Cartae Baronum

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The Cartae Baronum ("Charters of the Barons") was a survey commissioned by the English Treasury in 1166. It required each of the king's tenants-in-chief, not just those who held per baroniam , to declare how many knights he had enfeoffed and how many were super dominium, with the names of all. It appears that the survey was designed to identify baronies from which a greater servitium debitum could in future be obtained by the king.

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An example is given from the return of Lambert of Etocquigny: [1]

To his reverend lord, Henry, king of the English, Lambert of Etocquigny, greeting. Know that I hold from you by your favour 16 carucates of land and 2 bovates [about 2,000 acres] by the service of 10 knights. In these 16 carucates of land I have 5 knights enfeoffed by the old enfeoffment:

And from my demesne I provide the balance of the service I owe you, to wit, that of 5 knights. And from that demesne I have given Robert de Portemort 34 of 1 knight's fee. Therefore I pray you that you will send me your judgement concerning Richard de Haia who holds back the service of his fee, because I cannot obtain that service except by your order. This is the total service in the aforesaid 16 carucates of land. Farewell.

The original Cartae Baronum were copied into the Black Book of the Exchequer by Alexander of Swerford during the reign of John. He later also copied them in to the Red Book of the Exchequer. The Exchequer books contain 245 charters. Two further charters are known from originals. [2]

See also

References

  1. Douglas (1959), p.915
  2. Judith A. Green (2021), Review of Stacy 2019, The English Historical Review136(578): 175–177.

Sources