William d'Aubigny (Brito)

William d'Aubigny I (d. after 1148), was an itinerant justice under King Henry I of England. He was commonly known by the appellation Brito.

Life

William was a son of Main d'Aubigny, Breton lord of Saint-Aubin-d'Aubigné (now in Ille-et-Vilaine department) and Adelaïde de Bohun, daughter of Humphrey with the Beard.^[1] He fought at the Battle of Tinchebray (1106) and was high in Henry I's favour.^[1] He was allowed to marry Cecily, the elder daughter of Roger Bigod, sheriff of Norfolk. Through her, he acquired a part of the honour of Belvoir in Leicestershire – his castle became the centre of the family estates – after his mother-in-law, who had been the heir of Robert de Todeni, lord of Belvoir, died about 1130.^[1]

After the death of King Henry I in 1135, William was and remained a loyal supporter of King Stephen, who presumably confirmed him in succession of Belvoir which passed to his son William.^[2]

Marriage and issue

William and Cecily had:

William, who married Maud Fitz Robert, daughter of Robert Fitz Richard. Their son, William d'Aubigny, a Magna Carta surety.
Matildis married Gille Brigte, Earl of Strathearn.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c K. S. B. Keats-Rohan, 'Aubigné, William d' (d. in or after 1148)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.
^ Judith A. Green. The Descent of Belvoir (PDF). Retrieved 23 April 2024.
^ Neville 2002, p. 457.

Sources

Keats-Rohan, K. S. B. (2004). "Aubigné, William d'". Aubigné, William d' [William de Albini; known as William d'Aubigné Brito] (D. In or after 1148), baron. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press.
Neville, Cynthia J. (2002). "Native Lords and the Church in Thirteenth-Century Strathearn, Scotland". The Journal of Ecclesiastical History. 53 (3 (July)). Cambridge University Press.