Robert of Thornham Robert of Thornham ( or Robert de Turnham ) ( died 1211 ) was an English soldier and administrator . The namesake of his landowner father , he was the younger brother of Stephen of Thornham . Robert made his reputation in connection with the conquest of Cyprus in 1191 during the Third Crusade . On order of King Richard I , he led half the fleet in that battle . Subsequently , he was responsible for controlling the island when the Crusaders moved on , first jointly with Richard de Camville and then independently , when he defeated a group of Cypriot rebels . After he left Cyprus , Robert became more closely identified with Richard I . As the king ' s " familiaris " , he carried Richard ' s equipment from the Holy Land to England . When Richard I was captured in 1192 in Vienna , among the terms of his release was the presentation of men to stand as " pledges " that the ransom would be paid . Robert was among these hostages , though evidently not for long , as he was back by the king ' s side in 1194 at Poitiers . Appointed Seneschal of Anjou , he served in France with Richard I , primarily in Anjou and Normandy , throughout the rest of Richard ' s reign . At around the same time , he was also appointed High Sheriff of Surrey , but he did not return to England until after Richard ' s death . In 1196 , he led troops at Richard ' s behest into Brittany on an unsuccessful attempt to capture the child Duke of Brittany Arthur , whose mother Constance was resistant to Richard ' s control . In 1197 , King Richard arranged for Robert to marry Isabella Fossard , daughter and heiress of the powerful Yorkshire baron William Fossard . The Fossard inheritance included the castle , honor , and lordship of Mulgrave with 34 . 5 attached knight ' s fees . Robert was not with Richard at the siege of Château de Chalus - Chabrol in 1199 , where Richard died , and after Richard ' s death became an important source of information about the activities of the king . After Richard ' s death , Robert ceremonially transferred Chinon castle to the new king , Richard ' s brother John . He traveled with John in Normandy and England for several years before he was appointed the Seneschal of Anjou and of Gascony in 1201 . For the next several years he was troubled by conflict with the French and by rebellious barons in Poitou , which caused him to limit his efforts to his northern territories . In 1203 , he made an effort to regain the city of Angers from the French , but though he partially destroyed the city he was unsuccessful and was captured . Ransomed in 1205 , he continued to serve John , travelling with him during the Anjou capaign of 1206 . From 1205 to 1207 he focused on his service as High Sheriff of Surrey before returning in 1207 to France as Seneschal of Poitou . He died on 26 April 1211 with the Bishop of Winchester at his deathbed . Sources . IN POPULAR CULTURE : link to page with interview of screenwriter who co - wrote original script that had ROBERT OF TORNHAM as its hero , and Russell Crowe signed on to play that role — but after Ridley Scott signed on to direct the movie , he threw that script out and had it rewritten so Robin Hood was the hero , instead of a supporting character , and that became the 2010 ROBIN HOOD movie . Here ' s the LINK : http : / / www . boldoutlaw . com / robint / reiff . html