Honour of Richmond


The Honour of Richmond was a feudal barony in what is now mainly North Yorkshire, England. The honour was two tiers below Yorkshire, the middle tier being the North Riding.
Before the honour was created, the land was held by Edwin, Earl of Mercia who died in 1071. The honour was granted to Count Alan Rufus by King William the Conqueror sometime from after the Domesday Book of 1068 to just after the earl's death in 1071, the date is uncertain.
The honour comprised 60 knight's fees and was one of the most important fiefdoms in Norman England. According to the 14th-century Genealogia of the lords of Richmond, Alan Rufus built a stronghold in the district. The buildings were later known as Richmond Castle which is alluded to in the Domesday survey as forming a ‘castlery’.

Territory

The manor of Gilling was the caput of the barony until Count Alan moved it to Richmond Castle. Richmond castle was in ruins by 1540 but was restored centuries later and is now a tourist attraction.
The Honour of Richmond, being from east to west and from north to south, comprised most of the land between the River Tees and the River Ure and ranged in its landscape from the bleak mountainous areas of the Pennines to the fertile lowlands of the Vale of York. The district, throughout most of its history, consisted of three main land divisions; the wapentakes of Hang, Gilling and Hallikeld.

Gilling

The Gilling wapentake or Gillingshire consisted mainly of land which lay between the rivers Tees, Wiske. The north bordered land granted to the Prince Bishops of Durham. The watershed between the River Swale and the River Ure was the southern border with the Hang Wapentake while the western border was the Pennines.

Hang

The division of Hang, or Hangshire, had the River Swale as its northern boundary; its western boundary was the Pennine watershed and its southern boundary was the watershed with the River Wharfe and the River Nidd. The eastern border followed small streams and minor landmarks from the previous watershed to the Swale. The wapentake meeting place was situated on the Hang Beck in Finghall parish.

Hallikeld

The third part of the territory, Hallikeld, consisted of the parishes lying between the River Ure and the River Swale until their confluence at Ellenthorpe.

List of feudal barons of Richmond

The feudal barons of Richmond were usually referred to as Lords of Richmond. The Honour of Richmond was sometimes held separately from the titles Earl of Richmond, and later Duke of Richmond. Grants were sometimes partial, and sometimes included or excluded Richmond Castle as noted in the list below. The descent of the barony was as follows: