http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_of_Montgomery,_1st_Earl_of_ShrewsburyRoger de Montgomerie, known as
Roger the Great de Montgomery, was the first
Earl of Shrewsbury. His father was also Roger de Montgomerie, and was a relative, probably a grandnephew, of the Duchess
Gunnor, wife of Duke
Richard I of Normandy. The elder Roger had large holdings in central
Normandy, chiefly in the valley of the
Dives, which the younger Roger inherited.
Roger was one of
William the Conqueror's principal counselors. He did not fight in the initial invasion of England in 1066, instead staying behind to help govern Normandy. Afterwards he was entrusted with land in two places critical for the defense of England, receiving the
rape of
Arundel at the end of 1067 , and in November 1071 he was created
Earl of Shrewsbury.
Roger was thus one of the half a dozen greatest magnates in England during William the Conqueror's reign. In addition to the large part of
Sussex included in the Rape of Arundel, and seven-eights of
Shropshire which were associated with the earldom of Shrewsbury, he had estates in
Surrey,
Hampshire,
Wiltshire,
Middlesex,
Hertfordshire,
Gloucestershire,
Worcestershire,
Cambridgeshire,
Warwickshire and
Staffordshire.
After William I's death in 1087, Roger had joined with other rebels to overthrow the newly crowned King
William Rufus in the
Rebellion of 1088. However William Rufus was able to convince Roger to abandon the rebellion and side with him, which was fortuitous as the rebels were beaten and lost their land holdings in England.
Roger first married Mabel of Bellême, who was heiress to a large territory on both sides of the border between Normandy and
Maine. By her he had 10 children: