Crown (south-east)

Who he is

Name

John

Title

King of England

Since

6 April 1199 (crowned 27 May 1199)

Born

24 December 1166

Family

See the realm record England.

Confidence

high

In the king's absence the demesne is administered by the justiciar, Geoffrey FitzPeter, through the sheriffs and keepers named below.

What it holds

• Westminster: the king's palace beside the abbey, with the Exchequer and the court of the Bench (the abbey's own liberty is a Church lordship, not the king's)
• The Tower of London, kept by the justiciar (see Tower of London)
• Dover castle (see Dover castle)
• Rochester castle, in the custody of the archbishop of Canterbury (see Rochester castle)
• Canterbury castle, the sheriff of Kent's seat
• Guildford castle and its royal lodgings, the sheriff of Surrey's seat
• Colchester castle, the great keep of Essex (custody below)
• The city of Chichester, in the crown's hand since the death of the second earl of Arundel in 1193, its reeves answering at the Exchequer (see the town record)
• Hertford castle (custody below)
• The manor and liberty of Havering (Essex), with its royal house at Havering-atte-Bower
• The royal manor of Writtle (Essex) beside Chelmsford
• The honour and castle of Rayleigh (Essex), escheated in 1163 when Henry of Essex was disgraced
• The honour and castle of Berkhamsted (Hertfordshire), royal since Becket's fall
• The royal manor and borough of Kingston upon Thames (Surrey; see the town record)
• The royal manor and hundred of Milton by Sittingbourne (Kent)
• The forest of Essex: most of the shire under forest law, with Waltham, Hatfield and Writtle as its great woods; the hereditary forestership is the Montfichets' (see Montfichet)
• The royal forest of Windsor reaches into west Surrey (see esw for Windsor)
• The rights of the crown in London: the Tower, the farm of the city paid by the citizens, and the king's Jews (see the London town record)

How it was acquired

Ancient demesne of the crown, with escheats: Rayleigh (Henry of Essex, 1163), Berkhamsted (taken back from Thomas Becket, 1163-64), and the castles kept since the Conquest.

Allies and rivals

The demesne is run by the justiciar and the sheriffs. Robert FitzWalter claims the custody of Hertford castle as his wife's ancient right. The Church holds most of Kent, and the earls hold Sussex.

How things stand that morning

All of it is in royal hands or royal custody on 1 January 1200, at peace. The custody of the lesser castles is not pinned: Hertford was claimed by Robert FitzWalter, who was given it only in August 1202; Colchester was in the keeping of the sheriff or of a constable (the Lanvalei family hold it as hereditary constables by 1214; when that began is not pinned). Wikipedia says John gave Rayleigh to Hubert de Burgh 'around 1200' without a date; there is no evidence that this had happened by 1 January 1200, and we treat it as royal.

Wealth

The farms of the royal manors, the forest fines of Essex (the regard and the eyre of the forest), the tolls of Kingston and the profits of the shire courts. No figures.

Military

The royal castles of the south-east: Dover, the Tower, Rochester (archbishop's custody), Canterbury, Guildford, Colchester, Hertford, Berkhamsted, Rayleigh. Castle-guard at Dover is owed by the baronies of Kent and the south-east.

Threats

• Neglect while the king is overseas
• Baronial claims to the custody of royal castles (FitzWalter and Hertford)
• Resentment of the forest law in Essex

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. Late February to April 1200John in England: he stays at his houses and castles in the south (Westminster, Guildford and the hunting manors) while raising money.Depends on: His return from Normandy Stopped by: War in Normandy
2. Christmas 1200John keeps Christmas at Guildford.Depends on: His being in England at the year's end Stopped by: Any change in his movements

Places of note

• Palace of Westminster: Exchequer and Bench
• Canterbury castle: Royal castle, sheriff of Kent's seat
• Guildford castle: Royal castle and lodgings, sheriff of Surrey's seat
• Colchester castle: Royal keep of Essex
• Hertford castle: Royal castle
• Rayleigh castle: Caput of the escheated honour of Rayleigh
• Berkhamsted castle: Caput of the honour of Berkhamsted
• Havering-atte-Bower: Royal house of the liberty of Havering

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The great castles and manors are well known; the custody of the lesser castles in January 1200 and the date of the Rayleigh grant are not pinned.

On the map: Only the castles and the main royal manors are drawn. The forest of Essex is a jurisdiction over other men's land, not the king's own land, and is described in the Essex shire record rather than drawn here.

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.