Sir Arnold de Normanby

Sir Arnold de Normanby was the last Regent and first Earl of Sodor during the Middle Ages.

The Railway Series
Sir Arnold de Normanby was elected Regent of Sodor at some point prior to 1399. In 1399, King Henry IV granted control of Sodor to the Percy family after he had the previous owner, William le Scrope, beheaded. Sudrians, however, did not recognise the Percys ownership and, led by Sir Arnold, they waged a full-scale rebellion against the Percys, and were able to prevent them from gaining control of the entire island.

In 1404, the Earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy, launched his own rebellion against Henry IV, who sent an emissary, Sir Peter de Rigby, to negotiate with the Sudrians. Sir Peter was favourably impressed by Sir Arnold and placed himself and his army under the Regent's command, and the Sudrians, having never acknowledged the Percys, cheerfully joined in expelling the Percy garrisons from their Island. Over the course of the campaign, Sir Arnold and Sir Peter developed a considerable liking and respect for each other.

After the Percys defeat, Sir Arnold gave up his regency, but Henry IV wisely returned power to Sir Arnold and the Abbot of Cronk, making then joint Governors of the Island, and also made Sir Arnold the first Earl of Sodor and granted him control of Ulfstead Castle. This act showed Sudrians that he respected their former Regent and that through him he appreciated their patriotism and their worth. It was this gesture which brought the Resistance to an end and attached Sodor to the English Crown.

Sir Arnold's descendants still hold the Earldom of Sodor, though the family name would eventually change to Norramby.

Appearances
Railway Series=

Companion Volumes

 * 1987 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways

Trivia
Сэр Арнольд де Норманби
 * "de Normanby" is French for "of Norramby".