Aubrey de Vere (''c.'' 1085 – May 1141) — also known as "Alberic sde Ver" and "Albericus ''regis camerarius''" (the king's chamberlain)— was the second of that name in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

after the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...

, being the eldest surviving son of Aubrey de Vere and his wife Beatrice. Aubrey II served as one of the king's

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

s and as a justiciar under kings

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the ...

and

Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

. Henry I also appointed him as

sheriff of London Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ju ...

and Essex and co-sheriff with Richard Basset of eleven counties. In 1130 he owed the king for various offenses including the escape of prisoners under his custody, 550 pounds and four palfreys. This implies he would have been in charge of prisoners on a regular basis. In June 1133, that king awarded the office of Lord Great Chamberlain to Aubrey and his heirs. A frequent witness of royal charters for Henry I and Stephen, he appears to have accompanied Henry to Normandy only once. The chronicler

William of Malmesbury William of Malmesbury ( la, Willelmus Malmesbiriensis; ) was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. He has been ranked among the most talented English historians since Bede. Modern historian C. Warren Hollister described him as " ...

reports that in 1139, Aubrey was King Stephen's spokesman to the church council at Winchester, when the king had been summoned to answer for the seizure of castles held by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury and his nephews, the bishops of Ely and Lincoln. In May 1141, during the English civil war, Aubrey was killed by a London mob and was buried in the family mausoleum at Colne Priory, Essex. In addition to his patronage of

Colne Priory Colne Priory at Earls Colne, Essex was a Benedictine priory, initially a dependent cell of Abingdon Abbey, Berkshire (now in Oxfordshire). It was founded by Aubrey de Vere I and his wife Beatrice in or before 1111. One piece of research suggests t ...

, the new master chamberlain either founded a cell of the Benedictine abbey St. Melanie in Rennes, Brittany, at Hatfield Broadoak or

Hatfield Regis Hatfield Broad Oak (also known as Hatfield Regis) is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. The village is approximately south-east of Bishop's Stortford. Near the church of St Mary the Virgin is former Benedic ...

, Essex, or took on the primary patronage of that community soon after it was founded. His eldest son, another Aubrey de Vere, was later created Earl of Oxford, and his descendants held that title and the office that in later centuries was known as Lord Great Chamberlain until the extinction of the Vere male line in 1703. His wife Adeliza, daughter of

Gilbert fitz Richard Gilbert Fitz Richard (–), 2nd feudal baron of Clare in Suffolk, and styled "de Tonbridge", was a powerful Anglo-Norman baron who was granted the Lordship of Cardigan, in Wales . Life Gilbert, born before 1066, was the second son and an heir ...

of Clare, survived her husband for twenty-two years. For most of that time she was a corrodian at St. Osyth's Priory, Chich, Essex.R. De Aragon, "Aubrey de Vere II", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" vol. 56 (Oxford: 2004), 278–9. Their known children are: *a daughter (name unknown) who married Roger de Ramis. *Alice "of Essex" (married 1. Henry of Essex, 2. Roger fitz Richard) * Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford (married 1. Beatrice, countess of Guisnes, 2. Eufemia, 3. Agnes of Essex) *Geoffrey (married 1. widow of Warin fitz Gerold, 2. Isabel de Say) *Gilbert, prior of the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

in England (1195–1197) *Juliana Countess of Norfolk (married 1.

Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk (1095–1177) was the second son of Roger Bigod (also known as Roger Bigot) (died 1107), sheriff of Norfolk and royal advisor, and Adeliza, daughter of Robert de Todeni. Early years After the death of his eld ...

, 2. Walkelin Maminot) *Robert (married 1. Matilda de Furnell, 2. Margaret daughter of Baldwin Wake) *

Rohese de Vere, Countess of Essex Rohese de Vere, Countess of Essex (c. 1110 – 1170 or after) was a noblewoman in England in the Anglo-Norman and Angevin periods. Married twice, she and her second husband founded the Gilbertine monastery of Chicksands in Bedfordshire. Life A ...

(married 1.

Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex Geoffrey de Mandeville II, 1st Earl of Essex (died September 1144) was a prominent figure during the reign of King Stephen of England. His biographer, the 19th-century historian J. H. Round, called him "the most perfect and typical presentment of ...

, 2. Payn de Beauchamp) *

William de Vere William de Vere (died 1198) was Bishop of Hereford and an Augustinian canon. Biography The son of Aubrey de Vere II and Adeliza of Clare, probably the fourth of five sons,Barrow "Vere, William de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' and b ...

, Bishop of Hereford (1186–1198)

References

The stone tower at Hedingham, in Essex, was most likely begun by Aubrey and completed by his son and heir, Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford. In {{DEFAULTSORT:De Vere, Aubrey 02 1080s births 1141 deaths Year of birth uncertain Anglo-Normans Lord Great Chamberlains People from Essex Aubrey High Sheriffs of Hertfordshire High Sheriffs of Essex High Sheriffs of Bedfordshire High Sheriffs of Buckinghamshire High Sheriffs of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire High Sheriffs of Norfolk High Sheriffs of Suffolk High Sheriffs of Surrey Sheriffs of the City of London