Hugh (Balliol) de Balliol (abt. 1180 - abt. 1229)

Born about 1180 in Barnard Castle, Durham, England

Husband of Cecily (Fontaines) de Balliol — married 1200 in Barhard Castle, Durham, England

Descendants

Died about 2 May 1229 at about age 49 in Gainford, Durham, England

Biography

Hugh de Balliol (d.1229)^[1] of Barnard Castle, Durham, Baron of Bywell, Northumberland.

He was granted on 25 Feb 1203/4 (in his father's lifetime) the right to hold a fair at Newbrigging. In 1209 he had a plea against Robert Bertram for two caracutes of land in Penemore.

In 1211/12 he held 30 knights fees. He was a stout adherent of King John in his quarrel with his Barons,^[2] and is, together with his brother Bernard, named as one of that King's "evil counsellors".

He gave 10 acres in Newsum to Rievaulx for the soul of Cecilia, his wife. According to le Marquis de Belleval, Hugh's wife, Cecilia was a sister of Hugh, and daughter of Aleaure, seigneur de Fontaines, who was also Lord of Longpre, giving it his fishery at Courcon, which was part of her maritagium.

Besides his son and heir John, he had a daughter Ada de Baliol who married John FitzRobert of Warkworth; her father Hugh gave her the fee of Stokesley in frank marriage.

Court Records

3 May 1218 - Westminster.

The count of Aumale, the earl Warenne, J. constable of Chester, the constable of Tickhill, Robert de Ros and Hugh de Balliol were summoned to come before the barons of the Exchequer at Trinity in 15 days to answer why they have hindered the sheriff of Yorkshire in taking the king’s pleas and doing as others ought to do and are accustomed to do in the same county to the king’s advantage, so that he has been and is unable to pay his farm and to answer for the debts of the king and other things for which he has summons. Witness the earl.^[3]

2 Sep 1218 - Tower of London. Hertfordshire.

Order to the sheriff of Hertfordshire to take the manor of Hugh de Balliol of Hitchin into the king’s hand and place one of his servants alongside one of Hugh’s servants to keep it, so that nothing be removed until he will be ordered otherwise, because Hugh does not wish to obey the king’s order to surrender the honour of Wolverton to the archbishop of Canterbury, as he was ordered. Witness the earl.^[4]

28 Jun 1219 - Hereford.

Robert de Vieuxpont has shown the king’s council that whereas all of the king’s predecessors, kings of England, always had a mine in Tynedale pertaining to the king’s castle of Carlisle, for which the constable of the same castle ought to answer the king. Hugh de Balliol impeded the miners working therein to the king’s damage, not permitting them to work as they had been accustomed to do. Order to Hugh to desist from this manner of impediment, permitting the miners to work the mines as they were accustomed to work in the times of the king’s predecessors, doing this so that the king need not apply a corrective hand. Witness H. etc. By the same in the presence of the bishop of Winchester.^[5]

12 Nov 1221

Hugh de Balliol gives the king one palfrey for having an annual two-day fair, until the king comes of age, at his manor of Hitchin on the eve and feast of St. Andrew, unless that fair etc.^[6]

27 Jul 1224 - Northumberland.

Order to the sheriff of Northumberland to place in respite the demand he makes from Hugh de Balliol for scutage for the army of Wales until upon his next account at the Exchequer of Michaelmas in the eighth year.^[7]

28 Sep 1228 - Kerry. For John FitzAlan.

John fitz Alan has made fine with the king by 300 m. for having seisin of the land of Cold Norton with appurtenances, which he claims to be his right and inheritance without prejudice to the right of each person . Order to the sheriff of Oxfordshire that, having accepted security from John for rendering the aforesaid 300 m. to the king, he is to cause him to have full seisin of the aforesaid land without delay, saving to Hugh de Balliol his corn of this autumn and his other chattels that he has in the same land.^[8]

(Special thanks to Darlene Athey Hill for locating and transcribing the above court records in the Fine Rolls.)

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Hugh de Balliol
2. ↑ Browning, 1898
3. ↑ Fine Roll 2/52
4. ↑ Fine Roll 2/203
5. ↑ Fine Roll 3/359a
6. ↑ Fine Roll 6/21
7. ↑ Fine Roll 8/283
8. ↑ Fine Roll 12/286

See also:

• Browning, C. (1898). The Magna Charta Barons and their American Descendants Together with the Pedigrees of the Founders of the Order of Runnemede Deduced from the Sureties for the Enforcement of the Statutes of the Magna Charta of King John. Philadelphia. archive.org; Google Books.
• GeneaJourney.com
• Henry III Fine Rolls Project
• Richardson, D. (2005). Magna Carta Ancestry'. N.p.
• Wikipedia: Hugh de Balliol