Royal castellans

Who he is

Name

The sheriffs of the shires and keepers named by the king (see holds)

Title

Constables and keepers of the royal castles

Since

Various; most sheriffs listed were appointed under Richard and kept by John in 1199

Confidence

medium

A sheriff normally held the castle of his shire town. Where a separate constable is known it is named; elsewhere the keeper on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• Nottingham castle: under the sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire (William Brewer, sheriff since 1194, until 1200); a separate constable is not pinned
• The castle of the Peak (Peveril, Castleton) and Bolsover castle: Peverel castles in the king's hand; keepers not pinned
• Horston castle (Horsley, Derbyshire): royal; keeper not pinned
• Northampton castle: under Simon of Pattishall, sheriff of Northamptonshire 1195-1203
• Rockingham castle: royal castle of Rockingham forest; keeper not pinned
• Kenilworth castle: royal since 1174 (William Longchamp gave it to Hugh Bardolf in 1190); keeper on 1 January 1200 not pinned
• Norwich castle: under Robert FitzRoger, sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk from Michaelmas 1197 to Easter 1200
• Orford castle: royal, built by Henry II in 1165-73; FitzRoger had custody under Longchamp in 1190-94; keeper in 1199 not pinned
• Eye castle: the honour's castle; FitzRoger had custody under Longchamp; keeper in 1199 not pinned
• Cambridge castle: under Robert de Lisle, sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire from Michaelmas 1197
• Worcester castle: the shire castle, under the sheriff (not pinned for 1 January 1200; William de Cantilupe from 1200; see Worcestershire)
• Newcastle-under-Lyme: royal castle and borough; keeper not pinned
• Lincoln castle: Gerard de Camville and Nicola de la Haye (Lincoln castle (Camville and Haye))

How it was acquired

Royal castles from the Conquest (Nottingham, Northampton, Lincoln, Norwich, Cambridge, Worcester), from Henry II (Orford, Kenilworth taken from the Clintons in 1174) and by escheat (the Peak, Bolsover, Horston, Eye).

Allies and rivals

The constables answer to the justiciar Geoffrey FitzPeter and the Exchequer.

How things stand that morning

All in royal hands and at peace. Nottingham and Tickhill were the last castles to hold out for John against Richard in 1194; John trusts the region.

Wealth

The castle-guard owed by the honours' knights; the castle works paid from the shire farms.

Military

Nottingham and Kenilworth are the strongest. Orford's polygonal keep is the most modern in East Anglia. No garrison figures are given in the sources used here.

Threats

• None pressing in the winter of 1199-1200

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. Easter 1200Custody changes with the shrievalties (Hugh Bardolf takes Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in 1200).Depends on: the king's appointments Stopped by: the sitting sheriffs being kept

Places of note

• Nottingham castle: Royal castle on the rock above the Trent
• Castle of the Peak: Royal (Peverel) castle at Castleton
• Bolsover castle: Royal (Peverel) castle
• Horston castle: Royal castle near Derby
• Northampton castle: Royal castle and council seat
• Rockingham castle: Royal castle above the Welland
• Kenilworth castle: Royal since 1174
• Norwich castle: Royal castle, shire seat
• Orford castle: Henry II's coastal castle
• Cambridge castle: Royal shire castle
• Worcester castle: Shire castle by the cathedral
• Newcastle-under-Lyme: Royal castle

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The sheriffs are firm; separate constables for 1199-1200 are mostly not pinned.

On the map: Castles drawn as small discs; their lands are in the king's and the shires' records.

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.