Barony of Halton

Last updated

Barony of Halton
Creation date1071
First holderNigel of Cotentin
Last holder Henry Bolingbroke
StatusExtinct (merged in the Crown)
Extinction date30 September 1399
Former seat(s) Halton Castle
Arms Arms of the Baron of Halton (modern).svg
Mesne lord of the Earl of Chester

The Barony of Halton, in Cheshire, England, comprised a succession of 15 barons and hereditary Constables of Chester under the overlordship of the Earl of Chester. It was not an English feudal barony granted by the king [lower-alpha 1] but a separate class of barony within the County Palatine of Chester.

Contents

Creation of the barony

After the Norman conquest, William the Conqueror created the three earldoms of Shrewsbury, Hereford and Chester to protect his border with Wales. In 1071, the Earl of Chester, Hugh Lupus, made his cousin, Nigel of Cotentin, the 1st Baron of Halton. [2] Halton was a village in Cheshire which is now part of the town of Runcorn. At its centre is a rocky prominence on which was built Halton Castle, the seat of the barons of Halton.

List of barons

Nigel of Cotentin

(c. 1071–1080)

Nigel was the hereditary Constable of Chester. In 1077 he fought against the Welsh at the Battle of Rhuddlan. [3] It is almost certain that he built a motte-and-bailey castle on Halton Hill. [4]

William fitz Nigel

(1080–1134)

William fitz Nigel, Nigel's son, was also marshal of the Earls' host, which was an important position in the Norman military hierarchy. In addition to his land in Halton, his estate included land in other parts of Cheshire and also in Normandy. [5] He married the eldest daughter of Yorfid, on whose death without a male heir the Lancashire manors of Widnes, Appleton, Cronton and Rainhill came to his son-in-law, William. [2] In 1115 William established a priory of the Augustinian Order of Canons Regular in Runcorn. [6] He was buried at Chester. [7]

William fitz William

(1134–1150)

William, son of William fitz Nigel, in 1134 he moved the priory from Runcorn to a site to the east of Halton. This became Norton Priory. [8] William died childless in Normandy. [9]

Eustace fitz John

(1150–1157)

Eustace fitz John succeeded to Halton as husband of the elder sister of William fitz William. He had inherited the barony of Knaresborough and by an earlier marriage had also gained the baronies of Malton and Alnwick. [9] He was killed fighting the Welsh. [6]

Richard fitz Eustace

(1157–1171)

Richard, son of Eustace fitz John, married the eventual heiress to the de Lacy family of Pontefract, whose inheritance was eventually acquired by their grandson Roger. [10]

John fitz Richard

(1171–1190)

John, son of Richard fitz Eustace, was a governor in Ireland for Henry II. Being a patron of science, he maintained an astronomer at Halton Castle. He founded a Cistercian monastery at Stanlow. [9] In 1190 he granted the second known charter for a ferry at Runcorn Gap. He served with Richard I in the Third Crusade and died at the siege of Acre. [11]

Roger de Lacy

(1190–1211)

Born as Roger fitz John, the son of John fitz Richard, he adopted the surname of de Lacy. He was a renowned soldier and was nicknamed "Hell" Lacy for his military daring. In 1192 he was also serving with Richard I in the Third Crusade. Later he served King John in the unsuccessful attempt to thwart the French conquest of Normandy following which he was made High Sheriff of Lancashire. He was buried in the abbey founded by his father at Stanlow. [11] [12]

John de Lacy

(1211–1240)

John de Lacy, son of Roger, opposed King John and was one of the barons entrusted with the duty of ensuring that the king kept the agreements made in Magna Carta. By marriage he gained more titles, including that of the Earldom of Lincoln. He also gained the manor and the castle of Bolingbroke. He was also buried at Stanlow. [13]

Edmund de Lacy

(1240–1258)

Of Edmund de Lacy, son of John, little is known except that he was also buried at Stanlow. [14]

Henry de Lacy

(1258–1311)

Henry de Lacy, son of Edmund, was educated at court and became Chief Councillor to Edward I. While the king was engaged on military conflicts with the Scots, Henry was appointed Protector of the Realm. [13] He transferred the monastery from Stanlow to Whalley. [11] He died at his London home, Lincoln's Inn and was buried in the old St Paul's Cathedral. [13]

Thomas, Earl of Lancaster

(1311–1322)

Thomas gained the barony of Halton though his marriage to Alice, Henry's daughter. He took up arms against Edward II in 1322. However this rebellion was unsuccessful. He was defeated at the Battle of Boroughbridge and then imprisoned in his own castle at Pontefract. A few days later he was beheaded outside the city and his titles forfeited to the Crown. Later a cult of martyrdom developed around him. [11]

Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster or Sir William Glinton

(1322–1351)

Thomas was posthumously pardoned by Edward III and in 1327, Thomas's titles were restored to his brother, Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster. [15]

It has also been suggested that the title succeeded to Sir William Glinton. He was a distinguished knight who may have held the honour as a non-hereditary arrangement or he may have held it during the life of Alice, widow of Thomas of Lancaster. [13]

Henry Grosmont

(1351–1361)

Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, nephew of the 2nd Earl and son of the 3rd, next succeeded to the barony of Halton. He was appointed as the 1st Duke of Lancaster, one of the first Knights of the Order of the Garter. [16] He served the king in France and died of the plague. [13] He was buried at Leicester. [17]

John of Gaunt

(1361–1399)

John of Gaunt gained the barony by his marriage to Blanche, daughter and heiress of the 13th baron. He was appointed regent during the infancy of Richard II. [13] He was also buried in St Paul's Cathedral. [17]

Henry Bolingbroke

(1399–1413)

Henry Bolingbroke was the eldest son of John of Gaunt. He was banished from England by Richard II and at the time of his father's death he was in exile in France. When he returned to England to claim his estates the people rallied round him. Richard II was deposed and Henry was crowned King Henry IV. Henry procured an Act of Parliament to ordain that the Duchy of Lancaster would remain in the personal possession of the reigning monarch and the barony of Halton is now vested in that dukedom. [18]

Notes

  1. ↑ This source (Sanders, I. J. (1960), p.138, note 4), English Baronies) does not list the barony of Halton as a feudal barony but refers to the "Lord of Halton, hereditary constable of the County Palatine" (i.e. of Chester). [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runcorn</span> Town in England

Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England. Its population in 2021 was 62,100. Runcorn is on the southern bank of the River Mersey, where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster</span> English noble

Henry, 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster was a grandson of King Henry III of England (1216–1272) and was one of the principals behind the deposition of King Edward II (1307–1327), his first cousin.

de Lacy

de Lacy is the surname of an old Norman family which originated from Lassy, Calvados. The family took part in the Norman Conquest of England and the later Norman invasion of Ireland. The name is first recorded for Hugh de Lacy (1020–1085). His sons, Walter and Ilbert, left Normandy and travelled to England with William the Conqueror. The awards of land by the Conqueror to the de Lacy sons led to two distinct branches of the family: the northern branch, centred on Blackburnshire and west Yorkshire was held by Ilbert's descendants; the southern branch of Marcher Lords, centred on Herefordshire and Shropshire, was held by Walter's descendants.

The Abbey of St. Mary at Stanlaw, was a Cistercian foundation situated on Stanlaw - now Stanlow Point, on the banks of the River Mersey in the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England, near Ellesmere Port, 11 km north of Chester Castle and 12 km south-west of Halton Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norton Priory</span> Historic site in Norton, Runcorn, Cheshire, England

Norton Priory is a historic site in Norton, Runcorn, Cheshire, England, comprising the remains of an abbey complex dating from the 12th to 16th centuries, and an 18th-century country house; it is now a museum. The remains are a scheduled ancient monument and are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. They are considered to be the most important monastic remains in Cheshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halton Castle</span> Castle ruins in Cheshire, England

Halton Castle is a castle in the village of Halton, part of the town of Runcorn, Cheshire, England. The castle is on the top of Halton Hill, a sandstone prominence overlooking the village. The original building, a motte-and-bailey castle began in 1071, was replaced with the current sandstone castle in the 13th century. Building alterations continued until at least 1609, when the structure is recorded as in disrepair. The castle is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and a scheduled ancient monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Hazlehurst (chapel builder)</span>

Thomas Hazlehurst was known nationally as "the Chapel Builder" and more locally as "the Prince of Methodism" or "the Prince of the Wesleyans". He was given these titles because of his generosity in paying wholly or largely for the building of some 12 chapels and three schools in the area of Runcorn, Widnes and the villages in north Cheshire. His father, also called Thomas, had founded a profitable soap and alkali manufacturing business, Hazlehurst & Sons, in Runcorn in 1816.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln</span> English noble

Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, Baron of Pontefract, Lord of Bowland, Baron of Halton and hereditary Constable of Chester, was an English nobleman and confidant of King Edward I. He served Edward in Wales, France, and Scotland, both as a soldier and a diplomat. Through his mother he was a great-grandson of Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy. He is the addressee, or joint composer, of a poem by Walter of Bibbesworth about crusading, La pleinte par entre missire Henry de Lacy et sire Wauter de Bybelesworthe pur la croiserie en la terre seinte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger de Lacy (1170–1211)</span> English baron

Roger de Lacy (1170–1211), Baron of Pontefract, Lord of Bowland, Lord of Blackburnshire, Baron of Halton, Constable of Chester, Sheriff of Yorkshire and Sheriff of Cumberland, also known as Roger le Constable, was a notable Anglo-Norman soldier, crusader and baron.

Eustace fitz John, Constable of Chester, was a powerful magnate in northern England during the reigns of Henry I, Stephen and Henry II. From a relatively humble background in South East England, Eustace made his career serving Henry I, and was elevated by the king through marriage and office into one of the most important figures in the north of England. Eustace acquired a great deal of property in the region, controlled Bamburgh Castle, and served jointly with Walter Espec as justiciar of the North.

The timeline of Cheshire history shows significant events in the history of the English county of Cheshire.

Edmund de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln (c.1230–1258) was an important landholder in Northern England, with a strategic manor at Stanbury which was important for east–west communication, and as Lord of the Honour of Pontefract he possessed Pontefract Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln</span> 2nd Earl of Lincoln, 7th Baron of Halton Castle, 5th Lord of Bowland and Constable of Chester

John de Lacy, 2nd Earl of Lincoln was hereditary Constable of Chester, 7th Baron of Pontefract, 8th Baron of Halton and 8th Lord of Bowland.

William fitz Nigel, of Halton Castle in Cheshire, England, was Constable of Chester and Baron of Halton within the county palatine of Chester ruled by the Earl of Chester.

Richard fitz Eustace was Constable of Chester and Baron of Halton within the County Palatine of Chester ruled by the Earl of Chester.

The Lordship of Meath was an extensive seigneurial liberty in medieval Ireland that was awarded to Hugh de Lacy by King Henry II of England by the service of fifty knights and with almost royal authority. The Lordship was roughly co-extensive with the medieval kingdom of Meath. At its greatest extent, it included all of the modern counties of Fingal, Meath, Westmeath as well as parts of counties Cavan, Kildare, Longford, Louth and Offaly. The Lordship or fiefdom was imbued with privileges enjoyed in no other Irish liberty, including the four royal pleas of arson, forestalling, rape, and treasure trove.

There are over 9,000 Grade I listed buildings and 20,000 Grade II* listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the borough of Halton in Cheshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feudal barony of Clifford</span>

The feudal barony of Clifford was a feudal barony with its caput baroniae at Clifford Castle in Herefordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John fitz Richard</span> Anglo-Norman soldier

John fitz Richard was an Anglo-Norman soldier, Baron of Halton and hereditary Constable of Chester. Historical records refer to him as "John, Constable of Chester". He died at Acre in the Holy Land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constable of Chester</span> Mediaeval hereditary office

The Constable of Chester was a mediaeval hereditary office held by the Barons of Halton. The functions of the Constable are unclear, possibly they related to the custody of Chester Castle, as was the main function of most mediaeval constables, but Sanders (1960) says the office-holder was constable for the entire County Palatine.

References

  1. ↑ Sanders (1960), p. 138
  2. 1 2 Starkey (1990), p. 8
  3. ↑ Whimperley (1986), pp. 8–9
  4. ↑ McNeil (1987), p. 1
  5. ↑ Whimperley (1986), p. 9
  6. 1 2 Nickson (1887), p. 136
  7. ↑ Whimperley (1981), p. 1
  8. ↑ Starkey (1990), p. 9
  9. 1 2 3 Starkey (1990), p. 30
  10. ↑ Whimperley (1986), p. 10
  11. 1 2 3 4 Nickson (1887), p. 144
  12. ↑ Kingsford, C. L. (rev Paul Dalton) (2004). "Lacy, Roger de (d. 1211)" . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/15861 . Retrieved 3 July 2013.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.) ((subscription or UK public library membership required))
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Starkey (1990), p. 31
  14. ↑ Whimperley (1986), p. 11
  15. ↑ Whimperley (1986), p. 13
  16. ↑ Nickson (1887), p. 146
  17. 1 2 Whimperley (1986), p. 2
  18. ↑ Nickson (1887), pp. 146–147

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.