He served in King Edward I's wars in Wales, was a member of parliament, and was appointed Justice of the Forest.
[2] His coat of arms, granted by King Henry III of England, argent a saltire gules, were the reverse of his brother Robert's.
[3] Following his marriage to Margaret de Longvillers, his political influence increased and his name appeared in numerous government records.
[4] The heirs of Hugh de Neville, a distant kinsman of the Essex line who had supported the rebels in the conflict, sold the estate of Appleby in Lincolnshire to Geoffrey, who also built a water mill.
[4] During the reign of King Edward I of England, he was appointed as Justice of the Forest in numerous English counties.