The Cross-Channel Interests of the Baronage of the Pays De Caux and Cotentin, 1189-1204
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The Cross-Channel Interests of the Baronage of the Pays de Caux and Cotentin, 1189-1204 Nicholas Hopkinson Jesus College This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy SEPTEMBER 2019 i Declaration This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except where specifically indicated in the text and bibliography. My dissertation (or any significant part of my dissertation) is not substantially the same as any that I have submitted, or that is being concurrently submitted, for a degree or diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution. I have read, and adhered to, the University’s policy on plagiarism as detatiled at: http//www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/ In accordance with the Faculty of History guidelines, this thesis does not exceed 80,000 words. The length of my dissertation is 79,947 words. Date: 17 September 2019 ii Abstract The Norman conquest of England in 1066 created a cross-Channel baronage whose personal interests in Normandy and England were an important influence on their subsequent political activities during the reigns of the Norman king-dukes. While there has been extensive scholarship on this theme prior to 1154, there has been only limited research in the later twelfth century, when the Plantagenets ruled both countries. Most modern assessments of baronial motives and behaviour during the latter period assume their cross-Channel interests had diminished, becoming less influential on their ambitions and actions, and contributing to the loss of Normandy in 1204. The purpose of this thesis is to test the validity of these conclusions through a study of the baronial families of two specific areas, the Pays de Caux and Cotentin, between 1189 and 1204. The extent of their commitment to maintaining the cross-Channel connection is determined through a detailed analysis of their cross-Channel interests and activities, based primarily on the evidence provided by their own charters, and the increasingly abundant records of the Plantagenet administration. The two regions presented their barons with different circumstances and challenges. In the Pays de Caux significant cross-Channel interests were largely confined to a small number of very rich barons, whereas in the Cotentin they were distributed more extensively across many lesser families. Similarly, the two regions were exposed to different external influences: the Pays de Caux was increasingly vulnerable to the expanding influence of the king of France, whereas the barons of the Cotentin continued to maintain their traditional connections with the cross-border families of the Norman- Breton frontier. The barons of these two regions have been little studied previously, in contrast to those of the frontier regions of Normandy, especially by Daniel Power, and hence the thesis provides a fresh perspective on the barons of Normandy during the reigns of the final two Plantagenet king-dukes. The thesis consists of an introduction, including a survey of the historiography and sources, a main body of four parts each divided into two chapters, a conclusion and appendices, including genealogies of selected families. The first two parts examine the personal stake of individual barons in both countries through an analysis of the iii distribution and evolution of their cross-Channel landholdings, and their participation in social networks within local aristocratic communities in Normandy and England. This understanding of where barons focused their ambitions, whether in one country or on both sides of the Channel, informs the assessment in parts III and IV of their political interest in maintaining the Anglo-Norman realm as reflected in their military service in Normandy and loyalty to the Plantagenet king-dukes. The analysis reveals that by the end of the twelfth century these cross-Channel interests remained of vital importance to the baronial families and underpinned the consistent loyalty shown by most to the Plantagenet rulers. This close alignment with the king-dukes encouraged many families to extend their cross-Channel interests in this period, further strengthening their commitment to the Anglo-Norman realm. iv Acknowledgements This thesis has been the work of a lifetime. I embarked on research many years ago, with a different title and a much wider scope, during my first period as a PhD student in Cambridge between 1981 and 1983. Having failed to complete this the first time around I always harboured a desire to return to the subject and complete the thesis, and for this I am truly indebted to my supervisor Liesbeth Van Houts who showed great kindness and patience to take on a very mature student and provide superb advice and encouragement throughout. Her responsive and insightful feedback and comments knocked many rough edges off my rusty historical skills and helped transform my writing style from one shaped through a long civil service career, to one more suited to historical writing. I must also acknowledge the contributions of my previous supervisors who shaped and guided my initial research on this topic. Vivian Fisher of Jesus College first pointed me towards the cross-Channel baronage as a potentially fruitful and interesting area for my research. Also, I was particularly fortunate to be supervised during my earlier PhD research by Jim Holt whose insights and observations always enlivened our supervisions. More recently, I would like to thank Daniel Power for his very helpful advice, and Nicholas Vincent for kindly giving me access to the pre- publication versions of his monumental work on the charters of Henry II and Richard I. I am grateful to David Bates for his interest in my thesis and for providing very helpful comments and advice. I would also like to thank my friend Steve Tibble, with whom I have shared a lifelong interest in medieval history, and whose own example as a late-blossoming historian provided the encouragement to return to this thesis. I also acknowledge the generosity of Jesus College for the provision of a travel grant to fund my archival research in Normandy. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their tolerance, encouragement and support throughout. Firstly my wife Sue has shown enormous patience when I have been buried in deep thought about some Norman baron, and has always been encouraging and supportive. Also my son Will has been similarly encouraging. He has, I am pleased to say, inherited my interest and now teaches as head of history in a school in London. I am particularly grateful to my daughter Sarah and husband Mikey v who allowed me to lodge in their house in Cambridge and, as fellow students, provided companionship and many happy hours of lively discussion. vi Contents Declaration ……………………………………………………………………... ii Abstract ………………………………………………………………………… iii Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………. v Abbreviations ………………………………………………………………….. ix Introduction ……………………………………………………………………. 1 Historiography ……………………………………………………………….. 2 Present thesis ………………………………………………………………… 12 Sources ………………………………………………………………………. 16 Structure of the thesis ………………………………………………………... 20 Part I – The Evolution of Cross-Channel Landholding in the Twelfth Century ………………………………………………………………………… 23 Chapter 1 – Cross-Channel Landholding in the Pays de Caux ……………… 24 Chapter 2 – Cross-Channel Landholding in the Cotentin …………………… 45 Part II – Cross-Channel Connections and Identity in the late Twelfth Century …………………………………………………………........................ 68 Chapter 3 – Baronial Connections and Identity in the Pays de Caux ……….. 69 Chapter 4 – Baronial Connections and Identity in the Cotentin …………….. 94 Part III – Baronial Military Service in Normandy, 1194-1204 …………….. 126 Chapter 5 – The System of Military Service under the Plantagenet King- Dukes ………………………………………………………………………… 127 Chapter 6 – The Provision of Military Service by the Barons of the Pays de Caux and Cotentin …………………………………………………………… 149 Part IV – Baronial Politics and the Cross-Channel Connection, 1189-1204 169 Chapter 7 – King Richard I and the Revival of the Cross-Channel Baronage . 170 Chapter 8 – King John and the Collapse of Baronial Support for his Rule in Normandy ......................................................................................................... 198 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………… 229 Appendix I – Barons of the Pays de Caux and Cotentin, 1189-1204 ……….. 243 Appendix II – Genealogies …………………………………............................. 245 Maps Upper Normandy and the Pays de Caux …………………………………….. 252 vii The Cotentin and Avranchin ………………………………………………… 253 Bibliography …………………………………………………………………… 254 Primary manuscript sources …………………………………………………. 254 Primary printed sources ……………………………………………………… 255 Secondary Sources …………………………………………………………... 263 viii Abbreviations ADC Archives Départmentales du Calvados (Caen) ADM Archives Départmentales de la Manche (Saint-Lô) ADSM Archives Départmentales de la Seine-Maritime (Rouen) ANS Anglo-Norman Studies: Proceedings of the Battle Conference on Anglo-Norman Studies BL British Library, London BnF Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris Bonport Cartulaire de l’abbaye royale de Notre-Dame de Bonport, ed. J. Andrieux (Evreux, 1862) Boxgrove ‘Chartulary of the Priory of Boxgrove, ‘ed. L. Fleming, Sussex Record Society, vol lix (Lewes, 1960) Bricquebec Cartulaire de Saint-Ymer-en-Auge et de Bricquebec, ed. C. Breard (Rouen, Paris, 1908) Bruton ‘Bruton Cartulary’, Somerset