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Gloucester Cathedral: Effigy of Robert of Normandy (d.1134)

Effigy of Robert of Normandy (d.1134)

Memorial to Robert of Normandy in the south ambulatory of Gloucester Cathedral. Robert was the oldest son of William the Conqueror and an early benefactor of Gloucester Abbey. His youngest brother, later King Henry I, imprisoned him in 1106 and he died in captivity in Cardiff Castle in 1134. He was buried in the chapter house of the abbey. Sir Robert's lifelike effigy was carved of Irish bog oak in the 13th century. It was probably made by knights on the Third Crusade as a tribute to this knight of the First Crusade. It reclines on a tomb chest of the 15th century.

Credit: Holly Hayes