Sir Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby

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Sir Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby

Also Known As: "2nd Earl Of /Derby/", "2nd Earl Derby", "2nd Earl of Derby"
Birthdate:
Birthplace: Derbyshire, England (United Kingdom)
Death: circa 1160 (65-74)
Warwickshire, England (United Kingdom)
Place of Burial: Merevale, Warwickshire, England
Immediate Family:

Son of Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, Lord Of Tutbury and Hawise de Ferrieres, Countess of Derby
Husband of Margaret Peverel
Father of Walcheline de Ferrers, of Derby, Lord of Egginton, Founder of the Derby School; William de Ferrers, 3rd Earl of Derby; Isolda de Ferrers, of Derby; Henry de Ferrers; Thomas Henry de Ferrers and 1 other
Brother of William Ferrers; Walcheline de Ferrers; Maud (de Ferrers) de Verdon; Isabella de Ferrières; NN Daughter Pagnell and 1 other

Occupation: 2nd Earl of Derby
Managed by: Shirley Marie Caulk
Last Updated:

About Sir Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby

Please see PDF of relevant pages drawn from The Complete Peerage posted in Sources. Read pages 190-2, 776 762-5, & 771.
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from FMG: England, Earls Created 1138-1143. Webpage Updated 9 March 2022.

ROBERT (?—before 1160, bur Merevale Abbey).

  • Robertus comes junior de Ferariis” confirmed donations to Tutbury by “avus meus Henricus … Egenulfus patruus meus … Robertus pater meus”, naming “Nigellus de Albiniaco et Amicia filia avi mei”[322].
  • He succeeded his father in 1139 as Earl [of Derby].
  • [Earl of Nottingham]: “Robertus junior comes de Notingham” donated property to Tutbury Priory by charter dated 1141 which names “Hauwisiæ matris meæ”[323].
  • He founded the abbey of Merevale, Warwickshire, where he was buried[324].

m (before 1139) MARGARET, daughter of [WILLIAM Peveril of Nottingham & his first wife Oddona ---] ([1123/26]-)].

  • "Robertus comes de Ferrariis" granted property “in Stebbingis … per Margaretam comitissam uxorem meam” to Morice FitzGeoffrey by charter dated “VI Kal Oct IV anno imperii Regis Stephani” (1139)[325].
  • Her parentage is suggested by the charter of John King of England which names “Willelmo de Ferrariis comiti” as heir to territories of “Willelmi Peverell”[326]. If this parentage is correct, Margaret is unlikely to have been born outside the narrow date range estimated above, which would also indicate that her marriage took place only shortly before the date of this charter.

Earl Robert & his wife had [three] children:

  1. William (-killed in battle Acre 1190 before 21 Oct)
  2. Matilda de Ferrers (No primary source yet)
  3. [Isolde de Ferrers (Surmised daughter, but no primary source yet)

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Please see Darrell Wolcott: "Welsh Origins of the Peverel Family" http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id50.html . (Steven Ferry, April 15, 2020.)
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from Wikipedia "Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby"Webpage Last Updated 29 August 2021
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WikiTree. The webpage has sources worth reviewing.
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Findagrave.com shows pictures of the marble tomb effigy of Robert and Margaret at what remain of Merevale Abbey today.
"An abbey was built in Merevale in 1148 by Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby. It was a relatively small abbey with only around 10 monks. The abbey was dissolved in October 1538, during the reign of Henry VIII and fell into ruin, but traces of it remain to the present day. One of the most significant parts to have survived is the gate chapel, now used as the parish church. The church is significant for its Cistercian stained glass, including its Jesse window (one of the most important in the British Isles), and for being the only Cistercian gate chapel to be open for regular weekly services throughout the year. William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby is buried here. Wikipedia
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The Peerage Database Online was last updated in 2014. The person profile is lacking at this time, although it doesn't assign children to him that he didn't sire.
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Our Royal, Title, Noble and Commoner Ancestors and Cousins shows as having been updated in 2020. It is woefully worthless in its present state as of 26 March 2022.
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====Subscriber's Entry–Didn't Include URLs====

26 March 2022: Comments Added to Indicate Invalid Child Entries Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby

  • Birth: Abt 1100 in Tutbury, Derbyshire, England
  • Death: Bef 1160 in Mervale, Warwickshire, England 1 1
  • Father: Robert de Ferrers
  • Birth 1062 in Tutbury, Devonshire, England
  • Mother: Hawise de Vitre
  • Birth 1069-1078 in Vitre, Brittany, France
  • Marriage Margaret Peverel b: 1114-1115 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England daughter of Lord of Nottingham William Peverel the Younger and Avice de Lancaster
  • Married: Abt 1135 in of Nottinghamshire, England
  • Children:
  1. William, 3rd Earl of Derby. b. abt 1135-1140 in Ferriers-Saint-Hilaire, France; d. 1160 m. Sibyl de Braose
  2. Walkelin, b abt 1140, d. 1189. Siege of Acre, Palestiine m. Goda de Tosny - Problem: No primary source supports an him being a son of Sir Robert and Margaret de Perevell. Please see the linked page to Walkelin for more information
  3. Isolde, b. abt 1142, m. Stephen de Beauchamp - Problem: No primary source supports an her being a daughter of Sir Robert and Margaret de Perevell. Please see the linked page to Isolde for more information.
  4. Matilde, b. abt 1143 m. Bertram de Verdun - Problem: No primary source supports an her being a daughter of Sir Robert and Margaret de Perevell. Please see the linked page to Matilde for more information.
  5. Robert, b. abt 1144 - Problem: No primary source supports an him being a son of Sir Robert and Margaret de Perevell. Please see the linked page to Henry for more information.
  6. Hugo, b. abt 1146 - Problem: No primary source supports an him being a son of Sir Robert and Margaret de Perevell. Please see the linked page to Henry for more information.
  7. Henry, b. abt 1148. - Problem: No primary source supports an him being a son of Sir Robert and Margaret de Perevell. Please see the linked page to Henry for more information.

Whoever entered the information just above and below this paragraph entered neither valid URLs nor primary or secondary sources to support the information. A single URL gone-bad used to exist; it has been removed. From the one-time owner's name for the site, it appeared to have been a family's website that was not maintained.
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Bio: Robert II de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby, a younger but eldest surviving son of Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, and his wife Hawise, succeeded his father as Earl of Derby in 1139. (William the older brother had been murdered in London some time before) He was head of a family which controlled a large part of Derbyshire including an area later known as Duffield Frith.
Little is known of Robert's life, other than his generosity to the church. In 1148, he established Merevale Abbey in Warwickshire, England, where he requested to be buried in an ox hide. The stone effigies of Robert and his wife, Margaret Peverel, lie in the gatehouse chapel of Merevale Abbey, near the village of Atherstone.
He founded the Priory of Derby, which later moved to Darley Abbey, and its Abbot was granted many privileges in Duffield Forest and Chase.
He continued his father's attempts to play a role in the civil war commonly called The Anarchy that arose because of the contesting claims of Empress Matilda and Stephen of England. The family's support for Stephen led to him being awarded the revenues of the Borough of Derby in 1139, though in 1149 Stephen then granted the Borough to the Earl of Chester
He finally threw in his lot with the future Henry II after Tutbury Castle was besieged in 1153. However when Henry came to the throne in 1154, he withdrew de Ferrers' right to use the title of Earl or to receive the "third penny" on the profits of the county.
He died in 1162 and was succeeded by his son William de Ferrers, 3rd Earl of Derby
www.findagrave.com

Sir Robert Ferrers II BIRTH 1100
Derbyshire, England
DEATH 1160 (aged 59–60)
Merevale, North Warwickshire Borough, Warwickshire, England
BURIAL
Merevale Abbey
Merevale, North Warwickshire Borough, Warwickshire, England
PLOT
marble tomb effigy with wife
MEMORIAL ID 47632524

2nd Earl Derby

Family Members
Parents
Robert de Ferrers
1062–1139
Hawise De Vitre
1069–1139

Spouse
Margaret Peverel Ferrers
1100 – unknown

Children
Walkelin de Ferriers
unknown–1201
William De Ferrers
1140–1190

.

view all 32

Sir Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Earl of Derby's Timeline

1090
May 27, 1090
Derbyshire, England (United Kingdom)
1136
1136
Tutbury Castle, Tutbury, Staffordshire, England
1136
Derby, England
1141
1141
Derby, Lincolnshire, England (United Kingdom)
1145
1145
1148
1148
Derby, Derbyshire, England
1152
1152
Ferrers, Derbyshire, England
1160
1160
Age 69
Warwickshire, England (United Kingdom)