Warwick

Who he is

Name

Waleran de Beaumont (Waleran de Newburgh)

Title

Earl of Warwick

Since

1184, on the death of his childless elder brother Earl William, who left debts and depleted estates

Born

Probably 1137-41 (inferred)

Family

Married first Margaret de Bohun, daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, mother of the heir Henry (a boy, born about 1192; he marries Margaret d'Oilly in 1204) and of Gundreda; married secondly Alice, daughter of Robert de Harcourt, mother of Waleran and Alice.

Confidence

high

Carried the sword of state at the coronations of Richard and of John (27 May 1199). Richard restored the earl's third penny of Warwickshire, which his brother had lost.

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• Warwick castle and the borough of Warwick (see Warwick)
• The third penny of Warwickshire
• Sutton Coldfield and its chase
• Brailes and other demesne manors in Warwickshire
• Greetham and Cottesmore in Rutland
• The service of the honour's knights, including the Arden kin (Arden)
• Patronage of the priory of the Holy Sepulchre and St Michael's hospital at Warwick

How it was acquired

The Newburgh earldom since about 1088; inherited in 1184.

Allies and rivals

A loyalist in John's rebellion of 1193-94. Neighbours: the earl of Chester at Coventry, the earl of Leicester at Hinckley, the Marmions at Tamworth; the Beauchamps of Elmley later claim the earldom through his daughter Alice.

How things stand that morning

Holds Warwick in peace; at court for the coronation in May 1199.

Wealth

Limited: his brother left debts and Waleran sold parts of Sutton forest. The third penny and Warwick's tolls.

Military

Warwick castle; the honour's knights.

Threats

• Debt
• A minor heir if he dies (he dies in December 1204)

Places of note

• Warwick castle: Earl's castle on the Avon

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Succession and family from the Wikipedia article (based on Crouch); manors partial.

On the map: The demesne round Warwick is approximate.

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.