1216 ~ 1272

Henry III coronation 1216

1217

20 May –
BATTLE OF LINCOLN.
Louis, the heir to the French Crown, who had been supported against King John by some English Barons lost the Battle of Lincoln to William Marshall and in December for a payment of 10,000 marks, about 6,000 pounds and some exchange of territory he forfeited his claim to the Crown of England.

1218

Herbert French, a merchant of the King of France, gives two tuns of French wine for summoning Peter de Brus before the justices at Westminster to claim 10 marks, about 6 pounds, which Peter owes him.

1219

Peter de Brus is forgiven for his opposition to King John and recovered Carlton and other manors in Cleveland, which the Crown had taken from him.

1220

June. Peter pledged 30 marks, 20 pounds, as surety for William of Lancaster, who owed the Crown 100 pounds.
December – Peter de Brus takes part on the Crown’s behalf in operation against the Northern Castles of the Count of Aumale, who was rebelling.

1221

February – Peter supported the King at the siege of the Count of Aumale’s castle at Skipsea.

1222

17 January –
DEATH OF PETER DE BRUS I – he was buried at Guisborough Priory, N Yorks.
He had 2 children, Peter, who succeeded him and a daughter, Agnes, who was married to William of Lancaster, Baron of Kendal.
Peter de Brus II was married to Helewise, daughter and co-heiress of William de Lancaster.
They had a son Peter and five daughters, Joan, Agnes, Lucia, Margaret and Laderina.

Peter de Brus II quarreled with the prior of Guisborough over the agreements made by his father.
He destroyed property ‘belonging’ to the priory at Glaisdale.
Peter was forced to recompense the priory with gifts of land near Driffield, but Peter regained Glaisdale and Rosedale Head.
The disagreements lasted form 1223 to 1246.

3 February
From the Roll of Fines of the 6th Year of Henry III in the sixth year 1222 Yorkshire.
The King to the Sherrif of Yorkshire,
Greeting, Know that Peter de Brus, son and heir of Peter de Brus, hath made a fine with us for £100, for his relief concerning the barony, which was of him, Peter, his father, which of us held in chief;
and for 40 marks for having the ‘Wapentack of Langberge’, which by hereditary right hath fallen to him.
Also, he hath made a fine with us concerning £2 6s 7d, a debt which his father owed to us;
so it is understood that of those £100, for his relief, he hath paid us, at our Exchequer, by his own hand, £50 on the Feast of the Blessed John the Baptist, and in the sixth year; and £50 on the feast of Saint Andrew, the next following year and seven months;
and at the following Easter, in the same year, he is satisfied us for the aforesaid £2 6s 7d. and on the Feast of Saint Michael following, in the same year paid us £40 marks.
So therefore we command you that without delay, you cause the same Peter to have full seizing to him in your bailwick of the aforesaid Barony, and of the aforesaid Wapentake, with the appurtencances which have fallen to him by hereditary right, and cause him to have in the meantime our peace as to the aforesaid £2 6s 7d of our debt.
Witness Hubert de Burgh, our Justiciary at Westminster, on the third day of February.”

The De Bruses took tolls from a Market in Skelton, as well as others at Redcar, Marske, Brotton and Girrick.
They had their own fishing fleets at Redcar and Skinningrove.
Iron articles were produced at Danby.
They also owned 5 corn mills in Cleveland.

1224

20th June –
Peter was at the siege of Bedford Castle which submitted on the 15th August. William de Breaute was hanged.

17 August – The Exchequer excused Peter de Brus from paying the 20 marks, about 13 pounds, which was due at Easter last past.

1227

Peter was given licence to hold a Market at Skelton on Mondays.

1230

Peter de Brus II was responsible under Henry III for dispensing justice throughout Northumberland.
He served in this year with Henry III in Poitou.

1234

17th July. The King requests of Peter that –
he will render presently at the Exchequer 3 marks, [about 2 pounds], of the 63 marks that he owes him”
17th December – Patrick of Westerdale gives the king one mark for attainting twelve jurors by 24 knights in the assize of novel disseisin [an action to recover lands of which the accused has been dispossessed] that Peter de Brus arraigned against the aforesaid Patrick. 1240
6th October –
SKELTON CASTLE CRUSADER –
Peter de Brus II went on the 6th Crusade to Palestine led by the King’s brother, Richard, Earl of Cornwall.

11th October – An order was made to the Sheriff of Yorkshire to take all the lands formerly of Peter de Brus in his Bailiwick into the King’s hand and to keep them safely until the King orders him otherwise.

15th November –
DEATH OF PETER DE BRUS II at Marseilles.

Peter Brus II of Skelton Castle joined the 6th Crusade, but died at Marseille.

His body was returned to England and buried at Guisborough Priory.
He had been Lord for 19 years and was succeeded by his son, also named Peter.

Peter III was married to Hillaria, eldest daughter of Peter de Mauley, Lord of Mulgrave.
They would have no children.

1241

Peter III paid £200 to the Crown for the ‘relief’ of his inheritance.

1245

Henry III orders re-building of Westminster Abbey.

1246

Peter de Brus III makes an agreement with the priory of Guisborough that the prior’s men will not disturb Peter’s wild beasts in ‘Westwyth’, that is the deer in the woods around the Westworth farm area behind Guisborough :-
“If the dogs of the Prior cross the boundaries following a beast into the forest of Peter, whether they take the beast or not, they shall be recalled by mouth or horn if possible, and shall be captured without detriment and restored without delay.
If the men of the Prior follow the dogs into Peter’s forest they shall make amends according to the custom of the forest’

1247

Peter de Brus III received the Manor of Kirkby in Kendal on the partition of the lands of his grandfather.
A Charter that he issued confirming the “liberties and customs” of the free burgesses of that area can be seen here.

1256

Prices of bread and ale were controlled; and penalties were decreed for those overcharging or selling poor quality products –
the pillory for Bakers and the tumbrel [the stocks] for Brewers.

Henry III Penny.

Villagers lives were controlled by the Lord of the Manor.
They could not leave.
They had unfenced strips of land to feed their families, but had to work the Lord’s demesne on certain days.
They had to pay the Church a tenth of their meagre produce.
They had to pay the Lord a fine to marry – the “merchet”.
In some parts the Lord even had the “droit de seigneur” i.e. to be the first to have sex with the young brides of their tenants.
On the peasant’s death the Lord had the right [the “heriot”] to take the family’s best beast.
Justice was usually the law of the strongest.
Hunting and hawking were the preserve of the Lord.
The villager, living in a wooden shed with an earthen floor and his cow and pig living alongside, went after rabbits and any kind of bird.


1260

Peter de Brus III founded a Dominican friary near Yarm.

1265

Skelton castle was surrendered to Henry III by Peter III who was suspected of supporting Henry’s son, Prince Edward.
There is a record of the castle being used for keeping prisoners.

Henry III died 16 November 1272.
Effigy on his tomb in Westminster Abbey.

FIRST PARLIAMENT – Simon De Montfort summoned the first elected parliament to London.
There were two representatives for the whole of Yorkshire and this allocation did not change until 1821.

1269

Peter de Brus III was summoned to gather a force for the relief of Alexander III, King of Scotland who was faced with an invasion from Norway.

Peter is made Constable of Scarborough Castle.

Yorkshire Archeological Journal, Vol XIII, London, 1895, p 52, “Yorkshire Deeds, Part 4, by A.S. Ellis.”
Skelton-in-Cleveland:
Quitclaim by Alice and Helena, Agnes and Hauisia sisters, to Peter de Bruis the third, of all their land of Scelton late belonging to Richard, the reeve, (prepositi) their uncle, viz.,
a toft and croft at the entrance of the town of Scelton towards the east late held by Walter Blevent;
1 acre in Scelton fields lying between the tilled land of Sir Peter de Bruis called Roskeldesik and the half ploughland belonging to the Mills;
an assart late of Wm. Winde, lying between Langhacres and the vale of meadows of Scelton;
1 acre given by Wm. Cusin to Ralf, son of Wine, lying between Roskeldesic and the half ploughland belonging to the lord’s mills;
and 2 1/2 acres in the territory of Scelton on Lairlandes;
for the rents of 1d. to them and their heirs, heirs of Wm. Cusin for the acre between Roskeldsic and the half ploughland, 2d. to the same for the 2 1/2 acres on Lairlandes, 1d. to the heirs of Rolf son of Wine for the acre given to Ralf by Wm. Cusin, and 1d. to Richard Briton for the assart.
Witnesses :- Sir Adam de Hilton, Sir Simon de Bruis, Sir Stephen de Rosel, Sir Berard de Fontibus, John de Tocotes, John de Nutel, Wm. Pitwaltel, Robt de Tormodeby, Geoffrey the Cook (Coco) Hugh Hauberger, Matthew the Clerk (clerico).

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