A wooden castle was built by Geoffrey de Mowbray, Bishop of Coutances in the 11th century, clearing houses to make room for it.
The manor of Kensington, Middlesex, was granted by William I of England to Geoffrey de Montbray or Mowbray, bishop of Coutances, one of his inner circle of advisors and one of the wealthiest men in post-Conquest England.
Portbury is mentioned in the Liber Exoniensis and was given by William the Conqueror to one of his favourites, Bishop Geoffrey de Montbray of Coutances — the 'battling bishop' - sword in one hand and crook in the other!
After the Norman Conquest William the Conqueror took many lands, including Stratton-on-the-Fosse, from the abbey and gave them to Geoffrey de Montbray the Bishop of Coutances.
Geoffrey Chaucer | Geoffrey Rush | Geoffrey of Monmouth | Geoffrey Moull | Geoffrey Hill | Geoffrey Keezer | Geoffrey de Montbray | Geoffrey Wilkinson | Geoffrey Howe | Geoffrey Blainey | Geoffrey Robertson | Geoffrey Keating | The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. | Geoffrey Palmer | Geoffrey Hartman | Geoffrey C. Hazard, Jr. | Geoffrey Robinson | Geoffrey Owens | Geoffrey Layton | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu | Geoffrey de Mandeville | Geoffrey de Luterel | Geoffrey Burbidge | Geoffrey | Geoffrey Winthrop Young | Geoffrey Whitehead | Geoffrey Taylour, 4th Marquess of Headfort | Geoffrey Richmond | Geoffrey Palmer (actor) | Geoffrey Munn |
His father was Roger d’Aubigny and his mother Alicia, sister of Geoffrey de Montbray; William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel was his nephew.
They were spread far and wide geographically from Kent, controlled by Bishop Odo, to Northumberland, controlled by Robert de Mowbray, to Gloucestershire and Somerset under Geoffrey de Montbray (Bishop of Coutances), to Norfolk with Roger Bigod, Roger of Montgomery at Shrewsbury in Shropshire, and a vast swathe of territory in the south-west, centre and south of England under Count Robert.