Born of a Viper's Brood...

Hugh de Morville was born around the year 1138, the son of Hugh de Morville, the hereditary Constable of Scotland, who held the barony of Burgh-by-Sands in Cumberland and Ada, daughter of William de Engaine. Hugh’s mother was a “licentious and treacherous” woman and many believed that she was the root cause of her son’s imprudent and flawed character.

Around the year 1158, Hugh became a member of King Henry’s Court and married Helwis de Stuteville, through whom, he acquired Knaresborough Castle. For a time, while Thomas Beckett was Chancellor, Hugh became one of Beckett’s men, but always remained loyal to King Henry. So it was, when Henry and Beckett, by that time Archbishop of Canterbury, fell out, over the right of clergy to be tried by the Church, that Hugh, along with three other knights of the King’s Household, travelled to Canterbury and murdered Beckett. The murderers subsequently fled north to Scotland and later took refuge in Hugh’s castle at Knaresborough. All four murderers were excommunicated by Pope Alexander III, but they agreed to make penance for their deeds by taking service in the Holy Land. Before they could leave to serve with the Knights Templer, the Great Rebellion against King Henry broke out and Hugh immediately rode north to Durham to offer his sword in service to the Bishop, whom he believed to be defending the North, in the name of the king, against King William the Lion and his raiding Scots. When Hugo Flambard took up arms against the Bishop, Hugh regarded this as an act of treason against King Henry and swore before the shrine of Saint Cuthbert to put the rebel to the sword. Only time would tell if de Morville would see through the Bishop’s schemes and realise that his sworn enemy was actually his ally.