Robert de Emeldon

[1] He was a turbulent and violent man, who was guilty of at least one homicide, was imprisoned for a number of serious crimes including rape and manslaughter, and had a reputation for corruption: but he was a royal favourite of King Edward III and was thus able to survive his temporary disgrace in the early 1350s.

The Patent Rolls have a terse entry for 18 January 1336: Pardon to Robert of Emeldon in consideration for his services to the King in Ireland for the death of Ralph de Byrton, knight, and of any consequent outlawries.

[6] In 1346 he was rewarded for his good services to the Crown, after he accompanied Sir Ralph d'Ufford, the Justiciar of Ireland, on a campaign against Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond.

[1] The vacancy in the Lord Treasurer's office arose from charges of corruption and negligence, which ultimately proved to be groundless, made against Emeldon's predecessor, John de Burnham, who was required to spend several years in England clearing his name.

The main instigator of the charges was William de Barton, a disgruntled former Keeper of Works at the Exchequer of Ireland, who had been removed from office by Burnham on the curious ground that he suffered from violent convulsions.

[2] In Emeldon's case "corruption" seems to have meant not only financial dishonesty in the usual sense (although there was plenty of evidence of that), but also numerous crimes of violence, including assault, malicious wounding, rape, robbery and manslaughter.

[3] Due to the favour he enjoyed with the King, who maintained that he was a "loyal and always faithful servant", Emeldon was soon released from prison and received a second royal pardon, and the restoration of his confiscated lands and goods, despite Rokeby's protests.