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

Worcestershire

A shire largely in the hands of the Church: the bishop of Worcester's triple hundred of Oswaldslow and the hundreds of Pershore and Westminster abbeys and of Evesham cover much of it.

The Severn, the salt of Droitwich and the royal forests of Feckenham and Malvern.

Who holds it

Name
Not pinned: William de Beauchamp of Elmley (the hereditary claimant) or a royal appointee; William de Cantilupe is appointed in 1200
Title
Sheriff of Worcestershire
Family
William de Beauchamp of Elmley succeeded his father (died 1197) and holds Elmley; his son Walter was born in 1192-93. William de Cantilupe, a royal steward, is appointed sheriff in 1200 and again in 1207.
Confidence
low

The sheriff answering at Michaelmas 1199 is not pinned here; the Cantilupe appointment of 1200 most likely belongs to the Easter 1200 changes.

Overlord

King John (the Exchequer)

What it holds

  • The farm of the shire
  • Worcester castle
  • The Droitwich salt farm (the king's share)
  • The forests of Feckenham, Ombersley, Horewell and Malvern

How it was acquired

A shire of the English kingdom since before the Conquest.

How things stand that morning

At peace. Worcester has a disputed bishop-elect, Mauger, the king's physician, whose election Innocent has quashed for illegitimacy (campaign notes).

Wealth

Salt of Droitwich, Severn trade and fisheries, corn and fruit of the vale, cloth at Worcester.

Military

The shire levy; Worcester castle.

Sheriff in 1200

Not pinned. The shrievalty is claimed by inheritance by the Beauchamps of Elmley (William de Beauchamp, who succeeded his father in 1197); William de Cantilupe is appointed in 1200.

Hundreds

Doddingtree and Halfshire (the geldable hundreds); Oswaldslow (the bishop's liberty); Pershore (shared by Pershore and Westminster abbeys); Blackenhurst (Evesham abbey's).

Forests

Feckenham, Ombersley and Horewell, Malvern (royal); the edges of Kinver and Wyre.

Castles

Royal: Worcester. Elmley (Beauchamp), Dudley (Somery, slighted in 1175).

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)William de Cantilupe becomes sheriff of Worcestershire.Depends on: the king's appointment Stopped by: the sitting sheriff being kept
  2. 1200 (date not pinned)Mauger goes to Rome; Innocent dispenses him and he becomes bishop of Worcester (he holds the see to 1212).Depends on: papal dispensation Stopped by: Innocent refusing

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Sheriff not pinned for 1 January 1200.

On the map: Historic county outline, approximate; Worcestershire's detached parts (Dudley's surroundings apart) are ignored.

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. PRO Lists and Indexes IX, List of Sheriffs for England and Wales (1898), as reproduced in the Wikipedia lists of sheriffs
  2. Wikipedia: William de Beauchamp (of Elmley)
  3. High Sheriff of Worcestershire list (twentytrees.co.uk, Cantilupe appointed 1200)

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