The bishop of Winchester, lord of the richest see in England, holds a chain of great manors and castles across the south: the vast manor and hundred of Taunton in Somerset with its castle; Farnham castle on the road from London; Wolvesey, his fortified palace inside Winchester; and Bishop's Waltham, Downton, East Meon, Alresford, Witney and more.
His fair of St Giles on the hill above Winchester was one of the great fairs of England, and while it lasted the bishop's officers governed the city.
Who holds it
- Name
- Godfrey de Lucy
- Title
- Bishop of Winchester
- Since
- Named 15 September 1189, consecrated 22 October 1189
- Confidence
- high
Son of Richard de Lucy, Henry II's justiciar. He fell out of favour with Richard in 1194 but had recovered his lands by the start of John's reign. Dies in September 1204.
What it holds
- Taunton: the bishop's great manor and hundred (Taunton Deane), with the castle made from the bishop's hall by William Giffard (1107-29); the keep has a great hall over a vaulted undercroft
- Farnham castle in Surrey, built by Henry of Blois in 1138, slighted by Henry II in 1155 and rebuilt in the late 12th and early 13th centuries
- Wolvesey palace in Winchester and the bishop's Soke outside the east gate
- St Giles' fair on St Giles's Hill, during which the bishop's officers took over the city's government (attested in later charters)
- Manors with castles built by Henry of Blois: Bishop's Waltham, Merdon and Downton (their state in 1200 not pinned)
- Great manors: East Meon, Alresford (with the bishops' new town and great pond), Highclere, Overton and Fareham in Hampshire; Witney in Oxfordshire; Wargrave in Berkshire
How it was acquired
Old endowments of the West Saxon see; castles built by Henry of Blois (bishop 1129-71); the fair granted by William II and lengthened by later kings.
How things stand that morning
Godfrey holds his lands again under John.
Wealth
St Giles' fair (cloth, wine and spices; foreign merchants); wool from the bishop's great flocks; grain of the Hampshire downs and Taunton Deane; rents of new market towns.
Threats
- Royal pressure on the richest see in England
- An old bishop: a vacancy hands everything to the king's keepers
Advocates and rivals
The citizens of Winchester, who resent the bishop's fair-time rule; the monks of St Swithun's (the cathedral priory) with their own estates; the king's castle of Winchester.
Places of note
- Wolvesey: The bishop's fortified palace in Winchester
- St Giles' fair: The bishop's great fair above the city
- Taunton castle: The bishop's castle in Somerset
- Farnham castle: The bishop's castle on the London road
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The castles and Taunton are well attested; the fair's rules and the manor list come from general knowledge of the see's estates and were not all checked here.
On the map: Only the principal manors are drawn; the see held many more.
Primary sources for England
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond, Jocelin of Brakelond (about 1198 to 1203). An inside account of Bury St Edmunds under Abbot Samson, written while the events were fresh. Read online
- Chronicle of Melrose, Anonymous (monks of Melrose abbey) (about 1173 to 1270, in many hands; the 1200 entries are near contemporary). The main Scottish annal for the year, kept at a Cistercian house on the Tweed. Read online
- Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
- Chronicle of the Princes, Anonymous (Welsh translation of a lost Latin chronicle kept at Strata Florida) (Latin original to about 1282, compiled from contemporary annals; Welsh versions about 1300 and later). The native Welsh record of the year. Read online
- Chronicle; Deeds of the Kings, Gervase of Canterbury (Chronica about 1188 to 1199; Gesta Regum about 1199 to 1210). The Chronica stops in 1199, so for 1200 the witness is the briefer Gesta Regum, which notes John's peace with Philip, the coronation of Isabella at Westminster on 8 October 1200, and matters touching Canterbury: the archbishop Hubert Walter as chancellor, the cathedral priory's quarrel with him, and the Lambeth college dispute lately settled by the pope. Read online
- English Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall, Ralph of Coggeshall (about 1200 to 1224, in stages). Short but independent entries for 1200 from a Cistercian house in Essex: John's levy on the Cistercians and the carucage, the peace with Philip, the king's new marriage and the queen's coronation, and the death of Hugh of Lincoln. Read online
- Flowers of History, Roger of Wendover (about 1220 to 1235 at St Albans). For 1200 Wendover is mostly Howden rewritten, so he is a second witness only where he adds St Albans material: a long account of Hugh of Lincoln's last months, death and funeral, and anecdotes about John's conduct toward the Cistercians and his new queen. Read online
- Images of History, Ralph de Diceto (about 1188 to 1202). A London view of the year from the dean of St Paul's, who knew the justiciar and the bishops personally. Read online
22 more in the sources library for The British Isles.
Sources and studies
- Godfrey de Lucy (en.wikipedia)
- Taunton Castle (en.wikipedia)
- Farnham Castle (en.wikipedia)
- Wolvesey Castle (en.wikipedia)
- New Alresford (en.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.