Gerard de Canville

[2][circular reference] Born before 1153, he was the son of Richard de Canville, lord of the manor of Middleton Stoney in Oxfordshire where he had a castle, and his first wife Alice.

[1] Already from 1174 a close associate of the king, by 1185 he had married a widowed heiress, Nicola de la Haie, and as her husband held not only her lands in England and Normandy but also her hereditary offices of sheriff of Lincolnshire and constable of Lincoln Castle.

Though he was able to buy back the right to his estates, but not his posts, he then faced legal charges brought by Longchamp over sheltering criminals and participating in John's illegal seizure of the castles of Nottingham and Tickhill.

[4][1] When John became king on Richard's death in 1199, he restored Canville to his posts, making him sheriff of Lincolnshire (which he held until 1205) and castellan of Lincoln.

[5] In addition to Middleton Stoney, from his father he inherited lands at King's Sutton and Duddington in Northamptonshire, Godington in Oxfordshire and Avington in Berkshire.