A HISTORY OF DORSET 



(a time when all who could fortified themselves), was already in his hands, 

 from his seizure of the bishop in 1139. So when in December Robert of 

 Gloucester returned, not with the empress's husband, but with her son Henry, 

 her cause seemed hopeless. She was at the time closely besieged in Oxford. 

 Instead of going to her help, the earl lingered to retake Wareham ^ (which 

 Stephen allowed to fall into his hands, sooner than abandon the siege of 

 Oxford to go to its relief), and to occupy the two small castles of Lulworth 

 and Portland.' The former castle had been held by William de Glastonia, 

 who had lately turned traitor to the empress : Portland had been previously 

 fortified by Stephen.' 



Immediately on the surrender of Oxford, Stephen marched on Wareham, 

 reaching it probably about i January. Earl Robert, on its recapture, had 

 most strongly fortified it.* The king laid waste the adjoining country with 

 fire and sword. 



Next year he lost Sherborne Castle ; William Martel the Dapifer, who 

 was holding it for the king, was captured at Wilton, and was compelled to 

 give up this castle, to regain his liberty.^ After the withdrawal of the 

 empress, Dorset took no further part in the Civil War. 



The reconstructions of Henry II are generally said to have involved the 

 degradation of the fiscal earls, and the destruction of adulterine castles. The 

 Mohun earldom of Dorset does not occur, even after 1 142. But of the fate of 

 the adulterine castles, or which of them were adulterine, we have no know- 

 ledge. The custody of Dorchester Castle was eventually granted to Earl 

 Reginald of Cornwall.* Eleven years later it appears under the honour of 

 Gloucester.'' A bull of Eugenius III in 11 46 had confirmed to the bishop 

 of Salisbury the possession of his two castles of Sherborne and Devizes.* But 

 two agreements, in 1152 and 1157, between Henry II and Bishop Jocelin, 

 restoring the castle of Devizes conditionally to the bishop, do not seem to 

 have been copied with regard to Sherborne Castle, which was taken into 

 the king's hands. The hundred of Sherborne was restored in 11 60 by the 

 widowed countess Mabel of Gloucester and her son William to Bishop 

 Jocelin.' 



In 1 1 89 John married Isabel of Gloucester, third daughter of this 

 William Fitz Robert. She was made heiress of the honour, for the benefit 

 of her husband, who received confirmation of the earldom,^" but no castles 

 were committed to his keeping. In 1189, no place being assigned to him 

 in the government, Richard purchased, or hoped to purchase, his loyalty 

 by lavish grants, which included all crown rights over Dorset, Somerset, 

 Devon, and Cornwall." Whether or not he had by this means attained 

 possession of the castles of these counties, he lost them again in 1 191, at 

 the Grand Council of Winchester (28 July), for the pacification of the 



' Will. Malms, op. cit. 594, 595. 



' Arm. Winton, ii, 53 ; Ann. U'ig. iv, 379 ; Will. Malms, op. cit. loc. cit.; Gesta Stiph. 93. 

 ' Will. Malms, op. cit. 595. The Newburghs probably did not acquire Lulworth before 1300. They 

 appear at Winfrith in 1210. 

 * Gesta Steph. 94. 



' Hen. Hunt. Hist. Ar.gl. 276 ; Gesta Stefh. 96 ; Ann. Theokcsb. (Rolls Ser.), i, 46. See Round, op. cit. I47. 

 ' Pipe R. 22 Hen. II, m. 9 ^. ' Pipe R. 33 Hen. II. 



' ^arum Chart. (Rolls Scr. 97), 13. ' Ibid. 32. 



'" Bened. Pet. Gesla Regis (Rolls Ser.), 78 ; Gervase, Opera, i, 458. 

 " Bened. Pet. op. cit. 99. Roger of Hoveden, Chron. (Rolls Ser. 51), 27. 



134 



