William d'Aubigny 1st Earl of Arundel
d. 1176
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About
William d'Aubigny, called the Strong Hand, married the widow of King Henry the First and with her the Castle and Honour of Arundel, becoming the first earl of his house; he sheltered the Empress Maud at Arundel in 1139, served Henry the Second on embassies to Rome and Saxony, commanded the royal army in Normandy in 1173, and helped defeat the invading Flemings near Bury St Edmunds.
Research notes
✓ WILLIAM D'AUBIGNY 'the STRONG HAND', 1st Earl of ARUNDEL (Sussex/Chichester) (d. 12 Oct 1176 at Waverley Abbey, bur. Wymondham Priory); m. 1138 ADELIZA OF LOUVAIN, Queen Dowager of England; father of the 2nd Earl (our line). The Bury St Edmunds action of 29 Sep 1173 is a pleasing echo of the family's later Suffolk ground. Source: Cokayne, Complete Peerage (1st edn), 'Arundel' pp.138-153, photographed and read 6 Aug 2026; contested rungs note-only, not hardened.