Montalt

Who he is

Name

Ralph de Montalt (died about 1200) or his son Roger de Montalt (died 1232), who is steward in 1215 (Magna Carta of Chester); which of them holds on 1 January 1200 is not pinned

Title

Baron of Montalt and hereditary steward (dapifer) of the earl of Chester

Since

Not pinned

Born

Ralph about 1155, Roger about 1160 (family lists of uncertain quality)

Family

Descended from Hugh FitzNorman, the Domesday tenant; the name comes from Monte Alto, the castle mound at Mold

Confidence

low

Magna Carta of Chester (Wikipedia) for Roger in 1215; the family list in Wikipedia (Eustace de Montaut) for Ralph's death about 1200; Brut y Tywysogion for the loss of Mold in 1199.

Overlord

Ranulf III, earl of Chester

What it holds

• Hawarden castle and its district (held)
• Mold castle and Ystrad Alun (lost to Llywelyn ap Iorwerth in 1199; claimed)
• The stewardship of the earl's household and lands

How it was acquired

Hereditary since the late eleventh century.

Allies and rivals

The earl's officers; Llywelyn ap Iorwerth holds their chief castle.

How things stand that morning

Hawarden held; Mold in Welsh hands since 1199.

Wealth

Small: the lands round Hawarden and the steward's fees.

Military

Hawarden castle (motte and bailey; the stone castle is later). No figures.

Threats

• Llywelyn's men at Mold, a few miles away

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. Through 1200Mold stays Welsh; the steward and the earl have no force in the field to retake it.Depends on: The earl's absence and Llywelyn's strength Stopped by: A royal campaign in North Wales

Places of note

• Hawarden castle: The steward's castle, held
• Mold (Bailey Hill): Taken by Llywelyn in 1199

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The office and the castles are certain; the holder that winter is not.

On the map: Rough: the bounds of the two lordships in 1200 are not known in detail.

Primary sources for Chester

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.

• The Charter Rolls of King John (1199 to 1216, at the royal chancery). The enrolled charters of John's first years, beginning with his accession in 1199: confirmations to towns, bishoprics and abbeys, grants of land and office, and the great grants to men like William Marshal and the king's new allies in Poitou. Read online
• The Great Rolls of the Pipe for 1199 and Michaelmas 1200 (1199 and 1200, at the Exchequer). The audited accounts of every sheriff and farmer for the Exchequer year ending Michaelmas 1200: county farms, the scutage of 1199, the carucage of 1200, debts of magnates and towns, wardships, and the fines offered to the new king.