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Saturday, August 8, 2020

Earl Ranulph de Meschines & Countess Maud Fitz Robert

 79958020. Earl Ranulph de Meschines & 79958021. Countess Maud Fitz Robert

1099, Ranulph de Gernon born in Castle Gernon, Normandy, France; s/o 159916040. Ranulph III de Machines & 159916041. Lucy Taillebois.

8/2/1100, Henry I crowned King of England.

11/1120, Ranulph’s father resigned Cumberland, which included Carlisle, to King Henry in exchange for being named Earl of Chester. (S) Henry II, Warren, 1977, P25.

~1122, Maud born in England, d/o 159916042. Robert de Caen 159916043. Mabel FitzRobert.

1/1129, Ranulph’s father died. Ranulf succeeded as earl of Chester.

1130, Ranulph owed £1000 from his father’s debts. (S) DNB, V16, 1909, P729.

1130-35, Grant to Ranulph de Gernons, earl of Chester, all the land of Ernisius de Barun. (S) Annual Report of the Deputy Keeper, Vs31-2, P2.

1130, Randle Gernon, earl of Chester, confirms a charter to the abbey of Combermere in Cheshire. (S) Monasticon Anglicanum, 1846, P321.

1131-2, Randulph, earl of Chester, founded Basingwerk abbey. (S) Railway Companion from Chester, Parry, 1849, P42.

9/8/1131, Randulf attended the Great Council of the realm at Northampton.

12/25/1132 at Windsor, Ranulf, earl of Chester, attended the Christmas court of King Henry. (S) King Stephen, King, 2011.

1133 at Windsor near the house of Gundewin the tent-keeper at the edge of the wood, Confirmation to the nascent monastery of Rievaulx of the gifts made by Walter Espec. … attested … Robert earl of Gloucester, William earl of Warrene, Stephen count of Mortain, Ranulf earl of Chester, Robert earl of Leicester, Miles of Gloucester, Humphrey de Bohun, …

1134, Ranulph de Meschines, earl of Chester and Cumberland, founded Calder abbey, Cumberland. (S) Topographical Dic. Of England, Lewis, 1811, P413.

1135-38, Ranulf, earl of Chester, confirmed the gift of the manor of Drayton Basset to Geva Ridel.

12/2/1135, King Henry I died; having designated his daughter Empress Matilda as his heir.

12/22/1135, Stephen crowned king of England at Westminister.

3/1136, Ranulf lost lands in Cumberland when King Stephen and King David of Scotland came to peace terms. Randulf and others left the court. [King Stephen needed peace with Scotland because of internal troubles. Randulf soon came to an agreement with King Stephen.]

4/1136, Ranulph was 4th to sign King Stephen’s charter of Winchester.

1136, Randulf witnessed 5 royal charters.

[––Randulf & Maud––]

By 1138, in Gloucester, Randulph, Earl of Chester, married Maud.

1138, King David held the part of Lancashire that he claimed was part of Northumbria.

12/1138-6/1139, Randulf witnessed a royal charter of King Stephen. (S) Anglo-Norman Studies XIV, 1991, P42.

9/30/1139, Empress Matilda landed at Arundel in Sussex in with an army to claim the crown.

1140 at Stamford, Attending King Stephen’s court: Ranulf, earl of Chester; Gilbert, earl of Pembroke; Earl Simon; Roger, earl of Warwick; Earl Robert de Ferrers; … (S) King Stephen, King, 2011 [Note 12.]

12/1140, Randulph captured Lincoln castle from ursurper King Stephen; who then immediately set seige to the castle. He recaptured it, but Randulph escaped.

2/3/1141, Randulph returned with his men, and the entire army of Empress Matilda, headed by Robert FitzHamon [Earl of Gloucester]. In the Battle at Lincoln both Robert FitzHamon and King Stephen were captured. (S) Henry II, Warren, 1973, P40. [King Stephen knocked Randulf from his horse during the battle.]

4/7/1141 at Winchester, Empress Matilda acknowledged as “Lady of England and Normandy” by Bishop Henry.

1141, Randulph held the lands between King David of Scotland and the rest of England, and all of the honor of Lancaster except that of Roger de Montbegon in Lincolnshire.

9/1141, Randulph supported King Stephen at the siege of Winchester. (S) Anglo-Norman Studies XIV, 1991, P49.

9/14/1141, Matilda trapped at Oxford by an invading army from Flanders [led by Stephen’s wife from France]. Matilda’s brother Robert was captured fighting a rearguard action to allow Matilda to escape.

11/1/1141, Matilda exchanged King Stephen for Robert.

12/25/1141, Stephen again crowned King. [The civil war would continue for 12 more years.]

1142, King Stephen again captured Lincoln castle from Randulf with the support of Alan, earl of Brittany. Randulf, with the help of the Earl of Gloucester soon recaptured the castle and the Earl of Brittany (159918044). (S) Battle Abbey Roll.

1143, Randal, earl of Chester, gathered a large army including hired soldiers, and supported by Madoc ab Medd, Prince of Powys [holding lands from Owen Gwynedd] and invaded the lands of Prince Owain. [They were driven back.] (S) Cambrian Quaterly, V3, 1831, P47.

1144, Ranulf of Chester reconciled with Cadwaladr, brother of Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd.

9/1144, At the monastery of Coventry, Robert Marmion killed in conflict with Randulf, earl of Chester. (S) From Alfred the Great to Stephen, Cavis, 1991, P223.

1145, Ranulf switched sides and helped King Stephen capture Wallingford.

1145, King Stephen defeated Matilda’s forces at the battle of Faringdon.

1145, Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd attacked the lands of Ranulf, earl of Chester, who had reconciled with Owain’s brother Cadwaladr.

[––Randulph & Matilda––]

By 1146, Randulph married Maud.

1146, Randulph sided with King Stephen and captured the town of Bedford; but did not capture the castle, held by Miles de Beauchamp. (S) History of Bedford, V3, 1912.

8/26/1146, Randulph was getting attacked by the Welsh, and asked Stephen for help at court.

8/29/1146, Randulph was arrested “for treachery” and eventually had to give up the captured Lincoln castle to Stephen as part of his release.

1147, Ranulf made an unsuccessful attempt to retake Lincoln from King Stephen.

1147-8, Ranulf plundered a large part of Coventry. He was opposed in Wales by Gilbert de Clare, earl of Pembroke.

1148, Empress Matilda returned to Normandy, and would never return to England.

5/1149 at Carlisle, Scotland, Ranulph met with King David I attempting to build an alliance to put Henry II on the throne of England. King David agreed to give Ranulf the honor of Lancaster for his claim on Carlisle. The agreement was not fulfilled and Duke Henry returned to Normandy.

7/27/1149, Confirmation by Ranulf, earl of Chester, to the Monks of Lancaster, of the liberties which Roger the Poictevin gave them. (S) Lancashire Pipe Rolls, 1902, P296.

1150, Ranulph, Earl of Chester, allied himself with Madog ap Maredudd of Powys and marched against Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd. Owain, by ambush, defeated the combined forces near Colehil.

1151, Ranulf, earl of Chester, and Robert, earl of Leicester, made a military cooperation treaty. (S) History of Leicester, Thompson, 1849, P36. [On opposited sides of Duke Henry and King Stephen, they agreed to lead no more than 20 knights into battle, and to give back any land taken by the other during the fighting.]

1152 at Devizes, A grant of Henry, duke of Normandy, to Ranulph, earl of Chester.

1152, Empress Matilda died.

1/1153, King Henry landed in England with 140 knights and 3,000 infantry in 36 ships. Supported by Ranulph, Earl of Chester, he captured Malmesbury and relieved Wallingford where King Stephen’s men held the north bank of the Thames.

3/1/1153, The Treaty of Devizes confirmed by charter whereby Henry, Duke of Normandy, [King Henry II] gave possessions in both England and Normandy to Earl Ranulf, and granted him the whole honor of Count Roger the Poitevin.

12/16/1153, Randulph died in England, poisoned by William Peverel (159916034).

[––Matilda––]

10/25/1154, King Stephen died.

12/19/1154, Henry II crowned king of England.

1154-57, Matilda, countess of Chester, enfeoffed Walter de Vernon at Harlaston. (S) Journal of Derbyshire, 1897, P5.

1154-60, Notification from Matilda, countess of Chester, to Walter, bishop of Coventry, that she, with the consent of the Earl Hugh, her son, has granted to the Canons of Calc …

4/20/1158, Precept to Hugh, Earl of Chester ; and Matilda, Countess of Chester, attested by Thomas the Chancellor.

11/29/1158, Precept of Alianore, Queen of England, … in behalf of Matilda, Countess of Chester.

~1160, Grant from Matilda, countess of Chester, wife of Ranulph the Earl, the whole tithe of her manor of Rapendon.

1174-89, Precept from Queen Eleanor, consort of Henry II, to the sheriff of Derbyshire, commanding that Matilda, countess of Chester, may hold the hundred of Repton, with all liberties.

~1175, Confirmation by Henry II to Matilda, cognata mea, Comitissa Cestrie, and to the Canons of Pattendona, …

7/1189, Maud died in England.

(S) DNB, Sir Stephen, 1898, PP153–6. (S) Desc. Catalogue of Debryshire Charters, Bemrose, 1906, P242. (S) Court, Household, and Itinerary of King Henry II, Eyton, 1878. (S) Annales Cestrienses Chronicle of the Abbey of S. Werburg, At Chester.

Child of Ranulph and Maud:

i. Hugh de Meschines (39979010), born 1147 in Wales.

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