The Bigod family name is a little on the nose (26th great grandfather)
If they were trying to hide their holy heritage they probably wouldn't call themselves the Bigod family, but in the old days, these things were out in the open. This blog entry is dedicated to the many generations of the Bigod family whom I am related to through my father and the castles they lived in. I am fascinated by the etymology of the names in my family tree. Perhaps I will do a future blog just on the names and their meanings.
There are two castles associated with the Bigod family, Framingham Castle and Bungay Castle and also a Thetford Priory. I like seeing the real estate. Maybe this is why I am attracted to real estate investing - something deep and ancestral attracts me to old structures, especially those made of stone. In my research for my book about Hotel Olympus I have come into some knowledge about architecture and its link to spirituality and I find this avenue of study absolutely fascinating as well. This leads to learning about things like resonance, magnetism and rituals of enlightenment.
Framlingham Castle is a castle in the market town of Framlingham in Suffolk in England. An early motte and bailey or ringwork Norman castle was built on the Framlingham site by 1148, but this was destroyed (slighted) by Henry II of England in the aftermath of the Revolt of 1173–1174. Its replacement, constructed by Roger Bigod, the Earl of Norfolk, was unusual for the time in having no central keep, but instead using a curtain wall with thirteen mural towers to defend the centre of the castle. Despite this, the castle was successfully taken by King John in 1216 after a short siege. By the end of the 13th century, Framlingham had become a luxurious home, surrounded by extensive parkland used for hunting.
During the 15th and 16th centuries Framlingham was at the heart of the estates of the powerful Mowbray and Howard families. Two artificial meres were built around the castle, which was expanded in fashionable brick. With a large, wealthy household to maintain, the castle purchased supplies from across England and brought in luxury goods from international markets. Extensive pleasure gardens were built within the castle and older parts redesigned to allow visitors to enjoy the resulting views. By the end of the 16th century, however, the castle fell into disrepair and after the final Howard owner, Theophilus, entered into financial difficulties the castle and the surrounding estates were sold off.
In 1636, Framlingham Castle was given to Pembroke College, Cambridge, as a philanthropic gesture, and remained in its ownership for some three hundred years. In the 17th century, the internal buildings were taken down to make way for the construction of a poor law workhouse within the castle; it was used in this way until 1839, when the facility was closed; the castle was then used as a drill hall and as a county court. In 1913, Pembroke College placed Framlingham into the guardianship of the Commissioner of Works. During the Second World War, Framlingham Castle was used by the British Army as part of the regional defences against a potential German invasion. Today, the Castle is managed by English Heritage and run as a tourist attraction. It is protected under British law as a Grade I listed building and as a scheduled monument. - wikipedia
More information for tourists here: https://thetudortravelguide.com/2018/07/14/framlingham-castle-suffolk-a-tudor-stronghold/
Bungay Castle
Originally this was a Norman castle built by Roger Bigod of Norfolk, around 1100, which took advantage of the protection given by the curve of the River Waveney. Roger's son, Hugh Bigod, was a prominent player in the civil war years of the Anarchy, and his loyalty was called into question during the early years of the reign of Henry II. Henry confiscated Bungay, returning it in 1164. Hugh went on to build a large square Norman keep on the site in 1165. It is not recorded how much it cost to build the keep, but Hugh Braun who led the excavations at the castle in the 1930s estimated that it would have cost around £1,400.[2] Hugh ended up on the losing side in the Revolt of 1173–1174, Bungay was besieged, mined and ultimately destroyed by royal forces.
The castle gate towers in 1819.
The site was subsequently restored yet again to the Bigods and was further developed in 1294 by Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk, who probably built the massive gate towers on the site.[1] Roger fell out with Edward I and after his death the castle reverted to the Crown, falling into disrepair and ruin.[1] From 1483, it was primarily owned by the Dukes of Norfolk until the 20th century.[3]
Today[edit]
Restoration work on the castle began in 1934, following work by the amateur archaeologist Leonard Cane.[3] The curtain walls and the twin towers of the gatehouse remain today, as well as a fragment of the keep. Bungay Castle was given to the town of Bungay by the Duke of Norfolk in 1987, and is now owned by the Bungay Castle Trust.[3] The castle is a Grade I listed building. - wikipedia
Here is how I am related to the Bigod family:
Me → Carl Jossy
Me → Carl Jossy
ALSO:
There are two castles associated with the Bigod family, Framingham Castle and Bungay Castle and also a Thetford Priory. I like seeing the real estate. Maybe this is why I am attracted to real estate investing - something deep and ancestral attracts me to old structures, especially those made of stone. In my research for my book about Hotel Olympus I have come into some knowledge about architecture and its link to spirituality and I find this avenue of study absolutely fascinating as well. This leads to learning about things like resonance, magnetism and rituals of enlightenment.
Framingham Castle
Framlingham Castle is a castle in the market town of Framlingham in Suffolk in England. An early motte and bailey or ringwork Norman castle was built on the Framlingham site by 1148, but this was destroyed (slighted) by Henry II of England in the aftermath of the Revolt of 1173–1174. Its replacement, constructed by Roger Bigod, the Earl of Norfolk, was unusual for the time in having no central keep, but instead using a curtain wall with thirteen mural towers to defend the centre of the castle. Despite this, the castle was successfully taken by King John in 1216 after a short siege. By the end of the 13th century, Framlingham had become a luxurious home, surrounded by extensive parkland used for hunting.
During the 15th and 16th centuries Framlingham was at the heart of the estates of the powerful Mowbray and Howard families. Two artificial meres were built around the castle, which was expanded in fashionable brick. With a large, wealthy household to maintain, the castle purchased supplies from across England and brought in luxury goods from international markets. Extensive pleasure gardens were built within the castle and older parts redesigned to allow visitors to enjoy the resulting views. By the end of the 16th century, however, the castle fell into disrepair and after the final Howard owner, Theophilus, entered into financial difficulties the castle and the surrounding estates were sold off.
In 1636, Framlingham Castle was given to Pembroke College, Cambridge, as a philanthropic gesture, and remained in its ownership for some three hundred years. In the 17th century, the internal buildings were taken down to make way for the construction of a poor law workhouse within the castle; it was used in this way until 1839, when the facility was closed; the castle was then used as a drill hall and as a county court. In 1913, Pembroke College placed Framlingham into the guardianship of the Commissioner of Works. During the Second World War, Framlingham Castle was used by the British Army as part of the regional defences against a potential German invasion. Today, the Castle is managed by English Heritage and run as a tourist attraction. It is protected under British law as a Grade I listed building and as a scheduled monument. - wikipedia
More information for tourists here: https://thetudortravelguide.com/2018/07/14/framlingham-castle-suffolk-a-tudor-stronghold/
Bungay Castle
Bungay Castle
Originally this was a Norman castle built by Roger Bigod of Norfolk, around 1100, which took advantage of the protection given by the curve of the River Waveney. Roger's son, Hugh Bigod, was a prominent player in the civil war years of the Anarchy, and his loyalty was called into question during the early years of the reign of Henry II. Henry confiscated Bungay, returning it in 1164. Hugh went on to build a large square Norman keep on the site in 1165. It is not recorded how much it cost to build the keep, but Hugh Braun who led the excavations at the castle in the 1930s estimated that it would have cost around £1,400.[2] Hugh ended up on the losing side in the Revolt of 1173–1174, Bungay was besieged, mined and ultimately destroyed by royal forces.
The castle gate towers in 1819.
The site was subsequently restored yet again to the Bigods and was further developed in 1294 by Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk, who probably built the massive gate towers on the site.[1] Roger fell out with Edward I and after his death the castle reverted to the Crown, falling into disrepair and ruin.[1] From 1483, it was primarily owned by the Dukes of Norfolk until the 20th century.[3]
Today[edit]
Restoration work on the castle began in 1934, following work by the amateur archaeologist Leonard Cane.[3] The curtain walls and the twin towers of the gatehouse remain today, as well as a fragment of the keep. Bungay Castle was given to the town of Bungay by the Duke of Norfolk in 1987, and is now owned by the Bungay Castle Trust.[3] The castle is a Grade I listed building. - wikipedia
Here is how I am related to the Bigod family:
Robert "the Chamberlain" Bigod is your 26th great grandfather.
Me → Carl Jossy
my father → Inez Isadora Imus
his mother → Jiles Herbert Imus
her father → Hiram M. Imus
his father → Charles Lemuel Imus
his father → Lucy Imus
his mother → Ann Buck
her mother → Abigail Gould
her mother → Thomas Disbrow
her father → Margaret Walton
his mother → Robert Cromwell of Huntingdon
her father → Sir Henry Williams, alias Cromwell, MP
his father → Frances Cromwell
his mother → Sir Thomas Mirfyn, Lord Mayor of London
her father → George Mervin, of Cambridgeshire
his father → Joan Mervyn
his mother → Katherine Hungerford
her mother → Margaret Peverell
her mother → Thomas de Courtenay, Kt.
her father → Agnes de St John, Countess of Devon
his mother → Alice FitzPiers, Lady of Bassing
her mother → Sir Reginald FitzPiers, Lord of Blaen Llyfni & Constable of Winchester Castle
her father → Alice FitzHerbert
his mother → Robert FitzRoger, 2nd Baron of Warkworth
her father → Roger FitzRichard, of Warkworth
his father → Jane Bigod
his mother → Roger Bigod, I, Earl of East Anglia
her father → Robert "the Chamberlain" Bigod
his father
Geni.com describes him like this: Robert le Bigod was a poor Knight who gained the favour of William, Duke of Normandy, by informing him of the intended treachery of William Werlenc, Count of Mortain. Robert held the lands of Malitot, Loges and Chanon in Normandy and served Duke William as one of his seneschals. He is described at the Battle of Hastings as; "Small of body, but brave and bold, he assaulted the English gallantly".
This family is descended in the direct male line from the Viking Jarls of More, one branch of which came to Normandy in the shape of Rolf the Ganger, founder of the ducal house; his younger brother Hrollaug, who lived in Iceland, was grandfather of Ansfred le Goz, grandfather of Thurstan le Goz, who also came to Normandy and had an elder son who fathered the line of the viscounts of Avranches and a younger son who was known as Robert le Bigot.
Very little is known about Robert le Bigot (c1015-1071), except that he lived in Avranches and held several manors along the Norman coast (near Caen and Lisieux). The meaning of the surname he adoped is unknown. A "bigot" is a mattock (pick ax) in medieval French, but most likely it was the name of the manor where he usually lived (though no such manor can be found). There are other interesting theories: it is how the French heard "by God," and perhaps Robert swore a lot (in English, though?); or it is a corruption of "Goth" or "Visigoth" (Vikings were sometimes called Goths) but this seems very unlikely.
Robert had a son, also Robert le Bigot, who married a daughter of Niel or Nigel, vicomte de St-Saveur (see Aubigny). The legend has it that he was very poor, and planned to follow the Norman invaders to Sicily, but was persuaded by his lord the Count of Mortain to join Duke William's invasion of England instead. It seems unlikely that he was poor.
Wikipedia says:
Roger came from a fairly obscure family of poor knights in Normandy. Robert le Bigot, certainly a relation of Roger's, possibly his father, acquired an important position in the household of William, Duke of Normandy (later William I of England), due, the story goes, to his disclosure to the duke of a plot by the duke's cousin William Werlenc.
Both Roger and Robert were rewarded with a substantial estate in East Anglia following the Norman conquest of England. The Domesday Book lists Roger as holding six lordships in Essex, 117 in Suffolk and 187 in Norfolk.
Bigod's (Bigot) base was in Thetford, Norfolk, then the see of the bishop, where he founded a priory later donated to the abbey at Cluny. In 1101 he further consolidated his power when Henry I granted him license to build a castle at Framlingham, which became the family seat of power until their downfall in 1307. Another of his castles was Bungay Castle, also in Suffolk.
In 1069 he, Robert Malet and Ralph de Gael (then Earl of Norfolk), defeated Sweyn Estrithson (Sweyn II) of Denmark near Ipswich. After Ralph de Gael's fall in 1074, Roger was appointed sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, and acquired many of the dispossessed earl's estates. For this reason he is sometimes counted as Earl of Norfolk, but he probably was never actually created earl. (His son Hugh acquired the title earl of Norfolk in 1141.) He acquired further estates through his influence in local law courts as sheriff and great lord of the region.
In the Rebellion of 1088 he joined other barons in England against William II, whom they hoped to depose in favour of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. He seems to have lost his lands after the rebellion had failed, but regained them after reconciling with the king.
In 1100, Robert Bigod (Bigot) was one of the witnesses recorded on the Charter of Liberties, King Henry I's coronation promises later to influence the Magna Carta of 1215.
In 1101 there was another attempt to bring in Robert of Normandy by removing King Henry, but this time Roger Bigod stayed loyal to the king.
He died on 9 September 1107 and is buried in Norwich. Upon his death there was a dispute over his burial place between the Bishop of Norwich, Herbert Losinga and the monks at Thetford Priory, founded by Bigod. The monks claimed Roger's body, along with those of his family and successors, had been left to them by Roger for burial in the priory in Roger's foundation charter (as was common practice at the time). The bishop of Norwich stole the body in the middle of the night and had him buried in the new cathedral he had built in Norwich.
Thetford Priory founded by Bigod
For some time he was thought to have two wives, Adelaide/Adeliza and Alice/Adeliza de Tosny. It is now believed these were the same woman, Adeliza (Alice) de Tosny (Toeni, Toeny). She was the sister and coheiress of William de Tosny, Lord of Belvoir. Their father was Robert de Todeni.
He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Bigod, and, after William drowned in the sinking of the White Ship, by his second son, Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk. He also had three daughters: Gunnor, who married Robert fitz Swein of Essex, Lord of Rayleigh; Cecily, who married William d'Aubigny "Brito"; and Maud, who married William d'Aubigny "Pincerna", and was mother to William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel.
SIDE NOTE: William "the Conqueror", king of England is my 24th great grandfather.
Me → Carl Jossy
my father → Inez Isadora Imus
his mother → Jiles Herbert Imus
her father → Hiram M. Imus
his father → Charles Lemuel Imus
his father → Lucy Imus
his mother → Ann Buck
her mother → Abigail Gould
her mother → Thomas Disbrow
her father → Margaret Walton
his mother → Robert Cromwell of Huntingdon
her father → Sir Henry Williams, alias Cromwell, MP
his father → Richard Williams, alias Cromwell
his father → Morgan Williams
his father → William ab Ieuan, of Whitchurch
his father → Margred Kemeys, of Bagam
his mother → Jenkin Kemeys, of Began
her father → John Kemeys
his father → Catrin verch Llewelyn
his mother → Llewelyn ap Hywel
her father → Hywel Felyn ap Gruffudd
his father → Mabel FitzWilliam, de Gloucester
his mother → William FitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester
her father → Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester
his father → Henry I "Beauclerc", King of England
his father → William "the Conqueror", king of England
his father
ALSO:
Henry I "Beauclerc", King of England is my 23rd great grandfather.
Me → Carl Jossy
my father → Inez Isadora Imus
his mother → Jiles Herbert Imus
her father → Hiram M. Imus
his father → Charles Lemuel Imus
his father → Lucy Imus
his mother → Ann Buck
her mother → Abigail Gould
her mother → Thomas Disbrow
her father → Margaret Walton
his mother → Robert Cromwell of Huntingdon
her father → Sir Henry Williams, alias Cromwell, MP
his father → Richard Williams, alias Cromwell
his father → Morgan Williams
his father → William ab Ieuan, of Whitchurch
his father → Margred Kemeys, of Bagam
his mother → Jenkin Kemeys, of Began
her father → John Kemeys
his father → Catrin verch Llewelyn
his mother → Llewelyn ap Hywel
her father → Hywel Felyn ap Gruffudd
his father → Mabel FitzWilliam, de Gloucester
his mother → William FitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester
her father → Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester
his father → Henry I "Beauclerc", King of England
his father
ALSO:
John I "Lackland", King of England is your 21st great grandfather.
Me
→ Carl Jossy
my father → Inez Isadora Imus
his mother → Jiles Herbert Imus
her father → Hiram M. Imus
his father → Charles Lemuel Imus
his father → Lucy Imus
his mother → Ann Buck
her mother → Abigail Gould
her mother → Thomas Disbrow
her father → Margaret Walton
his mother → Robert Cromwell of Huntingdon
her father → Sir Henry Williams, alias Cromwell, MP
his father → Frances Cromwell
his mother → Sir Thomas Mirfyn, Lord Mayor of London
her father → George Mervin, of Cambridgeshire
his father → Joan Mervyn
his mother → Katherine Hungerford
her mother → Sir Thomas Peverell, Kt., of Park Hamitilly
her father → Sir Hugh Peverell, Kt.
his father → Margaret Peverell
his mother → Walter de Cornwall
her father → Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall
his father → John I "Lackland", King of England
his father
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