CURATOR's NOTE (from Pam Wilson, 6 Sept 2010):

Roger I Bigod (Bigot), Seigneur ("Earl") of Norfolk/ East Anglia

probably son of Robert Bigod, Chamberlain to King William I (the Conqueror), and a daughter of Niel de St. Saveur in Normandy.

Had one, possibly two wives. The one-wife theory is that Adeliza (Alice) de Tosny was the mother of all of his children. The two-wife theory is that Adeliza de Grentmesnil was the mother of his oldest son William and perhaps his second son Hugh. See below for contradictory source information.

Children:

• William (by first wife)
• Hugh
• Humphrey
• Maud
• Cecily
• Gunnor

Some sources also list a Jane.

_________________________________

Updated March 2015:

From Charles Cawley's Medieval Land database on FMG:

http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLISH%20NOBILITY%20MEDIEVAL.htm#_...

Two brothers, one sister, parents not known:

1. ROGER Bigod (-1107, bur Thetford[905]). Domesday Book records “Roger Bigod” holding numerous properties in Norfolk and Suffolk[906]. "…Rogerus Bigotus…" subscribed a charter dated Sep 1101 under which Bishop Herbert donated property to Norwich priory[907]. "…Rogeri de Bigot…" subscribed a charter dated 14 Sep 1101 under which Henry I King of England donated property to Bath St Peter[908]. “Rogerus Bygot” founded Thetford Priory, with the advice of “…uxoris meæ Adeliciæ”, by undated charter dated to the reign of King Henry I[909]. The Annals of Bermondsey which record the death in 1107 of “Rogerus Bigod, principalis fundator monasterii Beatæ Mariæ Thetfordiæ”[910].

[m firstly ADELAIS, daughter of ---. The Liber Vitæ of Durham lists (in order) "Rodgerus Bigodus, Atheles uxor eius, Willelmus filius eorum"[911]. “Willielmus Bigot, dapifer regis Anglorum” donated property to Thetford Priory, for the souls of “patris mei Rogerii Bigoti et matris meæ Adelidis” and for the salvation of “fratris mei Hugonis et sororum mearum”, by undated charter dated to the reign of King Henry I[912]. The Complete Peerage[913] states that the wording of this charter shows that Adelais, mother of William, was deceased at the time, and must therefore have been a different person from Adelise de Tosny, Roger Bigod's [second] wife, who was recorded as alive in 1136. However, the question is open to debate as “pro anima” clauses are often difficult to interpret accurately.]

m [secondly] (before [1100]%29 ADELISE de Tosny, daughter of ROBERT de Tosny Lord of Belvoir & his wife Adelais --- (-after 1136[914]). Her parentage is indicated by the 1130 Pipe Roll which records "Adeliz uxor Rogi Big…tra patris sui de Belueder" in Lincolnshire[915], which also indicates that Adelise succeeded her sister Albreda in the Belvoir estates of their father. It is also indicated by the charter dated 23 Apr [1430] under which her descendant “Thomas dominus de Ros, de Hamelake, de Trussebout et de Beavoir” confirmed the possessions of Belvoir priory, Lincolnshire made by "antecessores nostros…Robertum de Toteneio, Willielmum de Toteneyo filium suum, Agnetem de Toteneio filiam dicti Roberti de Toteneyo, Henricum de Rya filium Huberto de Rya, Agnetem de Toteneyo, Willielmum de Albeneio primum, Willielmum de Albeneio secundum, Willielmum de Albeneio tertium, Willielmum de Albeneio quartum, Ywynum de Albeneyo, Heliam de Albeneyo et uxores eorundem, Isabellam filiam domini Willielmi de Albeneio quæ fuit uxor domini de Ros, domini de Beauvoire et de Hamelake"[916], the connection between Robert de Tosny Lord of Belvoir, father of Alice, being established through the marriage of her daughter Cecilia to William de Albini Brito. "Rogerius Bigot…et uxoris mee Adalicie" donated the church of Thetford to Cluny dated [1100][917]. “Rogerus Bygot” founded Thetford Priory, with the advice of “…uxoris meæ Adeliciæ”, by undated charter dated to the reign of King Henry I[918].

Roger & his [first] wife had one child:
a) WILLIAM Bigod (-drowned off Barfleur, Normandy 25 Nov 1120). The Liber Vitæ of Durham lists (in order) "Rodgerus Bigodus, Atheles uxor eius, Willelmus filius eorum"[919]. He succeeded his father in 1107 as Lord of Framlingham, Suffolk. “Willielmus Bigot, dapifer regis Anglorum” donated property to Thetford Priory, for the souls of “patris mei Rogerii Bigoti et matris meæ Adelidis” and for the salvation of “fratris mei Hugonis et sororum mearum”, by undated charter dated to the reign of King Henry I[920]. Sheriff of Suffolk 1116. The Continuator of Florence of Worcester names "…Willelmus Bigod…" among those drowned in the sinking of the White Ship[921].

Roger & his [second] wife had five children:

b) HUGH Bigod ([1095]-1177 before 9 Mar). “Willielmus Bigot, dapifer regis Anglorum” donated property to Thetford Priory, for the souls of “patris mei Rogerii Bigoti et matris meæ Adelidis” and for the salvation of “fratris mei Hugonis et sororum mearum”, by undated charter dated to the reign of King Henry I[922]. The Complete Peerage states that he was William’s brother “presumably of the half-blood”, the basis for the statement being explained on the previous page[923]. He succeeded his [half-]brother as Lord of Framlingham. King Stephen created him Earl of Norfolk in [Dec 1140/Jan 1141]. - see below.

c) HUMPHREY Bigod (-after [1112/13]). Royal chaplain of King Henry I and prebendary of Totenhall 1101 to [1112/13][924].

d) GUNNOR Bigod (-before [1137]). A charter of Hugh Bigod for Norwich Priory refers to property given by “his sister Gunnor”[925]. “Robert de Essex and Gunnora his wife, daughter of Roger Bigod” donated Fremingham church to Thetford priory, Norfolk for the souls of their ancestors and of "their son Henry on his birth-day"[926]. It is not clear from this extract whether Gunnor’s father was named in the original document. Her first marriage is indicated by the charter of King Henry II which confirmed donations to Thetford Priory, including the donation by “Gunnoræ matris Henrici de Exessa”[927]. “Rob Waster” donated "duos partes totius decimæ meæ de Wereslai" to St Neot’s, Huntingdonshire, for the soul of “Soeni de Essessa” and for the health of "domini mei Roberti filii prædicti Soeni…Gunnor uxoris suæ…uxoris meæ et Willielmi filii Gerei patris sui", by undated charter[928]. “Hamo de Sancto Claro” donated “ecclesie Sancte Marie Walcre” to Colchester St. John, for the souls of King Henry I, Queen Matilda, “Eudonis dapiferi et...mee et uxoris mee Gunnoris et anime Huberti filii mei”, by undated charter (dated to before 1119), witnessed by “Willelmo de Sancto Claro, Huberto de Sancto Claro...”[929]. Her second husband confirmed grants of her marriage portion in Brome for her soul[930]. m firstly ROBERT FitzSwein Lord of Rayleigh, Essex son of SWEIN FitzRobert & his wife --- (-[1132/40][931]). [932]m secondly as his first wife, HAMON de Saint-Clair, son of --- (-after 1139).

e) MATILDA Bigod (-[1121/33][933]). “Willielmus de Albeneyo, pincerna Henrici regis Anglorum” donated property to Wymondham priory, assisted by “uxoris suæ Matilidis filiæ…Rogeri Bigot” by undated charter, witnessed by “filii…eiusdem Willielmi, Nigellus et Oliverus”[934]. m GUILLAUME d'Aubigny "Pincerna", son of ROGER d'Aubigny & his wife Amice --- (-1139).

f) CECILY Bigod (-after 1136). Her parentage is indicated by the charter dated 23 Apr [1430] under which her descendant “Thomas dominus de Ros, de Hamelake, de Trussebout et de Beavoir” confirmed the possessions of Belvoir priory, Lincolnshire made by "antecessores nostros…Robertum de Toteneio, Willielmum de Toteneyo filium suum, Agnetem de Toteneio filiam dicti Roberti de Toteneyo, Henricum de Rya filium Huberto de Rya, Agnetem de Toteneyo, Willielmum de Albeneio primum, Willielmum de Albeneio secundum, Willielmum de Albeneio tertium, Willielmum de Albeneio quartum, Ywynum de Albeneyo, Heliam de Albeneyo et uxores eorundem, Isabellam filiam domini Willielmi de Albeneio quæ fuit uxor domini de Ros, domini de Beauvoire et de Hamelake"[935], the connection with Robert de Tosny Lord of Belvoir, her maternal grandfather, being established through her marriage. She inherited Belvoir from her mother. "…Willelmu[us] de Albinioc, Cecilia uxor eius, filii eius Willelmus, Rogerius, Matildis filia eius" are listed in the Liber Vitæ of Thorney abbey[936]. "Willielmus de Albeneio Brito…et Ceciliam uxorem meam et Willielmum filium meum" donated land to Thorney monastery, Cambridgeshire by undated charter, witnessed by "Rogero et Roberto filiis meis et Warino Ridel et Olivero et Iwan et Gaufrido nepotibus meis et Roberto Brito…”[937]. "Willielmus de Albenei Brito" donated "terram de Pipewell…de feodo de Bellovidere" to Thorney monastery, Cambridgeshire, with the consent of "Ceciliæ uxoris meæ et Willelmi filii mei", by undated charter, witnessed by "…tres nepotes mei, Oliverus filius Galfridi et Iwanus et Gaufridus de Cabivin…”[938]. "Willielmus de Albineio" donated "ecclesiam de Redmelina" to Belvoir monastery, Lincolnshire, with the consent of "Willielmi filii et hæredis mei et Matildis uxoris meæ et Ceciliæ matris meæ, necnon et Radulphi de Albinei fratris mei", by undated charter[939]. “Willielmus de Albineio” confirmed the possessions of Belvoir priory, Lincolnshire, with the consent of "Willielmi filii et hæredis mei et Matildis uxoris meæ et Ceciliæ matris meæ, necnon de Radulphi de Albineio fratris mei", by undated charter[940]. m WILLIAM de Albini Brito, son of MAIN & his wife Adelisa [de Bohun] (-after 1148). He owned part of the fee of Belvoir before Cecily's mother held it, the Complete Peerage concluding therefore that the marriage may have been arranged to settle rival claims[941].

Siblings of Roger:

2. WILLIAM Bigod (-after [1091]). Domesday Book records that the king gave land in Horsey, Norfolk to “Roger Bigod...when his brother William came from Apulia with Geoffrey Ridel”[942]. “Willelmus Bigut...” witnessed a charter dated to [1091] records the settlement of a challenge by "Ricardi fratris Widonis de Rupe", represented by "miles…nepos Gisleberti de Marlo…Compains", to the donation by "Hugo comes de Domno Martino" of "feodum…Vuidonis de Rupe" to the priory of Saint-Leu d’Esserent[943]. “Willelmi Bigot” donated “medietate terre de Fraituilla” to Saint-Wandrille, with the consent of “Guidone de Roca et filio eius Widone”, by charter dated to [1091/1120], witnessed by “Hugone sororio suo de Hosdenc et Ricardo Oliuier...”[944].

3. MATILDA (-after [1107]). “Willielmus Bigot, dapifer regis Anglorum” confirmed donations to Thetford Priory, including the donations of “terræ in Daneseia, de maritagio prædictæ Matildis” made by “Hugo de Hosdene et uxor eius Matildis”, by undated charter dated to the reign of King Henry I[945]. Her parentage is confirmed by the charter dated to [1091/1120] which records the donation made to Saint-Wandrille by “Willelmi Bigot”, witnessed by “Hugone sororio suo de Hosdenc...”[946]. The Complete Peerage dates this charter to [1107][947]. m HUGUES de Hosdenc, son of --- (-after [1107]).

--------------------

http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/BIGOD.htm

Roger BIGOD (E. East Anglia)

Born: ABT 1060, St. Saveur, Calvados, Normandy, France

Died: 8 Sep 1107, Evesham, Suffolk, England

Buried: Thetford, Norfolk, England

Notes: The first of this great family that settled in England, in the Conqueror's time, possessed six lordships in Essex and a hundred and seventeen in Suffolk, besides divers manors in Norfolk. Roger Bigod was one of the tight-knit group of second-rank Norman nobles who did well out of the conquest of England. His territorial fortune was based on his service in the royal household, where he was a close adviser and agent for the first three Norman kings, and the propitius circumstances of post-Conquest politics. This Roger, adhering to the party that took up arms against William Rufus in the 1st year of that monarch's reign, fortified the castle at Norwich andwasted the country around. At the accession of Henry I, being a witness of the king's laws and staunch in his interests, he obtained Framlingham in Suffolk as a gift from the crown. We find further of him that he founded in 1103, the abbey of Thetford, in Norfolk, and that he was buried there at his decease in four years after, leaving, by Adelisa his wife, dau. and co-heir of Hugh De Grentesmesnil, high steward of England, a son and heir, William Bigod, steward of the household of King Henry I. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1883, p. 53, Bigod, Earls of Norfolk]. Much of his honour in East Anglia was carved out of lands previously belonging to the dispossessed Archbishop Stigand, his brother Aethelmar of Elham, and the disgraced Earl Ralph of Norfolk and Suffolk. Apart from a flirtation with the cause of Robert Curthose in 1088, he remained conspicuously loyal to Rufus and Henry I, for whom he continued to act as steward and to witness charters. The adherence of such men was vital to the Norman kings. Through them central business could be conducted and localities controlled. Small wonder they were well rewarded. Roger established a dynasty which dominated East Anglia from the 1140s, as earls of Norfolk, until 1306. Roger's by name and the subsequent family name was derived from a word (bigot) meaning double-headed instrument such as a pickaxe: a tribute, perhaps to Roger's effectiveness as a royal servant; certainly an apt image of one who worked hard both for his masters and for himself. [Who's Who in Early Medieval England, Christopher Tyerman, Shepheard-Walwyn, Ltd., London,1996]

--------------------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bigod,_1st_Earl_of_Norfolk

Roger Bigot (died 1107) was a Norman knight who came to England in the Norman Conquest. He held great power in East Anglia, and five of his descendants were Earl of Norfolk. He was also known as Roger Bigod, but as a witness to the Charter of Liberties of Henry I of England he appears as Roger Bigot.

Roger came from a fairly obscure family of poor knights in Normandy. Robert le Bigot, certainly a relation of Roger's, possibly his father, acquired an important position in the household of William, Duke of Normandy (later William I of England), due, the story goes, to his disclosure to the duke of a plot by the duke's cousin William Werlenc.[1]

Both Roger and Robert may have fought at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards they were rewarded with a substantial estate in East Anglia. The Domesday Book lists Roger as holding six lordships in Essex, 117 in Suffolk and 187 in Norfolk.

Bigot's base was in Thetford, Norfolk where he founded a priory later donated to the great monastery at Cluny. In 1101 he further consolidated his power when Henry I granted him licence to build a castle at Framlingham, which became the family seat of power until their downfall in 1307. Another of his castles was Bungay Castle, also in Suffolk. Both these were improved by successive generations.

In 1069 he, along with Robert Malet and Ralph de Gael (the then Earl of Norfolk), defeated Sweyn Estrithson (Sweyn II) of Denmark near Ipswich. After Ralph de Gael's fall in 1074, Roger was appointed Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, and acquired many of the dispossessed earl's estates. For this reason he is sometimes counted as Earl of Norfolk, but he probably was never actually created earl. He acquired further estates through his influence in local law courts.

In the Rebellion of 1088 he joined other Anglo-Norman barons against William II, who, it was hoped, was to be deposed in favour of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. He seems to have lost his lands after the rebellion had failed, but got them back again.

In 1100, Robert Bigot was one of the King's witnesses recorded on the Charter of Liberties, an important precursor to the Magna Carta of 1215.

In 1101 there was another attempt to bring in Robert of Normandy by unseating Henry I, but this time Roger Bigot stayed loyal to Henry.

He died on 9 September 1107 and is buried in Norwich. Upon his death there was a dispute between the Bishop of Norwich, Herbet Losinga, and the monks at Thetford Priory, founded by Bigot. The monks claimed that Roger's body, along with those of his family and successors, was due to them as part of the foundation charter of the priory (as was common practice at the time). The issue was apparently resolved when the Bishop of Norwich stole the body in the middle of the night and dragged it back to Norwich.

For some time he was thought to have two wives, Adelaide/Adeliza and Alice de Tosny. It is now believed these were the same woman, Adeliza(Alice) de Tosny(Toeni,Toeny). She was the sister and coheiress of William de Tosny, Lord of Belvoir.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Bigot, and, after he drowned in the sinking of the White Ship, by his second son, Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk, who later became Earl of Norfolk. He also had 3 daughters: Gunnor, who married Robert, Lord of Rayleigh; Cecily, who married William d'Aubigny "Brito"; and Maud, who married William d'Aubigny "Pincerna", and was mother to William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel.
[edit] Notes

  1. ^ mentioned by William of Jumièges in Gesta Normannorum Ducum.

=--------------------= Roger BIGOD (E. East Anglia)

Born: ABT 1060, St. Saveur, Calvados, Normandy, France

Died: 8 Sep 1107, Evesham, Suffolk, England

Buried: Thetford, Norfolk, England

Notes: The first of this great family that settled in England, in the Conqueror's time, possessed six lordships in Essex and a hundred and seventeen in Suffolk, besides divers manors in Norfolk. Roger Bigod was one of the tight-knit group of second-rank Norman nobles who did well out of the conquest of England. His territorial fortune was based on his service in the royal household, where he was a close adviser and agent for the first three Norman kings, and the propitius circumstances of post-Conquest politics. This Roger, adhering to the party that took up arms against William Rufus in the 1st year of that monarch's reign, fortified the castle at Norwich andwasted the country around. At the accession of Henry I, being a witness of the king's laws and staunch in his interests, he obtained Framlingham in Suffolk as a gift from the crown. We find further of him that he founded in 1103, the abbey of Thetford, in Norfolk, and that he was buried there at his decease in four years after, leaving, by Adelisa his wife, dau. and co-heir of Hugh De Grentesmesnil, high steward of England, a son and heir, William Bigod, steward of the household of King Henry I. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1883, p. 53, Bigod, Earls of Norfolk]. Much of his honour in East Anglia was carved out of lands previously belonging to the dispossessed Archbishop Stigand, his brother Aethelmar of Elham, and the disgraced Earl Ralph of Norfolk and Suffolk. Apart from a flirtation with the cause of Robert Curthose in 1088, he remained conspicuously loyal to Rufus and Henry I, for whom he continued to act as steward and to witness charters. The adherence of such men was vital to the Norman kings. Through them central business could be conducted and localities controlled. Small wonder they were well rewarded. Roger established a dynasty which dominated East Anglia from the 1140s, as earls of Norfolk, until 1306. Roger's by name and the subsequent family name was derived from a word (bigot) meaning double-headed instrument such as a pickaxe: a tribute, perhaps to Roger's effectiveness as a royal servant; certainly an apt image of one who worked hard both for his masters and for himself. [Who's Who in Early Medieval England, Christopher Tyerman, Shepheard-Walwyn, Ltd., London,1996]

Father: Robert BIGOD

Mother: Dau. St. SAUVEUR

Married 1: Adeline De GRENTEMESNIL (dau. of Hugh De Grentemesnil and Alice De Beaumont)

Children:

1. William BIGOD

2. Hugh BIGOD (1º E. Norfolk and Suffolk)

Married 2: Adelisa De TOENI

Children:

3. Maud BIGOD

4. Cecily BIGOD

5. Gunnora BIGOD

6. Jane BIGOD

--------------------

Roger Bigod - was born in 1060 in St. Saveur, Normandy, France and died Sep 1107 in Egersham, Norfolk, England . He was the son of Roger Bigod.

Roger married Adeliza de Toni. Adeliza was born about 1072. She was the daughter of Robert II de Todeni. She died after 1135 .

 Then Roger married Adeliza de Grantesmesnel. Adeliza was born about 1060, lived in Hinckley,Leicestershire,England. She is the daughter of Hugh Montfort and Alice (Adeliza) de Beaumont. 

Roger - Bigod is the name associated with Framlingham Castle in Suffolk. It is an imposing structure. The outer walls are forty-four feet high and eight feet thick. Thirteen towers fifty-eight feet in height remain, along with a gateway and some outworks. In early Roman times it was probably the site of the fortified earthwork that sheltered Saint Edmund when he fled from the Danes in 870, but we cannot be sure of the authenticity of this tradition. The Danes seized the fort, but they lost it in 921; it then remained a Crown possession, which passed into the hands of William the Conqueror when he became King. In 1100 Henry I granted the Castle to Roger Bigod, and possibly Roger was the one to erect the first masonry building.

When Roger died in 1107 he was suceeded by his eldest son, Willaim Bigod. William drowned in the wreck of the White ship on 26th November 1120 and Roger's second son, Hugh Bigod inherited all and took possession of the estates. Children with Adeliza de Toni (Quick Family Chart)

i. Maud Bigod was born about 1080, lived in Belvoir Castle, Belvoir, Leicestershire, England.
Maud married William d'Albiny about 1099 while living in Norfolk, England. William was born about 1064, lived in St. Sauveur, Manche, Normandie, France. He was the son of Robert de Todeni. He died in 1139 . See d'Albiny family for children.

ii. Jane Bigod was born about 1100. Jane married Richard FitzEustace. Richard was born about 1128. He is the son of Eustace Fitzjohn and Agnes FitzNigel. See Monoculus family for children.

Children with Adeliza de Grantesmesnel (Quick Family Chart) iii. Hugh Bigod was born about 1095 in Norfolk, Norfolk, England and died on 6 Mar 1175 in Thatford, Norfolk, England and was buried in Thatford Abbey . See #4. below.

iv. William Bigod was born about 1094, lived in Cambridge & Norf,Norfolk,England and died on 26 Nov 1120 .

William - drowned in the wreck of the White Ship.

www.renderplus.com/hartgen/htm/bigod_2.htm

--------------------

Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bigod,_1st_Earl_of_Norfolk

Roger Bigot (died 1107) was a Norman knight who came to England in the Norman Conquest. He held great power in East Anglia, and five of his descendants were Earl of Norfolk. He was also known as Roger Bigod, but as a witness to the Charter of Liberties of Henry I of England he appears as Roger Bigot.

[edit] Biography Roger came from a fairly obscure family of poor knights in Normandy. Robert le Bigot, certainly a relation of Roger's, possibly his father, acquired an important position in the household of William, Duke of Normandy (later William I of England), due, the story goes, to his disclosure to the duke of a plot by the duke's cousin William Werlenc.[1]

Both Roger and Robert may have fought at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards they were rewarded with a substantial estate in East Anglia. The Domesday Book lists Roger as holding six lordships in Essex, 117 in Suffolk and 187 in Norfolk.

Bigot's base was in Thetford, Norfolk where he founded a priory later donated to the great monastery at Cluny. In 1101 he further consolidated his power when Henry I granted him licence to build a castle at Framlingham, which became the family seat of power until their downfall in 1307. Another of his castles was Bungay Castle, also in Suffolk. Both these were improved by successive generations.

In 1069 he, along with Robert Malet and Ralph de Gael (the then Earl of Norfolk), defeated Sweyn Estrithson (Sweyn II) of Denmark near Ipswich. After Ralph de Gael's fall in 1074, Roger was appointed Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, and acquired many of the dispossessed earl's estates. For this reason he is sometimes counted as Earl of Norfolk, but he probably was never actually created earl. He acquired further estates through his influence in local law courts.

In the Rebellion of 1088 he joined other Anglo-Norman barons against William II, who, it was hoped, was to be deposed in favour of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. He seems to have lost his lands after the rebellion had failed, but got them back again.

In 1100, Robert Bigot was one of the King's witnesses recorded on the Charter of Liberties, an important precursor to the Magna Carta of 1215.

In 1101 there was another attempt to bring in Robert of Normandy by unseating Henry I, but this time Roger Bigot stayed loyal to Henry.

He died on 9 September 1107 and is buried in Norwich. Upon his death there was a dispute between the Bishop of Norwich, Herbet Losinga, and the monks at Thetford Priory, founded by Bigot. The monks claimed that Roger's body, along with those of his family and successors, was due to them as part of the foundation charter of the priory (as was common practice at the time). The issue was apparently resolved when the Bishop of Norwich stole the body in the middle of the night and dragged it back to Norwich.

For some time he was thought to have two wives, Adelaide/Adeliza and Alice de Tosny. It is now believed these were the same woman, Adeliza(Alice) de Tosny(Toeni,Toeny). She was the sister and coheiress of William de Tosny, Lord of Belvoir.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Bigot, and, after he drowned in the sinking of the White Ship, by his second son, Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk, who later became Earl of Norfolk. He also had 3 daughters: Gunnor, who married Robert, Lord of Rayleigh; Cecily, who married William d'Aubigny "Brito"; and Maud, who married William d'Aubigny "Pincerna", and was mother to William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel.

[edit] Notes ^ mentioned by William of Jumièges in Gesta Normannorum Ducum.

--------------------

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cousin/html/p357.htm#i7066

Roger "the Sheriff" le Bigod
b. circa 1060?, d. 1107

Roger "the Sheriff" le Bigod|b. c 1060?\nd. 1107|p357.htm#i7066|Robert le Bigod|b. c 1035?|p101.htm#i12199||||Robert le Bigod|b. c 1010?|p219.htm#i24821|||||||||| Father Robert le Bigod1 b. circa 1035?

    Also called Roger le Bigod.2 Also called Roger Bigot.3 Roger "the Sheriff" le Bigod was born circa 1060?. He was the son of Robert le Bigod.1 Roger "the Sheriff" le Bigod had six lordships in Essex, diverse manors in Norfolk, and one hundred and seventeen lordships in Suffolk in 1086 at England.4,5 Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk at England in 1086.4 He was adhered to the party which took up arms against William Rufus, in the first year of William's reign, fortifying the castle at Norwich and wasting the country around circa 1088 at Norfolk, England.5 He married Adelicia de Tosny of Belvoir, daughter of Robert de Tosny of Belvoir and Adelais (?).6,7,8 Roger "the Sheriff" le Bigod a supporter of Henry I, being a witness to his laws, and as a gift from the crown obtained Framlingham after 1100 at Suffolk, England.5 He founded, on the advice of King Henry, Maud the Queen, Hubert Bishop of Norwich, and his own wife, the Lady Adeliza, one of the daughters and co-heirs of Hugh de Grentmesnil, seneschal of England, the Abbey of Thetford in 1103 at Norfolk, England.1,5 He died in 1107.7 He died in 1107.1,3 Roger "the Sheriff" le Bigod was buried in the Abbey, Thetford, England.1,5 Family 	Adelicia de Tosny of Belvoir b. circa 1070? Children	

* Maud Bigod+ b. c 1090?9,10,11

   * Gunnor Bigod+ b. c 109210,12

   * William Bigod b. c 1095, d. 26 Nov 111910

   * Cicely de Belvoir+ b. c 1105?6

   * Hugh le Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk+ b. b 1107, d. 1177

http://www.packrat-pro.com/stevens/bin.htm Roger Bigod b 1037, Sheriff of Norfolf

Due to his father's acts, Roger was the companion of the Conqueror, who for his services at Senlac received large grants of land in the counties of Essex and Suffolk, six lordships in the former and one hundred and seventeen in the latter. Roger was one of the privy councillors and treasurer of the Duke, was seneschal or steward to Henry I, after the decease of his father, and that both William and Hugh, his sons, succeeded each other in that high office.

Whether father or son, we are told that "he had a large troop, and was a noble vassal. He was small of body, but very brave and daring, and assaulted the English with his mace gallantly." (Roman de Rou, I. 13, 682-87.) We hear nothing of the father during the reign of the first William, but at the commencement of that of the second, Roger le Bigod is found amongst the adherents of Robert Court-heuse, fortifying his castle at Norwich and laying waste the country round about. http://genealogy.patp.us/conq/rbigod.shtml

Bigot, Roger - Also called Roger the Sheriff. From Les Loges, Calvados. Daughter married Robert of Stafford. Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1086. Ancestor of Bigot family, the earls of Norfolk. Large holdings in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

--------------------

From http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/BIGOD.htm#Roger%20BIGOD%20(E.%20East%20Anglia) about an 8th of the way down the page:

Notes: The first of this great family that settled in England, in the Conqueror's time, possessed six lordships in Essex and a hundred and seventeen in Suffolk, besides divers manors in Norfolk. Roger Bigod was one of the tight-knit group of second-rank Norman nobles who did well out of the conquest of England. His territorial fortune was based on his service in the royal household, where he was a close adviser and agent for the first three Norman kings, and the propitius circumstances of post-Conquest politics. This Roger, adhering to the party that took up arms against William Rufus in the 1st year of that monarch's reign, fortified the castle at Norwich andwasted the country around. At the accession of Henry I, being a witness of the king's laws and staunch in his interests, he obtained Framlingham in Suffolk as a gift from the crown. We find further of him that he founded in 1103, the abbey of Thetford, in Norfolk, and that he was buried there at his decease in four years after, leaving, by Adelisa his wife, dau. and co-heir of Hugh De Grentesmesnil, high steward of England, a son and heir, William Bigod, steward of the household of King Henry I. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1883, p. 53, Bigod, Earls of Norfolk]. Much of his honour in East Anglia was carved out of lands previously belonging to the dispossessed Archbishop Stigand, his brother Aethelmar of Elham, and the disgraced Earl Ralph of Norfolk and Suffolk. Apart from a flirtation with the cause of Robert Curthose in 1088, he remained conspicuously loyal to Rufus and Henry I, for whom he continued to act as steward and to witness charters. The adherence of such men was vital to the Norman kings. Through them central business could be conducted and localities controlled. Small wonder they were well rewarded. Roger established a dynasty which dominated East Anglia from the 1140s, as earls of Norfolk, until 1306. Roger's by name and the subsequent family name was derived from a word (bigot) meaning double-headed instrument such as a pickaxe: a tribute, perhaps to Roger's effectiveness as a royal servant; certainly an apt image of one who worked hard both for his masters and for himself. [Who's Who in Early Medieval England, Christopher Tyerman, Shepheard-Walwyn, Ltd., London,1996]

--------------------

Roger Bigod [a] b abt 1049, of Framlingham, Suffolk, England, d 8 Sep 1107, Earsham, Norfolk, England. He md Adelize/Alice de Toeni [b] abt 1082, daughter of Sir Robert de Toeni, Lord of Belvoir, and Adeliza.
Children of Roger Bigod and Adelize/Alice de Toeni were:

   * Maud Bigod b abt 1085, prob Norfolk, England. She md William "Pincera" d'Aubigny, Lord of Buckenham, abt 1097, son of Roger d'Aubigny and Amice.

   * Sir William Bigod b abt 1188, d 25 Nov 1120.

   * Sir Hugh Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, b abt 1099.

   * Cecily Bigod b abt 1102, of Suffolk, England. She md Sir William d'Aubigny, Lord of Belvoir, abt 1115, son of Main d'Aubigny and Adelaide de Bohun.

   * Jane Bigod b abt 1104, of Suffolk, England, d bef abt 1138. She md Sir Richard Fitz Eustace, Constable of Chester, abt 1120, son of Eustace Fitz John and Agnes Fitz William.

   * Gunnor Bigod b abt 1106, Norfolk, England. She md Sir Robert Fitz Suein of Essex, Lord of Rayleigh, abt 1124.

NOTES: a. Roger Bigod, whose parentage is uncertain, held Earsham in Suffolk, in or before 1071. Sometime between 1076-1079, he was one of the King's barons holding pleas at Bury St. Edmunds. Around 1080, his name begins to appear as a witness to royal charters, in which year he was Sheriff of Norfolk. In 1082, he was with the King in Normandy. He also served as Sheriff of Suffolk in 1086, and was also Sheriff of Norfolk the same year. He held great estates in Norfolk and Suffolk, both as tenant-in-chief and as sub-tenant, as well as lands in capite in Essex. He joined the revolt of 1088 and ravaged the countryside and appears to have temporarily lost his estates as a consequence. He continued to witness charters under William II, and in 1091 attested as Steward. He was again Sheriff of Norfolk under William Rufus. He gave the church of St. Felix of Walton to Rochester Cathedral, and in or after 1096 gave land in Norfolk to Norwich Cathedral. On the death of William Rufus, Roger adhered to Henry I, and was present at his Coronation at Westminster on 5 Aug 1100. Henry I subsequently made him one of his councillors, and when Robert of Normandy threatened an invasion of Whitsun in 1101, Roger remained faithful to his King, and continued to act as a steward to the royal household. In 1103, Roger founded the priory of Thetford, in lieu, it is said, of making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He died at Earsham and was buried at Norwich.

b. Alice, sister and coheir of William de Tosny, Lord of Belvoir, succeeded to Belvoir in or before 1130, and was still living in 1136. The consensus of current opinion is that Roger Bigod married but once, and that the two women he was traditionally thought to have married, Adelize and Alice de Toeni, are, in fact, one and the same individual.

c. Sir Hugh's elder brother, William, apparently died unmarried, being among those nobles who drowned in the wreck of the White Ship, 25 Nov 1120, and Hugh succeeded him as lord of Framlingham in 1120. He was with the King at Portsmouth in June of 1123, preparing to travel to Normandy, and from 1130, seems to have been in close attendance to Henry I. Upon the latter's death 1 Dec 1135, Hugh returned to England and declared upon oath before the Archbishop of Canterbury, that the late King had disinherited his daughter and nominated Stephen as his heir, whereupon the Archbishop agreed to consecrate Stephen. Hugh received a false report of Stephen's death at the end of Apr 1136, and he seized Norwich Castle and refused to surrender it until Stephen himself arrived. When the disaffection of Stephen spread among the Barons in 1140, Hugh rebelled, and in early June, Stephen marched against him and took Bungay Castle in Suffolk. Again, in August, Stephen attacked Hugh, after which they came to terms, and Hugh was created Earl of Norfolk in Dec 1140 (or Jan 1141), which included the traditional earldom of Norfolk and Suffolk. Shortly after, on 2 Feb, Hugh was at the battle of Lincoln in the King's army, and was one of the nobles whose troops were routed and who fled at the first onset. He soon went over to the side of the Empress. In 1144, he joined with Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex, in laying waste to the east of England, but in 1145, Stephen surprised them, routing their forces and laying waste to Hugh's lands. In 1148, when the Archbishop of Canterbury, in defiance of Stephen, returned to England and landed in East Anglia, he was entertained by Hugh at his castle of Framlingham. In 1153, at the invasion by the Duke of Normandy (afterwards Henry II), Hugh rebelled once more, and seized Ipswich Castle, upon which Stephen marched to Ipswich, besieged the castle, and forced Hugh's surrender. Hugh likely had good reason to revolt, as Stephen had entered upon treaty with Henry, Duke of Normandy, by which Stephen had granted his son William the town and castle of Norwich, as well as the entire comitatus of Norfolk, which would have made Stephen's son William the overlord, and Hugh one of his tenants-in-chief. In Nov 1153, Hugh attested the treaty by which Stephen recognized Henry as his successor, said treaty including a clause which indicated that both parties recognized Hugh's earldom. But once Henry was secure on the throne, he refused to recognize Stephen's original charter to Hugh, changing in effect, the power of Hugh's earldom. From about 1155 until the year before Hugh's death in 1177, the relationship between King Henry and Hugh Bigod vascillated between strained co-existence and outright hostility. In 1157, for an unknown reason, the King ordered surrender of Hugh's castles. Then, in 1166, Hugh was excommunicated by the Pope for his refusal to restore lands belonging to Pentney Priory, which had been alienated to him by the Prior (he was later given absolution by the Pope in this matter). In 1169, he was again excommunicated, this time by Thomas Becket, but again was absolved. By 1173, Hugh had joined the conspiracy of the young King, who promised him the hereditary constableship of Norwich Castle, and the whole of the great honor of Eye. Hugh's possession of the strongholds of Framlingham, Bungay and Walton, combined with his energy in old age, made him one of the most formidable rebels in England. Another rebellion by Hugh ended with a temporary truce between he and the King, but just as the truce was to expire, Hugh had amassed a new force, and in June 1174, led them into Norwich, where they sacked and burned the city and massacred a large number of inhabitants. In response the King formed a large army and was preparing to besiege Bungay and Framlingham simultaneously, when Hugh surrendered and did homage. After this, he appeared to have been restored to a semblance of favor as he witnessed a royal charter in 1175/76, but all was evidently not what it seemed, as the King destroyed Hugh's castles at Framlingham and Bungay in 1176. Hugh died the following year.

d. Son and heir by his father's first wife, Roger appears to have been a loyal subject to the Crown, and certainly not of the rebellious nature of his father. At the battle of Fornham in 1173, he bore the standard of St. Edmund, under which the royal forces fought, being thus in opposition to his father. Upon his father's death he became responsible for the balance of his father's fine. He appears to have attended the King at Windsor, and the young King at Westminster ca. Apr 1180. In 1182, Henry forgave him the fine for his father's debts and restored him the demesnes of the Crown which his father had held. He served as Steward in 1186, and on 3 Sep 1189, was among the barons who attended the Coronation of Richard I, who, on 25 Nov following made him Earl of Norfolk. In 1191, in Richard's absence, Earl Roger acted in support of the Chancellor against Prince John. For the following two years, he appears to have been mostly occupied with duty as a judge, both at Westminster and one eyre in the provinces. He attended Richard's second Coronation, 17 Apr 1194, and in 1195 and 1996 sat as one of the Barons of the Exchequer. He attended the Coronation of John at Westminster, 27 May 1190, and was one of the Earls sent to bring the King of Scotland to Lincoln to do homage to John. He was in England the following three years, until the summer of 1206, when he appears to been abroad in the King's service. In Jan of 1214/15, he was still acting as a royal official, but in June he joined the Barons in their ultimatum from Stamford to King John, and with his son, Hugh, was among the 25 Barons elected to maintain Magna Carta. Roger was among those magnates excommunicated by the Pope in December, whereby his lands were forfeited and ravaged by the King. But he returned to John's allegiance and had order for restoration of his lands Sep 1217. He died four years later.

e. Several preeminent contemporary genealogists now believe that Ida was also the mistress of Henry II, and by this affiliation, mother of William Longespee. Sir William names his mother as Countess Ida in one document, and, as Paul Reed states, if she was an English woman, she is the only Countess Ida of the proper time period. There are other circumstantial but compelling connections between the Bigod, de Toeni, and Longespee lines as pointed out by Douglas Richardson. Additionally, Messrs. Reed and Douglas both believe Ida may have been Ida de Toeni, daughter of Ralph V de Toeni and Margaret de Beaumont. For a full discussion of this subject, see soc.genealogy.medieval.

f. Hugh joined with his father in support of Magna Carta against King John, and was among the 25 Barons elected to support its provisions. He had seisin of his father's lands 2 Aug 1221, and in summer of 1223, he took part in the campaign against Prince Llewelyn. He is recorded as a witness to the confirmation of Magna Carta at Westminster 11 Feb 1224/25, but was dead less than a week later.

g. He served as Chief Justice of England, 1257-60.

SOURCES:

CP Vol I[233], Vol VII[354], Vol IX[575-593]; AR: Line 69[28-29], Line 70[28-29], Line 72[29], Line 224[31], Line 246[26], Line 146D[26]

--------------------

Roger Bigod
(circa 1060? - 1106) Roger Bigod|b. c 1060?\nd. 1106|p69.htm#i22632|Robert le Bigod de Loges||p69.htm#i14307||||||||||||||||

    Roger Bigod was born circa 1060? At Normandy. He was the son of Robert le Bigod de Loges.

    He having fought at the Battle of Hastings, Roger received the forfeited estates of Ralph de Guader, Earl of Norfolk, and by 1086 was in possession of 6 Lordships in Essex, 117 in Suffolk, including Bngay Castle, and 13 in Cheshire. He then served as King's Dapifer or steward under William Rufus and HenryI form who he received the manor of Framlingham where he improved and strengthened the castle to make it his main stronghold. In 1103 Roger founded the Abbey of Whelford in Norfolk where he was buried. in 1066 at Hastings, Sussex.

    Roger Bigod married Adeliza Todeni, daughter of Robert de Tosny and Adelais (?), before 1085. Roger was previously believed to have married firstly an "Adelaide (Adelidis)" of unknown parentage, and secondly Alice de Toeny (CP ix 577, 578). But Keats-Rohan, "Domesday Descendants", p. 396, argues that these are both the same woman, and lists sons Hugh, William and Humphrey and daughters Cecilia, two Matildas and Gunnora (no Jane).

    Roger died in 1106. He was succeeded by his eldest son William who was appointed steward to the household of Henry I. Unfortunately his mother Lady Framlingham and her charge, Henry I, son Prince William and William were all drowned when the 'White ship" in which they were travelleing form the continent foundered in a severe storm on 26 November 1120. He was buried in 1107 at Whelford, Norfolk.

    K S B Keats-Roahan in Prosopon no. 9 wrote: The elder of Robert de Tosny's younger daughters was Adelisa, wife of Roger Bigod at his death in 1107. It is probable that Roger was married only once, although he is usually credited with two wives of the same name on the inconclusive evidence of a pro anama clause in a charter of his son William.[11] Roger and his wife Adelisa gave charter for Rochester priory which referred to their sons and daughters and was attested by their children William, Humphrey, Gunnor and Matilda.[12] This charter tellingly refers to King Henry, making it highly unlikely that Roger acquired a second wife and second family before his death in 1107. It is likely that Rogers' children were born from the late 1090s onwards, and that the youngest of them were Hugh and Cecilia.[13] Roger's daughters Gunnor and Matilda were married soon after 1107. Gunnor's marriage to Robert fitz Swein of Essex had perhaps been arranged by her father. Matilda was married to William de Albini pincerna by Henry I who bestowed 10 Bigod fees on her as a marriage portion. The marriages certainly took place before Adelisa de Tosny became the heiress to Belvoir on the death without issue of her eldest sister Albreda, some time between 1115/18 and 1129, when Adelisa, as widow of Roger Bigod, accounted for her father's land of Belvoir. Children of Roger Bigod and Adeliza Todeni

* Cecily Bigod+ b. c 1086

   * Maud Bigod b. c 1088

---

http://web.mac.com/l.m.perry/Perry-Poole-Tree/ps04/ps04_180.html

Roger Bigod (died 1107) was a Norman knight who came to England in the Norman Conquest. He held great power in East Anglia, and five of his descendants were Earl of Norfolk. He was also known as Roger Bigot, appearing as such as a witness to the Charter of Liberties of Henry I of England.

Roger came from a fairly obscure family of poor knights in Normandy. Robert le Bigot, certainly a relation of Roger's, possibly his father, acquired an important position in the household of William, Duke of Normandy (later William I of England), due, the story goes, to his disclosure to the duke of a plot by the duke's cousin William Werlenc.

Both Roger and Robert may have fought at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards they were rewarded with a substantial estate in East Anglia. The Domesday Book lists Roger as holding six lordships in Essex, 117 in Suffolk and 187 in Norfolk.

Bigod's base was in Thetford, Norfolk where he founded a priory later donated to the great monastery at Cluny. In 1101 he further consolidated his power when Henry I granted him licence to build a castle at Framlingham, which became the family seat of power until their downfall in 1307. Another of his castles was Bungay Castle, also in Suffolk. Both these were improved by successive generations.

In 1069 he, along with Robert Malet and Ralph de Gael (the then Earl of Norfolk), defeated Sweyn Estrithson (Sweyn II) of Denmark near Ipswich. After Ralph de Gael's fall in 1074, Roger was appointed Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, and acquired many of the dispossessed earl's estates. For this reason he is sometimes counted as Earl of Norfolk, but he probably was never actually created earl. He acquired further estates through his influence in local law courts.

In the Rebellion of 1088 he joined other Anglo-Norman barons against William II, who, it was hoped, was to be deposed in favour of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. He seems to have lost his lands after the rebellion had failed, but got them back again.

In 1100, Robert Bigod was one of the King's witnesses recorded on the Charter of Liberties, an important precursor to the Magna Carta of 1215.

In 1101 there was another attempt to bring in Robert of Normandy by unseating Henry I, but this time Roger Bigod stayed loyal to Henry.

He died on 9 September 1107 and is buried in Norwich. Upon his death there was a dispute between the Bishop of Norwich, Herbet Losinga, and the monks at Thetford Priory, founded by Bigod. The monks claimed that Roger's body, along with those of his family and successors, was due to them as part of the foundation charter of the priory (as was common practice at the time). The issue was apparently resolved when the Bishop of Norwich stole the body in the middle of the night and dragged it back to Norwich.

For some time he was thought to have two wives, Adelaide/Adeliza and Alice de Tosny. It is now believed these were the same woman, Adeliza(Alice) de Tosny(Toeni,Toeny). She was the sister and coheiress of William de Tosny, Lord of Belvoir.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Bigod, and, after he drowned in the sinking of the White Ship, by his second son, Hugh Bigod, who later became 1st Earl of Norfolk. He also had 3 daughters: Gunnor, who married Robert, Lord of Rayleigh; Cecily, who married William d'Aubigny "Brito"; and Maud, who married William d'Aubigny "Pincerna", and was mother to William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bigod,_1st_Earl_of_Norfolk

---

I was an adventurer who came over from Normandy after the conquest. I became Sheriff in Norfolk and aggrandized my holdings by using my office. I became steward to William II (Rufus) and Henry I, sons of William the Conqueror enriching myself in the process. I founded the dynasty. My son became the 1st Earl of Norfolk.

---

Born: ABT 1060, St. Saveur, Calvados, Normandy, France

Died: 8 Sep 1107, Evesham, Suffolk, England

Buried: Thetford, Norfolk, England

Notes: The first of this great family that settled in England, in the Conqueror's time, possessed six lordships in Essex and a hundred and seventeen in Suffolk, besides divers manors in Norfolk. Roger Bigod was one of the tight-knit group of second-rank Norman nobles who did well out of the conquest of England. His territorial fortune was based on his service in the royal household, where he was a close adviser and agent for the first three Norman kings, and the propitius circumstances of post-Conquest politics. This Roger, adhering to the party that took up arms against William Rufus in the 1st year of that monarch's reign, fortified the castle at Norwich andwasted the country around. At the accession of Henry I, being a witness of the king's laws and staunch in his interests, he obtained Framlingham in Suffolk as a gift from the crown. We find further of him that he founded in 1103, the abbey of Thetford, in Norfolk, and that he was buried there at his decease in four years after, leaving, by Adelisa his wife, dau. and co-heir of Hugh De Grentesmesnil, high steward of England, a son and heir, William Bigod, steward of the household of King Henry I. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1883, p. 53, Bigod, Earls of Norfolk]. Much of his honour in East Anglia was carved out of lands previously belonging to the dispossessed Archbishop Stigand, his brother Aethelmar of Elham, and the disgraced Earl Ralph of Norfolk and Suffolk. Apart from a flirtation with the cause of Robert Curthose in 1088, he remained conspicuously loyal to Rufus and Henry I, for whom he continued to act as steward and to witness charters. The adherence of such men was vital to the Norman kings. Through them central business could be conducted and localities controlled. Small wonder they were well rewarded. Roger established a dynasty which dominated East Anglia from the 1140s, as earls of Norfolk, until 1306. Roger's by name and the subsequent family name was derived from a word (bigot) meaning double-headed instrument such as a pickaxe: a tribute, perhaps to Roger's effectiveness as a royal servant; certainly an apt image of one who worked hard both for his masters and for himself. [Who's Who in Early Medieval England, Christopher Tyerman, Shepheard-Walwyn, Ltd., London,1996]

---

Roger BIGOD (E. East Anglia) Born: ABT 1060, St. Saveur, Calvados, Normandy, France Died: 8 Sep 1107, Evesham, Suffolk, England Buried: Thetford, Norfolk, England Notes: The first of this great family that settled in England, in the Conqueror's time, possessed six lordships in Essex and a hundred and seventeen in Suffolk, besides divers manors in Norfolk. Roger Bigod was one of the tight-knit group of second-rank Norman nobles who did well out of the conquest of England. His territorial fortune was based on his service in the royal household, where he was a close adviser and agent for the first three Norman kings, and the propitius circumstances of post-Conquest politics. This Roger, adhering to the party that took up arms against William Rufus in the 1st year of that monarch's reign, fortified the castle at Norwich andwasted the country around. At the accession of Henry I, being a witness of the king's laws and staunch in his interests, he obtained Framlingham in Suffolk as a gift from the crown. We find further of him that he founded in 1103, the abbey of Thetford, in Norfolk, and that he was buried there at his decease in four years after, leaving, by Adelisa his wife, dau. and co-heir of Hugh De Grentesmesnil, high steward of England, a son and heir, William Bigod, steward of the household of King Henry I. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1883, p. 53, Bigod, Earls of Norfolk]. Much of his honour in East Anglia was carved out of lands previously belonging to the dispossessed Archbishop Stigand, his brother Aethelmar of Elham, and the disgraced Earl Ralph of Norfolk and Suffolk. Apart from a flirtation with the cause of Robert Curthose in 1088, he remained conspicuously loyal toRufus and Henry I, for whom he continued to act as steward and to witness charters. The adherence of such men was vital to the Norman kings. Through them central business could be conducted and localities controlled. Small wonder they were well rewarded. Roger established a dynasty which dominated East Anglia from the 1140s, as earls of Norfolk, until 1306. Roger's by name and the subsequent family name was derived from a word (bigot) meaning double-headed instrument such as a pickaxe: a tribute, perhaps to Roger's effectiveness as a royal servant; certainly an apt image of one who worked hard both for his masters and for himself. [Who's Who in Early Medieval England, Christopher Tyerman, Shepheard-Walwyn, Ltd., London,1996]

---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bigod%2C_1st_Earl_of_Norfolk

---

Roger, "the Sheriff," was also called Roger le Bigod or Roger Bigot.

He had six lordships in Essex, diverse manors in Norfolk, and one hundred and seventeen lordships in Suffolk in 1086.

He was adhered to the party which took up arms against William Rufus (King William II), in the first year of William's reign, fortifying the castle at Norwich and wasting the country around circa 1088 in Norfolk.

He was a supporter of Henry I, being a witness to his laws, and as a gift from the crown obtained Framlingham after 1100 in Suffolk.

He founded, on the advice of King Henry, Maud the Queen, Hubert Bishop of Norwich, and his own wife, the Lady Adeliza, one of the daughters and co-heirs of Hugh de Grentmesnil, seneschal of England, the Abbey of Thetford in 1103 in Norfolk.

Roger was our ancestor through three distinct descent lines--through his daughter Maud, his daughter Gunnor, and his son Hugh, each of whom was independently our ancestor.

See "My Lines" ( http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cousin/html/p357.htm#i7066 ) from Compiler: R. B. Stewart, Evans, GA ( http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cousin/html/index.htm )

---

Roger Bigod (died 1107) was a Norman knight who came to England in the Norman Conquest. He held great power in East Anglia, and five of his descendants were Earl of Norfolk. He was also known as Roger Bigot, appearing as such as a witness to the Charter of Liberties of Henry I of England.

[edit] Biography

Roger came from a fairly obscure family of poor knights in Normandy. Robert le Bigot, certainly a relation of Roger's, possibly his father, acquired an important position in the household of William, Duke of Normandy (later William I of England), due, the story goes, to his disclosure to the duke of a plot by the duke's cousin William Werlenc.[1]

Both Roger and Robert may have fought at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards they were rewarded with a substantial estate in East Anglia. The Domesday Book lists Roger as holding six lordships in Essex, 117 in Suffolk and 187 in Norfolk.

Bigod's base was in Thetford, Norfolk where he founded a priory later donated to the great monastery at Cluny. In 1101 he further consolidated his power when Henry I granted him licence to build a castle at Framlingham, which became the family seat of power until their downfall in 1307. Another of his castles was Bungay Castle, also in Suffolk. Both these were improved by successive generations.

In 1069 he, along with Robert Malet and Ralph de Gael (the then Earl of Norfolk), defeated Sweyn Estrithson (Sweyn II) of Denmark near Ipswich. After Ralph de Gael's fall in 1074, Roger was appointed Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, and acquired many of the dispossessed earl's estates. For this reason he is sometimes counted as Earl of Norfolk, but he probably was never actually created earl. He acquired further estates through his influence in local law courts.

In the Rebellion of 1088 he joined other Anglo-Norman barons against William II, who, it was hoped, was to be deposed in favour of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. He seems to have lost his lands after the rebellion had failed, but got them back again.

In 1100, Robert Bigod was one of the King's witnesses recorded on the Charter of Liberties, an important precursor to the Magna Carta of 1215.

In 1101 there was another attempt to bring in Robert of Normandy by unseating Henry I, but this time Roger Bigod stayed loyal to Henry.

He died on 9 September 1107 and is buried in Norwich. Upon his death there was a dispute between the Bishop of Norwich, Herbet Losinga, and the monks at Thetford Priory, founded by Bigod. The monks claimed that Roger's body, along with those of his family and successors, was due to them as part of the foundation charter of the priory (as was common practice at the time). The issue was apparently resolved when the Bishop of Norwich stole the body in the middle of the night and dragged it back to Norwich.

For some time he was thought to have two wives, Adelaide/Adeliza and Alice de Tosny. It is now believed these were the same woman, Adeliza(Alice) de Tosny(Toeni,Toeny). She was the sister and coheiress of William de Tosny, Lord of Belvoir.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Bigod, and, after he drowned in the sinking of the White Ship, by his second son, Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk, who later became Earl of Norfolk. He also had 3 daughters: Gunnor, who married Robert, Lord of Rayleigh; Cecily, who married William d'Aubigny "Brito"; and Maud, who married William d'Aubigny "Pincerna", and was mother to William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel.

[edit] Notes

1.^ mentioned by William of Jumièges in Gesta Normannorum Ducum.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bigod,_1st_Earl_of_Norfolk"

Categories: 1107 deaths | Anglo-Normans | Bigod family | Earls of Norfolk | Normans

---

The first of this great family that settled in England was RogerBigod who, in the Conqueror's time, possessed six lordships inEssex and a hundred and seventeen in Suffolk, besides diversmanors in Norfolk. This Roger, adhering to the party that tookup arms against William Rufus in the 1st year of that monarch'sreign, fortified the castle at Norwich and wasted the countryaround. At the accession of Henry I, being a witness of theking's laws and staunch in his interests, he obtainedFramlingham in Suffolk as a gift from the crown. We find furtherof him that he founded in 1103, the abbey of Whetford, inNorfolk, and that he was buried there at his decease in fouryears after, leaving, by Adeliza his wife, dau. and co-heir ofHugh de Grentesmesnil, high steward of England, a son and heir,William Bigod, steward of the household of King Henry I. [SirBernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and ExtinctPeerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1883, p. 53, Bigod,Earls of Norfolk]

---

Roger Bigod was one of the tight-knit group of second-rankNorman nobles who did well out of the conquest of England.Prominent in the Calvados region before 1064 as an under-tenantof Odo of Bayeux, he rose in ducal and royal service to become,but 1086, one of the leading barons in East Anglia, holding wideestates to which he added Belvoir by marriage and Framlingham bygrant of Henry I. His territorial fortune was based on hisservice in the royal household, where he was a close adviser andagent for the first three Norman kings, and the propitiouscircumstances of post-Conquest politics. Much of his honour inEast Anglia was carved out of lands previously belonging to thedispossessed Archbishop Stigand, his brother Aethelmar of Elham,and the disgraced Earl Ralph of Norfolk and Suffolk. Under Rufus--- if not before --- Roger was one of the king's stewards.Usually in attendance on the king, he regularly witnessed writsbut was also sent out to the provinces as a justice orcommissioner. Apart from a flirtation with the cause of RobertCurthose in 1088, he remained conspicuously loyal to Rufus andHenry I, for whom he continued to act as steward and to witnesscharters. The adherence of such men was vital to the Normankings. Through them central business could be conducted andlocalities controlled. Small wonder they were well rewarded.Roger established a dynasty which dominated East Anglia from the1140s, as earls of Norfolk, until 1306. Roger's byname and thesubsequent family name was derived from a word (bigot) meaningdouble-headed instrument such as a pickaxe: a tribute, perhapsto Roger's effectiveness as a royal servant; certainly an aptimage of one who worked hard both for his masters and forhimself. [Who's Who in Early Medieval England, ChristopherTyerman, Shepheard-Walwyn, Ltd., London, 1996]

---

The following information was contained in a post-em by CurtHofemann, curt_hofemann@yahoo.com:

born ca 1060 St. Saveur (sic), Normandy [Ref: McBride] father:possibly Robert le Bigot, but seems unlikely on chronologicalgrounds [Ref: CP IX:575], Robert le Bigot [Ref: Wurts p422]Parentage not certainly known [Ref: CP IX:575] Descended fromSveide The Viking, a Norse King who died 760 [Ref: Holloway p4]

Research note 1: McBride2 citing Burke's p53 indicates hisparents were Wigot de St. Denis & a sister of Turstin Goz:

'According to Wace, the Bigot family originated in Maletot, nearCaen, Canon (chanon) in the arrondissement of Lisieux and eitherLes Loges, near Aunay, or another commune of the same name, nearFalaise. The original name of the family was Wiggott, Wigott,Bygod. The family of Bigot or Wigot, was descended from Wigortde St. Denis, one of the great nobles of Normandy, who madegrants to Cerisy abbey in 1042, and in 1050 witnessed a charterof Duke William at the head of the Norman barons. He married*,father of Richard d'Avranches, by whom his younger son, RogerWigot or Bigot, was ingratiated into the good graces of DukeWilliam of Normandy.' (* Note: part of the citation seems to bemissing. Since McBride did not indicate which publication ofBurke's he used, I am unable to look this up & complete thecitation. But since Burke's is not considered reliable,especially about origins of lineages, what's the point...Curt)

Research note 2: He was the son of Roger/Robert Bigod and ....Saint Saveur. [Ref: Utz 10 Jan 1999]

• ****

died: 8 oder 15.IX 1107 (8 or 15 Sep 1107) [Ref: ES III:705] Sep8 or 15 1107 [Ref: CP IX:577] Sep 15 1107 [Ref: Watney #109] Sep8 1100 [Ref: Holloway p4] 1107 [Ref: DNBiography II:484,Keats-Rohan Belvoir p3, McBride2 citing Burke's p53], place:Earsham, Norfolk [Ref: CP IX:577, ES III:705]

Jim pls note: Earsham, Norfolk not Evesham, Suffolk. Curt)

• ****

Buried: Abbey of Whetford, Norfolk, England [Ref: McBride2citing Burke's p53, Wurts p42] Norwich Cathedral, Norwich(Norfk) [Ref: CP, ES] Research note: is the Abbey of Whetford inthe Norwich Cathedral or are they separate places? AlsoKeats-Rohan calls it 'priory of St. Mary at Thetford' ...Curt

• ****

m1 Adeliza Grantmesnil names: [Ref: Holloway p14, McBride2citing Burke's p53] Roger BIGOD & Adelaide (NN) [Ref: CP IX:577]

Research note: ...known marriage before ca 1090, and that was toa woman named Adelais who was perhaps the same as his 'second'wife Adela de Tosny. If they were two different women, there isno firm evidence I'm aware of to ascribe the first to theGrandmesnil family. [Ref: Peter Stewart 17 Jun 2001]

• ****

m2 Adeliza (Alice?) de Toeni [Ref: CP IX:577, Watney #109, WeisMC5 155:1]

• ****

1086: held 6 lordships in Essex and 117 in Suffolk [Ref: Watney#109]

Sheriff of Suffolk, founder the Priory of Thetford [Ref:Holloway p4]

Sheriff of Norfolk & Suffolk [Ref: CP]

1103: founded the Abbey of Thetford in Norfolk [Ref: CP IX p577,Wurts p42] in lieu (it is said) of making a pilgrimage to theHoly Land, and before it was finished granted it to Cluny [Ref:CP IX:577]

of Earsham, Suffolk (held of Bishop Stigand), ca 1071; sheriffof Norfolk and possibly Suffolk, at time of Domesday Book, 1086[Ref: John P. Ravilious 14 Aug 2003]

Possessed six lordships in Essex and 117 in Suffolk beside manymanors in Norfolk. In 1103 he founded the Abbey of Whetford inNorfolk and was buried there four years later. [Ref: Utz 10 Jan1999]

Roger Bigot, also called Roger the Sheriff. From Les Loges,Calvados. Daughter married Robert of Stafford. Sheriff ofNorfolk and Suffolk in 1086. Ancestor of Bigot family, the earlsof Norfolk. Large holdings in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. [Ref:Domesday Online] Note: I find no other source stating a daumarried Robert of Stafford. His dau Gunnora m1 RobertfitzSuain/Sweyn de Essex, but was he 'of Stafford'?... Curt

...Roger Bigod, born before 1050, seigneur of Les Loges &Savenay, sheriff of Norfolk 1081-7 & 1092-1107, steward of theroyal household 1092, lord of Framlingham, who died at Earsham,Suffolk 8/15 September 1107. [Ref: Peter Stewart 17 Jun 2001]

Roger Bigod is not traced in the English records before 1079,but by this time he may have been endowed with the forfeitedestates of Ralph de Gauder, earl of Norlfolk, whose downfalltook place in 1074. In Doomsday he appears as holding sixlordships in Essex, and 117 in Suffolk. From Henry I he receivedthe gift of Framlingham, which became the principal strongholdof him and his descendants. He likewise held the office ofking's dapifer, or steward, under William Rufus and Henry I. Hedied in 1107, and was succeeded by his eldest son, William who,however, was drowned in the wreck of the White ship. [Ref:DNBiography II:484]

Roger Bigod was present at Senlac and received large grants forhis services at the Conquest, comprising one hundred and twentythree (123) manors in Essex and Suffolk, only six being in thelatter county, besides divers manors in Norfolk. Roger adheringto the party that took up arms against William Rufus, in thefirst year of that monarch's reign, fortified the castle atNorwich, and wasted the country around. At the accession of KingHenry I. being a witness of the king's laws, and staunch in hisinterests, he obtained Framlingham in Suffolk, as a gift fromthe crown. He must have been a young man at that time, as he didnot die until 1107, when he was buried in the Abbey of Whetfordin Norfolk, which he had founded in 1103. Roger married AdelizaGrantesmesnil (sic), daughter and co-heir of Hugh deGrantesmesnil, High Steward of England. He and his wife hadseven children [Ref: McBride2 citing Burke's p53] - Note:McBride citing Burke's does not show a second marriage &indicates the mother of all of Roger's children was AdelizaGrantmesnil ...Curt

Roger Bigod tenant-in-chief in Norfolk, holding the manor ofThetford in demesne.

. founded the priory of St. Mary at Thetford

Seigneur of Les Loges and Savenay in Normandy, d‚pt.. Calvados,under the bishop of Bayeux (Red Book 646), Sheriff of Norfolkfor most of William 1's reign, and from 1100 until his death in1107; during the 1070s and 1080s alternated with Robert Malet assheriff of Suffolk. Father of William (d. 1120) by his firstwife. His second wife, mother of his heir Hugh, was Alicedaughter and eventual coheiress of Robert de Tosny of Belvoir.His brother William is mentioned in Domesday Book; he wasprobably also a brother of Hugh Bigot, who occurs in DB Suffolk.His sister Matilda was married to his tenant Hugh de Hosdenc(q.v.). He was doubtless also related to Earl Hugh of Chester'stenant Bigot of Loges, and to Robert Bigot, son of Norman, lordof Pirou and Cerisy in the Cotentin, benefactor in the 1090s ofS‚es (Arch. Orne 62b-63 no. cxxxix). This Robert, husband ofEmma and father of Richard and Robert, was perhaps the same asthe Robert Bigot, kinsman of Richard of Avranches (father ofEarl Hugh), mentioned by Ord. Vit. in his interpolations ofWilliam of Jumi‚ges ed. van Houts, ii 126-7). Roger founded thepriory of the EVM at Thetford, 1103-4; colonized by monks fromthe Warenne foundation at Lewes, it was a dependency of Cluny.He died in 1107. [Ref:http://www.linacre.ox.ac.uk/research/prosop/dbase.stm]

Research notes re: who was the mother of Roger's children:

It is probable that Roger was married only once, although he isusually credited with two wives of the same name on theinconclusive evidence of a pro anama clause in a charter of hisson William.[11] Roger and his wife Adelisa gave charter forRochester priory which referred to their sons and daughters andwas attested by their children William, Humphrey, Gunnor andMatilda.[12] This charter tellingly refers to King Henry, makingit highly unlikely that Roger acquired a second wife and secondfamily before his death in 1107.

[11] Mon. Ang. iii, 330-1.

[12] BL Cotton Domitian A x, fol. 201v-2r. [Ref: PROSOPON 9Belvoir: The Heirs of Robert and Berengar de Tosny by K.S.B.Keats-Rohanhttp://www.linacre.ox.ac.uk/research/prosop/PRSPN9.stm]

On 2 Dec 1997, Todd A. Farmerie wrote an article on the subject'Aubigny,' in which he states that Maud and Cecily Bigod werefull sisters, but daughters of Roger Bigod's first wife,Adelaide, not daughters of Alice de Todeni. The reference whichTodd gives which is most pertinent to this identification ofparentage, I take it, is to Andrew Wareham, 'The motives andpolitics of the Bigod family, c. 1066-1177,' Anglo-NormanStudies XVII: Proceedings of the Battle Conference, 1994, pp.223-242.

Wareham does indeed, first on a charted family tree on p. 230,clearly assign all three daughters, Gunner, Cecily, and Matildato Adelaide, the first wife of Roger Bigod. He thereafter refersto these three sisters as step-daughters of Alice de Tosny, oras half-sisters of Hugh Bigod, Earl of Norfolk.

Although his essay densely cites primary or near-primarysources, Wareham does not explicitly point out any documentwhich would confirm his assignment of parentage. It is as thoughhis family tree were the 'received wisdom.' Indeed one finds noclue, when reading his essay, that anyone had ever thought thatCecily Bigod, for example, was a daughter of Alice de Tosny.None of the sources which I quoted above are referred to.

On p. 231 Wareham says: '. . .By 1130 Roger's widow Alice deTosny still owed a relief of [pounds] 198 for the inheritance ofher father's estates, but the Tosny fees in Leicester[presumably Belvoir] which formed the dowry of Alice'sstep-daughter Cecily Bigod were under the control of thelatter's husband, William d'Albini Brito.. . . .' Wareham arguesthat King Henry I effectively disinherited Alice de Tosny afterRoger Bigod's death and before his children came of age, but,perhaps because he did not consider it problematical, he doesnot make it clear in the text that his sources specify thatCecily was a step-daughter rather than a full daughter. Theparentage of these Bigod sisters is not, of course, the primarytopic of Wareham's essay.

On page 234 Wareham says: 'Hugh Bigod's loss of ten knights feesto the husband of his half-sister may have cut very deep, andthe only record of a gift passing the other way was that ofthree hides and forty acres which William I d'Albini granted toThetford Priory. This was barely a token in comparison toMatilda Bigod's dowry.[69] In nine (sic: none?) of Hugh Bigod'scharters does he make provision for the souls of hishalf-sisters and their descendants, but a charter drawn up forWilliam I d'Albini records how at the death of Matilda Bigod herhusband was weeping and bewailing his loss.[70] . . .'

Footnote 69 reads: 'Monasticon v. 142.'

Footnote 70 reads: 'BL ms Landsdowne 229 fo. 148, Vitelius F iv,fos 159v and 176 (Bigod); and BL ms Titus C viii, fos 18-18b(d'Albini).' [Ref: Utz 10 Jan 1999]

It is now thought that Roger Bigod had just one wife, Adelaidede Todeny, and she was mother of both Maud, wife of Williamd'Aubigny Pincerna, and Cecily, wife of William d'Aubigny Brito.[Ref: TAF 31 Oct 2002]

Sorry for the length of this. Perhaps it should be cut to themost salient genealogical data/conclusions only, but I like tokeep the background arguments in my database to see why I chosethe data I chose, especially when it differs from previouslyaccepted pedigrees in major sources.

---

Roger Bigod was the Sheriff of Norfolk.

---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bigod,_1st_Earl_of_Norfolk

http://histfam.familysearch.org/getperson.php?personID=I50&tree=Nixon

Roger Bigod (died 1107) was a Norman knight who came to England in the Norman Conquest. He held great power in East Anglia, and five of his descendants were Earl of Norfolk. He was also known as Roger Bigot, appearing as such as a witness to the Charter of Liberties of Henry I of England.

Roger came from a fairly obscure family of poor knights in Normandy. Robert le Bigot, certainly a relation of Roger's, possibly his father, acquired an important position in the household of William, Duke of Normandy (later William I of England), due, the story goes, to his disclosure to the duke of a plot by the duke's cousin William Werlenc.

Both Roger and Robert may have fought at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards they were rewarded with a substantial estate in East Anglia. The Domesday Book lists Roger as holding six lordships in Essex, 117 in Suffolk and 187 in Norfolk.

For some time he was thought to have two wives, Adelaide/Adeliza and Alice de Tosny. It is now believed these were the same woman, Adeliza (Alice) de Tosny (Toeni, Toeny). She was the sister and coheiress of William de Tosny, Lord of Belvoir.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Bigod, and, after he drowned in the sinking of the White Ship, by his second son, Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk, who later became Earl of Norfolk.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Ship

---

oger Bigod (died 1107) was a Norman knight who came to England in the Norman Conquest. He held great power in East Anglia, and five of his descendants were Earl of Norfolk. He was also known as Roger Bigot, appearing as such as a witness to the Charter of Liberties of Henry I of England. [edit]Biography

Roger came from a fairly obscure family of poor knights in Normandy. Robert le Bigot, certainly a relation of Roger's, possibly his father, acquired an important position in the household of William, Duke of Normandy (later William I of England), due, the story goes, to his disclosure to the duke of a plot by the duke's cousin William Werlenc.[1] Both Roger and Robert may have fought at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards they were rewarded with a substantial estate in East Anglia. The Domesday Book lists Roger as holding six lordships in Essex, 117 in Suffolk and 187 in Norfolk. Bigod's base was in Thetford, Norfolk where he founded a priory later donated to the great monastery at Cluny. In 1101 he further consolidated his power when Henry I granted him licence to build a castle at Framlingham, which became the family seat of power until their downfall in 1307. Another of his castles was Bungay Castle, also in Suffolk. Both these were improved by successive generations. In 1069 he, along with Robert Malet and Ralph de Gael (the then Earl of Norfolk), defeated Sweyn Estrithson (Sweyn II) of Denmark near Ipswich. After Ralph de Gael's fall in 1074, Roger was appointed High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, and acquired many of the dispossessed earl's estates. For this reason he is sometimes counted as Earl of Norfolk, but he probably was never actually created earl. He acquired further estates through his influence in local law courts. In the Rebellion of 1088 he joined other Anglo-Norman barons against William II, who, it was hoped, was to be deposed in favour of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. He seems to have lost his lands after the rebellion had failed, but got them back again. In 1100, Robert Bigod was one of the King's witnesses recorded on the Charter of Liberties, an important precursor to the Magna Carta of 1215. In 1101 there was another attempt to bring in Robert of Normandy by unseating Henry I, but this time Roger Bigod stayed loyal to Henry. He died on 9 September 1107 and is buried in Norwich. Upon his death there was a dispute between the Bishop of Norwich, Herbet Losinga, and the monks at Thetford Priory, founded by Bigod. The monks claimed that Roger's body, along with those of his family and successors, was due to them as part of the foundation charter of the priory (as was common practice at the time). The issue was apparently resolved when the Bishop of Norwich stole the body in the middle of the night and dragged it back to Norwich. For some time he was thought to have two wives, Adelaide/Adeliza and Alice de Tosny. It is now believed these were the same woman, Adeliza (Alice) de Tosny (Toeni, Toeny). She was the sister and coheiress of William de Tosny, Lord of Belvoir. He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Bigod, and, after he drowned in the sinking of the White Ship, by his second son, Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk, who later became Earl of Norfolk. He also had 3 daughters: Gunnor, who married Robert, Lord of Rayleigh; Cecily, who married William d'Aubigny "Brito"; and Maud, who married William d'Aubigny "Pincerna", and was mother to William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel.

---

Son of Roger Bigod, and perhaps Miss Saint Saveur, the daughter of Neil, unknown and poor families of knights from Normandy. The date of his birth is unknown.

Roger Bigod (died 1107) was a Norman knight who came to England in the Norman Conquest. He held great power in East Anglia, and five of his descendants were Earl of Norfolk. He was also known as Roger Bigot, appearing as such as a witness to the Charter of Liberties of Henry I of England.

Biography[edit]

Roger came from a fairly obscure family of poor knights in Normandy. Robert le Bigot, certainly a relation of Roger's, possibly his father, acquired an important position in the household of William, Duke of Normandy (later William I of England), due, the story goes, to his disclosure to the duke of a plot by the duke's cousin William Werlenc.[1]

Both Roger and Robert may have fought at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards they were rewarded with a substantial estate in East Anglia. The Domesday Book lists Roger as holding six lordships in Essex, 117 in Suffolk and 187 in Norfolk.

Bigod's (Bigot) base was in Thetford, Norfolk where he founded a priory later donated to the great monastery at Cluny. In 1101 he further consolidated his power when Henry I granted him licence to build a castle at Framlingham, which became the family seat of power until their downfall in 1307. Another of his castles was Bungay Castle, also in Suffolk. Both these were improved by successive generations.

In 1069 he, along with Robert Malet and Ralph de Gael (the then Earl of Norfolk), defeated Sweyn Estrithson (Sweyn II) of Denmark near Ipswich. After Ralph de Gael's fall in 1074, Roger was appointed High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, and acquired many of the dispossessed earl's estates. For this reason he is sometimes counted as Earl of Norfolk, but he probably was never actually created earl. He acquired further estates through his influence in local law courts.

In the Rebellion of 1088 he joined other Anglo-Norman barons against William II, who, it was hoped, was to be deposed in favour of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. He seems to have lost his lands after the rebellion had failed, but got them back again.

In 1100, Robert Bigod (Bigot) was one of the King's witnesses recorded on the Charter of Liberties, an important precursor to the Magna Carta of 1215.

In 1101 there was another attempt to bring in Robert of Normandy by unseating Henry I, but this time Roger Bigod stayed loyal to Henry.

He died on 9 September 1107 and is buried in Norwich. Upon his death there was a dispute between the Bishop of Norwich, Herbet Losinga, and the monks at Thetford Priory, founded by Bigod. The monks claimed that Roger's body, along with those of his family and successors, was due to them as part of the foundation charter of the priory (as was common practice at the time). The issue was apparently resolved when the Bishop of Norwich stole the body in the middle of the night and dragged it back to Norwich.

For some time he was thought to have two wives, Adelaide/Adeliza and Alice de Tosny. It is now believed these were the same woman, Adeliza (Alice) de Tosny (Toeni, Toeny). She was the sister and coheiress of William de Tosny, Lord of Belvoir.

He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Bigod, and, after he drowned in the sinking of the White Ship, by his second son, Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk, who later became Earl of Norfolk. He also had 3 daughters: Gunnor, who married Robert, Lord of Rayleigh; Cecily, who married William d'Aubigny "Brito"; and Maud, who married William d'Aubigny "Pincerna", and was mother to William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel.

Roger married Adeliza (Alice) de Toeni, the daughter of Robert. They had many children, the list of which varies from source to source, including:

• William, Earl of Norfolk, drowned on White Ship
• Hugh, Earl of Norfolk, married Maud Marshall
• Gunnor, wife of Robert FitzSuein of Essex & Hamo de St Clare
• Maud Bigod, wife of William de Aubiney de Albini Pincerna who perished on the White Ship
• Disputed children; Humphrey, Richard, John, Geoffrey and Jane, wife of Richard FitzEustace

Roger first appeared in England during William the Conqueror's conquest of England, and became a powerful Earl in England. Roger had become allies with William due his discovery and revelation of a plot against William's cousin, William Werlenc. Roger and a relation, Robert, is thought to have fought at the Battle of Hastings, thusly rewarded with estates in East Anglia, now Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The Domesday Book records Roger's holdings as 6 lordships in Essex, 117 in Suffolk and 187 in Norfolk. His base was at Thetford where he built the priory until King Henry I granted him licence to build Framlingham Castle, which became the family seat until their demise in 1307.

Roger was appointed High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk after Ralph de Gael's fall from his Earldom and grace in 1074, and took possession of Gaels' estates. He was considered the Earl of Norfolk, although it would appear he was never formally awarded the title. Roger joined the rebellion of the barons against William II in 1088, an attempt to replace the king with Robert Curthose. The rebellion failed, Roger lost his lands but regained them at a later time. He was one of the witnesses to the Charter of Liberties in 1100, and remained loyal to Henry when there was another attempt to usurp the king in 1101.

When Roger died, the Bishop of Norwich argued against the monks at Thetford concerning who would be responsible for his body. Evidentally, the Bishop literally stole his body in the middle of the night, dragging it back to Norwich, yet his remains are reported to be located at Thetford.

Family links:

Spouse:

 Adeliza De Tosny, Heiress Of Belvoir (1064 - 1135)*

Children:

 Maud Bigod D'Aubigny*

 Hugh Bigod (1095 - 1175)*

 William Bigod (1101 - 1120)*