Family
 Roger de Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury 1) 2) 3)Son of Roger de Montgomery and Uncertain. Died 27 Jul 1094 1) 4) 3) Notes: Roger was one of the half dozen greatest magnates in England during William the Conqueror's reign. He was one of William the Conqueror's principal counsellors, playing a major role in the Council of Lillebonne. He may not have fought in the initial invasion of England in 1066, instead staying behind to help govern Normandy. According to Wace's Roman de Rou, however, he commanded the Norman right flank at Hastings, returning to Normandy with King William in 1067. Afterwards he was entrusted with land in two places critical for the defence of England, receiving the Rape of Arundel at the end of 1067 (or in early 1068), and in November 1071 he was created Earl of Shrewsbury; a few historians believe that while he received the Shropshire territories in 1071 he was not created Earl until a few years later. In 1083, he founded Shrewsbury Abbey. After William I's death in 1087, Roger joined with other rebels to overthrow the newly crowned king, William II, in the Rebellion of 1088. However, William was able to convince Roger to abandon the rebellion and side with him. This worked out favourably for Roger, as the rebels were beaten and lost their land holdings in England. Children: 2. Robert de Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury 9)Died after 1130 Robert last appears in a charter dated 1130. Notes: Robert de Belleme succeeded his brother, Hugh Montgomery, as Earl of Shrewsbury, after Hugh was killed by King Magnus of Norway; in addition to succeeding to all his father's fiefdoms in Normandy. Robert de Bellême was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, and one of the most prominent figures in the competition for the succession to England and Normandy between the sons of William the Conqueror. He was a member of the powerful House of Bellême. Robert became notorious for his alleged cruelty. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis calls him "Grasping and cruel, an implacable persecutor of the Church of God and the poor ... unequalled for his iniquity in the whole Christian era." The stories of his brutality may have inspired the legend of Robert the Devil. | |||
Mabel de BellêmeSources
1) Source: The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy: Volume III " Roger de Montgomery... At length he died on the sixth of the calends of August [the 27th of July], and was buried in the church of St. Peter. On his death, his son, Hugh de Montgomery, succeeded to the English earldom, and Robert de Belesme possessed all his domains in Normandy. Roger of Poitou, Arnolph, Philip, and Everard, had no share in their father's inheritance, the two eldest brothers having, as I have said, divided the whole, as well on this side of the sea as the other" (Data from secondary evidence)2) Source: The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy: Volume II "The earl had by his first wife five sons and four daughters, whose names are as follows : Robert de Belesme, Hugh de Montgomery, Roger the Poitevin, Philip, and Arnold ; Emma, a nun and abbess of Almenesches, the countess Matilda, wife of Robert, earl of Morton, Mabel, wife of Hugh de Chateauneuf, and Sybil, wife of Robert Fitz-Hamon. By his second wife he had only one son whose name is Everard, and who being brought up to learning, became attached to the courts of William and Henry, kings of England, as one of the royal chaplain" (Data from secondary evidence)
3) Source: English Baronies: a Study of Their Origin and Descent, 1086-1327. Reference: Arundel; pages 1-3 (Questionable reliability of evidence)
4) Source: The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy: Volume II "He died there [Shrewsbury Abbey] in the year 1094, on the sixth of the calends of August" (Data from secondary evidence)
5) Source: The First House of Bellême "Roger de Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, married Mabel de Bellême, the heiress of a great house which held the castles of Bellême and Alencon, Domfront and Sées"
6) Source: The First House of Bellême "For a long time Talvas wandered about, but eventually he took refuge with one of the greatest barons in Normandy, Roger de Montgomery. To him the exile offered the hand of his daughter, with all the lands which he had lost : and Roger, foreseeing the chance of future gain, accepted the bride and received the wandered into his household."
7) Source: The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy: Volume III "Hugh... He was the only one of Mabel's sons who was courteous and amiable... On the death of Earl Hugh, his brother Robert de Belesme presented himself to William Rufus" (Data from secondary evidence)
8) Source: The First House of Bellême "Hugh enlisted the aid of his three brothers ; and on the night of 2 December 1079, when Mabel was at Bures on the Dives, they made their way into the castle. The countess was lying in bed after a bath, when Hugh burst into her chamber and cut off her head with his sword." (Data from secondary evidence)
9) Source: The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy: Volume III "Robert de Belesme had married Agnes, daughter of Guy, count de Ponthieu, by whom he had William Talvas the heir of all his domain" (Data from secondary evidence)
10) Source: Historia Pontificum et Comitum Engolismensium "ab hac vita decessit, et sepultus est in capitulo S. Eparchii, ad sinistram partem altaris, MCXL anno ab incarnatione Domini, XVI kalendas decembris, et reliquit Guillelmum primogenitum suum heredem sibi, quem peperit ei Pontia filia comitis de Marchia. Dedit tamen duobus filiis suis posterioribus natu, scilicet Fulconi et Gausfrido Martelli, quos peperit ei filia vicecomitis Castelli-Airaudi, nomine Amabilis, Mastacium et Usuillam.". Reference: Cap. XXXVI. — De Lamberto Episcopo. (Data from secondary evidence)