 His father, William I de Cantilupe, and his elder brother William II de Cantilupe were named by Roger of Wendover among the evil counsellors of King John of England, apparently for no better reason than that they were consistently loyal to an unpopular master.Cantilupe at first followed in his father's footsteps, entering the service of the Exchequer and acting as an itinerant Justice in the early years of Henry III.But Cantilupe also took minor holy orders, and, in 1236, although not yet a deacon, received the see of Worcester.