Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester facts for kids

Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester (born around 1070, died 1129) was an important Norman lord in England. He came from Bessin in Normandy, a region in France. Ranulf became powerful in England because he was related to Hugh d'Avranches, the Earl of Chester. He also had the support of kings William II Rufus and Henry I Beauclerc. His marriage to Lucy, who owned many lands in Lincolnshire, also helped him.

Ranulf fought for King Henry I in Normandy. He also acted like a semi-independent governor in the far north-west of England, in Cumberland and Westmorland. He even founded Wetheral Priory there. In November 1120, his cousin Richard d'Avranches died in the terrible White Ship Disaster. After this, Ranulf became the Earl of Chester, a very important area near the border with Wales. He held this title until he died and passed it on to his son, Ranulf de Gernon.

Ranulf's Story

His Family and Background

Ranulf le Meschin's parents came from two different noble families in Normandy. Both families were closely connected to Henry, who was a son of William the Conqueror. Ranulf's father was also named Ranulf de Briquessart. This is probably why Ranulf was called le Meschin, which means "the younger."

His father was a "viscount" (a type of local ruler) in the Bessin area, near Bayeux. Ranulf the elder was one of the most powerful lords in that region. Ranulf le Meschin's great-grandmother might have even been from the ducal family of Normandy, the ruling family of Normandy.

Ranulf le Meschin's mother, Margaret, was the daughter of Richard le Goz, Viscount of Avranches. Her brother was Hugh d'Avranches "Lupus" ("the Wolf"). Hugh was a viscount and later became the Earl of Chester around 1070. This meant Ranulf was the nephew of one of the most powerful families in Norman England.

Records from the Durham Liber Vitae show that Ranulf le Meschin had an older brother named Richard, who died young. He also had a younger brother named William and a sister named Agnes.

Starting His Career

Historians believe that Ranulf's father, Ranulf de Briquessart, was one of the first close friends of Prince Henry, who later became King Henry I. Their family lands had been under Henry's control since 1088.

It's not clear exactly when Ranulf's father died and Ranulf junior took over. However, they both appear in a document from April 24, 1089. In this document, Ranulf le Meschin is called "Ranulf son of Ranulf the viscount."

Around 1093, Ranulf le Meschin was listed as a witness to a document for Chester Abbey. This document was given by his uncle, Hugh Lupus, the Earl of Chester. The document called Ranulf "nephew of the earl."

Between 1098 and 1101, Ranulf became a very important landowner in England. He married Lucy, who owned a lot of land in Lincolnshire. This marriage also gave him control of Appleby in Westmorland.

To marry such an important heiress, Ranulf needed the king's support. This shows that the king trusted him. Ranulf was likely one of King Henry I's most loyal followers. He didn't often attend the king's court, but he did witness some important documents, especially after he became an earl. In 1106, he helped decide a legal case in York.

Ranulf was also one of the king's military leaders. In 1101, when King Henry heard his brother Robert Curthose planned to invade England, Ranulf was one of four people chosen to gather promises from people to defend the kingdom. In 1106, Ranulf joined King Henry's invasion of Normandy. He was one of three commanders at the Battle of Tinchebrai. Ranulf led the first line of Henry's army.

Lord of Cumberland

The gatehouse of Wetheral Priory, founded by Ranulf around 1106.

A document from 1124 shows that Ranulf was the lord of Carlisle and Cumberland. He had great power in this region, almost like an independent earl, even though he didn't officially have that title. People in Cumberland remembered him as "sometime Lord of Cumberland." Ranulf had so much power that the king didn't need to get involved in Cumberland or Westmorland during his time there.

Norman rule in Cumberland began around 1092, when King William Rufus took the area from its previous ruler, Dolfin. Ranulf gained control of this area through his marriage to Lucy, who had inherited lands there. By 1106, Ranulf definitely had authority in the region.

Ranulf also gave land to the church. He founded a Benedictine monastery called Wetheral Priory. This monastery was connected to St Mary's Abbey in York. He gave Wetheral Priory his two churches in Appleby.

As a powerful new lord, Ranulf gave land to his own followers. Records from 1212 show that Ranulf created two new lordships in the region. His brother-in-law, Robert de Trevers, received the lordship of Burgh-by-Sands. The lordship of Liddel went to Turgis Brandos. Ranulf also tried to give the large lordship of Gilsland to his brother William, but he couldn't remove the local lord. Later, William received the lordship of Allerdale, which was even bigger.

Becoming Earl of Chester

Chester Cathedral today, originally Chester Abbey, where Ranulf's body was buried.

The year 1120 was very important for Ranulf. Richard, the Earl of Chester, died in the White Ship Disaster on November 25. King Henry's own son and heir also died in this disaster. Just four days before, Ranulf and his cousin Richard had been together.

King Henry needed to replace Richard quickly because the Welsh were becoming very strong under their leader Gruffudd ap Cynan. After Richard's death, the Welsh attacked Cheshire, burning castles and causing trouble. Because Ranulf was a skilled military leader, loyal to the king, and the closest male relative to Earl Richard, King Henry made him the new Earl of Chester.

In 1123, King Henry sent Ranulf to Normandy with many knights and his own son, Robert, Earl of Gloucester. Their job was to make the defenses stronger there. Ranulf commanded the king's forces at Évreux and governed the county of Évreux during a war in 1123-1124. In March 1124, Ranulf helped capture Waleran, Count of Meulan, an enemy leader.

Even though Ranulf was called "Earl of Chester," the lands that came with this title were spread out across England. Around 1100, only about a quarter of the value of these lands was actually in Cheshire. Cheshire was one of the poorer counties in England. The other lands were probably given to the earls to make up for Cheshire's low wealth and to strengthen its position on the border with Wales.

When Ranulf became Earl of Chester, he likely had to give up many of his other lands. This included some of his wife's lands in Lincolnshire and his lands in Cumbria. This was probably because King Henry didn't want Ranulf to become too powerful by controlling both Cheshire and the richer county of Lincoln. It's also possible Ranulf sold some land to pay the king for the Earldom of Chester. When Ranulf's son, Ranulf de Gernon, became Earl in 1129, he still owed the king £1000 from his father's debt for the lands.

Ranulf died in January 1129 and was buried in Chester Abbey. His wife, Lucy, and his son, Ranulf de Gernon, survived him. His daughter, Alicia, married Richard de Clare, another important lord. One of Ranulf's younger sons later helped in the Siege of Lisbon and was given land in Portugal for his help.

Ranulf was well-known, even centuries later. In a famous poem called Piers Plowman (written around 1362–1386), a lazy priest says he knows "rhymes of Robyn Hood and Randolf Erl of Chestre." This shows that Ranulf, the Earl of Chester, was a popular figure in stories and songs.