Aubrey de Vere I
Encyclopedia
Aubrey de Vere (died circa 1112) was a tenant-in-chief of William the Conqueror in 1086 and also vassal to Geoffrey de Montbray
, bishop of Coutances and to Count Alan, lord of Richmond. A much later source named his father as Alphonsus. The common use of the name Albericus by the Veres in medieval England makes it impossible to say for certain if the Aubrey de Vere named in Domesday Book
in 1086 holding estates in six counties is the same Aubrey de Vere who around 1111 founded Colne Priory, Essex
, but it is probable.
, possibly from the eponymous town of Ver/Vire in western Normandy
. The Veres were (erroneously) said to descend from Charlemagne
through the Counts of Flanders
or Guînes
by later antiquarians. In fact, their connection with Guînes
, in Flanders
, was short-lived; the only connection of the Veres to Guînes is the brief marriage of his grandson Aubrey de Vere III
to Beatrice, heiress to Guînes
, in the 12th century.
The only certainty is that he is recorded holding estates in Domesday Book
, where he and his unnamed wife also stand accused of some unauthorized land seizures. As his spouse's name is recorded as Beatrice in 1104, she may have been his wife in 1086 and the mother of his five known sons. Aubrey's estates held of the king were valued at approximately £300, putting him in roughly the middle ranks of the post-conquest barons in terms of landed wealth.
More difficult to sort out are contemporary references to "Aubrey the chamberlain" and "Aubrey of Berkshire." The name Albericus was not uncommon in 11th- and 12th-century Europe. A chamberlain to Matilda of Flanders
, wife of William the Conqueror, bore that name, but it is unlikely that this man was Aubrey de Vere. An "Aubrey of Berkshire" was a sheriff in the early reign of Henry I
; it cannot be ruled out that this was Aubrey de Vere. Aubrey de Vere I may also have served King Henry as a royal chamberlain, as his son and namesake Aubrey de Vere II
later did.
Before 1104, Aubrey's eldest son Geoffrey fell ill and was tended at Abingdon Abbey
by the royal physician, Abbot Faritius
. The youth recovered but suffered a relapse and was buried at the abbey. His parents founded a cell of Abingdon on land they donated: Colne Priory, Essex
. Within a few years, Aubrey and his son William joined that community. Aubrey died soon after taking the Benedictine
habit, William passing away not long after his father. Both were buried at the priory, establishing it as the Vere family mausoleum. His heir was Aubrey de Vere II
.
Besides Geoffrey, Aubrey II, and William mentioned above, his sons included Roger and Robert.
Castle Hedingham
, Beauchamp [Walter], Great Bentley
, Great Canfield, Earls Colne
, [White] Colne, and Dovercourt
, Essex; Aldham
, Belstead
, Lavenham
, and Waldingfield
, Suffolk; Castle Camps
, Hildersham, Silverley, and Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire. He possessed houses and acreage in Colchester
.
As tenant of Geoffrey bishop of Coutances, he held Kensington
, Middlesex; Scaldwell
and Wadenhoe
, Northamptonshire. Of the barony of Count Alan of Brittany, he held the manors of Beauchamp Roding
, Canfield, and West Wickham
, Essex. His wife held Aldham, Essex
, in her own right of Odo bishop of Bayeux. She was accused by Domesday jurors of expansion into Little Maplestead, Essex. Aubrey's seizures or questionable right of possession to estates included Manuden, Essex; Great Hemingford, Huntingdonshire; and Swaffham
, Cambridgeshire. (Counties given are those of Domesday Book.)
Geoffrey de Montbray
Geoffrey de Montbray , bishop of Coutances , a right-hand man of William the Conqueror, was a type of the great feudal prelate, warrior and administrator at need....
, bishop of Coutances and to Count Alan, lord of Richmond. A much later source named his father as Alphonsus. The common use of the name Albericus by the Veres in medieval England makes it impossible to say for certain if the Aubrey de Vere named in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
in 1086 holding estates in six counties is the same Aubrey de Vere who around 1111 founded Colne Priory, Essex
Colne Priory, Essex
-Colne Priory, Earls Colne, Essex:This Benedictine priory, initially a dependent cell of Abingdon Abbey, Berkshire , was founded by Aubrey de Vere I and his wife Beatrice in or before 1111. Their eldest son Geoffrey had died at Abingdon about seven or eight years earlier and was buried there...
, but it is probable.
Biography
His origins are obscure and various regions have been proposed for his birthplace. Their lineage were likely NormanNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
, possibly from the eponymous town of Ver/Vire in western Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. The Veres were (erroneously) said to descend from Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
through the Counts of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
or Guînes
Guînes
Guînes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:Guînes is located on the border of the two territories of the Boulonnais and Calaisis, at the edge of the now-drained marshes, which extend from here to the coast. The Guînes canal connects with...
by later antiquarians. In fact, their connection with Guînes
Guînes
Guînes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:Guînes is located on the border of the two territories of the Boulonnais and Calaisis, at the edge of the now-drained marshes, which extend from here to the coast. The Guînes canal connects with...
, in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, was short-lived; the only connection of the Veres to Guînes is the brief marriage of his grandson Aubrey de Vere III
Aubrey de Vere III
Aubrey de Vere III was created Earl of Oxford by the empress Matilda in July 1141. He had inherited the barony of Hedingham on the death of his father Aubrey de Vere II in May 1141, when he was already Count of Guînes by right of his wife Beatrice. In 1139 and 1154 he was appointed High Sheriff...
to Beatrice, heiress to Guînes
Guînes
Guînes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:Guînes is located on the border of the two territories of the Boulonnais and Calaisis, at the edge of the now-drained marshes, which extend from here to the coast. The Guînes canal connects with...
, in the 12th century.
The only certainty is that he is recorded holding estates in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, where he and his unnamed wife also stand accused of some unauthorized land seizures. As his spouse's name is recorded as Beatrice in 1104, she may have been his wife in 1086 and the mother of his five known sons. Aubrey's estates held of the king were valued at approximately £300, putting him in roughly the middle ranks of the post-conquest barons in terms of landed wealth.
More difficult to sort out are contemporary references to "Aubrey the chamberlain" and "Aubrey of Berkshire." The name Albericus was not uncommon in 11th- and 12th-century Europe. A chamberlain to Matilda of Flanders
Matilda of Flanders
Matilda of Flanders was the wife of William the Conqueror and, as such, Queen consort of the Kingdom of England. She bore William nine/ten children, including two kings, William II and Henry I.-Marriage:...
, wife of William the Conqueror, bore that name, but it is unlikely that this man was Aubrey de Vere. An "Aubrey of Berkshire" was a sheriff in the early reign of Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
; it cannot be ruled out that this was Aubrey de Vere. Aubrey de Vere I may also have served King Henry as a royal chamberlain, as his son and namesake Aubrey de Vere II
Aubrey de Vere II
Aubrey de Vere II — also known as "Alberic[us] de Ver" — was the second of that name in England after the Norman Conquest, being the eldest surviving son of Alberic or Aubrey de Vere who had followed William the Conqueror to England in or after 1066.Their lineage is probably Norman, possibly...
later did.
Before 1104, Aubrey's eldest son Geoffrey fell ill and was tended at Abingdon Abbey
Abingdon Abbey
Abingdon Abbey was a Benedictine monastery also known as St Mary's Abbey located in Abingdon, historically in the county of Berkshire but now in Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
by the royal physician, Abbot Faritius
Faritius
Faricius was an Italian Benedictine Abbot of Abingdon and physician.-Life:Faricius was born in Arezzo, Tuscany, a Benedictine monk who became known as a skilful physician and man of letters. He was in England in 1078, when he witnessed the translation of the relics of St...
. The youth recovered but suffered a relapse and was buried at the abbey. His parents founded a cell of Abingdon on land they donated: Colne Priory, Essex
Colne Priory, Essex
-Colne Priory, Earls Colne, Essex:This Benedictine priory, initially a dependent cell of Abingdon Abbey, Berkshire , was founded by Aubrey de Vere I and his wife Beatrice in or before 1111. Their eldest son Geoffrey had died at Abingdon about seven or eight years earlier and was buried there...
. Within a few years, Aubrey and his son William joined that community. Aubrey died soon after taking the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
habit, William passing away not long after his father. Both were buried at the priory, establishing it as the Vere family mausoleum. His heir was Aubrey de Vere II
Aubrey de Vere II
Aubrey de Vere II — also known as "Alberic[us] de Ver" — was the second of that name in England after the Norman Conquest, being the eldest surviving son of Alberic or Aubrey de Vere who had followed William the Conqueror to England in or after 1066.Their lineage is probably Norman, possibly...
.
Besides Geoffrey, Aubrey II, and William mentioned above, his sons included Roger and Robert.
Estates
The principal estates held by Aubrey de Vere in 1086:Castle Hedingham
Castle Hedingham
Castle Hedingham is a small village in northeast Essex, England, located four miles west of Halstead and is situated in the Colne Valley on the ancient road from Colchester, Essex, to Cambridge....
, Beauchamp [Walter], Great Bentley
Great Bentley
Great Bentley is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of North East Essex, England, located midway between the towns of Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea. It is home to the largest village green in the country, at a size of and has won 'Village of the Year' several times...
, Great Canfield, Earls Colne
Earls Colne
Earls Colne is a village in Essex, England named after the River Colne, on which it stands, and the Earls of Oxford who held the manor of Earls Colne from before 1086 to 1703.-Manor of Earls Colne:...
, [White] Colne, and Dovercourt
Dovercourt
For the neighbourhood in Toronto see Dovercourt-Wallace Emerson-JunctionDovercourt is a small seaside town in Essex, England. It is older than its smaller but better-known neighbour, the port of Harwich, and appears in the Domesday Book of 1086...
, Essex; Aldham
Aldham, Suffolk
Aldham is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England. Located around eight miles west of Ipswich, in 2005 it had a population of 200....
, Belstead
Belstead
Belstead is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England. Located around south-west of Ipswich town centre, in 2005 it had a population of 190.-Hoard:...
, Lavenham
Lavenham
Lavenham is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is noted for its 15th century church, half-timbered medieval cottages and circular walk. In the medieval period it was among the 20 wealthiest settlements in England...
, and Waldingfield
Waldingfield
Waldingfield may refer to:*Great Waldingfield, Suffolk, England*Little Waldingfield, Suffolk, England...
, Suffolk; Castle Camps
Castle Camps
Castle Camps was a Norman Castle located in what is now the civil parish of Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire.-Owners:Castle Camps was originally a Saxon manor, belonging to Wulfwin, a Thane of King Edward the Confessor. After the Norman invasion, William the Conqueror gave the manor to Aubrey de Vere...
, Hildersham, Silverley, and Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire. He possessed houses and acreage in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
.
As tenant of Geoffrey bishop of Coutances, he held Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, Middlesex; Scaldwell
Scaldwell
Scaldwell is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire in England.Scaldwell is tiny and has neither shops nor pubs; at the time of the 2001 census the parish had a population of 271 living in 113 households. It has an ageing population. The nearest place for school,...
and Wadenhoe
Wadenhoe
Wadenhoe is a village and civil parish in East Northamptonshire. Part of the civil parish of Pilton, Stoke Doyle and Wadenhoe, it is on the River Nene, approximately 4 miles from Thrapston and 10 miles from Kettering. The Nene Way long distance footpath passes through the village...
, Northamptonshire. Of the barony of Count Alan of Brittany, he held the manors of Beauchamp Roding
Beauchamp Roding
Beauchamp Roding is a village in Essex, England....
, Canfield, and West Wickham
West Wickham
West Wickham is a place in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is 10.3 miles south east of Charing Cross. West Wickham history dates back to early settlements existing since 1068, although the name `Wickham` is an indication of an earlier Anglo-Saxon settlement...
, Essex. His wife held Aldham, Essex
Aldham, Essex
Aldham is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It is located west of Colchester. The village is in the borough of Colchester and in the parliamentary constituency of North Essex...
, in her own right of Odo bishop of Bayeux. She was accused by Domesday jurors of expansion into Little Maplestead, Essex. Aubrey's seizures or questionable right of possession to estates included Manuden, Essex; Great Hemingford, Huntingdonshire; and Swaffham
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...
, Cambridgeshire. (Counties given are those of Domesday Book.)