Historical and genealogical memoirs of the House of Hamilton

14 MEMOIRS OF THE DE BELLOMONTS,
the earls of got with her the Earldom of Mellent. Roger had, by this lady, Robert,
' who succeeded him, and Henry, surnamed De Newburgh, who was created
Earl of Warwick, by William the Conqueror, in IO76, and whose male
line ceased in Thomas de Newburgh, the sixth Earl, in anno 1242. Roger,
Lord of Pontaudemar, assisted at the great council which the Conqueror
held previous to the invasion of England. The national spirit, already
sufficiently inflamed by the renown which the Normans of Apulia had
acquired, was still further augmented by the harangues of Duke William :
The barons and gentry eagerly embraced an enterprise which promised so
much wealth and remuneration for toil and danger ; they hastened with
alacrity to his standard, and a contemporary historian has transmitted to
us a glowing description of the magnificent and gallant appearance of the
Norman army previous to its embarkation.
VI. Robert, Earl of Mellent, was at this time in the prime and vigour of
life, and, ambitious for an opportunity of signalizing himself, joined the
Dugdaie's Peerage, invading force. In the ever-memorable battle of Hastings he bore a chief
command, and acted a very distinguished part. The Norman army was
drawn up in two lines, the first composed of the light-armed troops, the
archers and slingers ; the second of the heavy-armed infantry ; while the
cavalry was stationed in the rear and on the two wings. To the Earl of
Mellent* was assigned, by William, the command of the right wing of the
infantry. In this station, by his bravery and good conduct, he contri-
buted very much to the success of that bloody and decisive day.
The battle of Hastings decided the fate of Harold and of England, and
the Conqueror ascended the vacant throne, which his genius, and the
valour of his Normans, had won.
The flower of the English army, and the greater part of the barons and
gentry having perished with their king in that fatal field, William was
enabled to reward his friends and followers with their possessions and dig-
nities, which he bestowed with a liberal and unsparing hand. His means,
in this respect, were further augmented by numbers of the native nobility
and gentry still continuing in opposition to his arms, and adhering to the
* ci Praelium illo die experiens egit, quod etemandum esset laude, cum legione quam
in dextro cornu duxit, irruens ac stemens, magna cum audacia," &c.
Wil. Pictaviensis de Gestis Wil. Duels Normandue.