Brus of Skelton

Who he is

Name

Peter de Brus (the first of three lords of that name)

Title

Lord of Skelton (the Brus fee in Cleveland)

Since

His father Adam de Brus died in the later 1190s (1196 is the usual date; not pinned)

Born

Not pinned

Family

Of the elder, English line of the Brus family; the younger line holds Annandale in Scotland (sco records). Married Joan (not pinned).

Confidence

medium

General histories; dates not re-checked.

Overlord

King John (Hartlepool and Hart of the bishop of Durham)

What it holds

• Skelton castle and Cleveland manors
• Danby in Eskdale
• Yarm (borough and market on the Tees)
• Hartlepool and Hart, held of the bishop of Durham (not drawn: Durham is on the Church map)
• Patronage of Guisborough Priory

How it was acquired

Inheritance from Robert de Brus, who received Cleveland from Henry I.

Allies and rivals

Kinsman of the Brus lords of Annandale; neighbour of the Fossard heirs (Mulgrave) and the bishop of Durham.

How things stand that morning

Held.

Wealth

Cleveland farmland, the Tees crossing at Yarm, the port of Hartlepool (John's charter to it is 1201).

Military

Skelton castle. No figures.

Places of note

• Skelton castle: Caput
• Yarm: Brus borough

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The fee is certain; the succession date and Peter's personal history are from general knowledge and not re-checked.

On the map: Main blocks only.

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.