INTRODUCTION

In the early twelfth century the men who served Henry I attracted as much attention as his methods of government, if not more. Chroniclers noted how well he was served, and how men of humble origins were elevated to high office and to wealth. The following chapter pulls together material from many different sources as the basis for a detailed inquiry into different aspects of the careers of these men: the families they came from, the nature of their education, the means by which they were recruited into royal service, and the rewards of the service. It explores amongst other questions whether Henry did rely chiefly on new men, and whether he was generous in rewarding them. Sir Richard Southern's brilliant Raleigh Lecture, ‘The place of Henry I in English History’, opened up some of these questions for discussion, albeit in a necessarily impressionistic way, but by bringing to bear much more evidence it is possible both to ampliry, and in certain respects, to dissent from his views. As a preliminary, however, it is necessary to consider what is meant by the description ‘the king's servants’, and also to raise some of the wider issues involved.

The phrase ‘the king's servants’ is used here as a general description for all those employed in royal administration. Their duties and conditions of service were very different, as they included members of the household and the exchequer, justices, forest officials, sheriffs and other financial agents.