Rochester

Who holds it

Name

King John, by his reeve

Title

Lord of the city

Since

Royal city

Confidence

medium

A small royal city under a reeve; the bishop of Rochester (Gilbert Glanvill, since 1185) and his cathedral priory hold much of it, and the castle is in the archbishop of Canterbury's keeping. Rochester's own charters are not pinned for this date.

Lord in 1200

The king (reeve); the bishop and priory hold their own fee; the castle is the archbishop's to keep.

Overlord

King John

Allies and rivals

The bishop and his monks; the archbishop's castellan.

How things stand that morning

At peace.

Wealth

The bridge traffic and the river. No figures.

Military

The castle (archbishop's custody) and the walls.

Charter

Not pinned for 1199.

Council

The king's reeve and the citizens.

Communities

The cathedral priory of St Andrew; a small Jewish presence is not pinned.

Militia

Not recorded.

Walls and castle

Roman walls; the castle and great keep (Rochester castle).

Trade and crafts

River trade and the Medway oyster fisheries; travellers on the London road.

Places of note

• Medway bridge: Watling Street crossing

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The city's own institutions in 1200 are not pinned.

On the map: The city only.

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.