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A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE Philip of France's campaign in 1202-3, when Normandy was lost by the English and Philip became supreme in Maine, Anjou, and Touraine, the constable of Chester was stoutly resisting a siege in the castle of Château Gaillard. After a strenuous resistance lasting nearly twelve months, during which the garrison were reduced to the necessity of eating horseflesh, the constable and his garrison, as a final effort, made a sortie, but were eventually taken prisoners with much difficulty on 6 March, 1204. Matthew Paris relates that the French king, in recognition of the constable's gallant defence, put him in free custody.

King John, having lent the constable £1,000 for his ransom, sent word on 3 May to the constable's knights and free tenants to raise money for repayment, but Roger being presently liberated in exchange for Savari de Mauleon, the king appropriated the ransom. In reward for his services Lacy was appointed sheriff of Yorkshire and Cumberland at Michaelmas following, which offices he held until 1209, in which year he also acted as a justice before whom fines were levied. He was in constant attendance upon or in communication with the king, as proved by the rolls, and upon terms of familiarity and friendship, as shown by entries on the Præstita Roll of sums of 40s. and 25s. lost by the king to the constable whilst playing 'ad tabulas,' i.e. shovel-board, at Freemantle, on Sunday, 29 January, 1211. In the autumn of 1210 he seems to have led an expedition against the Welsh. Dr. Whitaker and Mr. Ormerod repeat from the Historia Laceiorum several improbable stories relating to him. Roger confirmed his father's gifts to Stanlaw Abbey, and added of his own gift the church of Rochdale and six oxgangs of land there of the Lacy inheritance which had descended to him through his grandmother. Within his fee of Widnes he gave the manor of Little Woolton to the same abbey. He also enfeoffed Robert de Flaynsburgh in 10⅔ oxgangs of land within the liberty of Rochdale in marriage with the daughter of Robert de Liversedge, and Gilbert de Lacy, of Cromwellbothum, in the same extent of land there, in marriage with Agnes, daughter of John de Hipperholme. His death occurred on 1 October, 1211, after a protracted illness, during which he was invested with the monastic habit in the abbey of Stanlaw, where his remains were buried. Accordingly, we find that at Midsummer, 1212, when the great inquest of service was taken, his lordships of Penwortham, Clitheroe, and Widnes were in the king's hands. 302