Richard Fitz Gilbert; also known as "de Bienfaite" (from th e quantity of his fiefs [so states BP, but CP states Richar d was lord of Bienfate & Orbec in Normandy]), "de Clare" o r "de Tonbridge" (from actual fiefs); went with his cousi n William I the Conqueror to England and was granted 176 Lo rdships, 95 of them associated with the Honour (feudal uni t of administration) of Clare, Suffolk, and others with Ton bridge, Kent. [Burke's Peerage]

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Observations. In the times of the Heptarchy the border fort ress of Clare (Suffolk), on the confines of the Kingdoms o f East Anglia and Essex, was of the greatest importance, an d continued to be so or many centuries afterwards, when, i t was granted by the Conqueror to Richard FitzGilbert. Fitz Gilbert's successors the earlier Lords of Clare were, "it i s implied in the Lords' Reports [vol. iii, p. 124] and else where, styled Earls of Clare before they were Earls of Hert ford, but investigation disproves this," though doubtless , these Lords, after they obtained that Earldom, were accor ding to the usage of the period, frequently styled "Earls o f Clare," just as the Earls of Derby were styled "Earls Fer rers," &c. On account of the great importance of these feud al Barons, the earlier Lords of Clare, so frequently consid ered to have been actual Peers, a short account of them i s subjoined, as under.

HOLDERS OF THE HONOUR OF CLARE (I) temp. William I

RICHARD FITZGILBERT, styled (from his possessions) " DE BIE NFAITE," "DE CLARE," and "DE TONBRIDGE, was son of Gilbert , COUNT OF BRIONNE in Normandy, which Gilbert was son and h eir of Godfrey, COUNT OF BRIONNE, illegitimate son of Richa rd, DUKE OF NORMANDY. He was born before 1035, was Lord o f Bienfaite and Orbec in Normandy, accompanied his kinsman , William the Conqueror, into England, and was rewarded b y him with no less than 176 Lordships, of which 95 were i n Suffolk, attached to the Honour of Clare, which honour, , with the Castle of Clare, as also the Castle of Tonbridg e in Kent, he obtained, becoming thus Lord of Clare and o f Tonbridge. During the King's absence he was joint Chief j usticiar, and, as such, suppressed the revolt of 1075.

He married Rohese, daughter of Walter GIFFARD, the elder, a nd aunt and heir of Walter [GIFFARD], 2nd Earl of Buckingha m, through which match his descendants became co-heirs to t he lands of that family. He was living 1081, but appears t o have died about 1090 being buried at St. Neots, co. Hunti ngdon. His widow was living, as such, 1113. [Complete Peera ge III:242, XIV:183, (transcribed by Dave Utzinger)]

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Richard FitzGilbert, having accompanied the Conqueror int o England, participated in the spoils of conquest and obtai ned extensive possessions in the new and old dominions of h is royal leader and kinsman. In 1073 we find him joined und er the designation of Ricardus de Benefacta, with William d e Warren, in the great office of Justiciary of England, wit h whom, in three years afterwards, he was in arms against t he rebellious lords Robert de Britolio, Earl of Hereford, a nd Ralph Waher, or Guarder, Earl of Norfolk and Suffolk, an d behaved with great gallantry. But afterwards, at the tim e of the General Survey, which was towards the close of Wil liam's reign, he is called Ricardus de Tonebruge, from hi s seat at Tonebruge (now Tunbridge) in Kent, which town an d castle he obtained from the archbishop of Canterbury in l ieu of the castle of Brion, at which time he enjoyed thirty -eight lordships in Surrey, thirty-five in Essex, three i n Cambridgeshire, with some others in Wilts and Devon, an d ninety-five in Suffolk, amongst those was Clare, whence h e was occasionally styled Richard de Clare, and that plac e in a few years afterwards becoming the chief seat of th e family, his descendants are said to have assumed thereupo n the title of Earls of Clare. This great feudal lord m. Ro hese, dau. of Walter Giffard, Earl of Buckingham, and had i ssue, Gilbert, his successor, Roger, Walter, Richard, Rober t, a dau. m. to Ralph de Telgers, and a dau. mo. to Eudo Da pifer. Richard de Tonebruge, or de Clare, whose is said t o have fallen in a skirmish with the Welsh, was s. by his e ldest son, Gilbert de Tonebruge. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dorman t and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, London, 1883, p. 1 18, Clare, Lords of Clare, Earls of Hertford, Earls of Glou cester]

Earl de Claire
Richard Fitz-gilbert, a lawyer, was the founder of the Hous e of Claire in England. He accompanied William the Conquero r into England and participated in the spoils of conquest , obtaining extensive possessions in the old and new domini on of his royal leader and kinsman. William the Conqueror , being the grandson of Richard, 4th Duke of Normandy, brot her of Godfrey. At the time of Domesday survey he was calle d Richard de Tonebruge, now Tunbridge, in Kent, which tow n he had obtained from the Archbishop of Canterbury in lie u of the Castle of Brione. At this time he had nearly 200 l ordships in various counties. One of these lordships was th at of Clare, in County Suffolk, which subsequently becomin g his chief seat, he became styled Richard de Clare. He mar ried Rohese, or Rohais, daughter of Walter Giffard de Bolbe c, who assisted in making the "General Survey." He is sai d to have fallen in a skirmish with the Welsh and was succe eded by his eldest son, Gilbert.

Children
Miss (Fitzgilbert) De CLARE b: Abt 1055 in Of, Normandy, F rance
Ronais Fitz GILBERT b: Abt 1060 in
Roger FITZRICHARD b: Abt 1050 in Of, Bienfaite, Normandy , France
Walter FITZRICHARD b: Abt 1058 in Of, Chepstow, Monmouthsh ire, England
Gilbert Fitzrichard De CLARE b: Abt 1065 in Of, Clare, Suf folk, England
Richard De CLARE b: 1062 in, Tunbridge, Kent, England
Robert (Fitzrichard) De CLARE b: 1064 in Of, Tunbridge, Ke nt, England
Rohese Fitzrichard De CLARE b: 1067 in, Tunbridge, Kent, E ngland
Adeliza De CLARE b: 1069 in, Tunbridge, Kent, England
NAME: FORMAT Custom
NAME: DISPLAY Richard FiltzGilbert

• Married: 1054
• Note: CHAN20 Nov 2005
• Event: Alt. Marriage Alt. Marriage Abt 1054
• Note: ,,England
• Change Date: 31 Mar 2011

1. Claremont Fitzrichard
2. Rohese De Clare Fitzrichard b: Abt 1055 in Brionne, Eure, Normandy, France
3. Adeliza Fitz Richard De Clare b: Abt 1060 in Tunbridge, Kent, England
4. Robert Fitz-Richard De Clare b: Abt 1055
5. Gilbert Fitzrichard De Tonebruge Clare b: 1065 in Clare, Suffolk, England
6. Gilbert De Clare,Earl Hertford Fitzrichard b: Bef 1066 in Clare, Suffilk, England
7. Roger Fitz Richard De Clare b: Abt 1057
8. Avice Fitzrichard De Clare b: Abt 1058 in Brionne, Eure, Normandy, France
9. Alix Or Gunnor Fitz-Richard De Clare b: Abt 1060 in Of , Normandy France
10. Rohese Fitz Richard De Clare b: Abt 1060 in Tunbridge, Kent Or St. Noets, England
11. Richard Fitz-Richard De Clare b: 1062 in Tunbridge, Kent, England
12. Walter Fitz Richard De Clare b: Abt 1062
13. Ronais Fitz-Richard De Clare b: 1064 in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales

1. Abbrev: Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists Who Came to New England between 1623 and 1650
   Title: Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists Who Came to New Englan d between 1623 and 1650
   Author: Frederick Lewis Weis
   Publication: Sixth Edition Genealogical Publishing, Inc. 1988 ISBN 0-806 3-1207-6
2. Abbrev: Testerman, Cynthia
   Title: "Testerman," supplied by Testerman, 27-11-2005.
   Author: compiled by Cynthia Testerman [(E-ADDRESS) FOR PRIVATE USE\ ,]
   Repository:
   Name: n/a
3. Abbrev: Webster, Robert Edward
   Title: "Families of Webster, Bachman, Van Valkenburg,~," supplie d by Webster, 23-8-2009.
   Author: compiled by Robert Webster [(E-ADDRESS) FOR PRIVATE USE\,]
   Repository:
   Name: n/a
4. Abbrev: Lane and Johnston Families
   Title: Lane and Johnston Families
   Author: Cynthia Testerman, Carole Lane
   Publication: unpublished,1988-2005, Maryland
   Note:
   This is a family genealogy researched by a mother and daugh ter team.