Hugh Bardulf
Encyclopedia
Hugh Bardulf or Hugh Bardolf (died c.
1203) was a medieval English administrator and royal justice. Known for his legal expertise, he also served as a financial administrator. He served three kings of England before his death.
Bardulf began his royal service under King Henry II of England
, where he was a steward to the royal household. He also served as a royal justice and a sheriff
during Henry's reign, and continued as sheriff under Henry's son and successor, Richard I
. Because Bardulf was a vassal
of Richard's younger brother John
, who rebelled against his older brother, Bardulf was denounced briefly as a traitor to Richard. He was quickly restored to royal service, however, and continued in service throughout the rest of Richard's reign and into the reign of John. Bardulf died sometime before 1203, and his heir was his brother, Robert Bardulf.
says that he was the son of Hamelin Bardulf, a tenant of Hugh Bigod, who held land in Suffolk. Ralph V. Turner, revising John Horace Round
's entry in the Dictionary of National Biography
for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography says that Hugh was the son of a Hugh Bardulf that died around 1176. According to Turner and Round, the younger Hugh's mother was Isabel, who may have been a member of the Twist family from Lincolnshire. The younger Hugh acquired land at Waddington, Lincolnshire as a tenant of Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, sometime in the middle 1140's.
, or dapifer, an office he held throughout Henry's reign and which he may have held throughout the next reign also. He held that office until Henry's death in 1189. From about 1185 until 1203, Bardulf was a royal justice almost annually, usually as a justice of eyre
rather than sitting at Westminster. He performed the duties of sheriff for the following counties: Cornwall
from 1184–1187, Wiltshire
from 1187 to 1189, Somerset
during 1188 and 1189 along with Dorset
during the same period, the counties of Staffordshire
, Warwickshire
and Leicestershire
during 1190 and 1191, Yorkshire
from 1191 to 1194, Westmorland
from 1191 to 1199, Northumberland
from 1194 to 1198, Cumberland
during 1198 and 1199, Cornwall again from 1199 to 1200 along with Devonshire
, and Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire
from 1200 to 1203. In 1194 Bardulf was mentioned on the escheat roll as responsible for the farm of lands held by Osbert de Bayeux
, an archdeacon of York.
, William Briwerre
, and Ranulf de Glanvill. However in 1189, Bardulf did lose custody of Salisbury Castle
, which he had held under Henry. Henry had given Bardulf the manor and barony of Brampton in Devonshire, but when Richard took the throne, the king took back Brampton, and gave Bardulf the manor of Hoo in Kent instead.
Although Bardulf set out with the new King, Richard I on the Third Crusade
, he turned back after a period in Messina, and returned to England. There, he was part of the administration during the Justiciar
ship of Hugh de Puiset
, the Bishop of Durham, and William Longchamp
, the Bishop of Ely
. Longchamp gave him custody of Kenilworth Castle
. Bardulf then was involved in the attempts of Walter de Coutances
to remove Longchamp from office, which led to Longchamp excommunicating Bardulf. In 1193, Bardulf helped with the defenses of Doncaster against the forces of Prince John
, Richard's brother, who was rebelling against Richard while the king was on crusade. However, Bardulf refused to besiege Tickhill
near Doncaster, because he was a vassal of John's, which led to him being denounced as a traitor. Although he was required to surrender his shrievalty of Yorkshire, he was immediately appointed to other sheriff offices. On 31 March 1194, Hugh was named an escheator for estates confiscated by Richard in the northern part of England in relation to John's rebellion. While Richard was in captivity in Germany in 1193, Bardulf, along with William Marshall
, Geoffrey fitzPeter and William Briwerre, was a recipient of letters from the captive king, urging the election of Hubert Walter
as Archbishop of Canterbury
.
Bardulf was also a financial administrator. He served as a Baron of the Exchequer
during the reigns of Henry, Richard and John. In 1196, he was the collector of taxation in seven shires, along with Philip of Poitou
, the bishop-elect of Durham. Around 1197, Hugh was named as responsible for the "bail and custody" of the Jewish population in England, along with William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise
, the Bishop of London
, who was his fellow escheator in the north. The office in charge of the bail and custody of the Jews was probably a forerunner of the office of Keeper of the Jews.
Bardulf continued to serve Richard until the king's death, and then served John, who became king, until sometime before Michaelmas
1203, when records show that Bardulf was known to be deceased.
, an early medieval English legal text, although whether by the original author or by a glossator
, is unclear. His long career as a justice helped create a sense of continuity in judicial matters through the reigns of the Angevin
kings. He remained on such good terms with Hubert Walter, that when Walter was appointed chancellor at the beginning of John's reign, Bardulf made a comment to the new chancellor that included a pointed barb about the last Archbishop of Canterbury to also be chancellor, Thomas Becket
. Bardulf was on good enough terms that he was able to tease Walter that "We have never heard nor seen an archbishop become a chancellor, but we have seen a chancellor become an archbishop."
The justice married Mabel de Limesy, daughter of Gerard de Limesy, and coheir with her sisters of their brother John de Limesy, with the marriage taking place in 1200. When he died, his heir was Robert Bardulf, his brother. Hugh Bardulf gave land capable of pasturing 500 sheep to Barlings Abbey
. Robert, his heir, offered a £1,000 fine in order to receive the inheritance, and William de Briouze
made an identical offer for the right to marry his son to Mabel, Hugh's widow.
After Bardulf's death, a legal case was brought against Bardulf's chaplain and constable, alleging that Bardulf had allowed his two servants to hear a case that should have been heard by the justice. The litigants charged that the two servants had wrongly decided the case, and after hearing the allegations, the royal justices at Westminster agreed and restored the disputed property to the litigants.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1203) was a medieval English administrator and royal justice. Known for his legal expertise, he also served as a financial administrator. He served three kings of England before his death.
Bardulf began his royal service under King Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, where he was a steward to the royal household. He also served as a royal justice and a sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
during Henry's reign, and continued as sheriff under Henry's son and successor, Richard I
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
. Because Bardulf was a vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
of Richard's younger brother John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, who rebelled against his older brother, Bardulf was denounced briefly as a traitor to Richard. He was quickly restored to royal service, however, and continued in service throughout the rest of Richard's reign and into the reign of John. Bardulf died sometime before 1203, and his heir was his brother, Robert Bardulf.
Early life
Historians are divided on Hugh Bardulf's ancestry. Katharine Keats-RohanKatharine Keats-Rohan
Dr Katharine Stephanie Benedicta Keats-Rohan is a history researcher at Linacre College, University of Oxford, specialising in prosopography. She has produced seminal work on early European history, and collaborated with, among others, Christian Settipani...
says that he was the son of Hamelin Bardulf, a tenant of Hugh Bigod, who held land in Suffolk. Ralph V. Turner, revising John Horace Round
John Horace Round
Horace Round was a historian and genealogist of the English medieval period. He translated the Domesday Book for Essex into contemporary English. As an expert in the history of the British peerage he was appointed Honorary Historical Adviser to the Crown.-Family and early life:Round was born on 22...
's entry in the Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography says that Hugh was the son of a Hugh Bardulf that died around 1176. According to Turner and Round, the younger Hugh's mother was Isabel, who may have been a member of the Twist family from Lincolnshire. The younger Hugh acquired land at Waddington, Lincolnshire as a tenant of Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, sometime in the middle 1140's.
Royal service
In 1181 Bardulf was at the court of King Henry II of England, where he was stewardButler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
, or dapifer, an office he held throughout Henry's reign and which he may have held throughout the next reign also. He held that office until Henry's death in 1189. From about 1185 until 1203, Bardulf was a royal justice almost annually, usually as a justice of eyre
Eyre (legal term)
An Eyre or Iter was the name of a circuit traveled by an itinerant justice in medieval England, or the circuit court he presided over , or the right of the king to visit and inspect the holdings of any vassal...
rather than sitting at Westminster. He performed the duties of sheriff for the following counties: Cornwall
High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...
from 1184–1187, Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
from 1187 to 1189, Somerset
High Sheriff of Somerset
The Office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient High Sheriff title which has been in existence for over one thousand years. The position was once a powerful position responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing law and order in Somerset a county in South West England. In modern times the...
during 1188 and 1189 along with Dorset
High Sheriff of Dorset
The High Sheriff of Dorset is an ancient High Sheriff title which has been in existence for over one thousand years. The position was once a powerful position responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing law and order in Dorset. In modern times the sheriff has become a ceremonial role, presiding...
during the same period, the counties of Staffordshire
High Sheriff of Staffordshire
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Staffordshire.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 most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
, Warwickshire
High Sheriff of Warwickshire
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 most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
and Leicestershire
High Sheriff of Leicestershire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Leicestershire. 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 most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
during 1190 and 1191, Yorkshire
High Sheriff of Yorkshire
The High Sheriff of Yorkshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. A list of the sheriffs from the Norman conquest onwards can be found below...
from 1191 to 1194, Westmorland
High Sheriff of Westmorland
Westmorland in North West England no longer exists as a county, the original core of it having merged into the modern district of Eden within the county of Cumbria....
from 1191 to 1199, Northumberland
High 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 most of the responsibilities associated with the post...
from 1194 to 1198, Cumberland
High Sheriff of Cumberland
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 most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
during 1198 and 1199, Cornwall again from 1199 to 1200 along with Devonshire
High Sheriff of Devon
The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he holds his office over the duration of a year. He has judicial, ceremonial and administrative functions and executes High Court...
, and Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire
High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests
This is a list of High Sheriffs 1068-1568.The High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests is a position established by the Normans in England.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown...
from 1200 to 1203. In 1194 Bardulf was mentioned on the escheat roll as responsible for the farm of lands held by Osbert de Bayeux
Osbert de Bayeux
Osbert de Bayeux was a medieval English cleric and archdeacon in the Diocese of York. A relative of Thurstan, the Archbishop of York, Osbert probably owed his ecclesiastical positions to this relative...
, an archdeacon of York.
Under Richard and John
In 1189, Hugh was one of only five sitting sheriffs who retained their office when Richard took the throne; the others included Geoffrey fitzPeterGeoffrey Fitz Peter, 1st Earl of Essex
Geoffrey Fitz Peter, Earl of Essex was a prominent member of the government of England during the reigns of Richard I and John. The patronymic is sometimes rendered Fitz Piers, for he was the son of Piers de Lutegareshale, forester of Ludgershall.-Life:He was from a modest landowning family that...
, William Briwerre
William Brewer (justice)
William Brewer was a prominent administrator and justice in England during the reigns of Richard I, King John, and Henry III...
, and Ranulf de Glanvill. However in 1189, Bardulf did lose custody of Salisbury Castle
Old Sarum
Old Sarum is the site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury, in England. The site contains evidence of human habitation as early as 3000 BC. Old Sarum is mentioned in some of the earliest records in the country...
, which he had held under Henry. Henry had given Bardulf the manor and barony of Brampton in Devonshire, but when Richard took the throne, the king took back Brampton, and gave Bardulf the manor of Hoo in Kent instead.
Although Bardulf set out with the new King, Richard I on the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
, he turned back after a period in Messina, and returned to England. There, he was part of the administration during the Justiciar
Justiciar
In medieval England and Ireland the Chief Justiciar was roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister as the monarch's chief minister. Similar positions existed on the Continent, particularly in Norman Italy. The term is the English form of the medieval Latin justiciarius or justitiarius In...
ship of Hugh de Puiset
Hugh de Puiset
Hugh de Puiset was a medieval Bishop of Durham and Chief Justiciar of England under King Richard I. He was the nephew of King Stephen of England and Henry of Blois, who both assisted Hugh's ecclesiastical career...
, the Bishop of Durham, and William Longchamp
William Longchamp
William Longchamp , sometimes known as William de Longchamp or William de Longchamps, was a medieval Lord Chancellor, Chief Justiciar, and Bishop of Ely in England. Born to a humble family in Normandy, he owed his advancement to royal favour. Although contemporary writers accused Longchamp's father...
, the Bishop of Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...
. Longchamp gave him custody of Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle is located in the town of the same name in Warwickshire, England. Constructed from Norman through to Tudor times, the castle has been described by architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant...
. Bardulf then was involved in the attempts of Walter de Coutances
Walter de Coutances
Walter de Coutances was a medieval English Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of Rouen. He began his royal service in the government of Henry II, serving as a vice-chancellor...
to remove Longchamp from office, which led to Longchamp excommunicating Bardulf. In 1193, Bardulf helped with the defenses of Doncaster against the forces of Prince John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, Richard's brother, who was rebelling against Richard while the king was on crusade. However, Bardulf refused to besiege Tickhill
Tickhill
Tickhill is a small, wealthy town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England, on the border with Nottinghamshire. It has a population of 5,301.-Geography:...
near Doncaster, because he was a vassal of John's, which led to him being denounced as a traitor. Although he was required to surrender his shrievalty of Yorkshire, he was immediately appointed to other sheriff offices. On 31 March 1194, Hugh was named an escheator for estates confiscated by Richard in the northern part of England in relation to John's rebellion. While Richard was in captivity in Germany in 1193, Bardulf, along with William Marshall
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , also called William the Marshal , was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He was described as the "greatest knight that ever lived" by Stephen Langton...
, Geoffrey fitzPeter and William Briwerre, was a recipient of letters from the captive king, urging the election of Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter
Hubert Walter was an influential royal adviser in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries in the positions of Chief Justiciar of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. As chancellor, Walter began the keeping of the Charter Roll, a record of all charters issued by the...
as Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
.
Bardulf was also a financial administrator. He served as a Baron of the Exchequer
Exchequer of pleas
The Exchequer of Pleas or Court of Exchequer was a court that followed equity, a set of legal principles based on natural law, and common law, in England and Wales. Originally part of the curia regis, or King's Council, the Exchequer of Pleas split from the curia during the 1190s, to sit as an...
during the reigns of Henry, Richard and John. In 1196, he was the collector of taxation in seven shires, along with Philip of Poitou
Philip of Poitou
Philip of Poitou was Prince-Bishop of Durham from 1197 to 1208, and prior to this Archdeacon of Canterbury.- Life :...
, the bishop-elect of Durham. Around 1197, Hugh was named as responsible for the "bail and custody" of the Jewish population in England, along with William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise
William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise
William of Sainte-Mère-Eglise was a medieval Bishop of London.-Life:...
, the Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
, who was his fellow escheator in the north. The office in charge of the bail and custody of the Jews was probably a forerunner of the office of Keeper of the Jews.
Bardulf continued to serve Richard until the king's death, and then served John, who became king, until sometime before Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
1203, when records show that Bardulf was known to be deceased.
Legacy and personal life
Bardulf was known for his legal expertise, which led to him being one of the few justices mentioned by name in GlanvillTractatus of Glanvill
The Tractatus de legibus et consuetudinibus regni Angliae is the earliest treatise on English law. Commonly attributed to Ranulf de Glanvill and dated ca. 1188, it was revolutionary in its systematic codification that defined legal process and introduced writs, innovations that have survived to...
, an early medieval English legal text, although whether by the original author or by a glossator
Glossator
The scholars of the 11th and 12th century legal schools in Italy, France and Germany are identified as glossators in a specific sense. They studied Roman Law based on the Digestae, the Codex of Justinian, the Authenticae The scholars of the 11th and 12th century legal schools in Italy, France and...
, is unclear. His long career as a justice helped create a sense of continuity in judicial matters through the reigns of the Angevin
House of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet , a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais and gained the...
kings. He remained on such good terms with Hubert Walter, that when Walter was appointed chancellor at the beginning of John's reign, Bardulf made a comment to the new chancellor that included a pointed barb about the last Archbishop of Canterbury to also be chancellor, Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
. Bardulf was on good enough terms that he was able to tease Walter that "We have never heard nor seen an archbishop become a chancellor, but we have seen a chancellor become an archbishop."
The justice married Mabel de Limesy, daughter of Gerard de Limesy, and coheir with her sisters of their brother John de Limesy, with the marriage taking place in 1200. When he died, his heir was Robert Bardulf, his brother. Hugh Bardulf gave land capable of pasturing 500 sheep to Barlings Abbey
Barlings Abbey
Barlings Abbey, Lincolnshire, was a Premonstratensian monastery in England, founded in 1154.-History:Its founder was Ralph de Haye, son of the constable of Lincoln Castle, and lord of Burwell and Carlton...
. Robert, his heir, offered a £1,000 fine in order to receive the inheritance, and William de Briouze
William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber
William de Braose, , 4th Lord of Bramber , court favourite of King John of England, at the peak of his power, was also Lord of Gower, Abergavenny, Brecknock, Builth, Radnor, Kington, Limerick, Glamorgan, Skenfrith, Briouze in Normandy, Grosmont, and White Castle.-Lineage:William was the most...
made an identical offer for the right to marry his son to Mabel, Hugh's widow.
After Bardulf's death, a legal case was brought against Bardulf's chaplain and constable, alleging that Bardulf had allowed his two servants to hear a case that should have been heard by the justice. The litigants charged that the two servants had wrongly decided the case, and after hearing the allegations, the royal justices at Westminster agreed and restored the disputed property to the litigants.