The d'Aubigny Norfolk honour: the great keep of Castle Rising with its planted borough and haven on the Wash, the round-keep castle and new borough of New Buckenham, the family priories of Old Buckenham and Wymondham, and manors such as Snettisham and Kenninghall.
Who he is
- Name
- William d'Aubigny (William de Albini), third earl
- Title
- Earl of Arundel (also styled earl of Sussex)
- Since
- 24 December 1193, on the death of his father the second earl
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- Grandson of the first earl, William d'Aubigny, and of Queen Adeliza, widow of Henry I. Married Mabel, a sister of Ranulf of Chester (date not pinned).
- Confidence
- medium
His Sussex earldom and Arundel castle are in the ese records; this record covers the Norfolk honour.
Overlord
King John
What it holds
- Castle Rising: the first earl's great keep (about 1138-40), the borough and the haven
- New Buckenham castle and its planted borough (from about 1146)
- Old Buckenham, the first castle site, given to the Augustinian priory founded about 1146
- The patronage of Wymondham priory, founded by William d'Aubigny the butler (Pincerna) in 1107
- Snettisham, Kenninghall and other Norfolk manors
- A share in the tolbooth of Lynn (medium confidence)
How it was acquired
Granted by Henry I to William d'Aubigny the butler; the earldom came with the first earl's marriage to Queen Adeliza (1138).
Allies and rivals
Brother-in-law of Ranulf of Chester; neighbours the bishop of Norwich (Lynn), the Warennes (Castle Acre), the Bigods.
How things stand that morning
Holds Rising and Buckenham in peace; a royal loyalist.
Wealth
Salt pans and haven of Rising, the Wash trade near Lynn, west Norfolk sheep and corn, Buckenham's market.
Military
Castle Rising and New Buckenham, two of the strongest castles in Norfolk.
Threats
- Silting of the Rising haven, which is losing trade to Lynn
Places of note
- Castle Rising: Great keep and borough
- New Buckenham castle: Round keep and planted borough
- Wymondham priory: Aubigny priory
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Castles and foundations well known; the earl's marriage date and the Lynn tolbooth share are not pinned.
On the map: Main blocks 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.