William d'Aubigny (died 1139), sometimes William de Albini, was an Anglo-French baron and administrator who served successive kings of England and acquired large estates in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

. From his title of Butler (''pincerna'' in medieval Latin) to King

Henry I of England Henry I ( – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henr ...

, he was called William d'Aubigny Pincerna to distinguish him from other men of the same name.

Origins

From a family originating in the village of Aubigny in Loire region of France and born before 1070, William was the eldest surviving son of Roger d’Aubigny and his wife, Amice. William‘s brother was

Nigel d'Aubigny Nigel d'Aubigny (''Neel d'Aubigny'' or ''Nigel de Albini'', died 1129), was a Norman Lord and English baron who was the son of Roger d'Aubigny and Amice or Avice de Mowbray. His paternal uncle William was lord of Aubigny, while his father was a ...

Career

Not mentioned as a landholder in the 1086

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, he was associated with King

William II of England William II (; – 2 August 1100) was List of English monarchs, King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Duchy of Normandy, Normandy and influence in Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland. He was less successfu ...

by 1091 and in that decade is recorded as an important landholder in the county of Norfolk. His involvement in central government increased after 1100, when

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * 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 ...

became king of England. In 1101 he was a witness to the treaty in which

Robert II, Count of Flanders Robert II, Count of Flanders ( 1065 – 5 October 1111) was Count of Flanders from 1093 to 1111. He became known as Robert of Jerusalem (''Robertus Hierosolimitanus'') or Robert the Crusader after his exploits in the First Crusade. Early lif ...

pledged military support to Henry and is named there as ''pincerna'', evidence that he was one of the chief officers of the royal household. As part of the king's court, he travelled with him and spent about a quarter of his time in Normandy rather than England. By 1130 he was also a royal judge, hearing cases in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

and in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

His Norfolk estates grew over the years, until in 1135 he had 22 knights holding lands in his barony there, and he also had lands in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. At

Old Buckenham Old Buckenham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, approximately south-west of Norwich. It covers an area of and had a population of 1,294 in 658 households at the 2001 census falling to a population of 1,270 livi ...

, the first castle was probably built in his time, as was the nave of Wymondham Priory, now part of the parish church, which he founded in 1107. He was also a benefactor to his father-in-law's foundation of

Thetford Priory Thetford Priory is a Cluniac monastic house in Thetford, Norfolk, England. Founded in 1103 by Roger Bigod of Norfolk, Thetford was one of the most important monasteries of East Anglia. It should not be confused with the Dominican Priory of Black ...

and, in Normandy, to the Benedictine abbey of

Lessay Lessay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Manche Departments of France, department in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Angoville-sur-Ay was merged into Lessay. Geography Lessay is a small town in the centre o ...

that his father had supported. When

Stephen Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...

became king in 1135, William initially retained his place at court, but had died by June 1139, and was buried at Wymondham.

Founder of Wymondham Priory

In or before 1107, William d'Aubigny, founded the Priory of Wymondham in Norfolk as a subordinate cell to the Monastery of St. Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire, and it continued as such until 1448, when it was converted into an independent abbey by a bull of Pope Nicholas V. Its original foundation occurred during the tenure of William's uncle, Richard d'Aubigny, Abbot of St. Albans from 1097 until his death in 1119.

Family

He married Maud, daughter of

Roger Bigod of Norfolk Roger Bigod (died 1107) was a Norman knight who travelled to England in the Norman Conquest. He held great power in East Anglia, and five of his descendants were Earl of Norfolk, earls of Norfolk. He was also known as Roger Bigot, appearing as su ...

and sister of

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 ...

, and had issue: *

William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel William d'Aubigny (c. 110912 Oct 1176), also known as William d'Albini, William de Albini and William de Albini II, was an English nobleman. He was son of William d'Aubigny and Maud Bigod, daughter of Roger Bigod of Norfolk. William fought loy ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:d'Aubigny, William 1139 deaths Anglo-Normans People from Wymondham 12th-century English landowners