Aumale (Holderness, Skipton)

Who he is

Name

Hawise of Aumale and her third husband Baldwin of Bethune (Baudouin de Bethune)

Title

Countess of Aumale in her own right (Hawise); count of Aumale by right of his wife (Baldwin)

Since

Hawise inherited from her father William le Gros, count of Aumale and lord of Holderness, in 1179; married to Baldwin in 1195 at King Richard's arrangement

Born

Hawise about 1160; Baldwin not pinned

Family

Hawise married first William de Mandeville, earl of Essex (14 January 1180; died 1189), from whom she holds a third of the Mandeville lands in dower; secondly William de Forz, a Poitevin naval commander (died 1195), by whom she has her heir William de Forz, born about 1190; thirdly Baldwin of Bethune, younger son of the advocate of Bethune, Richard's crusade companion and William Marshal's close friend. Her mother's line (Cecily de Rumilly, daughter of William FitzDuncan) brought her the honour of Skipton.

Confidence

high

Wikipedia (Hawise of Aumale; Baldwin of Bethune via the France map record Aumale). Skipton's descent through Cecily de Rumilly to the counts of Aumale is standard (Skipton Castle).

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• The lordship (liberty) of Holderness: Skipsea castle, the borough of Hedon, the manors of Burstwick, Easington, Withernsea and the rest of the wapentake (the archbishop's Patrington and the abbeys' lands excepted)
• The honour of Skipton in Craven: Skipton castle and its forest, patronage of Bolton Priory
• One-third of the Mandeville estates in dower (Essex and elsewhere: ese records)
• The title of Aumale; the Norman county itself is in Philip's hands since August 1196 (France map: Aumale)

How it was acquired

Inheritance (Holderness from the counts of Aumale since 1102; Skipton through Cecily de Rumilly); Baldwin by marriage, 1195.

Allies and rivals

Baldwin is close to William Marshal and to John. Hawise's son William de Forz, a boy of about ten, is the heir; the Stutevilles of Cottingham and the Percys are neighbours.

How things stand that morning

Held by Hawise and Baldwin. Baldwin is with John in Normandy (France record); Holderness and Skipton are run by their stewards.

Wealth

Grain and wool of Holderness, the Humber and sea fisheries, the port of Hedon, the Craven sheep and forest of Skipton.

Military

Skipsea castle (a great motte in the Holderness marshes) and Skipton castle. No figures.

Threats

• The loss of Aumale is permanent unless John recovers it
• The king's right to marry Hawise off again if Baldwin dies

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, dates not pinnedBaldwin stays in John's service through the year (diplomacy and the court).Depends on: His standing with John Stopped by: Nothing likely

Places of note

• Skipsea castle: Caput of Holderness
• Hedon: The lord's borough and port (Hedon)
• Skipton castle: Caput of the honour of Skipton

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Countess and husbands well recorded; the lands are certain.

On the map: Holderness is drawn as the whole wapentake; the archbishop's and abbeys' manors inside it are not cut out. Craven is drawn around Skipton and upper Wharfedale.

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.