Rochester castle

Who he is

Name

Hubert Walter, archbishop of Canterbury, by the grant of Henry I to his see

Title

Keeper of Rochester castle

Since

His archbishopric, 1193

Born

About 1160

Family

Nephew of Ranulf de Glanvill, the old justiciar.

Confidence

medium

Henry I granted the custody of Rochester castle to Archbishop William of Corbeil and his successors in 1127, and the archbishop built the great keep. The archbishops kept it, by a castellan of their own, into John's reign; it is in Archbishop Langton's keeping in 1215. The name of Hubert Walter's castellan in 1200 is not pinned.

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• The castle and keep at the Medway bridge
• Castle-guard owed by Kentish tenants

How it was acquired

Royal grant of 1127 to the see of Canterbury.

Allies and rivals

The archbishop and the king are one interest this winter.

How things stand that morning

Royal castle in the archbishop's keeping, at peace.

Wealth

Castle-guard rents; nothing else of note.

Military

One of the strongest keeps in England. Besieged by John in 1215 (far ahead).

Threats

• A quarrel between king and archbishop would make its custody a question

Places of note

• Rochester castle keep: Archbishop William of Corbeil's tower

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The 1127 grant and the keep are well known; the castellan's name in 1200 is not pinned.

On the map: A disc for the castle 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.