The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in
medieval England
England in the Middle Ages concerns the history of England during the medieval period, from the end of the 5th century through to the start of the Early Modern period in 1485. When England emerged from the collapse of the Roman Empire, the econ ...
, extending principally over the counties of
Cheshire and
Flintshire
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. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, and after
1707
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – John V is crowned King of Portugal and the Algarv ...
the British throne. From the late 14th century, it has been given only in conjunction with that of
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
.
Honour of Chester and County Palatinate
The
County of Cheshire was held by the powerful Earls (or "Counts" from the Norman-French) of Chester from the late eleventh century, and they held land all over England, comprising "the
honour
Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...
of Chester". By the late twelfth century (if not earlier) the earls had established a position of power as ''quasi''-princely rulers of Cheshire that led to the later establishment of the
County Palatine of Chester and Flint
Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...
. Such was their power that ''
Magna Carta'' set down by
King John did not apply to Cheshire and the
sixth earl was compelled to issue his own
version
Version may refer to:
Computing
* Software version, a set of numbers that identify a unique evolution of a computer program
* VERSION (CONFIG.SYS directive), a configuration directive in FreeDOS
Music
* Cover version
* Dub version
* Remix
* ''Ve ...
.
County palatine
The earldom passed to the Crown by
escheat
Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...
in 1237 on the death of
John the Scot, Earl of Huntingdon
John of Scotland (or John de Scotia or John le Scot), 9th Earl of Huntingdon and 7th Earl of Chester (c. 12076 June 1237), sometimes known as "the Scot", was an Anglo-Scottish magnate, the son of David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon by his wife M ...
, seventh and last of the Earls.
William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle
William de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle (died 1260) ( Latinised as ''de Fortibus'', sometimes spelt Deforce) played a conspicuous part in the reign of Henry III of England, notably in the Mad Parliament of 1258.
William married twice. His firs ...
, claimed the earldom as husband of Christina, the senior co-heir, but the king persuaded them to
quitclaim
Generally, a quitclaim is a formal renunciation of a legal claim against some other person, or of a right to land. A person who quitclaims renounces or relinquishes a claim to some legal right, or transfers a legal interest in land. Originally a c ...
their rights in 1241 in exchange for modest lands elsewhere. The other co-heiresses did likewise. It was annexed to the Crown in 1246. King
Henry III then passed the Lordship of Chester, but not the title of Earl, to his son, the Lord Edward, in 1254; as King
Edward I, this son in turn conferred the title and lands of the Earldom on his son, Edward, the first English
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
. By that time, the Earldom of Chester consisted of two counties:
Cheshire and
Flintshire
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.
The establishment of royal control of the Earldom of Chester made possible King Edward I's conquest of
north Wales
North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...
, and
Chester played a vital part as a supply base during the
Welsh Wars (1275–84), so the separate organisation of a county palatine was preserved. This continued until the time of King
Henry VIII. Since 1301, the Earldom of Chester has always been conferred on the Princes of Wales.
Briefly promoted to a
principality in 1398 by King
Richard II, who
titled himself "Prince of Chester", it was reduced to an earldom again in 1399 by King
Henry IV. Whereas the Sovereign's eldest son is automatically
Duke of Cornwall, he must be made or created Earl of Chester as well as Prince of Wales.
The independent palatinate jurisdiction of Chester survived until the time of King Henry VIII (1536), when the earldom was brought more directly under the control of the Crown. The palatinate courts of Great Sessions and Exchequer survived until the reforms of 1830.
The importance of the County Palatinate of Chester is shown by the survival of
Chester Herald
Chester Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. The office of Chester Herald dates from the 14th century, and it is reputed that the holder was herald to Edward, Prince of Wales, also known as the Black ...
in the
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sovere ...
for some six hundred years. The office has anciently been nominally under the jurisdiction of
Norroy King of Arms
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the Provincial King of Arms at the College of Heralds with jurisdiction over England north of the Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of Arms is ...
.
Revenues
In the year 1377, the revenues of the Earldom were recorded as follows:
County of Chester
:Fee-Farm of city of Chester – £22 2 4 1/2,
:
Escheat
Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...
ed lands of said city – £0 7 0,
:Rents of the Manor of Dracklow and
Rudeheath – £26 2 6,
:Farm of Medywick – £21 6 0,
:Profits of
Mara and Modren – £34 0 9,
:Profits of
Shotwick
Shotwick is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Puddington, on the southern end of the Wirral Peninsula in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The villag ...
Manor and Park – £23 19 0,
:Mills upon
River Dee – £11 0 0,
:Annual profits of
Fordham Manor – £48 0 0,
:Profits of
Macklefield Hundred – £6 1 8,
:Farm of Macklefield Borough – £16 1 3,
:Profits of the forest of Macklefield £85 12 11 3/4,
:Profits of escheater of Chester – £24 19 0,
:Profits of the sheriff of said county – £43 12 3,
:Profits of the Chamberlain of county – £55 14 0.
County of Flint
:Yearly value of
Ellow – £20 8 0,
:Farm of the town of
Flint
Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...
– £33 19 4,
:Farm of
Cayrouse – £7 2 4,
:Castle of
Ruthlam – £5 12 10,
:Rents and profits of
Mosten – £7 0 0,
:Rents and profits of Colshil – £54 16 0,
:Rents of Ruthlam town – £44 17 6,
:Lands of
Englefield (yearly) – £23 10 0,
:Profits of Vayvol – £5 9 0,
:Profits of the office of escheator – £6 11 9,
:Mines of Cole and Wood within Manor of Mosten – £0 10 0,
:Office of the sheriff in rents and casualties – £120 0 0,
:Mines and profits of the Fairs of
Northop
Northop ( cy, Llaneurgain) is a village, community and electoral ward situated in Flintshire, Wales, approximately 12 miles west of the city of Chester, midway between Mold and Flint, and situated just off junction 33 of the A55 North Wale ...
e – £3 9 2,
:Casualties was lastly – £37 0 8.
Total income was £418 1 2 3/4 from Cheshire and £181 6 0 from Flintshire.
List of the Earls of Chester
First Creation (1067–1070)
*
Gerbod the Fleming, 1st Earl of Chester
Gerbod the Fleming, of Oosterzele, 1st Earl of Chester, was a hereditary advocate of the Abbey of Saint Bertin at Saint-Omer, Flanders (now France) and Earl of Chester in 1070.David C. Douglas, ''William The Conqueror'' (University of California P ...
Second Creation (1071)
*1071–1101
Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester
Hugh d'Avranches ( 1047 – 27 July 1101), nicknamed ''le Gros'' (the Large) or ''Lupus'' (the Wolf), was from 1071 the second Norman Earl of Chester and one of the great magnates of early Norman England.
Early life and career
Hugh d'Avra ...
(died 1101)
*1101–1120
Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester
Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester (1094 – 25 November 1120) was the son of Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester, and his wife, Ermentrude of Clermont.
Early life
He was seven years old when his father, known as Hugh the Fat, died. Due ...
(1094–1120)
*1120–1129
Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester (died c. 1129)
*1129–1153
Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester
Ranulf II (also known as Ranulf de Gernon), 4th Earl of Chester (1099–1153), was an Anglo-Norman baron who inherited the honour of the palatine county of Chester upon the death of his father Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester. He was desc ...
(died c. 1153)
*1153–1181
Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester
Hugh of Cyfeiliog, 5th Earl of Chester (1147 – 1181), also written Hugh de Kevilioc, was an Anglo-French magnate who was active in England, Wales, Ireland and France during the reign of King Henry II of England.
Origins
Born in 1147, he was ...
(1147–1181)
*1181–1232
Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester
Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester and 1st Earl of Lincoln (1170–26 October 1232), known in some references as the 4th Earl of Chester (in the second lineage of the title after the original family line was broken after the 2nd Earl), w ...
(c. 1172–1232)
*1232–1232
Matilda of Chester, Countess of Chester ''
suo jure
''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...
'' (1171–1233) (Inherited Oct 1232 ''inter vivos'' gift to son Nov 1232)
*1232–1237
John of Scotland, 7th Earl of Chester (c. 1207–1237)
(dates above are approximate)
Third Creation (1254)
*
Edward, Lord of Chester, but without the title of earl (1239–1307) (became King Edward I in 1272)
Fourth Creation (1264)
*
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester (1208–1265) (forfeit 1265)
(There is no evidence that
Alphonso, elder son of Edward I, was created earl of Chester, although he was styled as such)
Fifth Creation (1301)
*
Edward of Caernarvon, Earl of Chester (1284–1327) (became King Edward II in 1307)
Sixth Creation (1312)
*
Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Chester (1312–1377) (became King Edward III in 1327)
''Thereafter, the Earldom of Chester was created in conjunction with the Principality of Wales. See
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
for further Earls of Chester.''
Other associations
* ''Earl of Chester'' was one of the
GWR 3031 Class locomotives that were built for and ran on the Great Western Railway between 1891 and 1915.
See also
*
History of Cheshire
The history of Cheshire can be traced back to the Hoxnian Interglacial, between 400,000 and 380,000 years BP. Primitive tools that date to that period have been found. Stone Age remains have been found showing more permanent habitation during ...
*
Constable of Chester
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 (built in 1070 by Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester), ...
*
Countess of Chester (title), a subsidiary title of the Princess of Wales
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chester
Norman conquest of England
Succession to the British crown
Earldoms in the Peerage of England
British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown
Noble titles created in 1070
Noble titles created in 1071
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Charles III