Whilst the previous blogs in this series on medieval Derbyshire have been examining the county under various periods of rule, this blog and those that will follow it will be structured slightly differently. There was no dynastical change from the end of ‘the Anarchy’ and subsequent accession of Henry II in 1154 (which ended Norman rule) until the end of the medieval period and the rise of the Tudors in 1485. Although it is feasible to fit 331 years of Derbyshire’s history into one blog, this period of Plantagenet rule saw so many changes to the county’s landscape, cultural and political position that any attempt to condense it would be a disservice to the full story. Instead, the next 4 blogs in this series will break down this period into manageable sections. This first blog will cover the final half of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century, following ‘the Anarchy’ and exploring our county’s links to one of England’s most unpopular kings.
To set the scene of this first 50 years of Plantagenet kingship, we must first understand how they even got to be kings in the first place. Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, died in 1135 without a male heir after his only son, William Aetheling, drowned in 1120 on the crossing from Barfleur to England. Henry settled the succession on his daughter Matilda who was married to Geoffrey of Anjou, called Plantagenet because of the sprig of broom blossom (planta genista) he wore on his hat. Following the death of Henry, his nephew Stephen of Blois snatched the throne before a pregnant Matilda was able to make to journey from France to claim the throne. War broke out in 1138 and lasted until 1153 when King Stephen, a year before his death, agreed to settle the line of succession on Matilda’s son Henry.
Henry II inherited a country that had been devastated by a decade and a half of civil war. His accession was greeted with hope of better things to come and, to improve the mood and economy of the country, he distributed charters which allowed certain towns to become market towns, in turn helping to increase commerce and boost the country’s economy. One such town was Derby, which mainly traded in wool and leather throughout the medieval period. Henry also worked to restore law and order to the country through the appointment of various courts especially around Royal Forests. The Royal Forest of the Peak was bounded by the River Goyt to the west, the River Wye to the south, the River Derwent to the east and the River Etherow to the north with the Forestors and Courts of Justice meeting regularly at Wormhill, near Buxton, during this period.
Control of the Royal Forest was maintained, in part, by the wardens of Peveril Castle, Castleton (also known as ‘Peak Castle’). The Peverel family had lost their lands to Henry II in 1155, making Peveril Castle a royal residence where the King stayed whilst he was hunting the area. It was during a period of residence at the castle in 1157 that Henry II received homage from King Malcolm IV of Scotland. Malcolm’s grandfather and father had gained the English lands of Northumbria and Cumbria during ‘the Anarchy’, with Malcolm’s brother William ruling Northumbria and Malcolm controlling Cumbria. As a reward for returning these formerly English lands to the Crown, Malcolm was given the Earldom of Huntingdon, an honorary Scottish title. This agreement and homage from Malcolm IV allowed Henry to regain control of England’s northern territories.
However, although Henry II was able to regain control over England, he was unable to control his sons. In 1173, his three eldest living sons, Henry the Young King, Richard and Geoffrey, rebelled against him as the King would not allow them any political control or power in England or in the Plantagenet lands in France. The sons were supported by their mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and received support from local English barons. Tutbury Castle (now on the Derbyshire-Staffordshire border) was owned by Derbyshire landowner, William de Ferrers 4th Earl of Derby, who joined the rebellion against the King. In return, the castle was ‘slighted’ (deliberately damaged) by royal forces as a show of strength against the Derbyshire rebels. During this time the King spent £116 on building work at his Derbyshire castles of Peveril and Bolsover, reinforcing them and spending money to increase the size of the castles’ garrisons, most likely due to a rebel presence at Tutbury and the accompanying lands of Duffield Frith, then a part of Derbyshire. The two sides reached a compromise in 1174, ending the revolt although Eleanor of Aquitaine remained imprisoned in England for the rest of her husband’s reign. Henry the Young King, Richard and Geoffrey permanently fell out of favour with Henry II, who instead doted on his youngest son John, until his death in 1189. By the time of Henry’s death, his sons Henry and Geoffrey had died, and he was at war with his son Richard, nicknamed ‘The Lionheart’.
John, due to his position as the youngest child of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, was given the nickname ‘Lackland’ as the more important pieces of the Plantagenet’s English and French holdings were distributed amongst his older brothers during their father’s lifetime. Following his accession, his older brother Richard I tried to remedy this by giving him parcels of lands and castles throughout England, including Peveril Castle and the surrounding area. This was not enough for Lackland, as he attempted to seize his brother’s throne when Richard joined the Third Crusade in 1190. John was supported by Phillip II of France who had returned from the Third Crusade in 1191 with aim of damaging Richard’s rule following Richard’s breaking of a proposal to Phillip’s sister Alys. Richard was captured by Leopold of Austria in December 1192 as he returned to England from the Holy Land. He was handed over to the Holy Roman Emperor in March 1193 and remained a prisoner until February 1194. Upon Richard’s release, Phillip warned John: “Look to yourself, the devil is loose”. Richard was a magnanimous King, forgiving his brother for his treasons and leaving his throne to John upon his death in 1199.
King John I is not remembered in the annals of history for his fair and just kingship. An example of this can be seen in Derbyshire when William de Ferrers maintained the claims of the Earls of Derby on the Peveril estate, paying John 2000 marks (£1333) for the Lordship of the Peak whilst allowing the Crown to retain rights to Peveril Castle and Bolsover Castle. John only granted the Lordship to de Ferrers in 1216 in return for his support in the First Baron’s War, which lasted from 1215 until 1217. Due, in part, to his wars with his barons, John built Horston Castle in south Derbyshire, adding a keep, chapel and barbican to the original Norman motte and bailey structure. The site is now a ruin, damaged by extensive quarrying for limestone in Amber Valley during the 19th century.
King John is now most associated with the myths of Robin Hood, but that is not the only myth surrounding this unpopular king. It was believed, (although time and evidence has since disproved this), that the barons who forced King John to sign Magna Carta at Runneymede in 1215 met at Peveril Castle prior to the signing in order to plan their next steps against this unpopular, much-hated King. However, given that Peveril was still under the control of the Crown in 1215, it is incredibly unlikely that the barons who were actively arming and making plans against John would have secret meetings in his own house!
Whilst researching these blogs, I found it interesting to discover interesting myths and legends about the county, such as Magna Carta and the baron’s meeting at Peveril Castle and to look at areas such as Wormhill which are not widely considered in the county’s history but are actually a treasure-trove of artefacts that have allowed us to piece together key aspects of Derbyshire’s administrative history. If you haven’t already, I recommend read the previous 3 blogs in this series looking at the Anglo-Saxons, the Vikings and the Normans in Derbyshire, and keep an eye out for the rest of this blog series on Medieval Derbyshire.
Buxton Museum and Art Gallery 