Sir John Russell (died c. 1224) of Kingston Russell in Dorset, England, was a household knight of King John (1199–1216), and of the young King Henry III (1216–1272), to whom he also acted as steward. He served in this capacity as custodian of the royal castles of Corfe (1221 and 1224) and Sherborne (1224) in Dorset and of the castles of Peveril and Bolsover in Derbyshire. He served as Sheriff of Somerset in 1223-1224. He was granted the royal manor of Kingston Russell in Dorset under a feudal land tenure of grand serjeanty. Between 1212 and about 1215 he acquired a moiety of the feudal barony of Newmarch, (shared with John de Bottrel/Bottreaux) the caput of which was at North Cadbury, Somerset, in respect of which he received a summons for the military service of one knight in 1218.Sanders, Feudal Military Service, pp.150-1
Debt to Jews Russell had obtained a loan from Aaron the Jew of Lincoln (died 1186), the greatest of the Jewish financiers licensed to trade in England, and on the seizure of Jewish assets by King Henry II (1154–1189) in 1186 his debt became due to the crown. It appears the Treasury was content for a while to leave these debts uncollected, but the position changed following King John's peace treaty with King Philip II of France (1180–1223) signed in May 1200, which required the English king to pay Philip the sum of 20,000 marks. Thereupon John levied a carucage tax on the kingdom and adopted a more active policy towards collection of Aaron's debts, then dealt with on account of their magnitude by a separate specially formed Exchequer of the Jews. In 1200 John Russell rendered his account for his debt to Aaron of £12 14s 8d and paid into the Exchequer on account the sum of 20s (i.e., £1). For the balance he was given respite by royal writ until 1207/8 when he rendered his account for £5 12s 8d and paid 6 marks into the Treasury. He obtained the king's writ for quittance of the remainder.Wiffen, p.103-4
Marriage At some time before 1201 he married Rohesia (or Rose) Bardolf, widow of Henry II de la Pomeroy, feudal baron of Berry Pomeroy in Devon Sanders, 1960, pp.106-107, Berry Pomeroy. Sanders (p.107) gives the date of death of Henry II de Pomeroy as 1207, which clearly conflicts with the fact of John Russell having married his widow in 1200 and sister of Doun Bardolf (1177–1205), lord of a moiety of the feudal barony of Shelford, Nottinghamshire, inherited from his mother Rose de Hanselin, who had married Thomas Bardolf (died between 1188 and 1194).Sanders, 1960, pp.76-77, Shelford The de la Pomeroy family came from La Pommeraye, Calvados, near Falaise, Normandy.Sanders, 1960, p.106, quoting "Anglo-Norman Families", p.78 The English barony of Berry Pomeroy was a large one, its 1166 Cartae Baronum return having reported 32 knight's fees.Sanders, 1960, pp.106-7, note 10 As the widow of a tenant-in-chief, Rohesia's marriage became the property of the crown to dispose of, and in 1201/2 John Russell agreed to pay 50 marks to the royal treasury for the hand of his bride. He paid the sum over a period of time, having made a payment on account of 8 ½ marks in 1207/8, which still left a balance of 5 marks due. Rohesia brought to Russell as well as her person a life interest in her dower lands, which would have comprised by custom 1/3rd of the lands of her former husband. The division of the latter's lands gave rise to a dispute with Rohesia's son Henry de la Pomeroy jnr., and the matter came before the royal court in 1200, a year before the formal obtaining of the marriage licence, when Russell and Rohesia, already termed his wife, sued Henry regarding certain lands in Devon and Cornwall.Wiffen, pp.104-108, quoting Plea Rolls of John 2, Michaelmas term The resulting agreement was that Russell and Rose should retain Ayscombe and Stockleigh PomeroyWiffen calls it "Stockledge" whilst Henry should have UpotteryWiffen: "Uppotori" There arose later a dispute with the Abbot of St Mary du Val in Bayeux who claimed that the advowson of Stockleigh had been given to his abbey amongst the gifts by charter of Josceline (Goslin) de Pomeroy (died post 1123) and Henry I (died 1165) his son, Constable of NormandySanders, 1960, p.106, date of death of Josceline; Date of death of Henry I derived as 1165, date of payment of feudal relief by Henry II to acquire his inheritance, Sanders, p.106;Constabe of Normandy: English Historical Review, vol 24, p.209 which gifts had been confirmed by a charter of Bartholomew, Bishop of Exeter (1161–1184) and later by Henry III (died 1222), Rose's son. Russell claimed in their defence that his wife had confirmed her own title to the Advowson because she herself had exercised her right of presenting a new priest, which appointment had been accepted. The outcome of the dispute is not recorded.Wiffen, pp.104-108
The following two charters of the Augustinian Abbey of St Mary du Val, Bayeux, were published in 1899 by J. Horace Round in his Calendar of Documents Preserved in France: 918-1206 From: Calendar of Documents Preserved in France: 918-1206, J. Horace Round (editor), 1899, pp.529-538 (No.1455) Charter of Goslin de Pomeria, giving, with consent of Emma his wife, and Henry, Roger, Philip, Goslin, and Ralph his sons, by the hand of Richard (1107–1133) Bishop of Bayeux, to the church of St. Mary du Val (que dicitur “Valle”) to the canons there serving God, according to the rule of St. Augustine, in cloistered community, with all that follows: 60 acres in the parish of St. Omer, etc. … and half his swine and those of his heirs, when killed (occisionem porcorum) in Normandy, and the tithe of his mares in Normandy and England and 40 shillings sterling (de Esterlins) from the rents (gablo) of Berry-Pomeroy (Bercium) every year on August 1, and the church and tithe of Berry, etc. and in England (sic) the tithe of his swine and of his mills of Berry etc. … and in England a manor called (Canon) Teign (Tigneam), and his chaplainry in England, namely, the tithe of wool, and cheese, and porkers, and lambs at Ottery (Otrevum), and all belonging to his chaplainry (capellarie ) in England etc. … (Other gifts in Normandy by William son of Payn and Richard his son, a canon of the abbey, by Roger Capra, with consent of his wife Petronilla and son William, etc.) Testibus istis: ("with these witnesses:") Goslino de Pomeria cum filiis suis, Henrico, Rogerio, Philippo, Goslino; et Willelmo filio Pagani, cum filiis suis; et Hugone de Rosello, et Christino de Olleyo; Willelmo filio Ricardi; Waltero de Petra ficta; Willelmo de Rosello; Willelmo de Braio; Goslino de Braio; Roberto Buzone; Roberto de Curcell(is).
Gift by Goslin de Pomeria to St. Mary of the fee of Robert son of Maheld of Tot [14 acres of land]. Gift of William, son of Payn, by consent of his son Richard and permission of his wife, etc. … Anno Dominice incarnationis MoCoXXVo … confirmata est hec carta a Goslino de Pomeria, Emmaque uxore sua etc. … annuente Ricardo de Tornebuto in cujus feodo ecclesia fundata est. (1167)
(No.1456): Charter of Henry (1163–1205) Bishop of Bayeux, notifying that Henry de Pomeria the younger has confirmed in his presence all the gifts of Goslin de Pomeria and Henry his son to St. Mary du Val, in advowsons and other possessions both in Normandy and England. And moreover, so far as lies in his power, he has granted, before him, to St. Mary du Val and the canons there all his right of advowson and presentation, both in Normandy and England, which grant the bishop confirms so far as he is concerned. His testibus: magistro Ranville (sic) cancellario; domino Nicholao priore de Plessecio; Henrico de Somagvillo (sic); Hugone de Herouvilla; Willelmo Bubarel, et pluribus aliis. Hec autem donatio facta est anno ab incarnatione Domini MoCoLXVIIo, sicut charta eis testatur.
It will be remarked that by pure coincidence here is mentioned as one of the witnesses the "Hugo de Rosell" seized upon by Wiffen as the ancestor of John Russell. It was thus perhaps as a result of his investigations into the background of Russell's wife that Wiffen fortuitously fell upon the name of "Rossel". The Hugo in question was probably lord of the Normandy manor of Rosel, 35 kilometres north of La Pommeraye, and was thus within the same social and geographic sphere as the de la Pommeraye family. The Russells of Kingston Russell were never referred to in ancient records with a French particulier "de", which might have connected them with a manor called Rosel etc. somewhere in France, but gained the name more likely from the ruddy (Latin: rossellus) hair or complexion of some distant ancestor.
After Russell's death in 1224 his widow Rohesia obtained royal licence of the king, at the suit of Ralph de Blundeville, Earl of Chester and Lincoln (1172–1232), to marry whomsoever she pleased, so long as he should be a faithful subject of the crown. This was perhaps merely a formality to give her freedom from "troublesome solicitations of the king's courtiers" and no records survive of any subsequent marriage having occurred.Wiffen, pp.104-108
Awarded Kingston Russell The manor of Kingston in Dorset was held by John Russell in-chief from the king by grand serjeanty. The particular service due to the king was originally to be Marshal of the Buttery (i.e.store of wine barrels), as the entry in the Book of Fees dated 1211 records for the Hundred of "Alvredesberge" (since dissolved), Dorset:Book of Fees, vol.1, 1920, p.92
Johannes Russel tenet Kingeston pro dimidia hyda terre de domino rege ex tempore Willelmi Bastard quondam Rege Anglie per serjanciam essendi marescallus buteilerie domini regis ad Natale Domini et ad Pentecosten. ("John Russell holds Kingston for half a hide of land from the Lord King from the time of William the Bastard sometime King of England through the serjeanty of being marshall of the king's buttery at Christmas and at Pentecost")
It is not recorded when the Russells obtained Kingston, yet the lack of any sure record of the family before the time of John Russell suggests he was the first to come to prominence and the first to hold it, probably as a reward from King John.
Acquires Little Bedwyn In 1211 Russell acquired the manor of Little Bedwyn, newly subinfeudated from the royal manor of Bedwyn, Wiltshire, which had been held by the crown from the 8th century. Russell held it by the feudal land tenure of grand serjeanty of providing two bushels of wine for the king.Red Book of the Exchequer, Rolls Series, vol. 2, p. 484, 488 (quoted by Victoria County History of Wilts., vol. 16, Little Bedwyn)
Advowson of Puleham Church In 1213 a certain "John Russell" was awarded by King John what Wiffen termed "the advowson" of Puleham Church in Dorset.Patent Rolls 14 John (1213), m.2, no. 5 This had belonged to Cirencester Abbey from whom it had lapsed to the crown demesne. J. Horace Round was dubious as to whether this John Russell was the same person as the king's knight, and ascertained that the record in fact quite obviously related to a clerical appointment, not an advowson which it was usual for lay persons to hold. Here was another example, concluded Horace Round, of Wiffen's deliberate fabrication of a long pedigree for the family of Russell.
Awarded wardship of co-heiress of Barony of Newmarch