Sheffield destroyed?

[aelfheah]

I wasn't aware of this, but in 1266 much of Sheffield was sacked!

 

In 1266 local rebels, together with the noble allies (the “Disinherited”)of the once-mighty noble Simon De Montfort(the 'father of Parliament'), slain & mutilated at the gruesome battle of Evesham in 1265, continued to resist King Henry III (father of Edward I 'Longshanks') – again under the formerly-gaoled but recently-freed Robert De Ferrers Earl of Derby. He marched from his castle at Duffield to Chesterfield, joined by reinforcements from north Lincolnshire.

 

This party of barons, led by notorious noble rebel John de Eyville, passed through Sheffield en route and destroyed the town, burning the church and motte & bailey castle to the ground, both of which had been founded by a Norman, William de Lovetot in the late 12thC.

 

King Henry sent his nephew, Henry of Alamaine with loyal barons to rout them. Some of the rebels were hunting and thus escaped whilst the royal force captured the town of Chesterfield.

A rebel counter-attack by D’Eyville regained control of the town, leading to the king’s men torching the town’s houses as they withdrew at night. Maybe aided by this fire light, the royal force stormed back into the town despite fierce resistance from the rebels and some townsfolk. Ferrers was captured, hiding amongst woolsacks in the church(then without it’s spire).

 

The fleeing survivors hid in the murky and treacherous Ely fens(then c.20m inland by another c.40m wide), led initially by D’Eyville(later to leave them and join the Earl of Gloucester in raiding nearby towns) . They were meanwhile dispossessed by Henry, until Prince Edward (Longshanks) won the two important nobles over with pardons and reinstatements of lands etc, leaving him to freely attack the reduced force at Ely. So, with the aid of a dry summer & wattle causeways, advanced so close to the defenders with his army that they came to terms in July 1267.

[saxon51]

I did read once that when they were excavating the (motte and keep) castle ruins prior to building Castle Markets, they found charred remains of a previous structure which they thought at the time to be a possible Angle long house.

 

We live and learn.

[Sweetcheeks]

Interesting historical info aelfheah, you are fast becoming SF`s answer to Michael Wood. It also shows that the Council were not the first people to destroy Sheffield.

[TheRedWizard]

Interesting info - have you got the reference?

[Grahame]

Extract from the Scotch Chronicles dated 1266AD.

 

"In that year also the disinherited English barons and those loyal to the king clashed fiercely; amongst them Roger de Mortimer occupied the Welsh Marches and John d’Eyville occupied the Isle of Ely; Robert Hood was an outlaw amongst the woodland briar's and thorns. Between them (Mortimer and d'Eyville) they inflicted a vast amount of slaughter on the common and ordinary folk, cities and merchants. King Henry, however, along with his son Prince Edward and a huge army also besieged the very well fortified castle of Kenilworth, where almost [May] all the nobles who were rebelling against the king had taken refuge. There the remnants of Simon de Montfort’s following, seeing that the castle with its towers and protecting walls was impregnable, defended themselves steadily with all their might. At length, worn out by lack of food and starvation, they handed over the castle on [Dec] the condition that they keep life and limb."

[aelfheah]

It also shows that the Council were not the first people to destroy Sheffield.

 

Quite, if not for students we might be still patching Sheffield up ad hoc and making do with the Hole in the Road!

 

TheRedWizard- the data can be found in a variety of internet, historical and contemporary sources relating to keywords such as 1266, Sheffield, Chesterfield, Baronial wars, etc.

 

I actually stumbled upon this when reading about the aftermath of the Baronial wars of 1264-6.

[artisan]

Dont forget in those days when we talk about Kings and Barons, we are talking about men who were little above savages.

The Roman discipline had been gone for many hundreds of years.

 

The people you describe were just thugs of the kind that were to found in the Wild West of America 200 years ago.

The only differece being that the English thugs had the backing of a dubious King. (powerful word then, laughing stock now)

[TheRedWizard]

Quite, if not for students we might be still patching Sheffield up ad hoc and making do with the Hole in the Road!

 

TheRedWizard- the data can be found in a variety of internet, historical and contemporary sources relating to keywords such as 1266, Sheffield, Chesterfield, Baronial wars, etc.

 

I actually stumbled upon this when reading about the aftermath of the Baronial wars of 1264-6.

 

The joys of Wikipedia!

[aelfheah]

Dont forget in those days when we talk about Kings and Barons, we are talking about men who were little above savages.

The Roman discipline had been gone for many hundreds of years.

 

The people you describe were just thugs of the kind that were to found in the Wild West of America 200 years ago.

The only differece being that the English thugs had the backing of a dubious King. (powerful word then, laughing stock now)

 

Too true!

 

The Norman heirarchy and more so the later so-called 'chivalrous' knights were usually illiterate and immoral thugs- (many even for that time!), I suppose partly by necessity in uncertain and brutal times?

[algy]

There's a strong belief that the Pope of the day thought up the Crusades to get the thugs out of Europe and give them someone else to fight before they tore it apart.