John fitz Richard

John fitz Richard (died 11 October 1190 at Acre) was an Anglo-Norman soldier and nobleman, and constable of the Earls of Chester. He was also Baron of Halton, but historical records refer to him as 'John, constable of Chester'.[2]

John fitz Richard
Arms of John fitz Richard: Quarterly, or and gules, a bend sable, a label argent[1]
Successor	Roger de Lacy
Died	11 October 1190
Spouse(s)	Alice de Essex
Parents	Richard fitz Eustace Albreda de Lisours

Origin

John was a son of Richard fitz Eustace (d. 1163: son of Eustace fitz John, Constable of Chester), and of Albreda de Lisours (d. 1194). His mother was a daughter and heiress of Robert de Lacy (d. 1193). His younger brother Roger fitz Richard was Lord of Warkworth Castle;[3] another brother, Robert fitz Richard, was the prior of the Knights Hospitaller in England.

Life

After the death of his father in 1163 John inherited his rule Halton and the Office of the Constable of Chester, which he became the chief official of Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester. After the death of Hugh in 1181 he served in the same capacity for his heir Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester. In 1166 he paid a fee of 1,000 marks to obtain his mother's possessions. After 1172 he founded the Cistercian Stanlow Abbey in Cheshire and a hospital in Castle Donington.[4] Earl Hugh thanked him with lands in Antrobus, Cheshire. In 1178 he confirmed John's donation of Little Stanney to Stanlow Abbey, and a little later he gave the monks the duty to pay in Chester.

During the rebellion against Henry II of England in 1173, John was a loyal supporter of the king. In early May 1181, when Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath lost the King's favor and was removed from office as Justiciar of Ireland, John was sent to Ireland together with Bishop Richard Peche of Coventry to take control of Dublin. Nevertheless, they supported Hugh before he left Ireland in the construction of many castles in Leinster. The following winter, John and Bishop Richard were recalled to England, while Hugh de Lacy returned to Ireland. On 3 September 1189, John took part in the coronation of Richard I of England. In March 1190, he left England to participate in the Third Crusade. He died in the Holy Land during the siege of Acre.[2]

Family

John married Alice, a daughter of Robert of Essex and his wife Alice. With her he had several children, including:

• Roger fitz John, who upon inheriting his mothers titles, adopted the surname "de Lacy", married Maud de Clere, had issue.
• Richard of Chester, buried in Norton Priory
• Geoffrey
• Robert of Flamborough

Another son, Eustace of Chester, may have been illegitimate. His heir was his eldest son Roger.[2]

Citations

1. Dugdale, Baronage, i. p. 90
2. Suppe, Frederick (2004). "John (d. 1190), soldier and landowner". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/15854. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
3. "The History of Warkworth Castle". Amble and District Local History. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
4. Greene, pp. 6-7.

References

• Greene, J. Patrick (1989). Norton Priory: the archaeology of a medieval religious house. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33054-1.
• Dugdale, William. The Baronage of England, Volume 1. G. Olms, 1675. ISBN 9783487063751