Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford

Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford, Lord of Brecknock (1100 – 24 December 1143) was the son of Walter de Gloucester, who appears as sheriff of that county between 1104 and 1121.

Milo or Miles succeeded his father about the latter year.

He was high in the service of Henry I between 1130 and 1135, he was Constable of England and combined the hereditary office of Sheriff of Gloucester with that of local justiciar for Gloucestershire.

Miles founded Llanthony Secunda Priory, Gloucester, in 1136.

Civil war allegiances

After the death of King Henry he declared for Stephen, at whose court he appears as constable in 1136. King Stephen granted him the honour of Gloucester and Brecknock.However, in 1139, when the empress Matilda appeared in England, he declared for her, and placed the city of Gloucester at her disposal; he was further distinguished by sacking the nearby royalist city of Worcester, attacking Stephen's siege works at Wallingford Castle and reducing the county of Hereford. He was retained as her Constable.

Earldom

In 1141, he was rewarded with the earldom of Hereford when Matilda ruled the country. He remained loyal to the Empress after her defeat at Winchester the same year. John of Salisbury classes him with Geoffrey de Mandeville and others who were non tam comites regni quam hostes publici. The charge is justified by his public policy; but the materials for appraising his personal character do not......
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