Huntingdon (Earl David)

Who he is

Name

David of Scotland (David of Huntingdon)

Title

Earl of Huntingdon (the honour of Huntingdon); in Scotland lord of Garioch and Dundee

Since

Henry II restored the honour of Huntingdon to William the Lion in 1185, after Simon de Senlis died in 1184, and William gave it to David; held under Richard and John

Born

1152

Family

Younger brother of William the Lion. Married Matilda of Chester, sister of Earl Ranulf, on 26 August 1190. Children: Margaret (born about 1194), Isabel (born 1199: whether before 1 January 1200 is not pinned), Ada and Matilda (birth dates not given), and sons Henry and Robert who died young; John, the future earl, is born in 1207. He was heir presumptive to the Scottish throne until Alexander was born on 24 August 1198.

Confidence

high

The honour is English ground (realm england); his Scottish lands are in the sco records.

Overlord

King John (for Huntingdon); King William (for Garioch and Dundee)

What it holds

• Fotheringhay castle and manor on the Nene
• The slighted castle site at Huntingdon and the earl's third penny of the shire
• Yardley Hastings and other Northamptonshire manors
• Kempston and Potton in Bedfordshire
• Great Paxton in Huntingdonshire
• Tottenham in Middlesex (ese's ground)
• The honour's knights' fees across six shires

How it was acquired

Through his grandmother Matilda, daughter of Earl Waltheof, wife of David I of Scotland: the Scottish kings' claim to Huntingdon against the Senlis earls, settled for them in 1185.

Allies and rivals

William the Lion, his brother; Ranulf of Chester, his brother-in-law; the earl of Derby, also married to a sister of Ranulf. The Northumberland question: William the Lion wants Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmorland back and has pressed John since his accession; David stands between the two kings.

How things stand that morning

Holds the honour in John's peace. He is recorded at John's coronation on 27 May 1199 and served as the go-between with William the Lion (Howden). William's homage to John is not until 22 November 1200, so the northern claim is open.

Wealth

Rich Nene and Ouse valley manors; the third penny of Huntingdonshire.

Military

Fotheringhay castle; the honour's knights. In Scotland he leads his own men (sco).

Threats

• A break between John and William the Lion over the northern counties would put the honour at risk

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. 22 November 1200William the Lion does homage to John at Lincoln, saving his right; the northern claim is deferred, not settled.Depends on: William coming south under safe conduct Stopped by: a breakdown over Northumberland

Places of note

• Fotheringhay castle: Earl's castle on the Nene
• Huntingdon castle: Slighted after 1174

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Family and dates from the Wikipedia article (based on Stringer); the manor list is partial and from the later partition of the honour.

On the map: Only the main demesne manors are drawn; the honour's fees were spread over six shires.

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.