Shire · Kingdom of England · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Middlesex

The smallest shire after Rutland, lying between the Thames, the Lea and the Colne, and wholly in London's shadow.

Since John's charter of 1199 the citizens of London hold its shrievalty with the city's at a fee farm and elect its sheriffs, so the shire is in effect run from the Guildhall. Most of its land belongs to the Church (the bishop of London at Fulham and Stepney, Westminster abbey at Hendon and Staines, the archbishop at Harrow, St Paul's) and to a few lay lords (the earl of Essex at Enfield, Edmonton and South Mimms, the de Veres at Kensington, the Scottish king's brother David at Tottenham).

Who holds it

Name
Roger de Desert and James the Alderman
Title
Sheriffs of London and Middlesex
Since
Michaelmas 1199, elected by the citizens
Family
London citizens of the aldermanic class
Confidence
medium

By John's charter of 1199 (notified at Bonneville-sur-Touques on 5 July 1199) the citizens hold the sheriffwick of London and Middlesex at a fee farm and choose the sheriffs themselves; the two sheriffs of London are the sheriffs of Middlesex. Names from the city's list of sheriffs for 1199.

Overlord

King John

How things stand that morning

Farmed by the citizens under the 1199 charter; at peace.

Sheriff in 1200

Roger de Desert and James the Alderman, sheriffs of London and Middlesex elected by the citizens at Michaelmas 1199 under the charter of 1199; the citizens answer at the Exchequer for the fee farm of city and shire together.

Hundreds

  • Edmonton
  • Gore
  • Elthorne
  • Spelthorne
  • Isleworth
  • Ossulstone

Forests

The north of the shire and the warren of Staines in the west were under forest law; their disafforestation comes later (1218-27). Not re-checked for 1200. The citizens' hunting rights in Middlesex, the Chilterns and Surrey come from Henry I's charter.

Castles

  • The Tower of London (royal)
  • Baynard's Castle (FitzWalter)
  • Montfichet's Tower (Montfichet)
  • South Mimms (Mandeville earthwork castle)

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. Michaelmas 1200New sheriffs elected by the citizens (Simon of Aldermanbury and William FitzAlice by the city's list).Depends on: The charter staying in force Stopped by: Royal resumption of the shrievalty

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The charter and the sheriffs' names are documented; the forest status is not re-checked.

On the map: Rough outline along the rivers and the Hertfordshire boundary.

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

  1. Magna Carta Project: notification of the grant of the sheriffdom of London and Middlesex, 5 July 1199
  2. Wikipedia: List of sheriffs of London

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.