Jones / McGill:Information about William de Warren - Earl of Surrey
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
William de Warren - Earl of Surrey (b. 1055, d. 24 Jun 1088)
Notes for William de Warren - Earl of Surrey:
William de Warenne was a knight at the Battle of Mortemer in 1054 for
which he received Castle Acre from Duke William who was to become
William the Conqueror. He contributed to the preparations that led to
the invasion of England and was amongthe powerful Norman barons who
fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. His share of the spoil
included 300 manors, Lewes Castle and Worth Church in Sussex, where
the arms of the Warenne family can be seen in the stained glass
today. Many membersof this great family went on to play an important
role in the affairs of the State with Kings and Queens all visiting
CastleAcre as their guests. In 1075 Warenne was joint Justiciar with
Richard de Clare, suppressing the rebellion of the Earlsof Hereford
and Norfolk. In 1085, his beloved wife Gundrada died in childbirth at
Castle Acre. A pious man, William was deeply affected and poured
money into the building of two priories. In 1088 while taking part in
a seige at Pevensey Castlein Sussex, William waswounded in the leg
by an arrow. He was carried to Castle Lewes, where he died on 24th
June 1088.
The Warenne family originated at Varenne, two miles south of Arques
on the River Varenne, and their seat and castle town became
Bellencombre to the north. There is a wonderful French movie, by the
way, called "La Nuit de Varenne," (1982) starringMarcello
Mastroianni.
LEWES CASTLE:
The castle was begun soon after 1066 by William de Warenne as his
strongholdin Sussex but not completed until 300 years later.
WORTH CHURCH passed from the Warennes to the FitzAlans and then to
the Nevilles.
Buried at Lewes, Sussex, England
More About William de Warren - Earl of Surrey and Gundred - Princess of England:
Marriage: 1077, Normandy, France.
Children of William de Warren - Earl of Surrey and Gundred - Princess of England are:
- +William de Warren II - Earl of Surrey, b. 24 Jun 1065, Sussex, England, d. 11 May 1138, England.