The West Carr stand-off of 1260

POLITICAL CRISIS: An 1853 Ordnance Survey showing the site of Frog Hall Farm

The Way it Was

In partnership with Hull History Centre

By Neil Chadwick, librarian and archivist

This year marks the 810th anniversary of Magna Carta.

Magna Carta, or Great Charter, was a document signed by King John in 1215. It was a landmark document that limited the power of the King and established the principle that he was subject to law.

It has had a lasting impact on English law and government. It was the basis for common law and helped establish the rule of law. King John reneged shortly after, which led to the outbreak of the First Barons’ War.

Henry III and Edward I reissued Magna Carta several times between them. Despite this, some believed Henry III had too much power, and in 1258, political crisis erupted.

It had been brewing for years. Henry III was seen as naïve, easily led and overly partial to his favourites, whilst his government was widely regarded as corrupt.

Unable to persuade parliament to make grants of taxation, royal officials were on the take and abused their power to obstruct any attempt to hold them to account.

This all came to a head on April 30, when a group of reformers demanded Henry and his son, Prince Edward, swear an oath to accept reform.

In short, Henry agreed to abandon his policy of personal rule. But over the next seven years, stability in England was fractured, as a group of reformers, headed by Simon de Montfort, played off against Henry.

Whilst much of the fallout took place elsewhere in England, such as the battles at Northampton, Lewes and Evesham, an incident did occur in what now forms a part of modern-day Hull.

We are not sure what sparked this off. We are not even sure of the exact year. But in all probability the incident almost certainly related to the grievances of the reformers, headed by de Montfort. The Meaux Chronicle dates the event to 1260.

ORIGINS: Blashill’s plan of Sutton at the time of Domesday in 1086 showing the West Carr, left

The West Carr stand-off took place upstream from the newly emerged settlement of Hull. Hull at that time was smaller than the medieval layout a century later.

In 1260, Hull was confined between what is now Lowgate in the west and the River Hull to the east. Whilst its north edge was roughly where Bishop Lane runs today, its southern tip buffered against the Humber, close to what is now Blackfriargate.

What is now Fish Street and Trinity House Lane was a stream or watercourse, which at the time lay beyond the settlement. Sewer Lane takes its name from this watercourse.

The area that was once the West Carr, was in the parish of Sutton. It now forms a section of what is today, Sutton Fields, Sutton Park and Bude Park.

A clue to its past is reflected in the naming of West Carr Lane. It was here that the men of Holderness secured a piece of ground by the river Hull.

The West Carr stretched from Bude Road in the east to the River Hull in the west. It included Bude Park, whilst its northern edge is what is today the Wawne Drain, running parallel with John Newton Way. Its southern tip buffered up with Stoneferry.

According to The Meaux Chronicle, Prince Edward, later King Edward I, was visiting Scotland. In doing so, he summoned the men of Holderness to York.

In 1260 Edward had replaced William de Fortibus as Lord of Holderness. By summoning the men of Holderness to his side at York, Edward was merely reaffirming or confirming his lordship, expected given he was their overlord.

The Meaux Chronicle notes that “they [the men of Holderness] should bring [with them] horse and arms”. The men of Holderness however flat out refused, sending the sub-prior of Meaux Abbey to Prince Edward to excuse them.

Meanwhile up and down the country the people across the shires of England paid close attention to de Montfort and the reformers.

NEWLY EMERGING SETTLEMENT: A scrapbook article showing the open sewer or Stream to the west of Lowgate. The area marked red indicates the settlement of Hull around 1260

He himself received praise and admiration amongst some circles. He was seen by some as a hero standing up against royal power, much like Thomas Beckett who stood against Henry III grandfather, Henry II.

The men of Holderness may have supported the reformers but whatever their motive, it was clear they did not want to turn out for Prince Edward.

The situation was exacerbated by the Lusignans who hailed from France. Some of these were half-brothers to Henry III. Henry rewarded his half-brothers with vast estates in England.

The Lusignans however, were seen as a bad influence on the King, and with it they were somewhat hated across the country. Seen as foreigners and having the King’s ear was another issue at the heart of de Montfort and the reformers grievances.

The Lusignans also became close friends with Prince Edward. And with Edward being Lord of Holderness, this may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, leading to the Holderness men’s refusal to meet Edward at York.

In their refusal to meet, Prince Edward continued to Scotland. Upon his return, Edward perhaps thought the men of Holderness had time to think about their insubordination. He once again issued a summons. But again, the sub-prior of Meaux Abbey met with Edward to plead the men of Holderness’s liberties.

This plead of liberty may relate to those grievances that were closely aligned to those of de Montfort and the reformers. As you can imagine Edward, later Edward I, must have been somewhat displeased to put it mildly.

Back in London, Henry III sought advice from Parliament regarding the men of Holderness and their refusal to meet with Prince Edward. The Meaux Chronicle notes “he [Henry] took measures to subdue the spirit of independence and sent seven loyal barons with a strong force to seize all the rebels in Holderness, and to confiscate their goods”, and presumably their lands.

Resistance in Holderness was headed by the Sheriff. In anticipation of the arrival of a royal force, the rebels are said to have broken down the bridge over the river Hull at the monk’s grange of Sutton.

The site in question appears to be in the vicinity of what was once Frog Hall Farm, which according to The Meaux Chronicle was [then] an excellent position for defence.

Today the site is split by Thomas Clarkson Way, sandwiched between the River Hull and what is now the Meadows, a small cluster of houses off Ennerdale Road.

From here the rebels watched for two nights, to prevent the King’s men, who were now lying at Cottingham from crossing the River Hull. The abbey of Meaux was on hand to supply provisions to the Holderness men, and whilst the monks were good, pious and peace-loving, they must have also been motivated by the amount of people they had to feed, so were keen in bringing about peace, sooner rather than later.

Shortly afterwards, a council was convened by the men of Holderness at the monk’s chapel in the wood. This was the abbey of Meaux itself, as The Meaux Chronicle recalls, “knights, squire’s, free tenants and a multitude of common people were entertained, and never where so many guest entertained within the walls of the convent [i.e. the Abbey]”.

The commotion it caused must have been huge with the coming together of various local lords, individuals and communities.

When the approach of the King’s forces was announced, the sub-prior sought interviews with them, scarcely it was said “taking rest for six days and nights [and] tiring out three horses in twenty-four hours”. Perhaps at this time, just a few miles away, the men of Holderness were preparing Bransholme Castle for battle!

The sub-prior’s efforts were successful. Safe conduct was granted to enable 16 of the principal men of Holderness to meet with the King’s men at Beverley. And it was at Beverley that satisfactory terms for both parties were agreed upon. Unfortunately, we do not know the terms agreed, but it almost certainly appears to have related to the same grievances as those of de Montfort and leading reformers in demanding Henry governs within the rule of law - those set out in Magna Carta 45 years earlier.

Elsewhere, pockets of resistance grew against Henry and the crown. The people now wanted their voice heard.

In places like Kibworth, Pealting Magna and Stoughton, the villagers here used the law, those set out in Magna Carta to defend themselves. No doubt spurred on by the actions of de Montfort and the reformers, the villagers of Peatling Magna in Leicestershire refused to cooperate with the royal forces after their victory at the nearby Battle of Evesham in 1265, in which de Montfort himself was killed. To them, they believed the royal soldiers were acting against the “Welfare of community of the realm”.

Other than the citing in The Meaux Chronicle, there are no other written accounts of this standoff in the West Carr.

Had no satisfactory terms been met, battle may have occurred in the West Carr or perhaps across Holderness. But had it not been for the actions of the sub-prior of Meaux, the social and political make up of Holderness afterwards may have been very different.

Had the sub-prior failed in his negotiations, a battle like at Northampton, Lewes and Evesham may have occurred in Holderness, all of which were fought to hold Henry III to account, which began with his father (King John) and Magna Carta 810 years ago.