Agnes de Vere, Countess of Oxford

Agnes de Essex

Last Edited=17 Feb 2009

View Agnes de Essex' gravesite: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=85046054

    Agnes de Essex is the daughter of Henry de Essex. She married Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford, son of Aubrey de Vere, circa 1162.

Her married name became de Vere.
Children of Agnes de Essex and Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford

   * William de Vere

* Aubrey de Vere, 2nd Earl of Oxford b. c 1163, d. c 1214
* Alice de Vere b. a 1163, d. a 12141
* Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford+ b. c 1164, d. c Oct 1221
Citations

  1. [S37] Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 3, page 3531. Hereinafter cited as Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition.

from thePeerage.com

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Agnes of Essex

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Agnes of Essex, countess of Oxford (c. 1151 – c. 1212) was the daughter of Henry of Essex and his second wife. She was betrothed at age three to Geoffrey de Vere, brother of the first earl of Oxford, and turned over to the Veres soon thereafter. Agnes later rejected the match with Geoffrey and by 1163 had married his brother Aubrey de Vere III, the earl (died 1194), as his third wife.

After her father's disgrace and forfeiture of lands and offices in that year, the earl sought to have his marriage annulled. Agnes fought the action. On May 9, 1166, she appealed her case from the court of the bishop of London to the pope (the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, being in exile at the time). While the case was pending in Rome, the earl kept Agnes confined in one of his three castles, for which the bishop of London Gilbert Foliot reprimanded Aubrey. Pope Alexander III ruled in her favor, thus establishing the right and requirement of consent by females in betrothal and the sacrament of marriage.

The couple may have co-operated in the founding of a Benedictine nunnery near their castle at Castle Hedingham, Essex. Countess Agnes survived her husband and paid the crown for the right to remain unmarried in 1198. She died sometime in or after 1212 and was buried in the Vere mausoleum, Colne Priory, Essex.

Many have followed the mistake of antiquarians in believing the third wife of earl Aubrey to have been named Lucia. A woman of this name was prioress at Castle Hedingham Priory. On Lucia's death, a mortuary or roll was carried to many religious houses in the region requesting prayers, and in the preface of that document Lucia is called the foundress of the priory. As the countess presumably cooperated with her husband in the founding of the house, the erroneous assumption was made that the prioress was in fact the earl's widow.[1]

Children

Agnes bore her husband four sons and a daughter, including two future earls of Oxford: Aubrey IV and Robert I. Her daughter Alice married 1) Ernulf de Kemesech, 2) John, constable of Chester. Their son Henry may have become chancellor of Hereford Cathedral in the bishopric of his uncle, William de Vere, and later a royal clerk under King John of England.[2]

References

  1. ^ RaGena DeAragon. "The Child-Bride, the Earl, and the Pope: The Marital Fortunes of Agnes of Essex" in Henry I and the Anglo-Norman World, 2007 Boydell & Brewer.

2. ^ G. E. Cockayne, Complete Peerage, vol. 10
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Has anyone noticed the irony that it was by his "unwanted" third wife that De Vere had all his children?

The possibility that Lucia the prioress was the sister of Agnes de Essex cannot be ruled out at this time.

While there is no hard evidence that Lucia, foundress and Prioress of Hedingham Priory, was a sister of Agnes de Essex, it would explain the connection and the way they became confused with each other.

Many mistakenly have called Earl Aubrey's third wife Lucia, rather than Agnes. This mistake is based on a misreading of a single document associated with a religious house at Hedingham, Essex, established around 1190. A woman named Lucia was prioress at Castle Hedingham Priory. On her death in the early thirteenth century, a mortuary or 'bede' roll was carried to many religious houses requesting prayers for her soul. In the preface of that document Lucia is called the foundress of the priory. As the role of "founder" was often ascribed to lay patrons and the countess presumably cooperated with her husband in the founding of the house, the erroneous assumption was made in the 18th century that the prioress [Lucia] was Earl Aubrey's widow, rather than Agnes. That is disproved by royal records. www.findagrave.com

Agnes de Essex de Vere BIRTH 1151 Rayleigh, Rochford District, Essex, England DEATH 1212 (aged 60–61) Oxfordshire, England BURIAL Colne Priory Earls Colne, Braintree District, Essex, England MEMORIAL ID 85046054

Agnes of Essex, countess of Oxford (c. 1151 – c. 1212) was the daughter of Henry of Essex and his second wife. She was betrothed at age three to Geoffrey de Vere, brother of the first earl of Oxford, and turned over to the de Veres soon thereafter. Agnes later rejected the match with Geoffrey and by 1163 had married his brother Aubrey de Vere III, the earl (died 1194), as his third wife. After her father's disgrace and forfeiture of lands and offices in that year, the earl sought to have his marriage annulled. Agnes fought the action. On May 9, 1166, she appealed her case from the court of the bishop of London to the pope (the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, being in exile at the time). While the case was pending in Rome, the earl kept Agnes confined in one of his three castles, for which the bishop of London Gilbert Foliot reprimanded Aubrey. Pope Alexander III ruled in her favor, thus establishing the right and requirement of consent by females in betrothal and the sacrament of marriage. The couple may have co-operated in the founding of a Benedictine nunnery near their castle at Castle Hedingham, Essex. Countess Agnes survived her husband and in 1198 paid the crown for the right to remain unmarried. She died sometime in or after 1212 and was buried in the Vere mausoleum at Colne Priory, Essex. Many have followed the mistake of antiquarians in believing the third wife of earl Aubrey to have been named Lucia. A woman of this name was prioress at Castle Hedingham Priory. On Lucia's death in the early thirteenth century, a mortuary or 'bede' roll was carried to many religious houses in the region requesting prayers, and in the preface of that document Lucia is called the foundress of the priory. As the countess presumably cooperated with her husband in the founding of the house, the erroneous assumption was made that the prioress was in fact Earl Aubrey's widow. Agnes bore her husband four sons and a daughter, including two future earls of Oxford: Aubrey IV and Robert I. Her daughter Alice married 1) Ernulf de Kemesech, 2) John, constable of Chester. Their son Henry may have become chancellor of Hereford Cathedral in the bishopric of his uncle, William de Vere, and later a royal clerk under King John of England.[2] Little is known of Roger de Vere except that he may have been the second son and that he had died by 1214, so that his younger brother Robert succeeded to the title on the death of the eldest son Aubrey IV. from Wikipedia References: 1. RaGena DeAragon. "The Child-Bride, the Earl, and the Pope: The Marital Fortunes of Agnes of Essex" in Henry I and the Anglo-Norman World, 2007 Boydell & Brewer, and 2. G. E. Cokayne, Complete Peerage, vol. 10

(bio was prepared by Audrey DeCamp Hoffman the 20th great-granddaughter of Agnes of Essex, countess of Oxford)

Family Members Parents Henry de Essex 1121–1170

Spouse Aubrey de Vere 1110–1194

Children Aubrey IV de Vere 1163–1214

Robert Magna de Vere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_of_Essex,_Countess_of_Oxford

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Aug 3 2021, 21:24:02 UTC