Norfolk (Bigod)

Who he is

Name

Roger Bigod (Roger le Bigod)

Title

Earl of Norfolk; steward (dapifer) of the king's household

Since

His father Earl Hugh died in 1176-77, but Henry II withheld the earldom; Richard I confirmed Roger in the earldom and his honours in 1189

Born

About 1144-1150

Family

Son of Hugh Bigod, first earl (died 1177), and Juliana de Vere. Married Ida (de Tosny) about Christmas 1181; Ida had earlier borne Henry II a son, William Longespee, now earl of Salisbury, so Longespee is the earl's stepson. Children: Hugh, the heir (born about 1182, unmarried: he marries Maud Marshal in 1206-07), William, Ralph, Roger, Margery and Mary.

Confidence

high

Earldom and marriage are settled. His half-brothers, the sons of Earl Hugh's second wife Gundreda, disputed the inheritance through the 1180s and 1190s; where that stood in 1199 is not pinned.

Overlord

King John

What it holds

• Framlingham castle, the caput, being rebuilt by Roger with a stone curtain wall and thirteen towers (usually dated about 1190-1210); its defences had been slighted on Henry II's orders after 1174
• Bungay castle on the Waveney, his father's great keep, slighted after 1174
• The site of Walton castle by Felixstowe, demolished in 1176
• The Bigod share of Thetford and the patronage of Thetford priory (Cluniac, founded by Roger Bigod I in 1103-04)
• East Suffolk manors round Framlingham (Earl Soham, Dennington, Kelsale and others) and the Waveney manors (Ditchingham, Earsham)
• Norfolk manors: Forncett, Acle and Halvergate on the marshes, Loddon and others
• The third penny of Norfolk; the stewardship (dapiferate) of the royal household

How it was acquired

By inheritance from Roger Bigod I (died 1107) and Earl Hugh (earl from about 1140); restored in 1189 after Henry II's long withholding.

Allies and rivals

Stepfather of William Longespee, the king's half-brother. Rivals: his half-brothers over parts of the inheritance. Neighbours: the abbot of Bury (Liberty of St Edmund), the bishop of Norwich, the bishop of Ely's liberty of the five and a half hundreds of Wicklaw round Woodbridge, the earl of Arundel (Rising and Buckenham), the Warennes (Castle Acre), Robert FitzRoger (Horsford, Blythburgh).

How things stand that morning

Holds his earldom and castles in John's peace and in favour. Where he spends the winter is not pinned; under John he is often at court or on royal business.

Wealth

Sheep and corn of the Suffolk claylands and Norfolk; the marsh pastures of Acle and Halvergate; the Waveney and the port of Walton; the third penny.

Military

Framlingham (being rebuilt) and Bungay; the honour's knights. Record: loyal at Fornham (17 October 1173) against the earl of Leicester's Flemings.

Threats

• The half-brothers' claims
• The cost of rebuilding Framlingham and of John's scutages

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

1. 2 June 1200John of Oxford, bishop of Norwich, dies; the see is vacant and the king's man John de Gray is chosen later in 1200.Depends on: the bishop's natural death Stopped by: the bishop's health changing

Places of note

• Framlingham castle: Caput; stone curtain wall going up
• Bungay castle: Hugh Bigod's keep, slighted
• Walton: Site of the castle demolished in 1176
• Thetford priory: Bigod Cluniac priory

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Earldom, marriage and castles are well known; the dating of the Framlingham curtain wall and the state of Bungay in 1200 are archaeological estimates.

On the map: Only the main concentrations are drawn; the honour had many more manors in Norfolk and Suffolk.

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.