Osbert Gifford (also spelled Giffard; died ) was an illegitimate son of John, King of England. While historical records confirm him as a "son of the king", his exact parentage and the details of his life remain unknown.
Osbert's mother was either Hawise (Hadwisa) de Tracy or Matilda Gifford.
In 1215 the Sheriff of Oxfordshire was instructed to grant some of the lands of Thomas de Arden to Osbert Giffard, son of the king. The Latin for "son" – "filio" – is in quotes, which Cawley believes to imply that Gifford might have not been the son of the king. According to Cawley he is probably the Osbert Gifford who witnessed the charter dated 4 Jul 1216 under which John, King of England granted land to "Salom fil Lesholm de Dovr", which implies that by that point he was of age, which points to a likely birth date before 1198.
In 1217 he received further Arden lands in other counties, and lands of Amaury le Despencer, Roger Fitz Nicholas, and Ralph Bluet in Oxfordshire.
Beyond this, definite information of his life is lacking. Matthew Paris records the death of "" in 1245, but he doesn't specify his parentage, so this Cawley believes it might be referring to Osbert Gifford of Winterborne Houghton. According to Cawley this text suggests that Gilbert de Bolum was the brother of Osbert Giffard.
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