Patronage and service: the careers of William Montagu, earl of Salisbury, William Clinton, earl of Huntingdon, Robert Ufford, earl of Suffolk and William Dohun, earl of Northampton

Abstract

The structure of Edward Ill's household between 1327 and 1341 is examined through the careers of four household bannerets in order to explore the special relationship which existed between the king and his knights and to assess their impact upon all aspects of government. The first two chapters examine the structure and flavour of the royal household: why and how men entered royal service, their duties and perquisites, and describe something of the daily routine of court life. Evidence from the careers of Montagu, Clinton, Ufford and Bohun is then examined for the role-played by Edward's bannerets in warfare, diplomacy and administration. The household bore the brunt of fighting throughout the 1330s. Bannerets' retinues formed the backbone of royal armies, releasing Edward from undertaking costly and ineffective traditional recruitment, methods. Their advice and enthusiasm mitigated many of the problems faced by English forces in Scotland and France. The campaigns of 1338 and 1340, however, were disasters. Bannerets also dominated in diplomacy and administration - through the Constabulary of Dover, the Wardenship of the Channel Islands and the Justiciaries of Chester and of the Forests - areas of government increasingly being adopted by the nobility as conferring wealth, status and authority. The rewards were enormous. The final section analyses the most spectacular of these prizes, the creation of the new earldoms in 1337, thus highlighting the distinction between the careers of the four subjects of this study before and after the date when officially each passed beyond the immediate jurisdiction of the household. All four men continued to act closely with the household in subsequent years. Their careers epitomise those of every one of their fellow household knights, reinforcing the close spirit of community which existed between Edward and his knights and fostering a remarkable harmony between crown and magnates.