Totnes

Who he is

Name

The Nonant lord of Totnes (usually named as Henry de Nonant, the last of his line)

Title

Lord of Totnes

Since

Not pinned

Born

Not pinned

Family

Descendant of Roger de Nonant, to whom William II gave Totnes after expelling Juhel of Totnes

Confidence

low

The Nonants held Totnes for three generations; in 1206, after the last Nonant's death, William de Braose recovered half the barony as Juhel's heir through Aenor. The name Henry de Nonant comes from the usual account of the barony and is not verified in the sources checked here.

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• Totnes castle and borough, at the lowest bridging point of the Dart
• Manors of the barony in the South Hams
• Patronage of Totnes Priory, Juhel's foundation

How it was acquired

Granted by William II to Roger de Nonant after Juhel's fall.

Allies and rivals

William de Braose claims through Aenor; the Pomeroys of Berry Pomeroy are the near neighbours.

How things stand that morning

Held by the Nonant lord; the Braose claim to half is dormant until 1206.

Wealth

The Dart river trade down to Dartmouth, tin from the Dartmoor edge, cloth in the borough. No figures.

Military

Totnes castle (motte and bailey).

Threats

• The Braose claim
• No direct heir

Places of note

• Totnes castle: Caput

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The Nonant tenure and the Braose recovery of 1206 are attested; the holder's name on 1 January 1200 is not pinned in the sources checked.

On the map: Only the caput district is drawn.

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.