32 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Now the name of the prior who is the second witness to our Charter is 

 not absolutely certain, though I have no hesitation in reading it 'Eemigio.' 

 But it is at any rate impossible that it can be ' Gilberto.' It follows that 

 this prior was a predecessor of Gilbert, and that the Charter is not later than 

 1191. 



But the beginning of Gilbert's priorate, and consequently the date of the 

 Charter can be pushed further back. In the grant of Bishop Eugenius just 

 mentioned, among the witnesses, in addition to Gilbert, Prior of Duleek, are 

 Bertram de Verdun and Gilbert Pipard. Now about both of these men we 

 know a good deal. Both of them went to Ireland with Prince John in 1185. ' 

 Verdun remained there till at least Easter in the following year, acting as 

 the host of Giraldus Cambrensis. 2 But in June, 1188, or earlier, he crossed 

 over to England ; for on 14th June we find him at Geddington in the court 

 of Henry II. 3 In 1189 he was taken into the service of Eichard I; and he 

 witnessed charters at Canterbury on 1st December, 4 and at "Westminster 

 in January, 1190. 5 He accompanied Eichard on his crusade, and was in 

 Sicily in November, 1190, and January, 1191. 6 Pive months later he 

 reached Palestine (June, 1191). 7 On 21st August, 1191, he was put in 

 charge of Acre, 9 and died at Joppa in 1192. 9 Thus it may be regarded as 

 almost certain that he was not in Ireland after November, 1189, and as 

 probable that he finally left that country before June, 1188, though it is 

 possible that he visited it late in 1188 or in 1189. About Pipard's move- 

 ments we have less information. But since he was sheriff of Lincoln in 

 the first year of Eichard I, 10 he had probably settled in England before 

 September, 1189. Like Verdun, he died after taking some part in Eichard I's 

 expedition to Palestine. His death took place in 1192 at Brindisi, 11 where 

 he may be supposed to have been left behind — probably on account of illness — 

 for Eichard had reached Palestine in September, 1191. 12 At what time Pipard 

 joined the crusading army is not clear. He may have sailed from England 

 about the same time as the king (11th December, 1189), 13 or he may have 

 started later. It seems pretty certain, however, that he was in Eichard's 



1 Calendar of Documents relating to Ireland, vol. i, no. 81. 



2 Giraldus : De rebus a se gestis, ii. 13 (Works, R. S., i, 65). 



3 R. W. Eyton: Court,' Household, and Itinerary of King Henry II, 1878, p. 287 — a 

 reference for which I have to thank Mr. Goddard H. Orpen. 



1 Gervase of Canterbury (R. S.), i, 503. 



5 Historians of Tori: (R. S.), iii, 87. 



6 Roger of Hoveden (R. S.), iii, 62 ; J. H. Round, Ancient Charters (Pipe Roll 

 Society), pt. i., p. 98. 



' Itinerarium in Memorials of Eichard I (R. S.), i, 217. 



8 "Benedict of Peterborough," R.S., ii, 190. 



» Ibid., 150. '•■Ibid. " Ibid. -Ibid., 221. " Ibid., 101. 



