Richard Herriard

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Richard Herriard (sometimes Richard of Herriard) (died 1208) was an English royal justice.

Royal justices were an innovation in the law reforms of the Angevin kings of England. Royal justices were roving officials of the king, sent to seek out notorious robbers and murderers and bring them to justice.

Herriard's first appearance in the historical record is in 1184 when he is mentioned in connection with the pardoning of payment of scutage on some land he held in Wiltshire. At that time, he was a knight serving Robert, the Earl of Leicester. Herriard also held land in Herriard and Southrope in Hampshire, and took his name from the first village. The lands in Hampshire were held from William, the Earl of Salisbury. [1]

Scutage is a medieval English tax levied on holders of a knight's fee under the feudal land tenure of knight-service. Under feudalism the king, through his vassals, provided land to knights for their support. The knights owed the king military service in return. The knights were allowed to "buy out" of the military service by paying scutage. As time passed the kings began to impose a scutage on holders knight's fees, even in time of peace.

Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester was an English nobleman, one of the principal followers of Henry the Young King in the Revolt of 1173–1174 against his father Henry II. He is also called Robert Blanchemains.

Earl of Leicester

Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837.

Herriard had married before 1183, and his wife was named Ela, and she was the co-heir, along with her sister, of lands at Somerford in Wiltshire. [1] She and her sister were the daughters of Roger fitzGeoffrey. [2]

Herriard's first service as an administrator was for Geoffrey fitzPeter, where he served as the undersheriff for Essex and Herefordshire in 1192. [3]

From 1194, during the reign of King Richard I, Herriard appears regularly as a royal justice, along with Richard Barre, William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Ralph Foliot, and William de Warenne. These men constituted a set of professional judges, brought into being by Hubert Walter, the Justiciar. [4] He remained a justice for 10 years, retiring from the bench in 1204. [5]

Richard I of England 12th-century King of England and crusader

Richard I was King of England from 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period. He was the third of five sons of King Henry II of England and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was known as Richard Cœur de Lion or Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior. He was also known in Occitan as: Oc e No, because of his reputation for terseness.

Richard Barre 12th century English clergyman and royal official

Richard Barre was a medieval English justice, clergyman and scholar. He was educated at the law school of Bologna and entered royal service under King Henry II of England, later working for Henry's son and successor Richard I. He was also briefly in the household of Henry's son Henry the Young King. Barre served the elder Henry as a diplomat and was involved in a minor way with the king's quarrel with Thomas Becket, which earned Barre a condemnation from Becket. After King Henry's death, Barre became a royal justice during Richard's reign and was one of the main judges in the period from 1194 to 1199. After disagreeing with him earlier in his career, Barre was discharged from his judgeship during John's reign as king. Barre was also archdeacon of Ely and the author of a work of biblical extracts dedicated to one of his patrons, William Longchamp, the Bishop of Ely and Chancellor of England.

Ralph Foliot was a medieval English clergyman and royal justice.

Unconnected with his judicial duties, in 1195 Herriard was in charge of the delivery of a shipment of horses to King Richard, which entailed the justice crossing the English Channel to Normandy to deliver them. In 1198 Herriard was sent to deliver a subsidy to Richard's nephew, Otto, who was attempting to be proclaimed German Emperor. [6] Another duty, unconnected with justice, appears in the Memoranda Roll for the first year of King John's reign, where it appears that Herriard was responsible for paying prostitutes for the new king. [7]

English Channel Arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France

The English Channel, also called simply the Channel, is the body of water that separates Southern England from northern France and links the southern part of the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. It is the busiest shipping area in the world.

Normandy Administrative region of France

Normandy is one of the 18 regions of France, roughly referring to the historical Duchy of Normandy.

Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor Holy Roman Emperor

Otto IV was one of two rival kings of Germany from 1198 on, sole king from 1208 on, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until he was forced to abdicate in 1215. The only German king of the Welf dynasty, he incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III and was excommunicated in 1210.

Herriard died about 6 April 1208. [5] He had a son, also named Richard, with whom he is occasionally confused in the records. [8] The elder Richard also had a daughter, who married Richard de Sifrewast. [9] After Herriard's death, Geoffrey fitzPeter took custody of both the heir to Herriard's lands and the lands themselves. [3]

Citations

  1. 1 2 Turner English Judiciary p. 92
  2. ↑ Turner English Judiciary pp. 113–114
  3. 1 2 Turner Men Raised From the Dust p. 50
  4. ↑ Turner English Judiciary pp. 73–74
  5. 1 2 Turner English Judiciary p. 80
  6. ↑ Turner English Judiciary pp. 87–88
  7. ↑ Turner English Judiciary pp. 157–158
  8. ↑ Turner English Judiciary p. 117
  9. ↑ Turner English Judiciary p. 120

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