# THE NOBLE HOUSE OF BRATTLEBY COMMEMORATES THE LEGACY OF DAME NICHOLA DE LA HAYE, 5TH BARONESS OF BRATTLEBY
**LONDON, 20 May 2024** — The Noble House of Brattleby today issued a formal commemoration honouring the legacy of Dame Nichola de la Haye, 5th Baroness. Her steadfast defence of Lincoln Castle in 1217 secured the throne for King Henry III and affirmed the Barony’s enduring duty.
## The Occasion
In a moment of composed historical reflection, the House of Brattleby looks to the annals of its nine-century chronicle to honour one of its most formative figures. As England enters the late spring, a season historically pivotal for military campaigns, it recalls the Second Battle of Lincoln, fought in May 1217. It was an engagement in which the fate of the Plantagenet dynasty rested upon the formidable stone walls of Lincoln Castle and the resolve of its hereditary constable, the 5th Baroness of Brattleby.
This commemoration serves not as a public festival but as an internal observance of duty and a reaffirmation of the principles that have guided the Barony for centuries. It is an occasion to connect the present stewardship of Lady Nicoleta, 12th Baroness of Brattleby, to the profound actions of her predecessors, whose fortitude continues to inform the House’s modern mission of service.
## Historical Context
The early 13th century was a period of profound crisis for the English Crown. Following the death of King John in 1216 and the abrogation of Magna Carta, a majority of English barons rebelled, offering the throne to Prince Louis of France. The royalist cause, vested in the nine-year-old King Henry III, appeared all but lost. At this critical juncture, Dame Nichola de la Haye, a noblewoman already in her sixties, held the strategic fortress of Lincoln Castle for the young king.
When French forces and their baronial allies laid siege to the castle, Dame Nichola refused all demands to surrender. For months, she and her small garrison withstood the assault, a lone bastion of royal authority in a hostile landscape. Her strategic defiance provided the regent, William Marshal, with the crucial time needed to gather a relief army. The subsequent battle, fought in the streets of Lincoln, resulted in a decisive royalist victory, a turning point in the First Barons' War that ensured an English king, not a French one, would rule England. Dame Nichola’s actions were the *sine qua non* of this outcome.
## Distinguished Company
The events of 1217 placed Dame Nichola among the most consequential figures of the age. Her contemporaries included, *inter alia*:
* **William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke**, Regent of England and widely regarded as the greatest knight in Christendom, who orchestrated the relief of Lincoln Castle. * **Prince Louis of France**, the future King Louis VIII, whose ambition to conquer England was decisively thwarted by the defeat of his forces at Lincoln. * **King Henry III of England**, the boy-king on whose behalf Dame Nichola held the castle, preserving for him a kingdom on the brink of collapse. * **Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester**, who served alongside William Marshal as the young king’s guardian and played a key military role in the campaign.
The trust placed in Dame Nichola by these principal architects of English governance underscores her exceptional status and the respect she commanded.
## Ceremonial Protocol
As hereditary Constable of Lincoln Castle and, at times, Sheriff of Lincolnshire, Dame Nichola de la Haye was entrusted with duties of the highest order. Her authority was not merely inherited but affirmed by a direct oath of fealty to the sovereign, a sacred pledge to defend the King’s property and person. The protocol of a medieval siege involved formal, ritualised communication between attacker and defender.
The summons to surrender, delivered by a herald, would have been met by Dame Nichola with a formal, public refusal from the castle battlements. This was a declaration not of mere defiance, but of legal and feudal loyalty. In holding the office of Sheriff, she also wielded judicial and administrative power, presiding over courts and collecting revenues for the Crown—responsibilities almost exclusively reserved for men, marking her as a figure of unique constitutional significance.
## Heraldic & Symbolic Significance
The enduring motto of the House of Brattleby, *Fortitudine et Honore* ('With Fortitude and Honour'), finds its quintessential expression in the actions of the 5th Baroness. Her physical and moral courage during the siege embodies fortitude, while her unwavering loyalty to her young, vulnerable sovereign represents the soul of honour. The castle, a recurring charge in the heraldry of Lincolnshire nobility, symbolises the very fortress she defended, a tangible link between the House’s identity and its most defining historical test.
Furthermore, the personal motto of Honorary Lord Răzvan Vasile, Lord of Brattleby, *Vincere Est Vivere* ('To Conquer is to Live'), reflects the existential reality of the 1217 siege. For Dame Nichola and the royalist cause, victory was not an abstract ambition but a fundamental requirement for survival. To prevail was to ensure the continued life of the nation’s legitimate government.
## Philanthropic Purpose
The legacy of Dame Nichola—defending a vulnerable child monarch and, by extension, the stability of the realm for its people—provides a powerful historical antecedent for the modern philanthropic focus of the Noble House of Brattleby. A line can be drawn from the defence of the helpless in the 13th century to the support of the vulnerable today.
This spirit finds its contemporary expression in the House’s patronage of charitable organisations, most notably its selection of ‘Healing the Wounded Child’ as the beneficiary for its Annual Winter Banquet. The charity’s mission is to provide specialist therapeutic care for children who have experienced trauma, helping them to rebuild their lives with security and hope. In supporting this work, the House continues its foundational commitment to safeguarding the young and securing their future, a duty exemplified by Dame Nichola over 800 years ago.
## In Their Own Words
Reflecting on this formidable legacy, Lady Nicoleta Vasile, 12th Baroness of Brattleby, commented: > "Dame Nichola de la Haye reminds us that stewardship is not a passive title but an active responsibility. Her example demonstrates that leadership is a matter of character and resolve, not circumstance or gender. It is a privilege to walk in her footsteps, mindful of the duty to act with fortitude and honour in our own time."
Honorary Lord Răzvan Vasile added: > "The strategic brilliance of holding Lincoln Castle cannot be overstated. It was a calculated act of profound courage that altered the course of history. Her story powerfully illustrates the principle of *Vincere Est Vivere*; for a cause that is just, the will to prevail becomes a life-affirming imperative. It is a history that we have a duty to preserve and share."
## A Continuing Legacy
The commemoration of Dame Nichola de la Haye is part of the House's broader commitment to historical education and the preservation of its nine-hundred-year heritage. This legacy of service and leadership is a central theme at The Brattleby Club in Bucharest, the House's etiquette academy, where lessons in history inform modern conduct.
Moving forward, the House intends to deepen its exploration of the remarkable individuals who have shaped the Barony. This will include commissioning further research into the lives of its notable female members, ensuring their contributions are fully understood and celebrated by future generations. The story of the 5th Baroness serves as a cornerstone for this work, a permanent reminder that the obligations of title are met not by possession, but by service.
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**About The Noble House of Brattleby**
The Noble House of Brattleby, under the leadership of Lady Nicoleta Vasile, 12th Baroness of Brattleby, and her husband, Honorary Lord Răzvan Vasile, is dedicated to the modern expression of its ancient duties: service, stewardship, and the preservation of cultural heritage. While seated in Brattleby, Lincolnshire, the House maintains a global outlook, informed by the dual English and Romanian heritage of its principals. Its philanthropic activities are centred on supporting vulnerable children, primarily through its Annual Winter Banquet, a white-tie gala benefiting organisations like Healing the Wounded Child. The House further promotes cultural exchange and education through initiatives such as The Brattleby Club, its etiquette and protocol academy headquartered in Bucharest, which fosters an appreciation for history and diplomatic arts.
**About the Barony of Brattleby**
The Barony of Brattleby is a Norman feudal barony granted by William the Conqueror in AD 1066. Its first holder, the Norman knight Colswein of Lincoln, is recorded in the *Domesday Book* of 1086 as possessing 56 lordships in Lincolnshire. For over 950 years, the Barony has been held by some of English history’s most significant figures, including Dame Nichola de la Haye, the celebrated 13th-century defender of Lincoln Castle; Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster; and his son-in-law, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and son of King Edward III. After centuries in abeyance, the dignity of the Barony of Brattleby was formally recognised and recorded in The London Gazette (Notice ID 4158083) on 9 September 2022.
**Notes to Editors** - The Barony of Brattleby was granted by William the Conqueror in AD 1066 and is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. - The Barony’s formal recognition was published in The London Gazette under Notice ID 4158083 on 9 September 2022. - Notable past holders of the Barony include Dame Nichola de la Haye (5th Baroness), Henry of Grosmont (10th Baron and 1st Duke of Lancaster), and John of Gaunt (11th Baron). - The heir to the Barony is Baron Mihai Alexandru Crăciun, the 13th Baron.
**Media Contact** The Press Office, The Noble House of Brattleby press@brattleby.com