Philip of Oldcoates (or Philip Oldcoates, Philip de Ulcotes,Warren ''King John'' p. 350 Philip de Ulecot; died 1220) was an English nobleman and royal official.

Royal service

Philip first appears in the historical record in 1194 when he was deprived of his lands at

Tickhill Tickhill is a market town and civil parish in the City of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, close to the border with Nottinghamshire. At the 2001 census it had a population of 5,301, reducing to 5,228 at the 2011 Census. Geography It lies ...

because he supported Prince

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...

who had rebelled against his elder brother King

Richard I of England 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 ...

. When Prince John became king in 1199, Philip was given lands in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

.Todd "Oldcoates, Sir Philip of" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Philip was captured in 1206 at Chinon Castle while in royal service. On his return to England from his captivity, the king rewarded him by making him one of the administrators of the vacant

bishopric of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...

. This was a lucrative appointment as well as putting Philip in charge of a strategic location in Northern England.Turner ''King John'' p. 47 He was also in charge of the isle of

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

, as he was supplied with provisions by Geoffrey fitzPeter, the

justiciar Justiciar is the English form of the medieval Latin term ''justiciarius'' or ''justitiarius'' ("man of justice", i.e. judge). During the Middle Ages in England, the Chief Justiciar (later known simply as the Justiciar) was roughly equivalent ...

.West ''Justiciarship in England'' p. 129 Philip served John as a soldier and as

Sheriff of Northumberland This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries ...

in 1212. He was given custody of

Bamburgh Castle Bamburgh Castle is a castle on the northeast coast of England, by the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland. It is a Grade I listed building. The site was originally the location of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as ''Din Guarie'' and may have ...

and Newcastle Castle, two royal castles. During the civil war at the end of John's reign, Philip remained loyal to the king and in early 1216 held

Durham Castle Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been occupied since 1837 by University College, Durham after its previous role as the residence of the Bishops of Durham. Designated since 1986 as a cultural World Herit ...

against the rebels.Warren ''King John'' p. 252 When John was succeeded by his underage son Henry III, Philip continued to be sheriff and to serve as a royal official. He lost his shrievalty in February 1220 and control of

Mitford Castle Mitford Castle is an English castle dating from the end of the 11th century and located at Mitford, Northumberland. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building, enlisted on 20 October 1969. The castle is also officially on t ...

in June 1220.

Death and legacy

In late 1220 Philip was sent to

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

, but he died before 19 November 1220 while on his way to take up that office. Philip married Johanna, the daughter of

Robert de Meinil The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

early in John's reign. He paid the king a fine of 100 pounds and a

warhorse The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot designs ...

for the marriage. He had no legitimate offspring and his heirs were his five sisters.

Roger of Wendover Roger of Wendover (died 6 May 1236), probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century. At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell of ...

included Philip in his list of King John's "most wicked counsellors" in Roger's entry for 1211 in his chronicle ''

Flores Historiarum The ''Flores Historiarum'' (Flowers of History) is the name of two different (though related) Latin chronicles by medieval English historians that were created in the 13th century, associated originally with the Abbey of St Albans. Wendover's '' ...

'' and this judgement was echoed by

Matthew Paris Matthew Paris, also known as Matthew of Paris ( la, Matthæus Parisiensis, lit=Matthew the Parisian; c. 1200 – 1259), was an English Benedictine monk, chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey ...

in Paris' continuation of the ''Flores''.Vincent "King John's evil counsellors" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''

Citations

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Philip of Oldcoates 1220 deaths High Sheriffs of Northumberland Seneschals of Poitou