Roger de Hales one of the Earl of Norfolk’s “military tenants,” who paid for his lands by “knights services,” during the early part of Henry II’s reign (1154-89).
There has been some speculation as to whether Roger was the father of Adam de Hales, who was mixed up in the Becket controversy.
His name makes its historical debut In the 19th year of HENRY II (December 19th 1173 to December 18th 1174) Roger de Hales gave a tenement in Lodden Hales, Norfolk, to the Abbey of Bungay.
Some believe that Roger de Hales was mixed up in the Becket controversy, which occurred just prior to this. Becket served KIng Henry as Lord Chancellor of England from 1155 to 1162, when the king appointed him Archbishop of Canterbury. This led to their quarrel over the rights and privileges of the Church. The crucial break came on October 8 1164, when Becket was tried for contempt of Royal authority and malfeasance in his duties as Lord Chancellor. Becket stormed out of the meeting and went into hiding. He secretly escaped to Sandwich, from whence he crossed over to Flanders in a small boat.
Some believe that one of the places he hid was the Hales manor. According to L'Ascendance TERLINDEN-de POTESTA on Geneanet "Henry's practice was to destroy the manors where Becket stayed. One of the manors destroyed was Hales Manor at Loddon Hales in Norfolk."
The Pipe Rolls mention an Adam de Hales, who was imprisoned while his father joined Becket in France.
Becket returned to England in 1170, after which he was murdered in Canterbury.
Chronologically speaking, it seems more likely Roger de Hales gave the tenement in Lodden Hales to the church in atonement for participating in the Great Rebellion of 1173. This was a family affair, in which Queen Eleanor and her son Henry organised a revolt against the king. Hugh Bigod, the Earl of Norfolk, joined them and Roger de Hales was one of the 50 knights that followed Norfolk.
The earls of Norfolk and Leicester marched their armies into Suffolk, as part of a plot to replace King Henry II with one of his sons. They captured the castle of Hagnent, separated. Leicester was defeated, but Norfolk successfully besieged the castle of Norwich.
The Earl’s rebellious activities ended when Henry II, who had defeated all his continental opponents, returned to England in the summer of 1174. The king “gathered a large army at Bury St Edmunds, with a host of soldiers flocking from all directions, he ordered them, on general advice, to besiege the two castles of Hugh Bigod earl of Norfolk: Framlingham and Bungay.” The Earl of Norfolk had no illusions about his chances of resisting. He rode out to the king’s camp to surrender, swear loyalty, and renewed his allegiance. Bigod then turned pilgrim and is believed to have died in Palestine. Roger de Hales gave the tenement to the Abbey of Baungey.
Roger was succeeded by his son William de Hales.