A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



multitudo provinciae had gathered. Being unable to cope with them with the 

 forces at his disposal, he marched out to meet the empress and gain reinforce- 

 ments. Meantime, however, William Peverel was plotting to regain the 

 castle during Painel's absence, and having succeeded in gaining the confidence 

 of two youths who had charge of the mills under the castle, managed by their 

 connivance to scale the castle rock with his followers and seize the castle. 

 Thereupon all the partizans of the empress were driven out of Nottingham. 1 

 The result of this was presumably a union of the forces at Southwell with 

 those of Nottingham, and it is little likely that William Painel returned from 

 York with his reinforcements. 



The deliberate stand which Nottingham town and county had made 

 for Stephen brought it early under the notice of Maud's son, Henry II, and 

 brought the governor of Nottingham Castle under his disfavour. In 1152, 

 as duke of Normandy, Henry granted the fee of William Peverel to Ranulf, 

 earl of Chester, unless William should be able to clear himself of his crime 

 and treason in his court (' nisi poterit se dirationare in mea curia de scelere et 

 traditione.') ' When he invaded England in the next year Henry realized the 

 advisability of securing a hold on Nottingham, and having stormed Stamford 

 and Ipswich he advanced to Nottingham and besieged the town. However, 

 the garrison of the castle came out with great force and managed to break up 

 the siege by setting fire to the town. 8 Then, since the town was destroyed, 

 and the natural defence offered by the castle rock was so strong, being un- 

 willing to waste his energies, Henry evidently abandoned all attempt to 

 seize the fortress. 4 When Stephen died in October, 1154,' and Henry, 

 according to the Treaty of Winchester, peacefully succeeded, he began at 

 once to establish order by compelling the surrender of all adulterine castles,' 

 among which was possibly the castle of Cuckney, in Nottinghamshire, 

 built in Stephen's reign by Thomas de Cuckney. 7 In Nottingham itself he 

 completed the humiliation of William Peverel (who had in the meantime 

 contrived to poison his rival, Ranulf, earl of Chester) by depriving him of the 

 castle and all his estates. William, on Henry's accession, had fled to a 

 monastery and received the tonsure, and assumed the monastic habit. 8 When, 

 in February, 1155, Henry advanced to Nottinghamshire, he again fled, 

 leaving his castle and possessions in the king's hands. 9 Nottingham was thus 

 secured as a royal station, and was held by the king until granted by him to 

 Prince John in 1 174 in the treaty which followed the great insurrection of 

 that critical year. 10 During the next year Henry himself was at Notting- 

 ham, and while there sued the landowners of the county for breach of the 

 forest laws, presumably in the forest of Sherwood, 'et posuit omnes in 

 misericordia sua pro capta vensione.' In many cases they were bound to 

 the king for more than their estates were worth, but he refused to yield them 



1 Symemts monachl opera omnia (Rolls Ser.), ii, 3 1 i-i 2. * Rymer, Feed, i, 4. 



1 Rob. o/Glouc. (Rolls. Ser.), ii, 864. Trivet, Annah, 29. 



* Chron. of the Reigns ef Stephen, Hen, II, etc. (Rolls Sen), iv, 181. 



' Ibid. 183. Gervaie of Cant. (Rolls Ser.), i, 1 6 1 . 



' Mackenzie, Castles tf England, i, 447. 



' Gervaie of Cant. (Rolls Ser.), i, 1 6 1 . Ibid. 



10 Gervase of Cant. (Rolls Ser.), i, 78. Henry, since he had been completely successful in quelling the 

 insurrection of his sons, allied with France and Scotland, against their father, could afford to be merciful. Thus 

 he granted two castles in Poitou to Richard, others in Brittany to Geoffrey, and those of Nottingham and 

 Marlborough to his favourite, John. 



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