Richard de Lucy, Luci, Lucie, or Lusti (1089– 14 July 1179), also known as Richard the Loyal, was first noted as
High Sheriff of Essex, after which he was made Chief
Justiciar
Justiciar is the English form of the medieval Latin term or (meaning "judge" or "justice"). The Chief Justiciar was the king's chief minister, roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The Justiciar of Ireland was ...
of England.
Life
The
De Lucy family took its surname from
Lucé in southern
Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
, then still held by the English kings. Richard inherited from his father estates in Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent, and Normandy. His mother was Aveline, the niece and heiress of William Goth. In the charter for
Sées Cathedral in February 1130–31
Henry I refers to Richard de Lucy and his mother, Aveline. His brother,
Walter de Luci, was abbot of
Battle Abbey.
[Knowles ''The Monastic Order in England'' p. 589] De Lucy's wife, Rohese, who is named in several documents, was possibly a sister of Faramus de Boulogne.
[Richardson, D. (2011) ''Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study ...'' p. 202 (vi]
Google
Rohese and Faramus were children of William de Boulogne who was the son of Geoffrey fitz Eustace (son of
Eustace II, Count of Boulogne) and Beatrice, daughter of Norman magnate
Geoffrey de Mandeville.
An early reference to the family refers to the render by
Henry I of the lordship of
Diss,
Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
to Richard de Lucy, Governor of
Falaise,
Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
, after defending it with great valour and heroic conduct when besieged by
Geoffrey, Earl of Anjou.
In 1153–4 De Lucy was granted
Chipping Ongar
Chipping Ongar () is a market town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ongar, in the Epping Forest District of the county of Essex, England. It is located east of Epping, southeast of Harlow and northwest of Brentwood. In 2020 ...
,
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
by William, son of
King Stephen and his wife,
Maud of Boulogne. He may have built the motte-and-bailey
Ongar Castle, although it is also attributed to
Eustace II Count of Boulogne (). Richard de Lucy was appointed
Sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
of both Essex and
Hertfordshire for 1156.
When
Henry II came to the throne in 1154, De Lucy was made Chief
Justiciar
Justiciar is the English form of the medieval Latin term or (meaning "judge" or "justice"). The Chief Justiciar was the king's chief minister, roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The Justiciar of Ireland was ...
of England jointly with
Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester. When de Beaumont died in 1168, De Lucy continued to hold the office in his own right. One of the members of his household was
Roger fitzReinfrid, the brother of
Walter de Coutances. Roger became a royal judge and later donated land to
Lesnes Abbey in
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, which had been founded by De Lucy.
He resigned his office between September 1178 and Easter of 1179, and retired to Lesnes Abbey, where, three months later on 14 July 1179, he died and was buried.
Legacy
Richard's son
Godfrey de Lucy entered the clergy and became
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of
Winchester
Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
(11891204). Richard's eldest son Geoffrey de Lucy predeceased him and Geoffrey's two sons Geoffrey and Richard died without children early in the reign of
RichardI (r.11891199). This led to protracted litigation over his estate between Richard and Geoffrey's daughters that lasted until the reign of
HenryIII (r.12161272).
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
The Lucy & Lucey Family net*
Knowles, Dom David ''The Monastic Order in England: From the Times of St. Dunstan to the Fourth Lateran Council'' Second Edition Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1976 reprint
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucy, Richard De
1089 births
1179 deaths
People from Epping Forest District
Anglo-Normans
Justiciars of England
High sheriffs of Essex
High sheriffs of Hertfordshire
People from Chipping Ongar