General Notes

!1st Earl of Norfolk.  Lord of Framlingham, 1120.  Royal Steward, 1123. Marriage to second wife Juliana de Vere was annulled.  [Magna Charta Sureties]

NEWLIN LINE - 24th ggrandfather

Hugh Bigod led the revolt against Henry II in the eastern counties abt 1165. [WBH - England]

!Succeeded his elder brother William as steward of the household to Henry I. He was mainly instrumental in raising Stephen, Earl of Boulogne, to the throne, upon the decease of Henry I, and was rewarded by him with the earldom of East Angles, or Norfolk, about 1140.  He was steadfast and faithful in his allegiance to King Stephen through the difficulties which beset that monarch, and gallantly defended Ipswich Castle against the Empress Maud and her son, but was finally obliged to surrender for want of timely relief.  That he was a wealthy and powerful noble is evident from his certifying his knight's fees to be 160 in 1167.  He evidently enjoyed royal favor, as he was recreated Earl of Norfolk by Henry II and obtained a grant of the office of lord high steward of the kingdom, which his father had held.  Allied himself under the banner of Robert, Earl of Leicester, in the insurrection incited by that nobleman in favor of the king's son, 1173.  His part in this rebellion cost him the loss of his strongest castles and the heavy fine of 1000 marks.  After this he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and died in 1177. [Magna Charta Barons, pp. 75-79]

Steward in the king's household. Created earl of Norfolk and his descendants, {specifically his grandson Hugh II} through a marriage with Maud, eldest dau. and co-heiress of the Marshals, earls of Pembroke, became marshals of England, which office is held today (1938) by the Duke of Norfolk. [Falaise Roll, p. 98]

Earl Hugh was one of those who swore fealty to Matilda in 1126 and 1131 and lightly broke both oaths. Suffolk laymen were for Stephen, and Bigod was for himself, though Stephen made him earl of East Anglia in 1141. The king's treatment of the bishops had alienated the Church, and the Liberties were probably against the king. Bungay, the Bigod stronghold, was taken and the earl himself, playing too openly for his own hand, was surprised and defeated by Stephen. In 1153, when Henry of Anjou invaded England, Ipswich under Bigod declared for him, was besieged and had to surrender before help arrived. Earl Hugh must have regretted his support of Prince Henry, for the first demand of the new king was for the surrender of his castles, and in 1157 Framlingham and Bungay were given up. [Victoria History of Suffolk, pp. 165-66]

In 1173 as part of the rebellion against Henry II, Earl Hugh terrorized the county around Bungay and Framlingham. He beseiged Eye, swept off the cattle and corn belonging to the castle, and destroyed the fishponds, cow-houses, and barns. The garrisons were increased in Walton and Orford, and the following year, 1174-5 Earl Hugh made peace with the king and gave up Framlingham Castle, which was levelled to the ground, as also was Walton. The earl went on a crusade and died abroad in 1177. [Victoria History of Suffolk, p. 166]

Earl of Norfolk; son of Roger I Bigod and Alice de Tosny; m. Juliana de Vere. [GRS 3.03, Automated Archives, CD#100]

One wonders what Hugh Bigod, who built Framlingham in the 12th century, would have thought if he knew his castle was to be used to protect royalty. For he was in constant rebellion against his King, Henry II. And his descendants carried on the habit: Roger, his son, fell out with King John, and the last Bigod refused to go to Gascony to fight for King Edward I. [Framlingham Castle<http://www.camelotintl.com/heritage/framli.html]

In East Anglia the main threat was Hugh Bigod, Earl of Norfolk (which meantSuffolk too at that time) who held the castles of Bungay, Framlingham, Thetford and Walton, and claimed the royal castle of Norwich as well. In 1157, Hugh Bigod was required to surrender all his castles to King Henry II. In 1165 King Henry returned Bungay and Framlingham to Bigo in exchange for a large fine. Henry, however, kept Walton castle (won the coast near Felixstowe) until Orford Castle was complete and then demolished it.
   When Henry II's eldest son rebelled against his father, he was abetted by Bigod and by Flemish mercenaries who were landed near Orford. But the rebellion collapsed and Framlingham Castle was demolished. [Orford Castle - Suffolk Heritage Coast - England <http://homebythesea.com/Orfordcastlese.html]

Hugh Bigod built Framlingham Castle to last. It was one of the first castles to have a surrounding curtain wall and several towers rather than one central keep. Even these, however, could not withstand the turbulent times. Although from the outside the castle appears to be perfectly preserved, of the original building only the curtain wall with 13 towers remains. [Framlingham Castle <http://gazetteer.interdart.co.uk/east/visit/FRMCAS.htm]

Created Earl of Norfolk by King Stephen in 1140. Hugh Bigod had three major castles near the east coast, at Bungay, Framlingham and Walton. He also had a claim to the royal castle of Norwich. The only other royal castles nearer than Colchester were small ones at Eye and Haughley. Although Hugh did arrange a reconciliation between King Stephen and Archbishop Theobald at Framlingham, Hugh was usually in rebellion against the Crown. When King Henry II came to the throne, Hugh Bigod's castles were surrendered to him and a royal garrison occupied Framlingham castle. King Henry II began building a new castle at Orford about 1165. Although Bungay and Framlingham castles were returned to Hugh Bigod in exchange for a heavy fine in 1165, Henry kept Walton Castle until he had completed Orford Castle, and then destroyed Walton.
   In 1173 Henry II's eldest son rebelled against his father and was backed by a number of barons including Hugh Bigod. Haughley Castle was destroyed and the city of Norwich sacked, but Bigod had to surrender in the face of aroyal counter-attack. Alnodus the royal engineer and his carpenters and masons were paid to demolish Framlingham Castle. The castle then probably consisted of what is now the Lower Court with a motte on the site later occupied by the poorhouse, since excavations there have shown that it is built on very disturbed ground. [Framlingham and Orford Castles, p. 17]

May be product of 2nd marriage of Roger Bigod. First Earl of Norfolk. When his elder brother William accidently drowned with the king's children in a shipwreck and left no issue, Hugh succeeded as lord steward of the King's household to King Henry I. He was mainly instrumental in raising Stephen, Count of Boulogne, to the throne, and was rewarded with the earldom of East Angles (Norfolk and Suffolk) about 1140. He was faithful in his allegiance to King Stephen and continued to enjoy royal favor. being re-created Earl of Norfolk and Suffolk by Henry II, and obtaining a grant of the office of lord high steward of the kingdom, an office his father had held. In 1177, as a Crusader, he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and died in 23rd of King Henry II before March. [UTZ@aol.com]

Bungay Castle, the original of which was a square Norman keep, was built in 1165 by the feudal lord, Hugh Bigod. The walls were 18 feet thick and 90 feet high. Little remains of this castle apart from the foundation up to the level of the first-floor window. The flore-building was found on excavation to have been one of the largest and strongest in England, also found was a gallery (which may still be seen), cut in to undermine the southwest corner during the siege of 1174. It is significant at this point to mention that Orford was being built for Henry II at about the same time that Hugh Bigod was building Bungay. Hugh later rebelled against his king, forcing Henry to seize the castle and it was only saved from being slighted by the payment of a ransom (hence the uncompleted undermining gallery). [Castles of East Anglia: Bungay Castle]

c. 1095-1177. 1st earl of Norfolk (1135-77). In 1136 he held Norwich against King Stephen of England (who had given him his earldom), then surrendered and was pardoned. In 1141 he fought under Stephen at Lincoln, against Empress Matilda's supporters but later joined the party led by Henry of Anjou (later Henry II of England) and help Ipswich against against Stephen in 1153. He did homage to Henry II in 1157, but his persistend unruliness caused Henry to build Orford Castle as a royal base against Hugh. In 1173 Hugh joined Henry the Young King's rebellion against Henry II and attacked Norwich with him in Jun3 1174. Henry II besieged Hugh's castles at Framlingham and Bungay the same year and forced him to submit and to pay a large indemnity. [The Plantagenet Encyclopedia, p. 32]