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General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1873 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER III. WILLIAM FITZ NIGEL, SECOND BARON. Nigel transmitted Halton to his son, William fitz Nigel, who occurs in the Domesday survey as then holding the broad lands of the barony. In 1093 he is a witness to a charter of Hugh Lupus and his countess,1 and to two other charters of earls Eichard and Handle; and he and his brother Richard, in 1106, witness a charter to St. Werburgh's.2 He was made constable and marshal of the earl's host, which involved no less than the leading of the host in its advance and guarding the rear on a retreat, a post as honourable as it was dangerous. This post, probably by mistake in confusing constabularius with senescallus, has been ascribed to the baron of Montalt instead of the Baron of Halton : Roger de Montalt tenet Ixvj bovatas terrse de comite Cestriae per id servitium quod debet esse primus in exercitu eundo in Walliam et extremus in redeundo.3 The baron of Halton was also the hereditary head of the earl's council; and, speaking in the first person, the earl calls him hereditarie supremum consiliarium post me super omnes optimates et barones totius terras mece. Between the year 1101, when Richard II., earl of Chester, succeeded to the earldom, and 1120, when he died, we read this story, which possibly was the occasion of William fitz Nigel's being made constable: -- -"Earl Richard having gone on pilgrimage to Holywell, the Welshmen took advantage of his situation, and raised a force to intercept him; but he contrived to send word to his constable, William fitz Nigel, who hastily assembled a great host and marched with them towards the little isle of Hilbree, ex...