- Pontefract Castle 13th Century
- 1213 - On 20th September 1213, at Tickhill Castle in South Yorkshire, King John granted John de Lacy his inheritance (his father Roger having died in 1211) of five northern baronies but imposed a 7000 marks’ relief (£9.6m value today) repayable within three years. The king refused, however, to hand over the de Lacy castles at Pontefract and Donington and required him to pay for their garrisons. De Lacy was also told that should he join with the king’s enemies, he would lose all his lands forever.
- Pontefract Castle 14th Century
- 1300 - Around the 20th September 1300, Sir Henry de Lacy, lord of Pontefract, was charged by Edward I to accompany Hugh Despenser on an ambassadorial mission to the papal curia to represent the king in peace negotiations between England and France and in resolving Edward’s overlordship of Scotland.
- 1319 - On 20th September 1319 (some sources say the 12th), at the Battle of Myton, a makeshift army of Yorkshire clergy and townspeople was completely defeated by Sir James Douglas and Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, two of King Robert Bruce’s most able commanders. Nicknamed the Chapter of Myton or The White Battle due to the number of clergy involved, the Scots failed to capture Queen Isabella, their main objective, but were able to press south and to reach Castleford, just north of Pontefract. Reputedly, the English losses were 1,000 killed including 300 ‘priests’ (the Chronicle of Lanercost puts the number of priests killed alone at 4,000 with another 1,000 drowned in the Swale!).
- 1322 - On 20th September 1322, Edward II granted the Constableship of Lincoln Castle to Alice de Lacy as her right and inheritance with the Earldom of Lincoln restored to her in December of that year. In order to effect her release from prison, she had had to pay an indemnity of £20,000 (£15.6m in today’s money) to the Crown.
- 1322 - On 20th September 1322, Edward II made the following declaration from Newcastle upon Tyne:
‘To Thomas de Eyvill, keeper of the castle and honour of Pontefract. Order to deliver to William de Crull of Synflex his goods and chattels, which the said keeper took into the king's hands because it was found by an inquisition that William had fled, upon his finding surety to answer to the king for his goods and chattels in case they be adjudged to the king, as the king lately ordered the steward and marshals of his household to send into chancery the record and process of an inquisition taken before them in the court of the marshals concerning the death of William son of James de Swynflet, William his son, and Thomas son of William le Littester of Houeden, wherewith the said William de Crull was charged, in order that the king might be certified by the said record and process whether William de Crull' fled by reason of the said death or not, the steward and marshals having certified the king that the record and process are not in their custody, but in the custody of the coroners of the household and of the executors of Simon de Driby, late steward of the household.’