Philip Marc
Encyclopedia
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...
in 1208. Marc has been proposed as a candidate for the role of Sheriff of Nottingham
Sheriff of Nottingham
The Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times, with the existence of the police force, the position is...
in the legend of
Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
.
Biography
Marc is thought to have come from the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
province of Touraine
Touraine
The Touraine is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, the Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher and Indre.-Geography:...
which is south of the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
. This land had been lost by King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
to King Philip II of France
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
in 1204.
In 1207, Marc was ordered to collect 100 pounds from "three men of Newark
Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands on the River Trent, the A1 , and the East Coast Main Line railway. The origins of the town are possibly Roman as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way...
". The nature of this task can be judged by a later demand he made for another 100 pounds from debtors in Lexington. The request was accompanied by a threat that they would be burnt to the ground. They had to pay if they wanted to "enjoy the King's peace". The Sheriff was appointed by the King (or Queen) but they were not paid. They took their profit from the confiscated lands that they had taken from debtors.
Marc was appointed Sheriff in 1208.
In the seventh year of the reign of King John, Marc was given the bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
of Burton
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
.
In 1214, Marc had a deputy named Eustace of Lowdham who may have already been working for him for five years. Like Marc himself, Eustace has been proposed as a contender for the Sheriff of Nottingham mentioned in the Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
legends. However there
was no "Sheriff of Nottingham" until much later. Marc was the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and the Royal Forests and Eustace was his deputy.
Marc was not popular; he and his relatives have been judged a "bad lot". He and his relatives are specifically mentioned in the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
. At Runnymede
Runnymede
Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire, and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is the site of a collection of memorials...
, King John agreed to many clauses, but clause 50 specifically calls for the end of Marc.
During the rebellion, Eustace of Lowdham did not take the side of the King, but rather that of John de Lacy; in 1216 both the deputy and Marc make their peace with King John.
On 18 October 1216, Marc was named in the unusual appointment of Nicholaa de la Haye
Nicola de la Haye
Nicholaa de la Haye was the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Richard de la Haye , a Lincolnshire lord, and a descendant of the pre-Conquest Lord Colswain of Lincolnshire. Nicholaa's first husband was William fitz Erneis...
, as joint Sheriff of Lincolnshire
High Sheriff of Lincolnshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire.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...
. It is thought that following the rebellions, loyalty was so rare that the unlikely appointment of a woman was made at the end of the King's life.
Marc still held the post of Sheriff until he was replaced on 28 December 1217 by Ralph FitzNicholas, but it is thought that his role may have been actually carried out by Eustace as it was he who presents the accounts each year. However Marc did enjoy regional military powers.
After
He married Ann and had a son who was still a child in 1222 as it has been noted that the roll of fines that in the 6th year of the reign of the King Philip Marc bought nine bovates of lands at KeyworthKeyworth
Keyworth is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located about 6 miles southeast of the centre of Nottingham...
in Nottinghamshire which he gave with his body to Lenton Priory
Lenton Priory
Lenton Priory was a Cluniac house founded by William Peverel in the early 12th century. The exact date of foundation is unknown but 1102 is frequently quoted.-Cluniac Priory:...
to be entombed. Marc left monies that his soul could be prayed for. His son Reginald was under age and he
had one daughter, Petronella, who was the wife of Andrew Luteral. Oddly, King John had given the lands of Andrew's father, Geoffrey, to Philip Marc on the occasion of the marriage.
Lands were held at Chellaston
Chellaston
Chellaston is a suburb of the City of Derby, which is in the East Midlands in England in the United Kingdom. It is on a natural hill, and has recently expanded due to several new housing estates....
near Derby for Marc's heirs. Reginald held lands at Thrumpton
Thrumpton
Thrumpton is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 152. It is located on the A453 road 6 miles south-west of West Bridgford. The 13th century village church of All Saints was restored in 1871...
.
In 1226 Marc was given the manor of Barton le Street by the King who gives the same land in 1229 to Richard le Grey. In 1234, Brian de Lisle granted a pension to Ann, Philip's widow.
Popular culture
A sympathetic portrayal of Marc as the Sheriff was presented in the Richard KlugerRichard Kluger
Richard Kluger worked as a journalist before becoming an accomplished Pulitzer Prize-winning author and book publisher.-Journalism:...
novel "The Sheriff of Nottingham". In this version Marc is portrayed as a good man who has to make hard choices in a thankless job.
Another, more villainous, version of Marc directly fought Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
in the short story "The Walnut-Hued Man of Sutton Passeys" by Jean Rabe, part of the anthology "Warrior Fantastic". Eustace of Lowdham also makes an appearance as Marc's deputy.