troops and director of military works, including those on Rouen Castle. He was rewarded in February 1203 by being given custody of the castles of Appleby and Brough, to which the lordship of Westmorland was added a month later, together with the shrievalty of Westmorland, to be held in perpetuity. He married Idonea, the daughter of John de Builli, which brought him more land and honours.

After returning from Normandy with King John in late 1203 Vieuxpont became increasingly involved in northern administration.

• October 1204 he became High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests including control of the castle of Nottingham, an important royal treasury and power base.
• 1206 he was a justice and assessor of tallage in the northern counties, i
• 1207 he was given custody of the see of York,
• April 1208 custody of the see of Durham.
• from 1210 to 1216 he was High Sheriff of Devon
• from 1210-1213 High Sheriff of Wiltshire.

He was highly trusted by John, who put in his care both his treasury, his son Richard and his niece Eleanor.

• In 1216 he was also entrusted with the custody of Cumberland and Carlisle Castle
• from 1217 to 1222 made High Sheriff of Cumberland. He successfully defended his by now considerable holdings from Scottish depredation, building Brougham Castle in the process.
• In 1227 he bequeathed his body, along with his estate at Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, to the Knights Templar and died by 1 February 1228. His son and heir, John, died in 1242, his grandson, another Robert, in 1264 and the Vieuxpont inheritance was divided between the younger Robert's daughters Isabella and Idonea.

On the death of Idonea however it passed to Isabella's husband Roger de Clifford to forge one of the greatest northern lordships. A daughter Christian married his ward, Thomas, the son of William of Greystoke, heir to the barony of Greystoke in Cumberland.