William was one of 20-25 illigitimate children of Henry I. He was endowed with the Manor of Bradnich & Moreton (Hampstead) by Henry I. His grandson William was one of the murderers of Thomas a Becket (A.D. 1170) for which deed he went into exile and the barony of Bradnich and Moretonhampstead was forfeited and returned to the King.
Aubrey de Vere, First Earl of Oxford, Count of Ghisnes (c.1130-1194) Aubrey de Vere, first Earl of Oxford, was born circa 1130. He was, by tenure, the third Baron of Kensington, and Count of Ghisnes through his marriage, was confirmed also in the office of Great Lord Chamberlain, and all his father's territorial possessions. Aubrey de Vere at first might have become "Earl of Cambridge," but in the end he was created Earl of Oxford. Technically, he was made an earl by the Empress Matilda, and had been offered a choice of title from either Cambridge, Oxford, Berkshire, Wiltshire or Dorset, "provided the King of the Scots had it not." He chose Oxford, becoming the 1st earl of Oxford, a title that was later confirmed by Henry II, and would continue for another 20 generations. In January 1156 Henry II, by a fresh charter, granted him its 'thirdpenny' as earl. In addition to his title Aubrey III was also given the customary grant: "a third of the penny of the pleas of the county, as an earl ought to have." How did he win such a reward? Apparently Aubrey III had joined his brother-in-law, Earl Geoffrey, in intriguing with the Empress, and, through his influence, obtained from her at Oxford in 1142 this remarkable charter. The new earl was an ardent supporter of the Empress Matilda, who frequently came to Hedingham Castle as a guest of de Vere. Confusing things a bit is the fact that there were simultaneously two famous Matildas, one the Empress and wife of Henry II, the other, the former Queen and widow to King Stephen. The widow Matilda also was a visitor to Hedingham, and she died there on the May 3, 1152. In 1166, the 12th year of King Henry II, on the levy of the aid for portioning the king's daughter, the Earl of Oxford certified his knight's fees to be in number 28, for which he paid 20 pounds, and in the 2nd year of King Richard I , he paid a fine of 500 marks to the king, "for the sister of Walter de Bolebec, to make a wife for his son." In four years afterwards he contributed 30 pounds, 2 shillings, and 6 pence for the knight's fees he then held, towards the sum at that time raised for the ransom of the king. He is said to have founded the priories at Hedingham and at Ickleton, Cambridgeshire. Aubrey III was another crusader/veteran who was known as "Aubrey the Grim," perhaps because of his height and stern appearance. The first Earl of Oxford married (1) Euphamia Cantilupe, daughter of William de Cantilupe, by whom he had no issue, and (2) Lucia Abrincis, daughter and heiress of William de Abrincis, by whom he had the following children: 1. Aubrey de Vere, his successor (EO2), 2. Robert de Vere, who succeeded his brother, Aubrey, as EO3, 3. William de Vere, Bishop of Hereford in 1186, who died in 1199, *4. Henry de Vere, *5. Adeliza Vere, *6. Sarah Vere. In his 'Historia Comitum Ardensium' (Pertz, vol. xxiv.), Lambert of Ardres, speaks of Aubrey as 'Albericus Aper' in his account of the comté of Guines. (Aper is Latin for Boar) Aubrey died in 1194. His monument's inscription describes him as the "Earl of Ghisnes and 1st Earl of Oxford."
Aubrey de Vere II (c. 1080-1141) was also known as "Alberic[us] de Ver". He was the second of that name in post Norman Conquest England, 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 originally from the eponymous town of Ver/Vire in western Normandy, and were [erroneously] said to descend from Charlemagne himself through the Counts of Flanders or Guînes by later antiquarians. In fact, their connection with Guînes, in Flanders, was temporary; Aubrey de Vere III was briefly married to Beatrice, heiress to that county, from 1137 to about 1145. Aubrey II served as sheriff of many shires and as a Justiciar under kings Henry I and Stephen.[1] King Henry I had declared the estates and office of the first master chamberlain, Robert Malet, to be forfeit, and in 1133 awarded the office of master chamberlain of England to Aubrey. The chronicler William of Malmesbury reports that Aubrey represented King Stephen in 1139, when the king had been summoned to a church council to answer for the seizure of castles held by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury. He was killed by a London mob in May, 1141, and buried in the family mausoleum, Colne Priory, Essex. His eldest son Aubrey de Vere III, was later created Earl of Oxford, and their descendants were to hold that title and the office that came to be known as the Lord Great Chamberlain until the extinction of the male line in 1703.[2] Aubrey II married Adeliza/Alice, daughter of Gilbert Fitz Richard of Clare. Their known children: Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford; Rohese de Vere, Countess of Essex, Robert; Alice "of Essex;" Geoffrey; Juliana, Countess of Norfolk; William de Vere, Bishop of Hereford; Gilbert, prior of the Knights Hospitaller in England; and an unnamed daughter who married Roger de Ramis.
Aubrey (Albericus) 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.[1] 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. His origins are obscure and various regions have been proposed for his birthplace. Their lineage is probably Norman, possibly originally from the eponymous town of Ver/Vire in western Normandy, and 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 temporary; his grandson Aubrey de Vere III was briefly married to Beatrice, heiress to Guînes. The only certainty is his landholding recorded in Domesday Book, where he and his unnamed wife also stand accused of some unauthorized land seizures.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] More difficult to sort out are contemporary references to "Aubrey the chamberlain" and "Aubrey of Berkshire." An Aubrey was chamberlain to Queen Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror, but it is unlikely that this 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 that king as a royal chamberlain, as his son and namesake Aubrey de Vere II 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.[5] His heir was Aubrey de Vere II. Besides Geoffrey, Aubrey II, and William mentioned above, his sons included Roger and Robert.[6] Estates The principle estates held by Aubrey de Vere in 1086: Beauchamp [Walter], Great Bentley, Great Canfield, Castle Hedingham, Earls Colne, [White] Colne, Dovercourt, and Stevington, Essex; Aldham, Belstead, Lavenham, and Waldingfield, Suffolk; Castle Camps, Hildersham, Silverley, and Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire. He possessed houses and acreage in Colchester. As tenant of the bishop of Coutances, he held Kensington, Middlesex; Scaldwell and Wadenhoe, Northamptonshire. Of the barony of Count Alan his manors were Beauchamp Roding, Canfield, and West Wickham, Essex. His wife held at 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.)
Hugh de Vere, 4th Earl of Oxford (and 5th Great Chamberlain), was born around 1210. He was at the side of Edward I at the siege of Caerlaverock and later participated in the Crusade of 1248-1254. He was knighted at Gloucester in the 17th year of King Henry III. In 1245 his mother Isabel died, and Hugh gave security for payment of his relief (100 pounds), and successfully sued his livery, gaining the lands of his inheritance. Hugh was one of the subscribing barons to the letter transmitted to the Pope, complaining of the exactions of his holiness upon this realm. The fourth EO attended the parliament (in the 32nd year of King Henry III) at which the king was criticized for his outrageous expenditures, and told that neither his treasurer nor chancellor had the confidence of the lords. The earl married Hawise Quincy in 1223, daughter of Sayer de Quincy, Earl of Winchester, and his wife, Margaret Beaumont. Hugh de Vere and Hawise Quincy had issue as follows: 1. Robert de Vere, his heir, 2. Aubrey de Vere, 3. Richard de Vere, 4. Margaret Vere, married Hugh de Cressi, 5. Maud Vere, 6. Isabel Vere, married John de Courtenay, a feudal Baron of Oakhampton, son of Robert de Courtenay, Viscount of Devonshire and Governor of the Castle of Exeter. Hugh de Vere founded several Hospitals and Almshouses and did a lot for the poor on his manor in Hedingham. He also built the steeple of Earls Colne church and was buried there after he died in 1263. Hugh was succeeded by his eldest son, Robert.
John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford (c. 12 March 1312 – 24 January 1360) was the nephew and heir of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford. He succeeded as Earl of Oxford in 1331, after his uncle died without issue. John de Vere was a trusted captain of Edward III in the king's wars in Scotland and France, and took part in both the Battle of Crécy and the Battle of Poitiers. He died campaigning in France in 1360. Throughout his career he was closely associated with William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton, who was his brother-in-law. Family background and marriage Hedingham Castle in Essex, John de Vere's main residence. John de Vere was the only son of Alfonso de Vere, and Jane, daughter of Sir Richard Foliot. Alfonso was a younger son of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford, and brother of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford. When the younger Earl Robert's son died without issue in 1329, the earl obtained licence from the king to entail his estates on his nephew, John. It was in this way that John de Vere, when his uncle died 17 April 1331, became Earl of Oxford. He had made homage and received livery by 17 May. In 1336 he married Maud, who was the second of the four daughters of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere, of Badlesmere in Kent and Margaret de Clare. Maud was a co-heiress of her brother Giles de Badlesmere, 2nd Baron Badlesmere. When Giles died in 1338, this brought a significant part of the Badlesmere inheritance into de Vere's hands. The marriage also forged a strong bond with William Bohun, earl of Northampton, who had married Badlesmere's third daughter, Elizabeth de Badlesmere and thus became Oxford's brother-in-law. The two campaigned together, sat on the same commissions and died the same year. Career De Vere's military career began with service on Edward III's Scottish campaigns, in the 1330s Second War of Scottish Independence. He took part in the Roxburgh campaign of 1334–5, and in the summer campaign of 1335. Later in the decade, England's military efforts turned towards France, with the beginning of the Hundred Years' War. In March 1340, de Vere served in Flanders, and was therefore out of the country during Edward's disputes with Archbishop John de Stratford. Oxford was not forced to take sides in the conflict, and has been described as a "political neutral". After a period in England, de Vere returned to the Continent in 1342, where he served with Northampton, who had been made lieutenant of Brittany. They both took part in the Battle of Morlaix that year. The next year the two earls were sent to Scotland to relieve Lochmaben Castle, and in 1345 they were again campaigning in Brittany. Tradition has it that, returning to England, their ships were forced ashore by bad weather, and the party was robbed of their possessions by the locals. In the summer of 1346 de Vere was campaigning with the king in Normandy, and took part in the Battle of Crécy. According to the chronicler Froissart, de Vere was fighting with the Black Prince, and was among the captains who sent a request to Edward III for reinforcements when the king famously answered 'Let the boy win his spurs'. Oxford was also at the Siege of Calais, but reportedly fell ill in 1348, and did not take part in any major campaigning until 1355. In 1355 he was again in the company of the Black Prince, and took part in the prince's great raid in Languedoc. 19 September 1356, at the Battle of Poitiers, Oxford was in command of the vanguard together with the earl of Warwick. de Vere's attack on the flank of the French cavalry, with a group of archers, did much to secure the English victory. His last campaign was Edward III's Rheims campaign in 1359–60. Here he died, probably during the raid into Burgundy, on 23 or 24 January 1360.[ He was buried in the de Vere family's burial place Colne Priory in Essex. Descendants and assessment Maud de Vere died in 1366. The couple had four sons and two daughters. The eldest son, John, married the daughter of Hugh Courtenay, Earl of Devon, but died before his father, in 1350. Also another son, Robert, died in his father's lifetime. The oldest remaining son was then Thomas, born around 1336–7, who succeeded his father in 1360. Thomas's son Robert succeeded at his father's death, but with Robert's forfeiture in 1392, the earldom was given to Robert's uncle Aubrey – the seventh earl's fourth son. The eldest daughter, Margaret, married three times, while of the second, Matilda, little is known. John de Vere, in the family tradition of the "fighting de Veres", was active in almost all major military engagements in the years from 1340 to 1360. On the Roxburgh campaign he brought a retinue of twenty-eight men-at-arms and twelve mounted archers. In Brittany in 1342, the retinue had grown to forty men-at-arms, one banneret, nine knights, twenty-nine esquires, and thirty mounted archers. His retinue was of a diverse composition, and also included foreign mercenaries. At one point, in the Battle of Poitiers, John Hawkwood, who was later to make his fortune as a condottiero in Italy, also served with de Vere. Yet in spite of this, de Vere never distinguished himself particularly as a military commander. Neither did he receive a great amount of royal patronage, and was never made a member of the Order of the Garter. This was largely a consequence of the de Vere family's relatively modest resources among the English peerage. As an example can be mentioned that in the late 1340, £349 were owed to Oxford in arrears for his services, yet at the same time the king owed Northampton two debts of £782 and £1237. This obstacle of resources and status John de Vere was unable to overcome either by marriage or warfare. ---------------------------------------------- John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford (1313 - 1360) John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford and 8th Great Chamberlain, born in 1313, became one of the most famous "Fighting Earls of Oxford," renowned for bravery, gallantry, and chivalry as one of Edward III's greatest generals, serving in Scotland, France, Flanders, Brittany and Gascony. John was the son and heir of Sir Alfonso de Vere (d. 1328) [younger brother of Robert de Vere, EO6] by his wife Jane, daughter of Sir Richard Foliot. John succeeded his uncle, who left no issue, in April 1331. John EO7 actively participated in the wars of King Edward III's, fighting in the Scottish campaigns of 1333 and 1335, in support of Edward Baliol. When war broke out with France in 1339, EO7 accompanied King Edward III to Flanders, and, in 1342 joined the first Breton campaign of William de Bohun, earl of Northampton. EO7 had, in his war party, 40 men-at-arms, one banneret, nine knights, 29 esquires, and 30 mounted archers, with an allowance of 56 sacks of wool as wages. On one occasion, when EO7 was returning from fighting on the continent, his ship was driven off course and wrecked on the shores of Connaught where some 'barbarous people' robbed the party of all of their possessions. [A similar encounter with pirates happened 200+ years later to the 17th Earl of Oxford upon his return from Italy and France in 1576). John de Vere, EO7, was a commander at the battles of Crecy, where he fought with a contingent of 160 men, including three bannerets and 27 knights. In October 1355, EO7 returned to France, joining the Black Prince in his famous raid into the Languedoc. EO7 shared the command of the first division at Poitiers with the Earl of Warwick, where he organized a crucial maneuver that saved the English archers from being downtrodden by the enemy's cavalry. "Yet all courage had been thrown away to no purpose, had it not been seconded by the extraordinary Gallantry of the English Archers, under the earl of Oxford, who behaved themselves that day with wonderful Constancy, Alacrity and Resolution " John de Vere, EO7, was killed during the siege of Rheims on January 24, 1360, during the British invasion of Burgundy. His corpse was brought back to England and interred in the family crypts at Colne Priory. John's will, dated November 1, 1359, contained bequests to Colne church and to the chapel (called the New Abbey) at Hedingham. EO7 also left instructions to his executors to pay out 400 marks sterling that had been accumulated by his ancestors in aid of the Holy Land. John EO7 had married, in 1336, Maud Badlesmere [b. 1310, widow of Robert Fitzpayne], second sister and coheir of Giles, lord Badlesmere (d. 1338) of Badlesmere in Kent. The couple had had four sons and one daughter, Margaret or Maud. The sons were Thomas (1337-1371), the 8th Earl of Oxford, Aubrey, who became 10th EO in 1393, and John and Robert, who predeceased their father. By EO7's marriage, the title of Lord Badlesmere was added to the honorific employed by all later Earls of Oxford. His son Thomas succeeded him.
Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford (d.1296) Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford and 6th Great Chamberlain, was a follower of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, who knighted him on the field of battle in 1264, and summoned him to the parliament of 1265. Just a few days before the battle of Evesham Robert and young Hugh de Montfort were attacked at Kenilworth and taken prisoner. The Battle of Evesham, August 4, 1265, erupted when an alliance of rebellious barons under Simon de Montfort attacked royal forces under Prince Edward, who would later be crowned Edward I. Montfort and the rebels were incensed by poor governance and outrageous spending on foreign wars by Henry III. Montfort's success at the Battle of Lewes had given him de facto control of the government, and he pushed through reforms that led eventually to the parliamentary system of government by representation. The plan, however, came undone by his dissention among the rebel allies, and Prince Edward escaped from captivity to raise the royal flag in Wales. Simon de Montfort intended to join forces with his son Hugh at Kenilworth Castle, near Warwick. But Prince Edward arrived first, arresting Hugh Montfort and Robert de Vere, and surprising Simon on his arrival at Evesham. Legend has it that Montfort, seeing the trap his army was in, said, "Let us commend our souls to God, because our bodies are theirs." Montfort's precarious situation was made worse when his Welsh allies deserted just before battle began, leaving him facing an enemy four times the size of his own. Montfort's men bravely charged against the royal lines, but the Princes troops converged on Montfort's flanks and there was massacre. Even the deserting Welshmen were chased down and slaughtered. Montfort's body was torn apart, and parts were sent to different parts of the kingdom. His torso was stashed at Evesham Abbey, where his tomb later became a popular destination for pilgrims. Henry III was restored to power and the remaining sons of Montfort fled the country. Earl Robert made his peace with the Crown, under the "Dictum de Kenilworth," and shortly thereafter was employed by King Edward I (Longshank) in further battles against the Welsh. Robert's marriage to Alice Saundford (also spelled Saunford or Sanford), the heiress of Gilbert de Sanford, brought to the Vere family the office of Chamberlain to the Queen (a role that Gilbert had exercised in 1236, when the earl's father had similarly acted as chamberlain to the king). Through this marriage, the later Earls of Oxford were able to include, in their list of titles, that of "Lord Sanford." Robert and Alice had, with other issue, the following children: 1. Robert de Vere, his successor, 2. Alphonsus de Vere, married Jane, daughter of Richard Foliot, Knight, and had a son, John de Vere, who succeeded as 7th Earl of Oxford and 8th Great Chamberlain, 3. Hugh de Vere, Baron Vere, 4. Joane Vere, (who married William de Warren), and 5. Lora, married Reginald de Argentein. During the 1290s King Edward I gave the De Veres permission to hold a fair and there has been a yearly carnival in the Vere area of the shire of Essex ever since. Earl Robert died in 1296, and was succeeded by his son, Robert.
Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Lord Chamberlain of England Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Lord Chamberlain of England (c.1170 - October 25, 1221) also took part as a crusader in the holy wars. Robert had already reached middle age when the death of his childless elder brother Aubrey in 1214, made him third earl and hereditary great chamberlain of England. Robert pursued a different course than his brother, Aubrey. He was one of the celebrated 25 barons who took up arms against the King and operating "in the defense of England" forced King John to sign the Magna Carta (in the 15th year of his reign). Robert and the others were appointed as Sureties to enforce the observance of the Magna Carta (for which he and the others were excommunicated by the Pope.) The Barons offered the crown of England to Louis, son of the French King, and a French force landed and established themselves at Colchester Castle. The invaders were soon attacked by King John and forced to surrender. John then turned his wrath on Castle Hedingham, which he put under siege in 1216. It was only after a long fierce resistance, that the rebel forces surrendered and John took the castle. The Dauphin and his soldiers returned in 1217 and laid siege to Hedingham. After a long fight it was re-taken. On the death of King John, the new King Henry III made peace with the Barons, and Robert de Vere was returned to favor. Hedingham and all of his estates were returned. In the beginning of the reign of King Henry III the third Earl of Oxford appears to have been one of the judges in the Court of King's Bench (as evidenced from a fine levied before him and others). This Earl of Oxford has, by some, been described as a judge of the royal court, on the strength of this single record of fines levied before him in 1220. Also, as a younger son, he might very well have been brought up to study the law. But Robert may have only been presiding, as peers often did, over a body of itinerant justices. In fact, he is recorded as acting in that capacity in Hertfordshire later that same year. He was also one of the party to the covenant which assigned to the barons the custody of the city and tower of London. Robert obtained livery of his lands (through payment of a thousand marks fee) and purchased the wardship of the heir of William FitzOates to marry to his own niece. In 1208 Oxford bought a license to marry Isabel Bolebec (c. 1176- Feb. 3, 1245) , daughter and co-heir of Hugh de Bolebec, and sister and heir of Walter de Bolebec, by whom he had the following issue: 1. Hugh de Vere (c. 1210-1263), his successor, 4th Earl of Oxford, 2. Henry de Vere, of Great Addington, co. Northampton, whose son, Robert, was father of Richard de Vere, who married Isabel Greene. Bountiful additions to the family estates were obtained through the marriage of Robert de Vere to the heiress of the Bolebecs, whose ancestor, Hugh, had obtained large estates in Buckinghamshire at the Conquest. It is through this match that the Earls of Oxford later assumed the title of Viscount Bolebec. The third earl died October 25, 1221, and was buried in the Benedictine priory of Hatfield, Broadoak, near Bishop's Stortford in Essex, priory at Hatfield Broadoak (Regis), which had been founded by his grandfather as a cell of St. Melaine at Rennes. In the year of Oxford's death his widow gave a site in the city of Oxford to the Dominicans (the black friars) who had recently come into England. Robert was succeeded by his eldest son, Hugh. In some accounts, Robert de Vere has been credited as the 'primus fundator' [first founder] of the priory. His effigy, shown with crossed legs, remains in the local Hatfield parish church, where it was placed after removal from the old priory church. Curiously, Robert's heraldic arms as seen on his effigy bear a unique difference from other representations of the de Vere arms. On his shield the silver star in the first quarter was displayed, not as by all other Veres upon a red background (a field gules), but upon one of "France ancient."