Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire

Who holds it

Name

William Brewer (Briwerre)

Title

Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, with the royal forests

Since

1194 (after the siege of Nottingham; the earl of Derby held the office for seven weeks first); he gives way to Hugh Bardolf in 1200

Confidence

medium

The lists give Brewer 1194-99 and Hugh Bardolf from 1200; the change most likely falls with the Easter 1200 changes, so Brewer is taken as sheriff on 1 January 1200 (medium).

Overlord

King John (the Exchequer)

What it holds

• The farm of the two shires
• Nottingham castle, the castle of the Peak, Bolsover and Horston (with or under keepers)
• The forests of Sherwood and the High Peak
• The borough farms of Nottingham and Derby
• The honour of Peverel (if not separately kept)

How it was acquired

A shire of the English kingdom since before the Conquest.

How things stand that morning

At peace. Nottingham was the last castle to hold for John against Richard in March 1194.

Wealth

Lead of the Peak, cloth of Nottingham, corn of the Trent vale, Sherwood's timber and venison.

Military

The shire levy; Nottingham castle.

Sheriff in 1200

William Brewer, sheriff since 1194 (medium: Hugh Bardolf succeeds in 1200), keeping Nottingham castle and answering for the forests of Sherwood and the Peak.

Hundreds

Nottinghamshire: Bassetlaw, Bingham, Broxtowe, Newark, Rushcliffe and Thurgarton. Derbyshire: Appletree, High Peak, Morleyston and Litchurch, Repton and Gresley, Scarsdale and Wirksworth.

Forests

Sherwood and the High Peak (royal); the forest of east Derbyshire between the Erewash and the Derwent; Duffield Frith and Needwood are the earl of Derby's chases.

Castles

Royal: Nottingham, the Peak, Bolsover, Horston. Duffield (Ferrers). Newark (bishop of Lincoln).

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. 1200 (probably Easter)Hugh Bardolf becomes sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire (to 1203).Depends on: the king's appointment Stopped by: Brewer being kept

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Brewer's tenure to 1199-1200 firm; the exact handover not pinned.

On the map: Historic county outlines, approximate.

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.