Leeds (Crevecoeur)

Who he is

Name

The Crevecoeur family (a Robert de Crevecoeur, Daniel's successor, on the likeliest reading; not pinned)

Title

Lord of Leeds

Since

Not pinned

Family

Descendants of Robert de Crevecoeur, who rebuilt Leeds castle in stone in 1119; the family holds it until the 1260s.

Confidence

low

Hasted gives the line as Robert de Crevequer (founder of Leeds priory with his son Adam in 1119), Daniel, a Robert who confirmed the canons' gifts, and Hamon (died 1263), joint warden of the Cinque Ports under Henry III; he names no holder for 1199-1200. The barony was held of the king as of Dover castle and consisted of five knights' fees (Hasted). The Robert who followed Daniel is the likeliest lord in 1200, but this is not pinned.

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• Leeds castle and manor
• Leeds priory, the family's foundation (1119)
• Knights' fees owing castle-guard at Dover

How it was acquired

Held by the Crevecoeurs since the early twelfth century.

Allies and rivals

Neighbours: the archbishop of Canterbury at Maidstone.

How things stand that morning

Held in peace; lord not pinned.

Wealth

Mid-Kent manors. No figures.

Military

Leeds castle; the barony's five knights' fees owed to Dover castle (Hasted).

Places of note

• Leeds castle: Crevecoeur castle on the Len

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The castle and family are known; the holder in 1200 is not pinned.

On the map: The caput 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.