Orderic Vitalis wrote that de Montbray took pride in his noble birth and was better known for his military rather than his clerical ability; he knew more about marshalling soldiers in battle than teaching psalm-singing clerks.Ordericus Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, Vol. III (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854). pp. 17-18 He was an integral part of the close-knit aristocratic group that formed the majority of the Norman episcopate during the reign of Duke William.David C. Douglas, William the Conqueror (Berkeley; Los Angeles: The University of California Press, 1964), p. 119 David C. Douglas states that their principal filiations may be displayed within two very restricted and connected pedigrees.
