AND 623), HENCE IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THIS CHARTER IS DATED MUCH LA...

602, - CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS BRITTANY AND THE ANGEVINS PROVINCE AND EMPIRE 1158 1203 OCT 2000 PDF 602, - CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS BRITTANY AND THE ANGEVINS PROVINCE AND EMPIRE 1158 1203 OCT 2000 PDF 602, - CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS BRITTANY AND THE ANGEVINS PROVINCE AND EMPIRE 1158 1203 OCT 2000 PDF
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS BRITTANY AND THE ANGEVINS PROVINCE AND EMPIRE 1158 1203 OCT 2000 PDF

602, and 623), hence it is unlikely that this charter is dated much later than 1170.

more probable that William de Lanvallay routinely produced suchdocuments at the behest of laymen who, as parties to the proceedings,sought a written record made under the authority of the seneschal.In the three documents involving William de Lanvallay, two describecivil court proceedings. There is no evidence, from these records, thatWilliam exercised any compulsory jurisdiction which would haverequired cases to be brought before him. Both cases were broughtbefore William because one or both of the parties wished the ®nalsettlement of the matter to be witnessed in open court and by the royalseneschal. Esveillard de Cesson, at least, was enthusiastic about theAngevin regime, because in 1177 Henry II gave him land in Englandfor his service.

50

Although none of the three documents is dated, William de Lanval-lay's tenure of the of®ce of seneschal of Rennes can be determinedquite closely. It seems reasonable to assume that he was appointed byHenry II immediately after Conan IV's abdication in 1166. William deLanvallay was with Henry II at Portsea in March 1166,

51

which suggestshe crossed with the king and joined in the campaign against FougeÁres,being then on the spot to take possession of Rennes.Between Michaelmas 1171 and Michaelmas 1172, William wasappointed castellan of Winchester, whereupon he must have given upthe of®ce of seneschal of Rennes and returned to England.

52

Subse-quently, William de Lanvallay was a royal justice in England and doesnot appear to have returned to Brittany.

53

He thus held the of®ce ofseneschal of Rennes for no more than ®ve years, between mid-1166 andMichaelmas 1172.A single reference to Robert de Lanvallay, seneschal of Rennes, isdif®cult to explain, since there is no other record of this individual, whopresumably was an otherwise unknown younger brother of William.An undated charter of `Robertus de Lanvalai senescallus Redonensis'records the settlement of a dispute in his presence, `in curia dominiregis'; the original was sealed by Robert's own seal.

54

This renders itunlikely that Robert was merely acting as William's deputy, andsuggests that Robert succeeded William as seneschal of Rennes.The next record of a royal seneschal of Rennes is the 1181 `Inquest ofDol' conducted by Reginald Boterel, `eo tempore senescallus Redo-nensis'.

55

Since this inquest was probably ordered by Henry II before

50

Pipe Roll 23 Henry II, p.180. See also W. Farrer,

Feudal Cambridgeshire

(Cambridge, 1920), p. 225.

51

Itinerary, p. 91.

52

Pipe Roll 18 Henry II, p. 78.

53

Itinerary, pp.195, 198, 203, 210, 224, and 228.

54

Actes de Henri II, I, p. 350 (edition, after the cartulary of Savigny, f. 74) and

ii, p. 487.

55

EnqueÃte, pp. 76±7.

Geoffrey became duke of Brittany, it is likely that Reginald Boterelwas appointed seneschal of Rennes by the king at some time before