Belvoir (Aubigny)

Who he is

Name

William d'Aubigny (William de Albini, called Brito), lord of Belvoir

Title

Lord of the honour of Belvoir

Since

Inherited as a boy from his father William d'Aubigny (died 1168); of age by the 1180s

Born

Not pinned (1160s)

Family

Descended from Robert de Todeni, the Domesday lord of Belvoir. Married Margery (Margaret) de Umfraville, daughter of Odinel de Umfraville (medium confidence).

Confidence

medium

He served as sheriff of Rutland (1195), of Warwickshire and Leicestershire (1195-97, jointly) and of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire (from Michaelmas 1197) under Richard. He is the baron who holds Rochester against John in 1215.

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• Belvoir castle and the Vale of Belvoir manors (Bottesford, Redmile, Knipton)
• Woolsthorpe and other Lincolnshire manors of the honour
• The patronage of Belvoir priory (Benedictine, a cell of St Albans)
• Knights' fees in Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Rutland and Nottinghamshire

How it was acquired

From Robert de Todeni, Domesday lord of Belvoir, through his daughter's marriage to the d'Aubigny family.

Allies and rivals

A royal administrator under Richard; neighbours the earl of Leicester, Mowbray at Melton, the soke of Grantham.

How things stand that morning

Holds Belvoir in peace; no office in the shires on 1 January 1200 is recorded for him in the lists (Beds and Bucks passed to Geoffrey FitzPeter at Michaelmas 1199).

Wealth

Corn and sheep of the Vale of Belvoir and the Lincolnshire Heights.

Military

Belvoir castle; the honour's knights.

Threats

• None pressing

Places of note

• Belvoir castle: Caput

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Holder firm; the marriage and the manor list are medium.

On the map: Caput block only.

Primary sources for England

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

• Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond, Jocelin of Brakelond (about 1198 to 1203). An inside account of Bury St Edmunds under Abbot Samson, written while the events were fresh. Read online
• Chronicle of Melrose, Anonymous (monks of Melrose abbey) (about 1173 to 1270, in many hands; the 1200 entries are near contemporary). The main Scottish annal for the year, kept at a Cistercian house on the Tweed. Read online
• Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
• Chronicle of the Princes, Anonymous (Welsh translation of a lost Latin chronicle kept at Strata Florida) (Latin original to about 1282, compiled from contemporary annals; Welsh versions about 1300 and later). The native Welsh record of the year. Read online
• Chronicle; Deeds of the Kings, Gervase of Canterbury (Chronica about 1188 to 1199; Gesta Regum about 1199 to 1210). The Chronica stops in 1199, so for 1200 the witness is the briefer Gesta Regum, which notes John's peace with Philip, the coronation of Isabella at Westminster on 8 October 1200, and matters touching Canterbury: the archbishop Hubert Walter as chancellor, the cathedral priory's quarrel with him, and the Lambeth college dispute lately settled by the pope. Read online
• English Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall, Ralph of Coggeshall (about 1200 to 1224, in stages). Short but independent entries for 1200 from a Cistercian house in Essex: John's levy on the Cistercians and the carucage, the peace with Philip, the king's new marriage and the queen's coronation, and the death of Hugh of Lincoln. Read online
• Flowers of History, Roger of Wendover (about 1220 to 1235 at St Albans). For 1200 Wendover is mostly Howden rewritten, so he is a second witness only where he adds St Albans material: a long account of Hugh of Lincoln's last months, death and funeral, and anecdotes about John's conduct toward the Cistercians and his new queen. Read online
• Images of History, Ralph de Diceto (about 1188 to 1202). A London view of the year from the dean of St Paul's, who knew the justiciar and the bishops personally. Read online

22 more in the sources library for The British Isles.