Barons and castellans · Lands of John and Eleanor · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Tancarville

One of the greatest Norman baronies: the cliff-top castle of Tancarville on the Seine estuary, lands in the Lillebonne forest and the Caux, the hereditary chamberlainship of Normandy, and the patronage of the abbey of Saint-Georges-de-Boscherville below Rouen.

In the 1160s a Tancarville could bring about a hundred knights to the duke's summons (French Wikipedia).

Who he is

Name
The head of the Tancarville family (Ralph or William of Tancarville: not pinned)
Title
Hereditary chamberlain of Normandy, lord of Tancarville
Since
Not pinned
Family
The Tancarville chamberlains, patrons of Saint-Georges-de-Boscherville; William 'the young' died on crusade in 1193; Ralph (about 1150-1204) and William (about 1152-1214) are named in the family's genealogy, which the sources give inconsistently
Confidence
low

French Wikipedia's genealogy is confused for these years; which member holds the chamberlainship on 1 January 1200 is not pinned. John confiscated the family's English lands in 1204.

Overlord

John, duke of Normandy

What it holds

  • Castle of Tancarville on the Seine estuary
  • Lands in the Lillebonne forest and the Caux
  • The chamberlainship of Normandy
  • Patronage of Saint-Georges-de-Boscherville

How it was acquired

Inherited since the eleventh century.

How things stand that morning

Held under John.

Wealth

Estuary tolls and fisheries, salt, the Caux grain lands.

Military

Castle of Tancarville commanding the estuary.

Places of note

  • Saint-Georges-de-Boscherville: Abbey founded by the Tancarvilles

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Barony and office certain; the holder this winter not pinned.

On the map: Castle district only.

Primary sources for Angevin lands

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 Alberic of Trois-Fontaines, Alberic of Trois-Fontaines (about 1227 to 1241, at the Cistercian abbey of Trois-Fontaines in Champagne). The widest net of any Latin chronicle for 1200, compiled from dozens of sources, many now lost. Read online
  • Chronicles of Saint-Martial of Limoges, Bernard Itier and other monks of Saint-Martial; Geoffrey of Vigeois for the earlier chronicle (Geoffrey's chronicle to 1184; Bernard Itier's notes about 1195 to 1225). Bernard Itier, librarian of Saint-Martial, kept dated notes through 1200 of what reached Limoges: Richard's death at Chalus in 1199, the viscounts of Limoges and the lords of the Limousin, John's passage through Aquitaine in 1200 and the affairs of Angouleme and the Lusignans, and the abbey's own elections and prices. Read online
  • Chronicles of the Churches of Anjou (Saint-Aubin, Saint-Serge, Saint-Florent and others), Various (monks of Angers and the Loire) (11th to 13th centuries; the Saint-Aubin annals run to the 1220s). The Angevin houses' own annals of the succession crisis in their city: Arthur received at Angers in 1199 with Constance and the Breton and Angevin barons, John's counter-moves, the defection of William des Roches and the Angevin lords to John, and the peace of 1200 that left Arthur John's vassal. Read online
  • The Great Chronicle of Tours, Anonymous (a canon of Saint-Martin of Tours) (about 1227). The Loire valley's view of the Angevin succession. Read online
  • Universal Chronicle of the Anonymous of Laon, Anonymous (an English-born canon of Laon) (about 1219). A Picard chronicle whose author had lived in England and keeps an eye on both kingdoms. Read online
  • Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for 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

14 more in the sources library for France and Iberia.

Sources and studies

  1. Wikipedia (fr): Famille de Tancarville

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.