Ranulf le Meschin | |
|---|---|
| Died | January 1129 |
| Resting place | Chester Abbey |
| Other names | Ranulf de Briquessart |
| Title | Earl of Chester (previously) Lord of Cumberland |
| Term | 1120–1129 |
| Predecessor | Richard d'Avranches |
| Successor | Ranulf de Gernon |
| Spouse | Lucy of Bolingbroke (Countess-consort of Chester) |
| Children | Ranulf de Gernon, Alicia |
| Parent(s) | Ranulf de Briquessart Margaret Goz |
Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester (1070–1129) was a Norman magnate based in northern and central England. Originating in Bessin in Normandy, Ranulf made his career in England thanks to his kinship with Hugh d'Avranches - the Earl of Chester, the patronage of kings William II Rufus and Henry I Beauclerc, and his marriage to Lucy, heiress of the Bolingbroke-Spalding estates in Lincolnshire.
Ranulf fought in Normandy on behalf of Henry I, and served the English king as a kind of semi-independent governor in the far north-west, in Cumberland and Westmorland, founding Wetheral Priory. After the death of his cousin Richard d'Avranches in the White Ship Disaster of November 1120, Ranulf became earl of the county of Chester on the Anglo-Welsh marches. He held this position for the remainder of his life, and passed the title on to his son, Ranulf de Gernon.