The Fossard barony on the Yorkshire coast north of Whitby, centred on Mulgrave castle above Lythe, held since 1197 by Robert of Thornham, a royal servant who was seneschal of Anjou under Richard, handed Chinon to John after Richard's death in 1199, and travels with John in Normandy and England.
He becomes seneschal of Poitou and Gascony in 1201.
Who he is
- Name
- Robert of Thornham (Turnham), husband of Isabella Fossard
- Title
- Lord of the Fossard barony by right of his wife
- Since
- 1197, when Richard gave him Isabella, daughter and heiress of William Fossard, with Mulgrave and 34 and a half knights' fees
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- Younger brother of Stephen of Thornham, a royal official. Isabella is the Fossard heiress. Their daughter Isabella will carry the barony to Peter de Mauley.
- Confidence
- high
Wikipedia (Robert of Thornham).
Overlord
King John
What it holds
- Mulgrave castle and Lythe
- The Fossard knights' fees (34 and a half) in Yorkshire
- Doncaster: the Fossards held it of the count of Mortain at Domesday, and the Mauleys, heirs of the Thornham marriage, are lords of Doncaster in the thirteenth century; the town has Richard's charter of 1194 (see Doncaster). Thornham's lordship there on 1 January 1200 is inferred, not pinned
How it was acquired
Marriage, 1197.
Allies and rivals
A close royal servant; neighbour of Whitby Abbey and the Brus.
How things stand that morning
Held, by an absentee lord in the king's household.
Wealth
Coastal manors and the knights' fees.
Military
Mulgrave castle (the old Fossard castle; the stone castle is later). No figures.
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.
- 1201 (after 1200)Appointed seneschal of Poitou and Gascony.Depends on: John's needs in Aquitaine Stopped by: Nothing likely
Places of note
- Mulgrave castle: Caput
Where the sources disagree
- The brief calls the barony 'Fossard'; the heiress is named Isabella in Wikipedia (some works say Joan).
Evidence: Wikipedia; the extent of the fee is given only as a number of fees.
On the map: Only the caput district is 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.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.