Agnes of Essex
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 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 given Lucia or Lucy as the third wife of earl Aubrey, compounding a mistake made by 19th-century genealogists. A 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 usually ascribed to the lay patron and 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 is the name given for the third wife and eventual widow of the earl of Oxford in other documents.
. 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. 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.
Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, held for several centuries by the de Vere family from 1141 until the death of the 20th earl in 1703. The Veres were also hereditary holders of the office of master or Lord Great Chamberlain from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625...
, 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
Aubrey de Vere III
Aubrey de Vere III was created Earl of Oxford by the empress Matilda in July 1141. He had inherited the barony of Hedingham on the death of his father Aubrey de Vere II in May 1141, when he was already Count of Guînes by right of his wife Beatrice. In 1139 and 1154 he was appointed High Sheriff...
, 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
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
, 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
Gilbert Foliot
Gilbert Foliot was a medieval English monk and prelate, successively Abbot of Gloucester, Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London. Born to an ecclesiastical family, he became a monk at Cluny Abbey in France at about the age of twenty...
reprimanded Aubrey. Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
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
Castle Hedingham
Castle Hedingham is a small village in northeast Essex, England, located four miles west of Halstead and is situated in the Colne Valley on the ancient road from Colchester, Essex, to Cambridge....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. 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
Colne Priory, Essex
-Colne Priory, Earls Colne, Essex:This Benedictine priory, initially a dependent cell of Abingdon Abbey, Berkshire , was founded by Aubrey de Vere I and his wife Beatrice in or before 1111. Their eldest son Geoffrey had died at Abingdon about seven or eight years earlier and was buried there...
.
Name Dispute
Many have given Lucia or Lucy as the third wife of earl Aubrey, compounding a mistake made by 19th-century genealogists. A Lucia was prioress at Castle Hedingham Priory
Castle Hedingham Priory
Hedingham Priory was a Benedictine nunnery in Castle Hedingham, Essex, founded in or before 1190 by Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford, perhaps in partnership with his third wife, Agnes of Essex. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, St...
. 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 usually ascribed to the lay patron and 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 is the name given for the third wife and eventual widow of the earl of Oxford in other documents.
Children
Agnes bore her husband four sons and a daughter, including two future earls of Oxford: Aubrey IV and Robert IRobert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford
Robert de Vere was the second surviving son of Aubrey de Vere III, first earl of Oxford, and Agnes of Essex. Almost nothing of his life is known until he married in 1207 the widow Isabel de Bolebec, the aunt and co-heiress of his deceased sister-in-law. The couple had one child, a son, Hugh,...
. Her daughter Alice married 1) Ernulf de Kemesech, 2) John, constable of Chester. Their son Henry may have become chancellor of Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
Cathedral in the bishopric of his uncle, William de Vere
William de Vere
-Biography:The son of Aubrey de Vere II and Adeliza of Clare, probably the fourth of five sons, and brother of Aubrey de Vere III first earl of Oxford, de Vere spent part of his youth at the court of King Henry I of England and his second wife, Queen Adeliza of Leuven. Little is known of his...
, and later a royal clerk under King John of England. 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.