CP vs DD on the marriages of Juliana de Vere
Chris Phillips
176 (Bigod Comes, Hugo) agree that Hugh Bigod, Earl of Norfolk (d. 1176/7)
married firstly Juliana, daughter of Aubrey II de Vere [d. 1141], and
following the annulment of this marriage (or their divorce), Gundred,
daughter of Roger, Earl of Warwick. (Both Juliana and Gundred survived him.)
In addition, the two sources agree that Juliana also married Walkelin
Maminot. Where they disagree is as to the order of her marriages.
CP vol. 9, p. 585 says that she married Walkelin secondly, and that he was
dead by 1182, citing a gift by her for the souls of her father and mother
and of her husbands Hugh Bigoth and Walkelin Maminot, dated between 1147 and
1182. (If it is true that her mother survived her father by 22 years [CP
vol. 10, p. 199], it must really be dated between about 1169 and 1182.)
DD pp. 762, 1027 says instead that Juliana married firstly Walkelin and
secondly Hugh, and dates Walkelin's death to c. 1145/57. That would imply
that she married Hugh Bigod in about 1145 at the earliest (unless she was a
serial divorcée!).
One detail in the CP account suggests it is right in marrying her first to
Hugh, then to Walkelin. Part of the evidence for the identity of Gundred,
Hugh's second wife, is that five churches, including that of Holy Cross,
Bungay, were part of her maritagium, that Bungay was later held by the Earls
of Norfolk of the Earls of Warwick, and that it had earlier been received by
the Earl of Warwick in exchange from the Earl of Leicester [Complete Peerage
vol. 9, p. 585, note e (continuation on p. 586)].
Earlier, CP says [p. 581] that after Hugh's rebellion in 1140, the king
marched against him and took Bungay Castle. If Bungay Castle was also part
of Gundred's maritagium, that would place Hugh's marriage to her in or
before 1140. Clearly, his marriage to Juliana have been even earlier, and
before the date given by DD for Walkelin's death. So she could not have
married Hugh as Walkelin's widow.
This chronology seems reasonable, as Juliana's son Roger Bigod was active by
1163/4, when he attended the Council of Clarendon [CP pp. 586, 587]. On the
other hand, CP [p. 579] places Hugh Bigod's birth at perhaps c. 1095 (and in
any case he must have been born by 1107 when his father died). That would
make a first marriage after about 1145 extremely late.
Obviously the early history of Bungay Castle (and if possible the reasoning
behind the c.1145/57 dating for Walkelin's death) would have to be checked
to be sure about this.
Chris Phillips