Compelling Character Corner

Thomas Corbet The Raven Baron This man, Thomas Corbet, was born around 1182 and became a loyal supporter of King Henry III. He lived to a ripe old age during the barbaric thirteenth century, the age of castration, torture, religious fanaticism, be-headings, quartering and burning people alive.  A compelling character admired by non-other than Winston Churchill, published work on the man.  This Royalist Baron was as a military commander in the Welsh Wars of the 1250s. Baron Thomas Corbet was quite special. He descended from the Norman blood, who had been marrying into Welsh and English noble families almost since they arrived. In contrast, up until this time, it wasn’t common place for nobility to take an English bride in mainland England—in the Welsh Borderlands, things were different.  Hugh le Corbeau was the first Corbet in England and he was most likely at Hastings. Hugh built Caus Castle in Westbury. His sons Roger and Robert FitzCorbet are listed in the Domesday book of 1086 as va