There are no prizes for spotting yesterday’s typo I’m afraid. Several of you identified that instead of 1086 I managed to land in the twentieth century – the error has now been fixed. Many thanks to those of you who gave me a gentle nudge. However, today we’re back in medieval Colchester.
East Anglia became associated with sheep, wool and the cloth trade during the medieval period. Magnificent churches, such as the one at Lavenham, were built on the back of the profits. Colchester was a centre of the trade with its own market, although it was never as wealthy as Norwich. And matters weren’t helped at the turn of the thirteenth century when the Bishop of London established the town of Chelmsford which was close to a royal manor and more convenient for court sittings. However, until 1250 Colchester Castle was key to the defence of the region. The Plantagenet kings all spent time in the town.
In 1214, prior to the Barons’ War, King John showed up to try and persuade the castle’s constable, William de Lanvali, to side with him rather than the barons – to no avail. The castle did find itself under siege in 1215 having changed hands from de Lanvali, to the king’s man Stephen Harangood( who was a Flemish mercenary) and then back to de Lanvali after the signing of Magna Carta in June 1215. In March 1216, John arrived in Colchester to take the surrender of the castle garrison which was composed of 115 French troops. The garrison thought that they had safe passage to London but on leaving the castle they were all arrested. That year the castle changed hands five times but it was a few months later when an army favouring the barons looted the town. Keeping up? Good, because in 1217 Prince Louis of France reoccupied the castle on behalf of the barons. It reverted into the hands of Henry III’s regents the same year, by which time I’m guessing that the inhabitants of the town were well and truly fed up.
In 1290 Colchester’s Jewish community, nine households, were expelled from the kingdom, by Edward I under the jauntily named Edict of Expulsion. Essentially the king wished to raise taxes to fight a French campaign and parliament saw an opportunity to rid itself of the realm’s entire Jewish population. Edward’s need for funding proved greater than his desire to safeguard England’s Jews. On the same day as the edict became law the Sheriff of Essex, Henry Gropinel, received a writ to proclaim that the county’s Jewish community was to leave the kingdom by 1 November, taking with them only what they could carry. Property was forfeit to the Crown, anyone remaining might be executed but the king provided that families should be escorted to safety to prevent any harm coming to them (not always terribly successfully). Up until 1290, medieval Colchester had a synagogue on Stockwell Street. It and nine properties on Stockwell Street became Crown property. Officially, anyone Jewish was not allowed to resettle in England until 1656 unless they had a special licence.
In 1348 the Black Death arrived and two years later the castle’s principal role changed from fortification to goal.
Throughout the period there were tensions between St John’s Abbey and the town over land rights and fishing rights but the abbey wasn’t alone. The FitzWalter family held the manor of Lexden and appeared reluctant on several occasions to allow the people of Colchester their rights. In 1343, John FitzWalter accused 96 townsmen of cutting down his trees, hunting deer and taking his fish. Trespass turned into a brawl. There were injuries, a death and a protracted court case which involved jury intimidation.
Colchester even has its own chronicle, or oath book, dating from the fourteenth century written by the town clerk of the time. Morant’s History of Essex, written during the eighteenth century, contains a translation and explanation for its existence. This is one of the texts that gives us the story of St Helena originating from Colchester and being the daughter of King Coel or Cole (yup – the merry old soul) and identifies the town’s problems with the Danes in 1071. The chronology for early Colchester is not entirely accurate but as Philip Crummy observes, the archeology and the medieval account of Colchester’s past tie together remarkably well even if the inhabitants of the town mistook the Temple of Claudius for King Cole’s palace The book also contains information about the burgesses, where they lived and where they came from, deeds, wills, legal precedents and a summary of court rolls. It helps to unpick the evolution of Colchester’s civic administration and the increasing power of the burgesses. It was only in the Elizabethan period that the town clerk was required to keep more thorough records.
What I like about my study of Colchester is that many of the followers of the History Jar, and those of you who have attended various classes, will know the national history that impacts on Colchester and be familiar with key events. Seeing examples from a specific location – in this case my home town- gives context to the various patterns of development and decay that can be repeated in towns across England.
I’m only mildly concerned that the key dates that pop up in my head for medieval history are 1066, 1086, 1100, 1139, 1154, 1204, 1215, 1265, 1314, 1337, 1348, 1381, 1399. The fifteenth century and the Wars of the Roses have their own set of dates lurking at the back of my mind. Of course, you may have different dates entirely that act as your historical reference points. But can you identify the key events which I work around when I navigate medieval history from the Normans onwards. I’ll provide the answers in my next post. You’ll be relieved to hear that I won’t be doing the same for the fifteenth century!
Crummy, Philip, Aspects of Anglo-Saxon and Norman Colchester, (Colchester: Colchester Archeological Trust, 1981)
As a complete aside I’m quite tickled by a discovery made during my search on the Internet for Morant’s History of Essex – regional colouring books for adults depicting the past as well as the present. There’s one for Yorkshire, Hampshire, Cumbria and even one for castles that I spotted in my cursory search. They’re produced by The History Press (what will they come up with next?). I’m thinking that images from the books could be an excellent basis for a blackwork embroidery- because let’s face it I do love my history in many shapes and forms. I’ll also admit to being tempted by the Great Tapestry of Scotland Colouring Book – the original is currently housed in Galashiels…whether the whole experience would be a mindful one is another matter entirely.
