Eustace de Balliol facts for kids

Eustace de Balliol (also known as Eustace de Helicourt) was an important noble who lived a long time ago, around the late 1100s and early 1200s. He became the leader of the Balliol family after his cousin, Bernard II de Balliol, passed away without any children.

Eustace was originally the lord (or ruler) of a place called Hélicourt in Picardy, a region in France. This estate was quite close to the main home of the Balliol family, Bailleul-en-Vimeu. When his cousin Bernard died in 1190, Eustace took over the Balliol family's lands and titles.

Eustace's Land Dealings

Eustace de Balliol was involved in many important land agreements during his time. These deals often involved giving up claims to certain lands or confirming rights to others.

Giving Up Land Claims

Between 1189 and 1195, Eustace gave up his claim to a large estate called Long Newton in Durham, England. He gave this land to Hugh du Puiset, who was the Bishop of Durham at the time. He also gave up the land that his cousin Bernard de Balliol had owned in a village called Newhouse.

Dealing with Taxes and Debts

Around 1199 to 1200, Eustace had to pay a special tax called "scutage." This was a payment made to the king instead of providing knights for military service. He owed 60 marks (an old form of money) for this tax and had already paid 10 marks. He also owed a large sum of £120 for earlier taxes from the time of King Richard I. However, King John later cancelled this debt for him.

Supporting Churches

Eustace de Balliol also played a role in supporting the church. Between 1199 and 1205, he confirmed that St. Mary's Church in York would continue to have the right to choose the priests for the churches in Gainford and Stainton (Durham) and Stokesley (Yorkshire). He also confirmed their right to collect "tithes," which were like taxes paid to the church. These rights had been given to the church by an earlier Balliol family member, Guy de Balliol.

In 1200, Eustace and his son, Hugh, officially gave up their claim to the right to choose priests for the church in Gainford, Durham, and several chapels. These chapels were located in places like Barnard Castle, Middleton, Denton, Houghton-le-Side, and Snow Hall. They gave these rights to Robert, who was the Abbot of York.

Eustace's Family

Eustace de Balliol had a first wife named Petronilla FitzPiers. Together, they had four sons. Their names were Hugh, Enguerrand (also known as Ingram or Ingelram), Bernard, and Henry. All of their names were recorded in an important old book called the Durham Liber Vitae.

Eustace's oldest son, Hugh, took over as the head of the family after his father. His younger sons, Enguerrand and Henry, became important figures in Scotland. They received support from the Scottish kings and started new branches of the Balliol family there. Enguerrand's family branch was based in Inverkeilor, and Henry's branch was in Cavers. Eustace's son Hugh had officially taken over the family leadership by around 1209.