The shire of the Thames and the Kennet between Oxford and Windsor: the Vale of White Horse, the downs and the forest country of the east.
The king holds Windsor and its forest and the honour of Wallingford; Reading and Abingdon belong to their great abbeys. Where the shire court met in 1200 is not pinned. William Marshal, earl of Pembroke, holds his family's old manor of Hamstead Marshall on the Kennet, with the hereditary marshalship that gave the family its name.
Who holds it
- Name
- Nicholas de Kennet
- Title
- Sheriff of Berkshire
- Since
- Easter 1199
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- medium
The list of sheriffs gives Stephen of Turnham from Michaelmas 1197, Nicholas de Kennet from Easter 1199, and Fulk de Cantilupe from Michaelmas 1200. Berkshire has its own sheriff in these years; it shares one with Oxfordshire only from 1248.
Overlord
King John
What it holds
- The shire farm and courts
How it was acquired
Shire of Wessex; sheriff appointed by the king.
Allies and rivals
Reading Abbey and Abingdon Abbey hold their towns and hundreds.
How things stand that morning
Under Nicholas de Kennet as sheriff. Oxfordshire lies across the Thames to the north, Buckinghamshire (Midlands researcher) across it to the north-east, Surrey (south-east researcher) to the east.
Wealth
Thames trade, Vale corn, downland wool, Reading and Abingdon markets, Newbury cloth. No figures.
Military
Windsor and Wallingford.
Threats
- Forest grievances
Sheriff in 1200
- Name
- Nicholas de Kennet
- How
- Sheriff
- Since
- Easter 1199
Hundreds
Bray, Beynhurst, Charlton, Compton, Cookham, Faircross, Ganfield, Hormer, Kintbury Eagle, Lambourn, Moreton, Ock, Reading, Ripplesmere, Shrivenham, Sonning, Theale, Wantage and Wargrave (later medieval list).
Forests
Windsor Forest, which under Henry II covered much of the shire.
Castles
Windsor (royal); Wallingford (royal, honour in hand).
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- Michaelmas 1200Fulk de Cantilupe replaces Nicholas de Kennet as sheriff.Depends on: Royal appointment Stopped by: Another choice
Places of note
- Windsor castle: Royal castle
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Sheriff from the PRO list via Wikipedia.
On the map: Traced along the Thames and the historic land boundaries at a coarse scale.
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
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.