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Honour of Richmond

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Honour of Richmond
Richmondshire
Feudal barony

The honour's location in England
History
 • Succeeded byRichmondshire (an equivalent non-metropolitan district after the honour had long been disbanded)
 • HQRichmond
Subdivisions
 • TypeWapentakes and manors
 • Units

The Honour of Richmond (or Richmondshire) was a feudal barony in what is now mainly North Yorkshire, England. The honour was two tiers below Yorkshire, the middle tier being the North Riding.

Before the honour was created, the land was held by Edwin, Earl of Mercia who died in 1071. The honour was granted to Count Alan Rufus (also known as Alain le Roux) by King William the Conqueror (as a gift of thanks for his services in the Conquest) sometime from after the Domesday Book of 1068 to just after the earls death in 1071, the date is uncertain. [1]

The honour comprised 60 knight's fees and was one of the most important fiefdoms in Norman England.[2] According to the 14th-century Genealogia of the lords of Richmond, Alan Rufus built a stronghold in the district. The buildings were later known as Richmond Castle which is alluded to in the Domesday survey as forming a ‘castlery’.[3]

Territory

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The composition of the Honour of Richmond in 1071

The manor of Gilling was the caput of the barony until Count Alan moved it to Richmond Castle. Richmond castle was in ruins by 1540 but was restored centuries later and is now a tourist attraction.[4]

The Honour of Richmond, being 60 km (37 mi) from east to west and 45 km (28 mi) from north to south, comprised most of the land between the River Tees and the River Ure and ranged in its landscape from the bleak mountainous areas of the Pennines to the fertile lowlands of the Vale of York. The district, throughout most of its history, consisted of three main land divisions; the wapentakes of Hang (later divided east and west), Gilling (later divided east and west) and Hallikeld.

Gilling

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The Gilling wapentake or Gillingshire (later two wapentakes) consisted mainly of land which lay between the rivers Tees (to the north with the County of Durham on the other side), Wiske (to the east with Allertonshire on the other side). The north bordered land granted to the Prince Bishops of Durham. The watershed between the River Swale and the River Ure was the southern border with the Hang Wapentake while the western border was the Pennines.

Hang

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The division of Hang, or Hangshire, had the River Swale as its northern boundary; its western boundary was the Pennine watershed and its southern boundary was the watershed with the River Wharfe and the River Nidd. The eastern border followed small streams and minor landmarks from the previous watershed to the Swale. The wapentake meeting place was situated on the Hang Beck in Finghall parish.

Hallikeld

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The third part of the territory, Hallikeld, consisted of the parishes lying between the River Ure and the River Swale until their confluence at Ellenthorpe.

List of feudal barons of Richmond

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The feudal barons of Richmond were usually referred to as Lords of Richmond. The Honour of Richmond was sometimes held separately from the titles Earl of Richmond, and later Duke of Richmond. Grants were sometimes partial, and sometimes included or excluded Richmond Castle as noted in the list below. The descent of the barony was as follows:[5]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ However, Ranulph never ruled Richmond or Brittany during their marriage.
  2. ^ A charter made by Alix before her marriage to Peter I deals with the Honour of Richmond; Alix also styled herself Countess of Richmond before her husband received the Earldom from King Henry III. See Judith Everard and Michael Jones, The Charters of Duchess Constance and Her Family (1171–1221), The Boydell Press, 1999, pp 169–171.
  3. ^ Although King John allowed her to use the titles Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Richmond, she was imprisoned by English kings and never ruled. See Judith Everard and Michael Jones, The Charters of Duchess Constance and Her Family (1171–1221), The Boydell Press, 1999, pp 164–165.

References

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  1. ^ "THE HONOUR AND CASTLE OF RICHMOND". British History. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2019. The date of the grant is uncertain, and no charter remains to bear witness to it. The most likely date in that case would seem to be 1069, when Edwin was still living ... If the evidence of the so-called charter is inaccurate on this point as on others the grant may have been delayed until after the death of Edwin in 1071.
  2. ^ Butler, Lawrence (2003). "4.The origins of the honour of Richmond and its castles". In Robert Liddiard (ed.). Anglo Norman Castles. Woodbridge, Suffolk: The Boydell Press. pp. 91–95. ISBN 0-85115-904-4.
  3. ^ "THE HONOUR AND CASTLE OF RICHMOND". British History. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2019. ... the early poem which contains the first mention of it yet discovered says that William the Conqueror gave Count Alan Richmond 'a good castle fair and strong.' (fn. 259) This statement may, however, be due to poetic licence.
  4. ^ "HISTORY OF RICHMOND CASTLE". English Heritage. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2019. By 1540 the castle was derelict, but it later became a popular tourist destination.
  5. ^ Sanders, I.J., English Baronies, A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086–1327, Oxford, 1960, pp.140–1, Barony of Richmond
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Sanders, p.140
  7. ^ CPR Henry III Vol 3 1232-1247. 156.
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