Robert Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford (1 April 1274 – 24 June 1314) was an English nobleman who was slain at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
Biography[]
Robert Clifford was born in Clifford Castle, Herefordshire, England on 1 April 1274, and he became one of the most powerful barons in England through his acquisition and inheritance of several landholdings. In 1296, he and Henry Percy, 1st Baron Percy were sent to quell the Scots at Irvine, and he was then appointed Governor of Carlisle. Clifford became Warden of the Marches under King Edward I of England, and he became Governor of Nottingham Castle in 1298 following his service at the Battle of Falkirk. In 1299, he was created "Baron Clifford" by writ and summoned to Parliament, and, in 1307, he was appointed a counsellor to King Edward II of England following Edward I's death; he was also made a Marshal of England. He was relieved in 1308, although he was appointed Chief Guardian of Scotland that same year and became Lord of Skipton in 1310. In 1312, he and Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster besieged King Edward's lover Piers Gaveston at Scarborough Castle and had him executed. On 24 June 1314, Clifford was killed in battle at the Battle of Bannockburn.