William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel

William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Lincoln and 1st Earl of Arundel (c. 1109 – 25 September 1176), also known as William d'Albini, was son of William d'Aubigny, 'Pincerna' (Master Butler of the Royal household) of Old Buckenham Castle in Norfolk, and Maud Bigod, daughter of Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk.

Marriage and Issue

The younger William was an important member of Henry I of England's household. After Henry's death, William married his widow Queen Adeliza in 1138. He and Adeliza were parents to seven children:

Reynor, Henry, Geoffrey, Alice (d. 11 Sep 1188), Olivia, Agatha, and William d'Aubigny, 2nd Earl of Arundel b. 1150, d. 24 Dec 1193.

Titles

He was loyal to Stephen of England, who made him first Earl of Lincoln and then Earl of Arundel (more precisely, Earl of Sussex).

In 1143, as Earl of Lincoln he made two charters confirming a donation of land around Arundel in Sussex to the abbey of Affligem in Brabant (representing his wife Adeliza of Louvain), with William's brother, Olivier, present.

Mediator

He fought loyally for King Stephen, but in 1153 helped arrange the truce between Stephen and Henry Plantagenet, known as the Treaty of Wallingford, which brought an end to The Anarchy.

When the latter ascended the throne as Henry II, he confirmed William's Earldom and gave him direct possession of Arundel Castle (instead of the possession in right of his wife he had previously had). She had died in 1151. He remained loyal to the king during the 1173 revolt of Henry the Young King, and helped defeat the rebellion.

He was the builder of the castle of Castle Rising in Norfolk.

Sources

• England, Earls Created 1138-1143
• Weis, Frederick Lewis, Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700, 8th Ed., Lines 1-22, 18A-22, 139-26, 149-25, 149-26. (ISBN 0-8063-1752-3)
• Remfry, P.M., Buckenham Castles, 1066 to 1649 (ISBN 1-899376-28-3)

References

Peerage of England
Preceded by New creation	Earl of Lincoln 1141–1143	Succeeded by William de Roumare
Preceded by New creation	Earl of Arundel c. 1143 – 1176	Succeeded by William d'Aubigny, he was succeeded by William d'Aubigny, 3rd Earl of Arundel