Honour of Pontefract facts for kids

The Honour of Pontefract was a special type of landholding in England during the Middle Ages. Think of it like a very large estate or a mini-kingdom. It was mostly located in Yorkshire, a county in northern England. This honour was created shortly after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Its main purpose was to help defend the area, as it was a key border region at the time.

The first lord of the Honour of Pontefract was a man named Ilbert de Lacy. He built a strong castle at Pontefract, which became the main headquarters, or caput, of the honour. Besides the lands in Yorkshire, the honour also included some smaller properties in other parts of England.

After Ilbert de Lacy passed away, his son took over. However, the honour was taken away from him around 1116. It was then given to other people twice. Later, Ilbert de Lacy's grandson managed to get back two-thirds of the honour around 1135. This part stayed with his family for many years. The last one-third of the honour was finally reunited with the rest in 1205.

In 1311, a woman named Alice inherited the honour. She was married to Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster. After the earl lost power in 1322, the honour was taken by the king. It stayed under royal control until 1348. Then, it was given to Thomas's great-nephew, Henry of Grosmont. His daughter, Blanche, brought the honour into the family of John of Gaunt through marriage.

When John of Gaunt died in 1399, his son, Henry of Bolingbroke, was not allowed to inherit his father's lands by King Richard II. But Henry took the throne and became King Henry IV. He then got back all the lands that belonged to his father. Since then, the Honour of Pontefract has been part of the Duchy of Lancaster, which is still private property of the English monarch today.

History

How it Started

Ilbert de Lacy was a Norman landowner. After the Norman conquest of England began in 1066, King William the Conqueror gave Lacy a large area of land in Yorkshire. This land became the foundation of the Honour of Pontefract.

We don't know the exact date the honour was created. Some historians think it was around 1086. Others believe the first land grants to Lacy happened in the 1070s. More land was added later, including the royal manor of Tanshelf. This was probably given to him just before the Domesday Survey in 1086.

By the time the Domesday Survey was finished, the honour was already very large. It was mentioned 141 times in the survey's records. One historian, David Carpenter, described it as a "compact block" of land. It stretched across many areas, surrounding the royal manor of Wakefield.

The honour covered about sixty parishes and over 500 square miles. It was designed to be a solid block of land. This was important because it served as a defensive wall in a key border area. Lacy built a castle at Pontefract, which became the main center of this honour. He died during the reign of King William II. His son, Robert de Lacy, then took over the honour.

1115–1135: When the King Took Control

Robert de Lacy was sent away from England sometime between 1109 and 1116. The king took his English lands, and the Honour of Pontefract was given to Hugh de Laval. He was a less important Norman baron.

After Laval died around 1129, the Honour of Pontefract was divided into three equal parts. William Maltravers paid a lot of money to take over Laval's estate for 15 years. He also paid to marry Laval's widow and get her marriage property. Laval's widow brought two-thirds of the honour to Maltravers. The last third was inherited by Laval's son, Guy de Laval.

1135–1311: Back with the Lacy Family

Maltravers was killed in 1135, soon after King Stephen became king. After this, Robert de Lacy's son, Ilbert II de Lacy, was given Maltravers' share of the Honour of Pontefract. He also received a royal pardon for his men's part in Maltravers' death.

Guy de Laval and his family kept the other part of the honour. This part mostly included lands outside Yorkshire, in places like Lincolnshire and Oxfordshire. Ilbert II disappears from history around 1141. His brother, Henry de Lacy, then took over the Honour of Pontefract.

Gilbert de Gant, Earl of Lincoln, argued that Henry de Lacy didn't have the right to the honour. This might have been because Gant's sister was Ilbert de Lacy's widow. They fought over it, and Lacy kept the honour. Gant had to pay money to Pontefract Priory because his actions left it in ruins.

When Henry II became king in 1154, he confirmed that Lacy could keep the honour. He also forgave the family for supporting King Stephen during a time of civil war. Lacy died in 1177.

Henry de Lacy's son, Robert de Lacy, was his heir. But Robert died in 1193 without any children. Robert left his lands to his cousin, Aubrey de Lisours. In 1194, she gave the Honour of Pontefract to her grandson, Roger. He then took the surname de Lacy.

Five years later, Roger offered money to take control of the part of the honour held by another Guy de Laval. But he didn't get it right away. In 1205, after Guy had fought against him, King John gave the Laval share to Roger de Lacy. This finally brought the whole honour back together.

Lacy died in 1211. His son, John, officially received the inheritance two years later. He became Earl of Lincoln in 1232 and died in 1240. His son, Edmund, was too young to take over. So, his lands were looked after by his mother, Margaret de Quincy. She later remarried.

Edmund took control of his inheritance, including the Honour of Pontefract, in 1248. He died ten years later, leaving a son, Henry, as his heir. Henry was also a minor, so his mother, Alicia, was in charge of his lands. He became old enough to manage his lands in 1272.

1311–1399: Royal and Lancastrian Control

Henry de Lacy's sons both died. So, in 1292, he gave the Honour of Pontefract back to the king. The king then gave it back to him and his future heirs. But if he had no heirs, it would go to the king's brother, Edmund, 1st Earl of Lancaster, and his heirs. This meant Lacy could use the honour for his lifetime.

In 1294, he gave the honour back to himself for his lifetime again. But this time, if he had no heirs, it would go to Edmund's son, Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster. Thomas had married Lacy's daughter and heir, Alice.

So, when Henry de Lacy died in 1311, the honour went to Alice and Thomas. Thomas held it because of his wife until he lost power in 1322. The Honour was then taken by King Edward II.

His successor, King Edward III, gave it to his mother, Queen Isabella, for her life in 1327. However, she gave it to Edward III's queen, Philippa, in 1330.

Later, the Earls of Lancaster rented the honour from Queen Philippa from about 1340 until 1348. Then, Edward III got it back and gave it to the 4th Earl, Henry of Grosmont. Henry was later made Duke of Lancaster.

When the duke died in 1361 without a son, his lands were divided between his two daughters. The king gave the Honour of Pontefract to his daughter Blanche. She was married to John of Gaunt, one of the king's younger sons. John was made Duke of Lancaster in 1363.

Gaunt died in February 1399. His son, Henry of Bolingbroke, was not allowed to inherit his lands by King Richard II. Richard gave control of the lands to Edward, 2nd Duke of York. But later in 1399, Henry took the throne and became king. He took back his father's lands. He then declared that the Duchy of Lancaster would always be the private property of the monarch. This included the Honour of Pontefract, which has been held by the king ever since.