Walter Norwich

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Sir Walter Norwich († January 20, 1329 ) was an English civil servant, judge and minister.

Origin and marriage

Walter Norwich was believed to be a son of Henry of Norwich and his wife Katherine . His father is mentioned as a small landowner in Norfolk in 1285 . Walter is referred to as a clergyman in February 1297 and December 1299, although he presumably received only minor orders . In fact, around this time he married Katherine Hedersete , daughter of John of Hethersett and widow of Piers Braunche . His eldest son from the marriage was born around 1299.

Promotion as an official of the crown

In June 1304, Norwich is mentioned as an official in the service of the Crown. At Michaelmas 1304 he served as legal expert to Treasurer Walter Langton . He was soon one of Langton's closest collaborators, but when he was dismissed after the death of King Edward I in July 1307, Norwich was also dismissed. However, his expertise proved to be indispensable for the government of the new King Edward II , so that on November 19, 1307 he was given back his old office. On August 29, 1311 he was appointed Baron of the Exchequer . From October 23, 1311 to January 23, 1312 and from May 17 to October 4, 1312 he served as deputy treasurer, and on September 30, 1312 he was spokesman for the Barons of the Exchequer when they were with representatives of the City of London negotiated. From July 1311 he was regularly invited to royal councils and parliaments as one of the senior officials of the Treasury , and before September 21, 1312 he was knighted .

Minister under Edward II.

On September 26, 1314, Norwich was appointed Treasurer during Parliament in York . His appointment came under pressure from the Earl of Lancaster , the leader of the aristocratic opposition to the king, who had significant influence on the government at this time. As a knowledgeable minister, Norwich had considerable political influence. However, he maintained his good relationship with Edward II. On January 3, 1315 he attended the funeral of the royal favorite Piers Gaveston , who had been executed by Lancaster , and on July 6, 1315 the king gave him 1,000 marks for his services . In addition, he promised him an annual payment of 100 marks if his office was good. On May 27, 1317, Norwich was dismissed as treasurer, ostensibly due to the burden of his office. It is more likely, however, that his dismissal was political, since by that time the king had regained power while Lancaster had lost influence. In John Hotham , an extremely loyal official became the new treasurer. Norwich, however, had not fallen out of favor, but remained politically active. Three days after his release, the King appointed him Chief Baron of the Exchequer on the grounds of his merits and asked him to continue attending royal council meetings. This made Norwich the first civil servant to be awarded this title.

Further service as civil servant and judge

In April 1318 Norwich was a member of the delegation that negotiated an understanding with the king in Leicester with the Earl of Lancaster. In late 1318 he became a member of the committee that was supposed to reform the royal household according to the Treaty of Leake signed with Lancaster . In April 1319 he supported the Earl of Pembroke when the latter was equipping ships with supplies for a campaign to Scotland in Great Yarmouth . In October 1319 he was one of the king's advisers who were supposed to organize the defense of northern England against Scottish attacks. From November 6, 1319 to February 18, 1320 he again served as the treasurer's representative, also from August 25, 1321 to May 9, 1322. Due to his extensive expertise, he supported the treasurer Walter Stapeldon from 1320 in archiving the documents and Documents from the Treasury and the temporary relocation of the Treasury to York in 1322.

Norwich served not only as an officer in the treasury, but also as a judge at times. As a judge he mainly worked in East Anglia , in addition he took part as a loyal supporter of the king in early 1321 in the court sessions in London, which violated the privileges of the City of London. He was also the chairman of the Judicial Commission that sentenced the rebels Roger Mortimer of Chirk and Roger Mortimer of Wigmore to death on August 2, 1322 . In addition, he took over the recording of numerous confiscated lands by rebels against the king. The king rewarded him for his services with guardianship administrations or with the right to marry off minor heirs. Norwich used this right to provide for his family, because he married his three daughters with wards of his. Through purchase and exchange he was able to build up a land estate in Norfolk and Suffolk , especially around Stoke Holy Cross . Norwich was a devout Christian to Pope John XXII. thanked for his service to the Church. Presumably he was a friend of Bishop John Salmon of Norwich, because after his death in 1325 Norwich was one of his executors.

Role in the fall of Edward II and service under Edward III.

Norwich was a loyal official to Edward II, but his loyalty was not unconditional. In November 1323 Edward II complained bitterly about the inadequate work of the Treasury, and especially the work of Norwich. When, at the suggestion of the Baron of the Exchequer Roger Beler, the Treasury was divided into a division for northern and one for southern England in 1324, Norwich, who may have refused the division, was given the management of the division for the poorer northern half. How dissatisfied the king was with Norwich was shown by the fact that in August 1325 Roger Beler and not Norwich took over the representation for the treasurer William Melton . After Beler had been murdered in early 1326, Norwich took over again on August 28, 1326, representing the treasurer. When a little later Roger Mortimer of Wigmore and Queen Isabelle landed with an army in England to overthrow Edward II, Norwich tried in vain to raise troops for the king. After the king's flight from London on October 2, he remained in the city as a member of the Privy Council. After the collapse of the king's government, on November 14, 1326, he handed over the treasury to the Bishop of Winchester . He was not prosecuted by the new government for his services to the overthrown king, nor did Roger Mortimer take revenge on Norwich for his conviction four years earlier. Instead, Mortimer, who was responsible for the new underage King Edward III. who exercised the actual rule, his old acquaintance on February 2, 1327 as Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Norwich died apparently suddenly and unexpectedly and was buried in Norwich Cathedral.

Descendants and inheritance

Norwich's widow Katherine Hedersete died between 1341 and 1343. With her, Norwich had three sons and three daughters, including:

His son John became his heir. After his childless death in 1362, Robert de Ufford, 1st Earl of Suffolk, who had been married to Norwich's daughter Margaret, inherited the property of Walter Norwich.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ John Robert Maddicott: Thomas of Lancaster, 1307-1322. A Study in the Reign of Edward II. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1970, p. 164
  2. ↑ John Robert Maddicott: Thomas of Lancaster, 1307-1322. A Study in the Reign of Edward II. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1970, p. 199
  3. ↑ John Robert Maddicott: Thomas of Lancaster, 1307-1322. A Study in the Reign of Edward II. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1970, p. 215
  4. ↑ John Roland Seymour Phillips: Aymer de Valence, earl of Pembroke, 1307-1324. Baronial politics in the reign of Edward II. Clarendon, Oxford 1972, ISBN 0-19-822359-5 , p. 173
  5. ↑ John Robert Maddicott: Thomas of Lancaster, 1307-1322. A Study in the Reign of Edward II. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1970, p. 251
  6. ^ Ian Mortimer: The greatest traitor. The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, Ruler of England, 1327-1330. Pimlico, London 2003, ISBN 0-7126-9715-2 , p. 126
  7. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 103
  8. ↑ Natalie Fryde: The tyranny and fall of Edward II, 1321-1326 . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. ISBN 0-521-54806-3 , p. 104
  9. ^ Ian Mortimer: The greatest traitor. The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, Ruler of England, 1327-1330. Pimlico, London 2003, ISBN 0-7126-9715-2 , p. 276
predecessor Office successor
John sandal Lord High Treasurer
1314-1317 		John Hotham
personal data
SURNAME Norwich, Walter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Norwich, Sir Walter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English civil servant, judge and minister
DATE OF BIRTH 13th Century
DATE OF DEATH January 20, 1329