The Iron Age hill-fort above the Avon holds both a royal castle and the cathedral of Salisbury, and the two get on badly: soldiers and canons quarrel over water, access and space, and the wind howls round the church.
Bishop Herbert Poore already wants to move the cathedral down to the meadows, a move his brother Richard will make after 1220. The borough below is small; the market and wool trade of the area also run to Wilton.
Who holds it
- Name
- King John (the castle and borough) and the bishop of Salisbury, Herbert Poore (the cathedral and close)
- Title
- Lords of the hill
- Confidence
- high
The new city of Salisbury in the meadows does not yet exist: the cathedral moves there only from 1220.
Lord in 1200
The king holds the castle and the borough; the bishop and canons the cathedral inside the ramparts.
How things stand that morning
Shared, uneasily, by castle and church.
Charter
Not pinned for 1200.
Communities
The cathedral clergy, among them some of the leading English scholars of the day.
Militia
The castle garrison is the king's.
Walls and castle
The ancient ramparts; the royal castle in the inner ring.
Trade and crafts
Wool and the cathedral's custom.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The tension on the hill and the later move are well known; the borough's institutions in 1200 are not.
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.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.