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Birth:          ABT 1138 Alton Castle, Cheadle, Staffordshire, England
Death:          24 Aug 1192 Joppa, Palestine

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_de_Verdun
crusader and castellan of Richard I of England
Bertram II's grandson was Bertram III de Verdun, one of the familiares of king Henry II. 
His parents are Norman de Verdun, son of Bertram II, and Lesceline de Clinton, 
daughter of Geoffrey de Clinton, chamberlain of king Henry I. Bertram would, in the 
course of his life, hold very high office. He married Maud the daughter of Robert de 
Ferrers 2nd Earl of Derby. Maud was a minor and it is unlikely that the marriage was 
ever consummated; in any event she died young without children. Soon after, Bertram 
married Rohese de Salford who gave her husband eight children.

In "The Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families", it could be read : "In 1166 Bertram 
de Verdun held two knights' fees in chief. In a return of the knights of Le Mont St-
Michel in 1172 there is the entry "Radulfus de Fulgeriis debet unum militem de 
medietate de Buillun et de Chavei et de quadam parte Olivi. Istud autem servicium 
debet facere pro eo Bertramnus de Verdum, filius Normanni." The places are Bouillon 
(Manche, arr. Avranches, cant. Granville) and Chavoy (arr. and cant. Avranches).[4]" 
The third place is very likely Lolif, (Olivi in Latin, close to Avranches).

In 1168 William Basset of Sapcote was Sheriff of Warwickshire and was accused of 
misappropriation of treasury monies. Bertram, who was at that time with the king in 
Caen, was sent, together with Richard de Humet, to investigate with the result that 
Bertram was in 1169 given the dual shrievalty of Warwickshire and Leicestershire in 
Basset's place. Four years later he rebuilt in stone his house at Alton, which had, up 
to that time, been little more than a wooden hall. In 1179 Bertram founded the 
Cistercian abbey of Croxden in Staffordshire, where settled monks from abbey of 
Aunay in Normandy.

At the beginning of the reign of Henry II a papal bull had been obtained authorizing 
the King to conquer Ireland and bring the Irish church in line with the rest of Europe. 
Henry had not found the time to act upon it but, in 1169, Dermot MacMurrough, the 
expelled king of Leinster, together with Richard FitzGilbert (Strongbow) Earl of 
Pembroke and Clare landed in Ireland. Dublin was taken and held against both Norse 
and Irish attacks. Henry II decided to go to Ireland to clarify his own position as 
Strongbow's liege Lord. Bertram de Verdun was appointed Seneschal for the 
undertaking, that is to say he was responsible for provisions and stores. The 
expedition left for Waterford on October 16, 1171. Further to this campaign, Bertram 
was granted by king of land in Louth, north of Ireland, where he held the towns of 
Drogheda-in-Uriel and Dundalk and several castles.

From 1172 Bertram was one of the king's "Justices in Eyre" (circuit judges) along with 
William Basset. Later, in 1175, he became one of the regular members of the Curia 
Regis.

Henry II had undertaken policies to put the kingdom into good order after the anarchy 
of the previous reign. This however did not meet with everyone's approval and many 
of the powerful barons rebelled against the crown. The French were not slow in 
attempting to gain an advantage from the situation and neither were the Scots. 
Bertram de Verdun, whose lands were in the main surrounded by rebel lords, supported 
the king and successfully defended Kenilworth. He also fought at Alnwick against the 
Scots. Here William the Lion, the Scottish King, was taken and shortly afterwards the 
rebellion was finally put down. Henry Plantagenet was now able to devote his time to 
completing his reforms in England.

Bertram de Verdun was sheriff of Leicestershire until 1183 but it is unclear as to 
whether he held this office continually. He spent a good deal of his time in both 
Ireland and Normandy where he founded or endowed many monastic houses not to 
mention his patronage in England. He was a close friend of his sovereign Henry II and 
it is likely that he was with the king in France when Henry became ill in 1189. The 
king retired to Chinon, where he died on July 6.

Undignified by any great office yet close to the king, but ready for any kind of 
business, Bertram was sometime custodian of Pontorson, sheriff of Warwickshire and 
Leicestershire from 1169 to 1184, itinerant justice, sent to a mission to Spain in 1177,
[5] despatched to clear up dangerous muddle in Ireland in 1185, guardian of the heir 
to the earldom of Chester. Clearly he was a man of many parts (he was put in charge 
of Acre on the Third Crusade and died in Jaffa); but again, when not entrusted with a 
special task, he was to be found constantly with the king Henry II and numbered 
among his most intimate counselors.[6]

After Henry’s death Bertram III remained an influential figure with king Richard I, he 
became castellan and went on Holy Land with king. Richard's wish was to lead a 
crusade and gain glory in the holy land. Bertram de Verdun set sail with Richard on 
what has come to be known as the Third Crusade and after many delays (including the 
king's marriage to Berengaria of Navarre) finally reached Acre in 1191. The Christians 
lay siege to the city, which soon fell and Bertram together with Stephen Longchamp 
was appointed governor. On August 25, 1192, St Bartholomew's day in the old 
calendar, Bertram died at Jaffa three days before the signing of the treaty allowing 
free passage to Jerusalem for pilgrims. His sword, banner and armour were returned to 
Alton Castle.
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id=I04008
Note: In 1166 Bertram de Verdon held two knights' fees in chief. In a return of the 
knights of Le Mont St-Michel in 1172 there is the entry "Radulfus de Fulgeriis debet 
unum militem de medietate de Buillun et de Chavei et de quadam parte Olivi. Istud 
autem servicium debet facere pro eo Bertramnus de Verdum, filius Normanni." The 
places are Bouillon (Manche, arr. Avranches, cant. Granville) and Chavoy (arr. and 
cant. Avranches). The entry makes it highly probable that Bertram derived his name 
from Verdun as above. (Verdun: a fief in par. Vessey, Manche, cant. Pontorson) [The 
Origins of Some Anglo-Norman Families]

Parents
DE VERDUN Norman (ABT 1100 - BEF 1153)
DE CLINTON Lesceline (ABT 1120 - AFT 1155)

Siblings
DE VERDUN Alice (ABT 1135 - )
DE VERDUN Bertram III (ABT 1138 - 24 Aug 1192)

Marriage To DE FERRERS Maud (ABT 1142 - AFT 1175)
    m.  

Notes

Parents
DE FERRERS Robert (ABT 1100 - 1162)
PEVEREL Margaret (ABT 1114 - 1154)

Children by DE FERRERS Maud ABT 1142 - AFT 1175
DE VERDUN Nicholas (AFT 1175 - BEF 23 Oct 1231)

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