The House of de Vere was an old and powerful English aristocratic family who derived their name from Ver (department Manche, canton Gavray), in Lower Normandy, France. [2]
The family's Norman founder in England, Aubrey (Albericus) de Vere, appears in Domesday Book (1086) as the holder of a large fief in Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Huntingdonshire. His son and heir Aubrey II became Lord Great Chamberlain of England, an hereditary office, in 1133. His grandson Aubrey III became Earl of Oxford in the reign of King Stephen, but while his earldom had been granted by the Empress Matilda and eventually recognised by Stephen, it was not until January 1156 that it was formally recognised by Henry II and he began to receive the third penny of justice (one-third of the revenue of the shire court) from Oxfordshire. [3] [4]
For many centuries the family was headed by the Earl of Oxford until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703.
When John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford died suddenly in 1562, the de Vere estates were encumbered with debts and the young heir entered into the feudal wardship system of the young Queen Elizabeth I, [5] placed under "protection and authority" of the Court of Wards and Liveries and was sent to live in the household of her principal advisor, Sir William Cecil.
Among the offices the family held besides that of Lord Great Chamberlain was the forestership of Essex, and they founded the Essex religious houses of Colne Priory, Hatfield Broad Oak Priory, and Castle Hedingham Priory. [6] Macaulay described the family as "the longest and most illustrious line of nobles that England has seen", [7] and Tennyson's poem " Lady Clara Vere de Vere" made the name synonymous with ancient blood. [8]
Twenty males headed the family as Earl of Oxford from 1141 to 1703:
This summary genealogical tree shows how the house of de Vere is related:
Earl of Oxford family tree | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Arms of notable members of the de Vere family:
The House of de Vere was an old and powerful English aristocratic family who derived their name from Ver (department Manche, canton Gavray), in Lower Normandy, France. [2]
The family's Norman founder in England, Aubrey (Albericus) de Vere, appears in Domesday Book (1086) as the holder of a large fief in Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Huntingdonshire. His son and heir Aubrey II became Lord Great Chamberlain of England, an hereditary office, in 1133. His grandson Aubrey III became Earl of Oxford in the reign of King Stephen, but while his earldom had been granted by the Empress Matilda and eventually recognised by Stephen, it was not until January 1156 that it was formally recognised by Henry II and he began to receive the third penny of justice (one-third of the revenue of the shire court) from Oxfordshire. [3] [4]
For many centuries the family was headed by the Earl of Oxford until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703.
When John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford died suddenly in 1562, the de Vere estates were encumbered with debts and the young heir entered into the feudal wardship system of the young Queen Elizabeth I, [5] placed under "protection and authority" of the Court of Wards and Liveries and was sent to live in the household of her principal advisor, Sir William Cecil.
Among the offices the family held besides that of Lord Great Chamberlain was the forestership of Essex, and they founded the Essex religious houses of Colne Priory, Hatfield Broad Oak Priory, and Castle Hedingham Priory. [6] Macaulay described the family as "the longest and most illustrious line of nobles that England has seen", [7] and Tennyson's poem " Lady Clara Vere de Vere" made the name synonymous with ancient blood. [8]
Twenty males headed the family as Earl of Oxford from 1141 to 1703:
This summary genealogical tree shows how the house of de Vere is related:
Earl of Oxford family tree | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Arms of notable members of the de Vere family: