CHESTER WRITER

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INTRODUCTION

Despite his emphatic military victory over the English forces at Hastings, William the Duke of Normandy was not immediately welcomed or indeed accepted by the majority of the civilian population of Britain. Although much of southern England was said to have submitted to the new Norman monarch, the northern regions were thought to have largely retained their fealty and faithfulness to their earlier Anglo Saxon Lords.

Earl Edwin and his brother Morcar, who were the sons of Leofric of Mercia were both reported to have initially vowed loyalty to William and his administration, but were later thought to have initiated widespread opposition to the Normans and inevitably become the figureheads for the native English forces that opposed the military subjugation of their country. Along with the Welsh ruler of Gwynedd, Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, the two Anglo Saxon Earls were said to have orchestrated regional opposition to the French occupation, from Hereford in the south, through to York in the north.

In response to this continuing resistance, William was reported to have brought more French troops from the continent, as well as recruiting native Anglo Saxon Lords and landowners who were sympathetic to his claim for the throne. Many of these Norman supporters and particularly the leading Knights were reported to be little more than paid mercenaries however, who undertook their military service purely for personal gain, especially for the purpose of acquiring lands and titles within the newly conquered Anglo Saxon territories.....(continued)

WALTER DE GERBOD

Although generally acknowledged as the first Norman Earl of Chester to be appointed by William I following his victory over the Anglo Saxon king Harold, Walter has never received widespread recognition as the predecessor of the much better known Hugh D’Avranches. This historical oversight might in part be due to the fact that Gerbod was not regarded as the Earl of Chester in a civilian sense, but was in fact a military leader who had been in the military vanguard which had first pacified the region, rather than a later civil administrator.

Most records suggest that Walter had been actively involved in the subjugation of England from the time of William’s victory at Hastings, but having served the new king for a period of some four years, was anxious to return home to his family estates in Flanders. As Chester was the final point of resistance to Norman rule in England, it is entirely likely that Gerbod reluctantly agreed to participate in the final military campaign which was waged against the rebellious north western bases of the remaining Anglo Saxon forces.....(continued)

HUGH “LUPUS” D’AVRANCHES

Appointed by William the Conqueror to replace Walter de Gerbod in 1071, Hugh was the son of Richard of Goz, the Viscount of Avranches and Margaret, a sister of the newly crowned English King. He was said to have had two sisters, Judith and Mathilda and it was the second’s sister’s son Ranulph de Mescines who would later be granted the Earldom of Chester by the king Henry I.

Although it has often been presumed that Hugh was not present at Hastings due to his youth, it has been suggested that he remained in Normandy ostensibly to watch over the interests of his relatives that were campaigning in England, but was said to have provided a large number of the ships that transported William’s invasion force to England. It is known that William the Conqueror returned to the continent after Hastings and returned to Britain in 1067 in order to lead the militarily suppression of the rebel English nobles who were challenging his right to rule the kingdom. Sometime after 1068 and before receiving the Earldom of Chester, the young Hugh was recorded as having held Tutbury Castle, which is thought to have been built in the first round of Norman fortifications undertaken by William after his victory at Hastings.

In addition to his duties and responsibilities as the Earl of Chester, Hugh was also thought to have been appointed as the “sword bearer” of England, a post which involved the young Earl carrying the sword of St Edward, which is alternatively known as the “Curtana”, or the “Sword of Mercy” at state occasions. The weapon which is held by the British Museum bears the inscription “Hugo comes Cestriae” which translates as “Hugh our brother at Chester”. Married to Ermentrude of Claremont, Hugh was known to have had one legitimate heir, although he was reported to have sired numerous illegitimate children, most of which died in their infancy. His one and only legitimate son Richard, later married Maud, daughter of Stephen of Blois, who was a direct relative of William, the Duke of Normandy.....(continued)

RICHARD D’AVRANCHES

When his father Hugh Lupus died in July 1101 his 7 year old son Richard became heir to the Earldom of Chester, but as he was a minor was reported to have become the ward of the new king Henry I who had ascended the English throne in 1100, around a year before Hugh’s death.

With Henry as his guardian, the young Richard was said to have been raised and educated along with the monarchs own children at court, whilst at the same time his inheritance and entitlements were administered by the king and his agents. Towards the end of his minority, the young Earl was reported to have been betrothed to Maud, the daughter of Stephen of Blois, a political union which was designed to further strengthen the relationship between King Henry and his young ward.

Having reached his majority Richard was thought to have spent a good deal of time at his family’s estates in Normandy, as well as at Chester. He was said to have taken part in the military campaign against the rebel Welsh Prince Gruffudd  in 1114, but the Anglo-Norman force was unable to engage the rebels in a decisive battle and so were forced to agree an uneasy peace, which was to last through to the Welsh Prince’s death in 1137.....(continued)

RANULPH DE MESCHINES

Thought to have been born around 1070 in the Briquessart region of Normandy, Ranulph succeeded to the Earldom of Chester following the untimely death of his cousin, Richard D’Avranches, in the ill-fated “White Ship” disaster of 1120. He was the eldest son of Mathilda, who was also known as Margaret, the sister of the 2^nd Earl Hugh D’Avranches, who had married Ranulph de Meschines and was said to have had 2 younger brothers William and Geoffrey.

Also known as Ranulph of Briquesart, prior to being granted the Earldom of Chester he was reported to have previously held the title of Earl of Carlisle, as well as Viscount of Bayeux. However, on receiving the Earldom of Chester, Ranulph was required by King Henry I to surrender his holdings and titles in northern England, which he was said to have done gracefully.

Although the historical records of both his tenure and achievements are minimal, the lack of evidentiary materials seems to have little to do with Ranulph I himself, but appears to be a reflection of the shortness of his tenure as Earl and the fact that the northwest region of England was remarkably settled. Unlike earlier and later holders of the Earldom, the turbulent border region between England and Wales was reported to have been reasonably peaceful, apart from a dispute in 1121 which necessitated the king, Henry I having to lead a military campaign into the region to confront the forces of the Welsh ruler Gruffudd ap Cynan, who was busily engaged in extending his power and influence in North Wales.....(continued)

RANULPH DE GERNONS

Unlike his father, Ranulph II was neither an unremarkable or forgettable Earl of Chester, but rather was renowned as probably the most ruthless and ambitious individual ever to hold the title. He succeeded to the Earldom in 1129 and in the following 24 years, up until his death in 1153, he rose to become one of the most powerful and influential men in England.

When the monarch Henry I died in 1135, he was succeeded to the English throne by his nephew, the young Prince Stephen. However, his entitlement to rule was immediately challenged by Henry’s daughter, the Empress Mathilda, the widow of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V who had later married Geoffrey of Anjou. And who believed that her son Henry of Anjou was the legitimate heir to the Crown. She had found support amongst a large number of the leading Barons of England and her cause had been further helped by Stephen’s decision to seize the lands and estates of these already disaffected noblemen. Mathilda was also the aunt of Ranulph’s wife Maud and a sister of Robert Earl of Gloucester, De Gernon’s father in law.

Between 1139 and 1145 England was in an almost continuous state of crisis, as the two parties vied with one another for control of the country and the support of the country’s leading noblemen. Robert, the Earl of Gloucester who was the father-in-law of Ranulph II was reported to have been a noted campaigner for the Angevin claims of Mathilda and this relationship was thought to have been factor in Ranulph’s later decision to back the claim of the Empress.....(continued)

HUGH DE KEVELIOC

The eldest son of Ranulph de Gernon, Hugh was reported to have been born at Gyffylliog near Ruthin in North Wales in around 1147 and immediately inherited his father’s title on Ranulph’s death in 1153. As he would have been only 6 or 7 years old at the time of his succession, it was usual practice for such lands and estates to be managed on the minor’s behalf by an authorised guardian appointed by the king. Although it isn’t entirely clear what arrangements were made for the young Hugh Kevelioc, his inheritance of the title seems to have coincided with the reigns of two English monarchs, King Stephen who died in 1154 and his successor King Henry II who succeeded to the throne in the same year. Either one of these monarchs may have acted as a royal guardian for Hugh, until such time as he achieved his majority, but exactly which one is unclear.

By around 1165 Hugh was thought to have reached his majority and become responsible for the extensive lands and estates which had been bequeathed to him by his late father and which made him one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the whole of England. He was reported to have married Bertreda, the daughter of Baron Simon de Montford a leading nobleman of the age and between them had 6 children, Ranulph III, Maud, Mabel, Alice, Hawise and Margaret.

Ranulph III who was surnamed Blundeville, from his association with the market town of Oswestry in Shropshire, was Earl Hugh’s only son and therefore his legal heir. He was known to have married Constance of Brittany, the widow of Geoffrey of Plantagenet and mother to Arthur Plantagenet, a later claimant to the English throne. Hugh’s eldest daughter Maud was reported to have married David of Huntington and his second daughter Mabel, married William D’Aubigny. His third daughter Alice married William de Ferres and his fourth daughter Hawise married Robert de Quincy. Hugh’s youngest daughter, Margaret married John de Lacy, an individual whose successors would be inextricably linked to the Earls of Chester.....(continued)

RANULPH BLUNDEVILLE

Generally associated with the Oswestry area of Shropshire, Ranulph Blundeville succeeded his father Hugh II Keveliok as Earl of Chester in 1181 and retained the title through to his own death in 1232, a period of 51 years. He was thought to have inherited the title when he was only 11 years of age and during his minority his inheritance was reported to have been administered first by Gilbert Pipard and later by Bertram de Verdon on the instructions of the monarch Henry II.

Unlike his two immediate predecessors, his father and grandfather, Ranulph III does not appear to have been involved in any plotting or scheming against the Crown, but rather proved to be a highly pragmatic, politically astute individual who sought to expand his holdings, wealth and influence through amicable and astute relationships, as well as wise counsel. His first marriage, which was almost entirely political for the 20 year old Ranulph, was to Constance of Brittany, the widow of Geoffrey of Plantagenet and mother of Arthur Plantagenet, a future claimant to the English Crown.

This particular union made Ranulph III a son-in-law to the monarch Henry II and to his successor Richard I, later more famously known as the “Lionheart”. The marriage to Constance also entitled him as the Duke of Brittany as well as Earl of Richmond. In 1194, the Earl of Chester was said to have famously opposed King Richard’s younger brother Prince John, who tried to seize control of England while his older sibling was held prisoner abroad. Along with a number of other leading nobles, Blundeville was reported to have besieged John and his supporters at Nottingham Castle, but it was only when Richard finally returned to England later in the same year that the garrison finally surrendered to the royalist forces. At Richard’s second coronation, which took place at Winchester on 17^th April 1194, Ranulph III of Chester was reported to have carried the “Curtana” or the “Sword of Mercy”, one of the 3 swords of state and signifying the young Earl’s high standing within England.....(continued)

JOHN THE SCOT

Because of his uncle’s lack of a legitimate heir, the Earldom of Chester was automatically granted to John, the son of Blundeville’s oldest sister Maud and her husband David of Huntington. Although he inherited much of the late Ranulph’s estates in and around Cheshire itself, large parts of the late Earl’s holdings outside of the county were thought to have been divided up between his surviving relatives. Initially content with their individual legacies, unfortunately it wasn’t too long before certain beneficiaries and their agents began to challenge their level of entitlement, causing the matter to become embroiled in a mass of legal wrangling and extensive litigation.

As for Earl John himself, there appears to be little to singularly identify him as being either notable or remarkable during his tenure at Chester, but rather he seems to have been a fairly insignificant figure, when compared to his better known and often nationally renowned ancestors. It has been said that John was the last Norman Earl to carry the “Curtana” or “Sword of Mercy” at the marriage of King Henry III to his future Queen, Eleanor. He also benefited from the earlier peace agreements that had been made between the English king, Henry III and the Welsh ruler Llewellyn ap Iorwerth which saw the turbulent border region settled and peaceful. It was only in the same year that Scot died, that the Welsh ruler himself was reported to have suffered a stroke and then been succeeded by his two sons Dafydd and Gruffudd who would later reignite the conflict between the two countries, leading to further destruction and bloodshed.....(continued)