Marlborough (keeper)

Who he is

Name

Hugh de Neville

Title

Keeper of Marlborough for the king; chief forester of England

Since

1194 (custody of the town of Marlborough); chief forester since 1198

Born

Not pinned (dies 1234)

Family

A companion of Richard I on crusade; married about 1198 to Joan, daughter of Henry of Cornhill, whose wardship he had bought in 1194

Confidence

medium

His biography records custody of the town of Marlborough from 1194 and his surrender of Marlborough castle to Prince Louis in 1216; that he held the castle itself on 1 January 1200 is likely but not pinned. He was sheriff of Oxfordshire 1196-99 and of Essex and Hertfordshire 1197-1200.

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• Custody of the town (since 1194) and, very likely, the castle of Marlborough
• As chief forester: the king's forests throughout England, with their courts and revenues
• Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire (1197-1200; south-east researcher's ground)

How it was acquired

Royal appointments by Richard I (1194, 1198), continued by John.

Allies and rivals

Trusted by John; hated by every shire under the forest law.

How things stand that morning

Keeper of Marlborough and chief forester.

Wealth

The profits of office. No figures.

Military

Marlborough castle on its great mound.

Threats

• The shires' hatred of the forest law

Places of note

• Marlborough castle: Royal castle

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Offices from his Wikipedia biography; the castle custody that winter is inferred.

On the map: Only the castle and town are drawn; the forests are drawn under the king (King's demesne (south-west)).

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.