| Barony of Halton | |
|---|---|
| Creation date | 1071 |
| First holder | Nigel of Cotentin |
| Last holder | Henry Bolingbroke |
| Status | Extinct (merged in the Crown) |
| Extinction date | 30 September 1399 |
| Former seat | Halton Castle |
| Arms | .svg) |
| Mesne lord of theEarl of Chester | |
TheBarony of Halton, inCheshire, England, comprised a succession of 15barons and hereditaryConstables of Chester under the overlordship of theEarl of Chester. It was not anEnglish feudal barony granted by the king[a] but a separate class of barony within theCounty Palatine of Chester.
After theNorman conquest,William the Conqueror created the threeearldoms ofShrewsbury,Hereford and Chester to protect his border withWales. In 1071, the Earl of Chester,Hugh Lupus, made his cousin, Nigel ofCotentin, the 1st Baron of Halton.[2]Halton was a village in Cheshire which is now part of the town ofRuncorn. At its centre is a rocky prominence on which was builtHalton Castle, the seat of the barons of Halton.
Nigel was the hereditaryConstable of Chester. In 1077 he fought against theWelsh at the Battle ofRhuddlan.[3] It is almost certain that he built amotte-and-baileycastle on Halton Hill.[4]
William fitz Nigel, Nigel's son, was alsomarshal of the Earls' host, which was an important position in theNorman military hierarchy. In addition to his land in Halton, his estate included land in other parts of Cheshire and also inNormandy.[5] He married the eldest daughter of Yorfid, on whose death without a male heir theLancashire manors of Widnes, Appleton,Cronton andRainhill came to his son-in-law, William.[2] In 1115 William established apriory of theAugustinian Order ofCanons Regular inRuncorn.[6] He was buried at Chester.[7]
William, son of William fitz Nigel, in 1134 he moved the priory from Runcorn to a site to the east of Halton. This becameNorton Priory.[8] William died childless in Normandy.[9]
Eustace fitz John succeeded to Halton as husband of the elder sister of William fitz William. He had inherited the barony ofKnaresborough and by an earlier marriage had also gained the baronies ofMalton andAlnwick.[9] He was killed fighting the Welsh.[6]
Richard, son of Eustace fitz John, married the eventual heiress to thede Lacy family ofPontefract, whose inheritance was eventually acquired by their grandson Roger.[10]
John, son of Richard fitz Eustace, was agovernor inIreland forHenry II. Being a patron of science, he maintained anastronomer at Halton Castle. He founded aCistercian monastery atStanlow.[9] In 1190 he granted the second knowncharter for aferry at Runcorn Gap. He served withRichard I in theThird Crusade and died at the siege ofAcre.[11]
Born as Roger fitz John, the son of John fitz Richard, he adopted the surname of de Lacy. He was a renowned soldier and was nicknamed "Hell" Lacy for his military daring. In 1192 he was also serving with Richard I in the Third Crusade. Later he servedKing John in the unsuccessful attempt to thwart the French conquest of Normandy following which he was madeHigh Sheriff of Lancashire. He was buried in the abbey founded by his father at Stanlow.[11][12]
John de Lacy, son of Roger, opposed King John and was one of the barons entrusted with the duty of ensuring that the king kept the agreements made inMagna Carta. By marriage he gained more titles, including that of the Earldom ofLincoln. He also gained themanor and the castle ofBolingbroke. He was also buried at Stanlow.[13]
Of Edmund de Lacy, son of John, little is known except that he was also buried at Stanlow.[14]
Henry de Lacy, son of Edmund, was educated at court and became Chief Councillor toEdward I. While the king was engaged on military conflicts with theScots, Henry was appointedProtector of the Realm.[13] He transferred the monastery from Stanlow toWhalley.[11] He died at hisLondon home,Lincoln's Inn and was buried in the oldSt Paul's Cathedral.[13]
Thomas gained the barony of Halton though his marriage to Alice, Henry's daughter. He took up arms againstEdward II in 1322. However this rebellion was unsuccessful. He was defeated at theBattle of Boroughbridge and then imprisoned in his own castle atPontefract. A few days later he was beheaded outside the city and his titles forfeited to the Crown. Later a cult ofmartyrdom developed around him.[11]
Thomas was posthumously pardoned byEdward III and in 1327, Thomas's titles were restored to his brother,Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster.[15]
It has also been suggested that the title succeeded to Sir William Glinton. He was a distinguishedknight who may have held the honour as a non-hereditary arrangement or he may have held it during the life of Alice, widow of Thomas of Lancaster.[13]
Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster, nephew of the 2nd Earl and son of the 3rd, next succeeded to the barony of Halton. He was appointed as the 1stDuke ofLancaster, one of the first Knights of theOrder of the Garter.[16] He served the king inFrance and died of theplague.[13] He was buried atLeicester.[17]
John of Gaunt gained the barony by his marriage toBlanche, daughter and heiress of the 13th baron. He was appointedregent during the infancy ofRichard II.[13] He was also buried in St Paul's Cathedral.[17]
Henry Bolingbroke was the eldest son of John of Gaunt. He was banished from England by Richard II and at the time of his father's death he was inexile in France. When he returned to England to claim his estates the people rallied round him. Richard II was deposed and Henry was crownedKing Henry IV. Henry procured an Act of Parliament to ordain that theDuchy of Lancaster would remain in the personal possession of the reigning monarch and the barony of Halton is now vested in that dukedom.[18]