FitzHugh was claimed to be part of a family called the Fitzhughs of
Ravensworth, based in northern
Yorkshire, but it is more likely that his name is merely a
patronymic and he was of relatively lowly birth.[1]
Medieval church of St Mary the Virgin, Kirtlington
FitzHugh appears on the
Pipe Rolls for 1176, ad parandas domos ("for preparing buildings"); in other years he oversaw repair of castles, including
Odiham Castle, Hampshire. He collected taxes, such as
scutage and
tithes, and in 1212 was recorded as making payments to the keeper of
lions at the
Tower of London.[2] In 1204 he was granted land at
Kirtlington, Oxfordshire.[3]
FitzHugh is notable as one of 27 ecclesiastical and secular magnates who had counselled John to accept the terms of
Magna Carta in 1215 and is named in the preamble to the document.[6][7]
John FitzHugh married Gunnora de Bendinges; they had a daughter, Juliana, who married Adam FitzHervey.[10] FitzHugh died in 1220 during the
Fifth Crusade; after his death, his marriage to Gunnora was disputed as invalid.[11]