Sir Robert DE HARLEY^[1]

Abt 1276 - 1349  (~ 73 years)

• Name	Robert DE HARLEY
  Prefix	Sir
  Born	Abt 1276	Harley, Atcham, Shropshire, England
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	Sheriff of Herefordshire
  Died	1349	Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, England
  Person ID	I19703	Main
  Last Modified	24 Apr 2022

  
  

  Family	Margaret BRAMPTON,   b. 27 Oct 1286, Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, England ,   d. ?, Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, England
  Married	1302
  Children	+ 1. Joan DE HARLEY,   b. 1294, Warwickshire, England ,   d. Aft 1360, Besford, Warwickshire, England  (Age > 67 years) + 2. Sir Robert DE HARLEY,   b. Abt 1298, Shropshire, England ,   d. Bef 1359, England  (Age ~ 60 years) + 3. Brian HARLEY,   b. 1320, Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, England ,   d. Abt 1384, Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, England  (Age 64 years)
  Last Modified	24 Apr 2022
  Family ID	F6411	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Places

  brampton_castle

  
  

• Notes

  According to Burke’s Peerage: The family of Harley can be traced to a period antecedent to the Conquest, and its rank was then so exalted, that the eminent house of Harlai, in France, deduces its origin from the Harleys of England. Sir Robert de Harley, knight, (eldest s/o Sire Richard de Harley, knight, who d. about the 13th year of Edward II) m. Margaret, eldest daughter and co-heiress (with her sister Elizabeth, wife of Sir Richard de Corneal, s/o Richard, Earl of Cornwall, King of the Romans, brother of Henry III.) of Bryan de Brampton; by which marriage he acquired a great estate and the seat of Brampton Castle, which has continued ever since the chief residence of his descendants. https://books.google.com/books?dq=robert+de+harley&q=harley&id=seAKAAAAYAAJ&ots=otpJjI8pWU&output=text#v=snippet&q=harley&f=false Brampton Castle - built prob 1295 by the Brampton family. When Bryan de Brampton died, Robert Hartley inherited the castle through marriage to his daughter Margaret. For almost 700 years since the castle has remained in the Harley family. It was severely damaged in 1642 during the Civil War. —— This 'bijou' Castle stands near the site of a Roman fort, so its position had been strategic long before the first Castle was built here by Bernard Unspec some time before 1120. A survey was made of the estate of Bryan de Brampton upon his death in 1293 which refers to a tower and curtilage (curtain walls).  This was quite probably still in wood. The Castle passed to one Robert Harley and it was he who rebuilt in stone.  The impressive Gatehouse was added later in the 1300s by Bryan de Harley.  This Castle was attacked by Owain Glyndwr, the Welsh Prince, in 1403 and the Castle held out. In early 1642 Sir Robert Harley added some modern fortifications to the Castle and went off to London, leaving his wife, the exotically named Brilliana, in charge.  Harley was a Parliamentarian and in July 1643 the Royalists arrived and laid siege to Brampton Bryan.  Lady Harley and a garris/o about 100 men held out against the attack until September when the Royalists withdrew. Sadly, shortly after this, Lady Harley died (apparently from stress brought on by the siege).  It was left to the family doctor, Nathan Wright, to hold the Castle against a second attack in 1644, eventually the Castle had to surrender and was left the ruin we see today. Brampton Bryan Castle stands in the private grounds of Brampton Bryan House, but if approached correctly the owner is happy to show you the property http://www.r-l-p.co.uk/bbryan.html [2]

  
  

• Sources

  [S44] Orcutt_001 gedcom file, Robert Waddell. [S76] Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brampton_Bryan_Castle.