Wikipedia

Earl of Chester

TheEarldom of Chesterwas one of the most powerful earldoms inmedieval England,extending principally over the counties ofCheshireandFlintshire.Since 1301 the title has generally been granted toheirs apparentto the English throne, and after1707the British throne. From the late 14th century, it has been given only in conjunction with that ofPrince of Wales.

Earldom of Chester
subsidiary of
Principality of Wales
since 1343
Prince of Wales's feathers
Creation date1067(first creation)
1071(second creation)
1254(third creation)
1264(fourth creation)
1301(fifth creation)
1312(sixth creation)
seePrince of Walesfor further creations
Created byWilliam the Conqueror(first creation)
William the Conqueror(second creation)
Henry III(third creation)
Henry III(fourth creation)
Edward I(fifth creation)
Edward II(sixth creation)
PeeragePeerage of the United Kingdom
First holderGerbod the Fleming, 1st Earl of Chester
Present holderWilliam, Prince of Wales[1]
Heir apparentNon-Hereditary
Extinction date1070(first creation)
1237(second creation)
1272(third creation)
1265(fourth creation)
1307(fifth creation)
1327(sixth creation)
Former seat(s)Chester Castle
MottoIch dien(I serve)
Hugh de Kevelioc used six wheatsheafs on his arms. His son Ranulf de Blondeville reduced their number to three, and this form has become an emblem of Cheshire generally, despite later earls bearing different arms.[2]Blazon:Azure,three garbs (sheafsof wheat).

Honour of Chester and County Palatinate

edit

TheCounty of Cheshirewas 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 "thehonourof Chester ". By the late twelfth century (if not earlier) the earls had established a position of power asquasi-princely rulers of Cheshire that led to the later establishment of theCounty Palatine of Chester andFlint.Such was their power thatMagna Cartaset down byKing Johndid not apply to Cheshire and thesixth earlwas compelled to issue his ownversion.[3]

County palatine

edit
The strategic location of the Earldom of Chester; the onlycounty palatineon the Welsh Marches.[4]

Pura Wallia (independent Wales)
Lands gained byLlywelyn the Greatin 1234
Marchia Wallie (lands controlled by Norman Marcher barons)

The earldom passed to the Crown byescheatin 1237 on the death ofJohn the Scot, Earl of Huntingdon,seventh and last of the Earls.William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle,claimed the earldom as husband of Christina, the senior co-heir, but the king persuaded them toquitclaimtheir rights in 1241 in exchange for modest lands elsewhere. The other co-heiresses did likewise.[5]It was annexed to the Crown in 1246. KingHenry IIIthen passed the Lordship of Chester, but not the title of Earl, to his son, the Lord Edward, in 1254; as KingEdward I,this son in turn conferred the title and lands of the Earldom on his son, Edward, the first EnglishPrince of Wales.By that time, the Earldom of Chester consisted of two counties:CheshireandFlintshire.

The establishment of royal control of the Earldom of Chester made possible King Edward I's conquest ofnorth Wales,andChesterplayed a vital part as a supply base during theWelsh Wars (1275–84),so the separate organisation of a county palatine was preserved. This continued until the time of KingHenry VIII.Since 1301, the Earldom of Chester has always been conferred on the Princes of Wales.

Briefly promoted to aprincipalityin 1398 by KingRichard II,whotitledhimself "Prince of Chester",[6]it was reduced to an earldom again in 1399 by KingHenry IV.Whereas the Sovereign's eldest son is automaticallyDuke 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 ofChester Heraldin theCollege of Armsfor some six hundred years. The office has anciently been nominally under the jurisdiction ofNorroy King of Arms.

Revenues

edit

In the year 1377, the revenues of the Earldom were recorded as follows:[7]

County of Chester

edit
Fee-Farm of city of Chester – £22 2 4 1/2,
Escheatedlands of said city – £0 7 0,
Rents of the Manor of Dracklow andRudeheath– £26 2 6,
Farm of Medywick – £21 6 0,
Profits ofMara and Modren– £34 0 9,
Profits ofShotwickManor and Park – £23 19 0,
Mills uponRiver Dee– £11 0 0,
Annual profits ofFordhamManor – £48 0 0,
Profits ofMacklefieldHundred – £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

edit
Yearly value ofEllow– £20 8 0,
Farm of the town ofFlint– £33 19 4,
Farm ofCayrouse– £7 2 4,
Castle ofRuthlam– £5 12 10,
Rents and profits ofMosten– £7 0 0,
Rents and profits of Colshil – £54 16 0,
Rents of Ruthlam town – £44 17 6,
Lands ofEnglefield(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 ofNorthope– £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

edit

First Creation (1067–1070)

edit

Second Creation (1071)

edit

(dates above are approximate)

Third Creation (1254)

edit

Fourth Creation (1264)

edit

(There is no evidence thatAlphonso,elder son of Edward I, was created earl of Chester, although he was styled as such)

Fifth Creation (1301)

edit

Sixth Creation (1312)

edit

Thereafter, the Earldom of Chester was created in conjunction with the Principality of Wales. SeePrince of Walesfor further earls of Chester.

Other associations

edit
  • Earl of Chesterwas one of theGWR 3031 Classlocomotives that were built for and ran on the Great Western Railway between 1891 and 1915.

Family tree

edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^"Crown Office".The London Gazette.24 February 2023.Retrieved24 February2023.
  2. ^Tomlinson, H Ellis (1956).The Heraldry of Cheshire.Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 159.
  3. ^Lush, Jane (15 January 2015)."Cheshire's Own Magna Carta".Tarvin Online.Retrieved17 February2017.
  4. ^Wrexham County Borough Council: The Princes and the Marcher Lords
  5. ^"Forz, William de, count of Aumale (b. before 1216, d. 1260)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29480.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  6. ^William Camden,Cheshire–Britannia:"Richard himself was styled Princeps Cestriæ, Prince of Chester. But this title was but of small duration: no longer, than till Henry the fourth repeal’d the Laws of the said Parliament; for then it became a County Palatine again, and retains that Prerogative to this day...".
  7. ^Doddridge, John (1714).An historical account of the ancient and modern state of the principality of Wales, dutchy of Cornwall, and earldom of Chester.London, Printed for J. Roberts. pp.132–136.
  8. ^Cunliffe, Barry W. (2001).The Penguin atlas of British & Irish history.Penguin. p. 72.ISBN978-0-14-100915-5.Retrieved30 December2010.
  9. ^"The New Encyclopædia Britannica: Micropaedia",Encyclopædia Britannica,1995, p. 180,ISBN978-0-85229-605-9,retrieved30 December2010

Further reading

edit
  • Harris, BE (1979). "Administrative History". In Elrington, CR (ed.).The Victoria County History of Chester.Vol. II. University of London Institute of Historical Research. pp.1–97.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Earl_of_Chester&oldid=1270933793"