John fitz Richard (died 11 October 1190) was an

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

soldier,

Baron of Halton The Barony of Halton, in Cheshire, England, comprised a succession of 15 barons and hereditary Constables of Chester under the overlordship of the Earl of Chester. It was not an English feudal barony granted by the king but a separate class o ...

and hereditary

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), ...

. Historical records refer to him as "John, Constable of Chester". He died at

Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

in the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

Origins

He was the eldest son and heir of

Richard fitz Eustace Richard fitz Eustace (died circa 1163) was Constable of Chester and Baron of Halton within the County Palatine of Chester ruled by the Earl of Chester. He was a son of Eustace fitz John (died 1157), hereditary Constable of Chester, by his second w ...

(d. 1163), hereditary Constable of Chester, by his wife

Albreda de Lisours Albreda is a historic settlement in the Gambia on the north bank of the Gambia River, variously described as a 'trading post' or a 'slave fort'. It is located near Jufureh in the North Bank Division and an arch stands on the beach connecting th ...

(d. 1194), daughter of Robert de Lissours by his wife Albreda

de Lacy de Lacy (Laci, Lacie, Lascy, Lacey, Lassey) is the surname of an old Norman family which originated from Lassy, Calvados. The family took part in the Norman Conquest of England and the later Norman invasion of Ireland. The name is first recorde ...

, daughter and heiress of Robert de Lacy (d.1193), Baron of Pontefract. His younger brother

Roger fitz Richard Roger fitz Richard, Lord of Warkworth and Clavering, was a prominent 12th-century English noble. He was a son of Richard fitz Eustace and Albreda de Lisours. Life Roger was a son of Richard fitz Eustace and Albreda de Lisours. Roger was the ...

was Lord of

Warkworth Castle Warkworth Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Warkworth in the English county of Northumberland. The village and castle occupy a loop of the River Coquet, less than a mile from England's north-east coast. When the castle was founded is unce ...

and another brother, Robert fitz Richard, was the Prior of the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

in England.

Career

After the death of his father in 1163 John inherited his Barony of Halton and the Office of Constable of Chester, whereupon he became the chief official of

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 ...

. After the death of Hugh in 1181 he served in the same capacity for his heir

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 ...

. In 1166 he paid a fee of 1,000 marks to obtain his mother's possessions, including the former de Lacy estates. After 1172 he founded Stanlow Abbey in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, of the Cistercian order, and a hospital in

Castle Donington Castle Donington is a market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England, on the edge of the National Forest and close to East Midlands Airport. History The name 'Donington' means 'farm/settlement connected with Dunna'. Another suggest ...

. Earl Hugh granted him lands in

Antrobus, Cheshire Antrobus is a civil parish and village in Cheshire, England, immediately to the south of Warrington. It lies within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester, and has a population of 832, reducing to 791 at the 2011 Census. The parish i ...

and in 1178 confirmed John's donation of

Little Stanney Little Stanney is a suburban village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located on the Wirral Peninsula between Chester and Ellesmere Port. At the 2011 ce ...

to Stanlow Abbey, and a little later he gave the monks the duty to pay in Chester. During the rebellion against King Henry II in 1173, John was a loyal supporter of the king. In early May 1181, when

Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, 4th Baron Lacy (; before 1135 – 25 July 1186), was an Anglo-Norman landowner and royal office-holder. He had substantial land holdings in Herefordshire and Shropshire. Following his participation in the Norman Inva ...

lost the King's favour and was removed from office as

Justiciar of Ireland The chief governor was the senior official in the Dublin Castle administration, which maintained English and British rule in Ireland from the 1170s to 1922. The chief governor was the viceroy of the English monarch (and later the British monarch) ...

, John was sent to Ireland together with

Richard Peche Richard Peche (died 1182) was a medieval Bishop of Lichfield. Peche was probably the son of Robert Peche who was Bishop of Lichfield from 1121 to 1128. He was definitely the son of a priest, as Ralph de Diceto wrote about him and justified the ...

Bishop of Coventry The Bishop of Coventry is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Coventry in the Province of Canterbury. In the Middle Ages, the Bishop of Coventry was a title used by the bishops known today as the Bishop of Lichfield. The present ...

to take control of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. Nevertheless, they supported Hugh before he left Ireland in the construction of many castles in

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

. The following winter John and Bishop Peche were recalled to England, while Hugh de Lacy returned to Ireland. On 3 September 1189, John took part in the coronation of

King Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

. In March 1190, he left England to participate in the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

, during which he died in the

during the

Siege of Acre Siege of Acre may refer to: * Siege of Acre (1104), following the First Crusade *Siege of Acre (1189–1191), during the Third Crusade * Siege of Acre (1263), Baibars laid siege to the Crusader city, but abandoned it to attack Nazareth. *Siege of A ...

Marriage and issue

He married Alice of Essex, a daughter of Robert of Essex by his wife Alice, by whom he had several children, including: *

Roger de Lacy Roger de Lacy (died after 1106) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, a Marcher Lord on the Welsh border. Roger was a castle builder, particularly at Ludlow Castle. Lands and titles From Walter de Lacy (died 1085) he inherited Castle Frome, Herefor ...

(1170–1211), eldest son and heir, known in his youth as "Roger fitz John". In 1194 his paternal grandmother Aubrey/Albreda de Lissours surrendered to him the

feudal barony A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...

Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...

in Yorkshire,Sanders, I.J. English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960, p.138 which she had inherited from her mother Aubrey/Albreda de Lacy. Thereupon he adopted the surname "de Lacy". He married Maud de Clere and had issue. *Richard of Chester, buried in

Norton Priory Norton Priory is a historic site in Norton, Runcorn, Cheshire, England, comprising the remains of an abbey complex dating from the 12th to 16th centuries, and an 18th-century country house; it is now a museum. The remains are a scheduled ...

*Geoffrey fitz John *Robert of Flamborough *Eustace of Chester, possibly illegitimate.

Citations

References

* * Dugdale, William. ''The Baronage of England, Volume 1''. G. Olms, 1675. {{authority control 12th-century English military personnel 12th-century Normans 1190 deaths Christians of the Third Crusade Norman warriors Anglo-Normans English military personnel killed in action Year of birth unknown Lords Lieutenant of Ireland Barons of Halton