William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel

William d'Aubigny
Earl of Lincoln Earl of Arundel
Arms of d'Aubigny: gules, a lion rampant or
Spouse(s)	Queen Adeliza
Issue William d'Aubigny, 2nd Earl of Arundel Reynor d'Aubigny Henry d'Aubigny Geoffrey d'Aubigny Alice d'Aubigny Olivia d'Aubigny Agatha d'Aubigny
Father	William d'Aubigny
Mother	Maud Bigod
Died	12 Oct 1176
Occupation	Master butler of the Royal household

William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Lincoln and 1st Earl of Arundel (c. 1109 – 12 October 1176^[1]), also known as William d'Albini, William de Albini and William de Albini II,^[2] was an English nobleman. He was the son of William d'Aubigny "Pincerna"^{[lower-alpha 1]} of Old Buckenham Castle in Norfolk, and Maud Bigod, daughter of Roger Bigod of Norfolk.

Life and career

William fought loyally for King Stephen of England, who made him first Earl of Lincoln and then Earl of Arundel (more precisely, Earl of Sussex). In 1153 he helped arrange the truce between Stephen and Henry Plantagenet, known as the Treaty of Wallingford, which brought an end to The Anarchy. When the latter ascended the throne as Henry II, he confirmed William's earldom and gave him direct possession of Arundel Castle (instead of the possession in right of his wife (d.1151) he had previously had). He remained loyal to the king during the 1173 revolt of Henry the Young King, and helped defeat the rebellion.

In 1143, as Earl of Lincoln, he made two charters confirming a donation of land around Arundel in Sussex to the abbey of Affligem in Brabant (representing his wife Adeliza of Louvain), with William's brother, Olivier, present.

He was the builder of Castle Rising Castle at Castle Rising, Norfolk.

William is the first proven English supporter of the crusader Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem and before 1146 had granted them land at Wymondham and built a Leper Hospital near his castle in Norfolk.^[3] His wife, Adeliza, was also a major benefactor to leper hospitals at Wilton, Wiltshire and Arundel^[3] and his cousin, Roger de Mowbray and his family, were to become the most significant patrons of the Order's headquarters based at Burton Lazars Hospital.^[4][5]

Marriage and issue

The younger William was an important member of Henry I of England's household. After Henry's death, William married his widow, Queen Adeliza in 1138. William and Adeliza were parents to the following children:

• William d'Aubigny, 2nd Earl of Arundel (d. 24 December 1193)
• Reynor d'Aubigny
• Henry d'Aubigny
• Geoffrey d'Aubigny
• Alice d'Aubigny (d. 11 September 1188)
• Olivia d'Aubigny
• Agatha d'Aubigny

Notes

1. The nickname or title "Pincerna", used for both Williams, referred to the master butler of the Royal household.

References

1. Cawley, chap. 1.A.
2. Brown, p.9.
3. David Marcombe, David Marcombe (2003). Leper Knights. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. p. 34. ISBN 1-84383-067-1.
4. Nichols, John (1795). The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicester. Leicester: John Nichols.
5. Bourne, Terry; Marcombe, David, eds. (1987). The Burton Lazars Cartulary: A Medieval Leicestershire Estate. Nottingham: University of Nottingham.

Sources

• Brown, R. Allen (1988). Castle Rising Castle. London, UK: English Heritage. ISBN 185074159X.
• Cawley, Charles (2013-03-24). "England Earls 1138-1142". Medieval Lands. Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
• Remfry, Paul Martin. Buckenham Castles, 1066 to 1649. ISBN 1-899376-28-3.
• Weis, Frederick Lewis. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 (8th ed.). Lines 1-22, 18A-22, 139-26, 149-25, 149-26. ISBN 0-8063-1752-3.