Castle Acre (Warenne)

Who he is

Name

Hamelin de Warenne and Isabel de Warenne

Title

Earl of Surrey (earl Warenne), Hamelin in right of his wife Isabel

Since

1164, when Henry II married his half-brother Hamelin to Isabel, heiress of the third earl Warenne

Born

Hamelin about 1130; Isabel about 1137

Family

Hamelin is an illegitimate son of Geoffrey of Anjou, so half-brother of Henry II and uncle of King John. Their son William (born about 1166) is the heir. Hamelin dies on 7 May 1202, Isabel in 1203.

Confidence

high

Lewes and Reigate are in the ese records, Conisbrough and Wakefield in eno; this record covers Norfolk.

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• Castle Acre castle and the planned town with its gates
• The patronage of Castle Acre priory (Cluniac, founded about 1089-90)
• Methwold and other west Norfolk manors
• A share of Thetford (medium confidence)

How it was acquired

Granted to William de Warenne after the Conquest.

Allies and rivals

The king's uncle; neighbours the earl of Arundel (Rising), the bishop of Norwich (Lynn), the Richmond fee at Swaffham.

How things stand that morning

Held in peace by an old earl close to the royal family.

Wealth

Sheep and corn of the Breckland edge; the priory's lands.

Military

Castle Acre, with a stone curtain wall and a rebuilt keep.

Threats

• The earl's age

Places of note

• Castle Acre castle: Warenne caput in Norfolk
• Castle Acre priory: Cluniac priory

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Holders firm; manor list short.

On the map: Only the caput block and one outlying manor are drawn.

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.