Richmond

Who he is

Name

Constance, duchess of Brittany, now wife of Guy of Thouars; in practice the honour is probably in the king's hand, with the castle kept by its constable, Roald (Ruald son of Alan)

Title

Countess of Richmond in her own right (the honour of the dukes of Brittany)

Since

Constance inherited in 1171 and entered her inheritance in 1183-84. Ranulf of Chester held it in her right from 1189; she left him in 1197-98 and married Guy of Thouars in September or October 1199

Born

Constance about 1161; she dies on 5 September 1201

Family

Mother of Arthur, duke of Brittany (born 1187), and of Eleanor, by Geoffrey Plantagenet; Guy of Thouars' daughter Alix is born in 1200.

Confidence

low

VCH North Riding (honour of Richmond): the VCH has no keeper for 1199-1200 and says Guy was recognised as tenant only in December 1201; the castle 'seems to have stayed in John's hands throughout this period'. That the honour was taken into the king's hand in 1199 is an inference from Constance's and Arthur's alliance with Philip, not a recorded act.

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• Richmond castle (the stone keep of the 1170s) and the borough of Richmond (Richmond)
• Richmondshire: Gilling, Catterick, Middleham, Bedale, Masham's overlordship and the rest of the wapentakes of Gilling, Hang and Hallikeld, largely held by sub-tenants (the lords of Middleham, Ravensworth and others)
• The southern fees in Lincolnshire (Boston), Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and elsewhere (emd and ese)
• Bowes castle, built by Henry II on the honour's land (royal: see King's demesne (North))

How it was acquired

Granted to Count Alan the Red after 1069; inherited by Constance from Conan IV.

Allies and rivals

Constance and Guy are John's enemies as Arthur's guardians; Ranulf of Chester, her former husband, is John's man.

How things stand that morning

Legally Constance's; in practice under royal control (low confidence). The sub-tenants hold their fees. In December 1201 Guy of Thouars is recognised as tenant; in 1203 the honour is forfeited and granted to the earl of Leicester; in 1205 Richmondshire goes to Ranulf of Chester.

Wealth

Swaledale and Wensleydale wool and lead, the Richmond market, the sub-tenants' services.

Military

Richmond castle; about fifty knights' fees in Richmondshire, owing castle-guard at Richmond (VCH).

Threats

• Forfeiture if Constance and Guy remain with Arthur against John

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 May 1200Le Goulet: Arthur is to hold Brittany of John. A reconciled Breton house could reclaim Richmond.Depends on: The treaty and Constance's acceptance Stopped by: Continued Breton defiance
2. December 1201 (after 1200)Guy of Thouars is recognised as tenant of the honour (VCH).Depends on: Constance's death (5 September 1201) and a deal with John Stopped by: War with the Bretons

Places of note

• Richmond castle: Caput; constable Roald (Ruald son of Alan)
• Middleham: Sub-tenant's castle (the lords of Middleham)

Where the sources disagree

• The brief asks who holds Richmond that morning. No source checked names a keeper for 1199-1200: the campaign may rule either that the king holds it (most likely) or that Constance's officers still collect its revenues.

Evidence: The honour's descent is well known; its custody between Constance's remarriage (autumn 1199) and December 1201 is not recorded in the sources checked.

On the map: Drawn as the three wapentakes; Allertonshire (the bishop of Durham's) to the east is left out.

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.