Robert of Meulan, Lord of Beaumont and Earl of Leicester

Robert of Meluan distinguished himself at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and as a reward he was granted land in England worth a significant but not spectacular £254. His wealth further increased in the early 1080s, when he succeeded to his uncle's lands in the county of Meulan, France. In the 1090s he obtained his father's Norman estates.

Robert was a key advisor to William II (r. 1087-1100) and his successor (r. 1100-1135). In 1107 he helped Henry I to acquire his lands in Normandy and was given the earldom of Leicester. On his death he was worth £4,000, or about £12.6bn in 2010's money.