The de Vere earls take their title from Oxford but their strength from north Essex, where the great stone keep of Castle Hedingham stands over the Colne valley.
Earl Aubrey also holds the old de Vere manors of Earls Colne, where the family priory and tombs are, and Kensington by London, with scattered manors in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and other shires. He carries the hereditary office of master chamberlain at coronations. He is a steady, middling earl with no son, loyal to the crown in 1199-1200.
Who he is
- Name
- Aubrey de Vere (the second earl)
- Title
- Earl of Oxford; hereditary master chamberlain of England
- Since
- 26 December 1194, on his father's death
- Born
- About 1163 or later
- Family
- Son of Aubrey de Vere, first earl of Oxford (died 1194), and Agnes of Essex. Wife: Isabel de Bolebec, an heiress whose marriage his father bought in 1184 (she dies in 1206 or 1207). No surviving legitimate child; his heir is his younger brother Robert de Vere. An illegitimate son, Roger, is known later.
- Confidence
- high
He was with Richard in France in 1194 and in Normandy in 1197. Under John he pays to have his earldom confirmed in 1204 and is sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire from 1208 to 1213. His title is 'of Oxford', but his lands and power are in Essex.
Overlord
King John
What it holds
- Castle Hedingham and its keep, caput of the honour
- Earls Colne with Colne priory, the family's burial church
- Kensington (Middlesex)
- Castle Camps (Cambridgeshire) and Lavenham (Suffolk) among the outlying manors
- The third penny of Oxfordshire is a later grant (1204): not yet
- The hereditary master chamberlainship of England
How it was acquired
Inherited from his father, first earl (made earl by the Empress and confirmed by Henry II in 1156); the de Vere lands go back to Domesday.
Allies and rivals
Neighbours: the Mandeville earl of Essex (FitzPeter), the Clares at Clare, the Bigods in Suffolk. No open quarrel this winter.
How things stand that morning
Holds his lands in peace; loyal to John.
Wealth
North Essex and Suffolk manors on good clay land; wool and corn. No figures.
Military
Castle Hedingham, one of the finest keeps in England; the knights of the de Vere honour.
Threats
- No son: the earldom will pass to his brother
Places of note
- Castle Hedingham: The de Vere keep
- Colne priory: Family priory and tombs
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Career well known in outline; little is recorded of him in 1199-1200.
On the map: The caput and three outlying manors 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.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.