Winchelsea

Who holds it

Name

The abbot of Fecamp, as lord of the manor of Rameslie

Title

Lord of the town

Since

Before the Conquest (Cnut's grant, confirmed by William I)

Confidence

medium

Old Winchelsea and Rye lie in the manor of Rameslie, which the Norman abbey of Fecamp holds until Henry III takes them back in 1247. Henry II's charters to Winchelsea and Rye refer to 'the barons of Hastings and the Cinque Ports'; by 1190 the two towns are joined to the ports as the 'ancient towns'. The old town stood on a shingle spit east of the present one and was destroyed by the sea between 1250 and 1287.

Lord in 1200

The abbot of Fecamp (manor of Rameslie); the townsmen hold the liberties of the Cinque Ports.

Overlord

King John

Allies and rivals

Rye, its partner; Hastings.

How things stand that morning

At peace and prosperous.

Wealth

Wine trade and fishing. No figures.

Military

Ship service.

Threats

• The sea

Charter

Henry II's charters to the men of Winchelsea and Rye; a 1199 charter of John not pinned.

Council

The barons of Winchelsea with their own court; the abbot's bailiff.

Communities

Seamen and merchants; the abbey's officers.

Militia

Ship service with Hastings.

Walls and castle

None recorded for the old town.

Trade and crafts

Wine from Gascony and Poitou; fishing; shipbuilding.

Places of note

• Old Winchelsea (site lost to the sea): Approximate site of the old town

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Lordship known; the old town's institutions are thin.

On the map: The old town's site is lost to the sea; drawn at the present Winchelsea.

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.