Amounderness

Who he is

Name

Theobald Walter (Theobald le Botiller)

Title

Lord of Amounderness; Butler of Ireland; sheriff of Lancashire

Since

Granted Amounderness by Count John when John held the honour of Lancaster (1189-94; date not pinned). In 1194 he received the surrender of John's supporters at Lancaster and was made sheriff of Lancashire, holding it to Christmas 1198 and again after John's accession

Born

Not pinned

Family

Brother of Hubert Walter, archbishop of Canterbury and chancellor. Married Maud le Vavasour (born 1176), heiress of Robert le Vavasour, a Yorkshire baron. Ancestor of the Butlers of Ormond.

Confidence

medium

Wikipedia (Theobald Walter, 1st Baron Butler).

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• The hundred of Amounderness (Kirkham, Poulton, Weeton, Bispham and the Fylde); the royal borough of Preston lies inside it but is the king's
• The shrievalty of Lancashire (see Lancashire)
• Great lands in Ireland as Butler (irl records)

How it was acquired

Grant of Count John; Theobald kept it through John's fall in 1194 (whether by a fresh grant from Richard is not pinned).

Allies and rivals

Brother of Hubert Walter; out of favour with John by early 1200.

How things stand that morning

Holds on 1 January 1200 (probably); deprived in early 1200; restored in January 1202.

Wealth

The Fylde's farmland and salt-marsh, the tolls.

Military

No major castle in Amounderness (Lancaster is the king's). No figures.

Threats

• John's anger over his accounts as sheriff

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. Early 1200John deprives Theobald of all his offices and lands for irregularities as sheriff (Wikipedia).Depends on: John's return to England and an audit of the Lancashire account Stopped by: Hubert Walter's intercession or a fine paid in time
2. January 1202 (after 1200)Theobald's lands restored.Depends on: A settlement with the king Stopped by: Nothing likely

Places of note

• Weeton: Theobald's manor in Amounderness

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Wikipedia; the exact date of the deprivation is 'early 1200'.

On the map: The hundred drawn as a block; Preston's borough is a separate town record.

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.