Marcher Earldoms

• secured border with Wales
• Earldom of Chester


  Hugh d'avranches was made the earl

  his father contributed 60 ships to Williams invasion fleet
• Earldom of Shrewsbury


  Rodger de Montgomery was earl

  William trusted him so much Rodger to help William govern Normandy when William was invading England
• Earldom of Herefordshire


  William FitzOsbern was made Earl

  William's right-hand man in the invasion - he built a stone castle at Chepstow
• key features - shire-sized centred in shire town


  while the Anglo-Saxon earldoms were massive plots of land with several shires inside, the Marcher Earldoms were smaller and compact - their size made it easier to control, but also ensured Marcher earls were not as powerful as the king
• Key features - special privileges to create settlement


  the Marcher Earldoms gave their Earls rights to create boroughs (towns) and markets and to establish churches (replacing Anglo-Saxon ones - this attracted people from Normandy to come to England)
• Key features - granted full power of the law 


  usually sheriffs were the kings officers but in Marcher Earldoms sheriffs controlled the shire court (working for the earls - this gave the earls almost complete power over the legal system in the earldom) The earls became central figure in the law and could respond quickly and firmly to any unrest or disobedience
• Key features - exempted from tax


  Earls did not have to pay tax to the king on their lands, unlike the rest of England, to reward their loyalty and encourage earls to spend on new settlement and defences
• Key features - the right to build castles


  in the rest of England, landholders had to apply to the king before they can build castles; the Marcher Earls were free to build them whenever they needed. Castles were used to control areas and to launch attacks into Wales (safe spaces)