TO HOLD BY THE SWORD

THE 4TH NORMAN EARL OF CHESTER - RANULPH DE MESCHINES

BY PHILLIP E JONES

Thought to have been born around 1070 in the Briquessart region of Normandy, Ranulph succeeded to the Earldom of Chester following the untimely death of his cousin, Richard D’Avranches, in the ill-fated “White Ship” disaster of 1120. He was the eldest son of Mathilda, who was also known as Margaret, the sister of the 2^nd Earl Hugh D’Avranches, who had married Ranulph de Meschines and was said to have had 2 younger brothers William and Geoffrey.

Also known as Ranulph of Briquesart, prior to being granted the Earldom of Chester he was reported to have previously held the title of Earl of Carlisle, as well as Viscount of Bayeux. However, on receiving the Earldom of Chester, Ranulph was required by King Henry I to surrender his holdings and titles in northern England, which he was said to have done gracefully.

Although the historical records of both his tenure and achievements are minimal, the lack of evidentiary materials seems to have little to do with Ranulph I himself, but appears to be a reflection of the shortness of his tenure as Earl and the fact that the northwest region of England was remarkably settled. Unlike earlier and later holders of the Earldom, the turbulent border region between England and Wales was reported to have been reasonably peaceful, apart from a dispute in 1121 which necessitated the king, Henry I having to lead a military campaign into the region to confront the forces of the Welsh ruler Gruffudd ap Cynan, who was busily engaged in extending his power and influence in North Wales.

National and international events seem to have preoccupied Earl Ranulph during his time at Chester, notably the military campaigns undertaken by Henry I in Normandy, fighting the forces of his nephew William, as well as the Duke of Anjou and King Louis of France, all of whom disputed the English monarch’s right to rule on the continent. By 1124 Ranulph I of Chester was reported to have been the military commander of Henry’s royal forces in Normandy, reflecting no doubt his martial skills, strategic abilities and his personal importance to the English crown. At the Battle of Bourgtheroulde in that year Ranulph was the English commander who was credited with the capture of both Anaury de Montford and Waleran de Meulan two of Henry’s leading adversaries who were later held prisoner by the king.

The ongoing dispute between Henry and the French nobles had begun in 1087, following the untimely death of William I and the division of his kingdom between his two sons, Robert of Curthose who was granted William’s Normandy estates and William Rufus who was given the Crown of England. In the following years the two brothers were in almost constant dispute with one another over their respective inheritances, with the young Henry being torn between the warring siblings. Around 1096 Robert was reported to have renounced his entitlement to his Normandy estates, choosing instead to crusade in the Holy Land and leaving his French estates to be assimilated into the English kingdom of William II.

However, following William’s accidental death whilst hunting on 2^nd August 1100, Henry succeeded to the English throne on 6^th August 1100, having been crowned at Westminster Abbey. At around the same time, Henry’s brother Robert was said to have returned from the Holy Land, seeking reinstatement to his kingdom of Normandy, but he later proved to be so unpopular with his Barons that they asked Henry’s help to remove Robert from power. Having successfully removed his ineffective brother from power, Henry still found his authority increasingly challenged by a number of rebellious nobles within the region, as well as by King Louis of France, who regarded the English monarch as a direct threat to his own lands.

Although he attempted to strengthen his position through the marriage of his daughter Mathilda to the German Emperor Henry V in 1114, Henry of England still had to divide his time between his two kingdoms and found it necessary to wage sporadic military campaigns against King Louis, the Duke of Anjou and William the son of Henry’s dispossessed brother Robert Curthose. It was during one of these cross channel forays that disaster struck the royal family when the “White Ship” carrying Henry’s son and heir William, along with Richard D’Avranches, the young Earl of Chester, was reported to have sunk with the loss of all those on board. Not only had the monarch lost his legitimate heir to the English throne, but the incident would later cause dispute over the right of succession, which would result in division and conflict between the leading nobles of England. The sinking of the ship also heralded the loss of Chester’s young Norman Earl, Richard, who would be subsequently be replaced by Ranulph de Meschines, the kings military commander in Normandy and a relative of both Hugh and Richard D’Avranches.   

In common with his predecessors Ranulph was recorded to have been a faithful and loyal servant to the Crown and overall his reign as Earl was thought to have been fairly unremarkable and untroubled. He no doubt acted as an advisor and counsellor to Henry I and was reported to have attended the king at Windsor in 1127 when the monarch summoned his leading Earls, Barons and Churchmen to attend him, a meeting which was said to have included the Scottish king, David.

He and his wife, Lucy Taillebois, who Ranulph was said to have married in 1097, were reported to have had 4 children, Adeliza, Agnes, Ranulph and William and it was his eldest son Ranulph that received the Earldom following his father’s death in 1129 at the age of 59. Following his death Ranulph’s remains were reported to have been interred in the Chapter House of St Werburgh’s Abbey in Chester.

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