Ralph Fitzstephen
Warden of the forests of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire by right of his wife, Matilda de Caux. Count John confirmed the couple's right to the office and its dues in a recent charter.
Fitzstephen is an experienced lawyer and royal official who was offered the hand of his younger heiress wife as a reward for his loyal service. He is one of the 'new men' - a man of the lower gentry who has achieved promotion (and its rewards) through service in the royal bureacracy.
As a former sheriff and recently retired royal justice he works closely with William de Wenneval, Lord Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Fitzstephen is an experienced royal official and lawyer. who entered royal service in 1157. He served as tutor to Young King Henry in 1170, as Sheriff of Gloucestershire from 1171 to 1175, and as an itinerant royal justice from 1176 to 1191. In 1184 King Henry II made him one of the first Serjeants-at-Law. He was responsible for assessing the land tenure tax known as tallage from 1176 to 1190.
He served as a chamberlain to King Henry II until the king's death in 1189. He was responsible for maintenance of Eleanor of Aquitaine during the last years of her incarceration.
Relationships
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Lord of Laxton, Warden of the Royal Forests of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire
Date of Death
25 July 1202
Year of Birth
1136 AD
56 Years old
Spouses
Matilda de Caux
(wife)
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Laxton
Ruled Locations
Comments