Essex

Who holds it

Name

Hugh de Neville

Title

Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire

Since

1197

Born

Not pinned

Family

Son of Ralph de Neville; married Joan de Cornhill, whose wardship he bought in 1194; brothers Roger and William.

Confidence

high

Named sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire in 1197 and held both until some time in 1200; reappointed 1202-03. Chief forester of England since 1198 and one of John's favourites (his gambling companion). He was also sheriff of Oxfordshire 1196-99 and keeper of Marlborough.

Overlord

King John

How things stand that morning

At peace, under a sheriff who is also the king's chief forester.

Sheriff in 1200

Hugh de Neville, sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire since 1197 (until some time in 1200), also chief forester; he answers at the Exchequer for the farm of both shires, the profits of justice, the castles of Colchester and Hertford when no constable holds them, and the escheats. With the forest of Essex in his other hand he is the most feared official in the shire.

Hundreds

• Barstable
• Becontree
• Chafford
• Chelmsford
• Clavering (half)
• Dengie
• Dunmow (half)
• Freshwell (half)
• Harlow (half)
• Hinckford
• Lexden
• Ongar
• Rochford
• Tendring
• Thurstable
• Uttlesford
• Waltham (half)
• Winstree
• Witham
• The liberty of Havering and the borough of Colchester stand apart

Forests

The forest of Essex covers nearly the whole shire, with its great woods at Waltham (Epping and Hainault), Hatfield, Writtle and Kingswood by Colchester; the Montfichets are hereditary foresters. The disafforestation of Essex north of the Stane Street is bought in 1204 (later).

Castles

• Colchester (royal)
• Rayleigh (royal escheat)
• Pleshey and Walden (earl of Essex)
• Hedingham (earl of Oxford)
• Stansted (Montfichet)
• Ongar (Lucy honour)

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.

1. During 1200 (not pinned)Hugh de Neville gives up the shrievalty of Essex and Hertfordshire.Depends on: Royal appointment Stopped by: The king keeping him

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The sheriff is firm; the hundred list follows the standard medieval list.

On the map: Rough outline along the rivers and the coast.

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.