History Is Present

Roger Bigod

High Sheriff  of Norfolk & Suffolk

Let’s start at the beginning with Roger Bigod.

Roger was from a poor family of Norman knights who were considered second ranking nobles in those days. He came to England during the Norman Conquest of 1066. He was given lands in East Anglia and created High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk as reward for his loyalty to his Duke and King. The Doomsday Book, written in 1086, said that Roger held six lordships in Essex, 117 in Suffolk and 187 in Norfolk.

In 1075 Ralph Guader,  a Breton who was the first Norman constable of the castle,

Norwich in the 11th Century

from began a rebellion Norwich, which was the heart of Bigod’s lands, had created a vacuum in the east.  Bigod along with Guader intended to join together to remove William from the throne but are thwarted by the Earl of Hereford, and the castle became under siege from the Royal Army led by Lanfranc. After three months of deprivation the besieged where allowed to leave unharmed.

Following the death of William the Conqueror in 1087, the throne of England became a precarious position and according to his will his lands were to be divided between his eldest son Robert, who became Duke of Normandy, and his second surviving son William who was crowned King of England. This division put the Bigod’s claim to East Anglia in a dilemma. Twenty years after the conquest they had to choose between loyalty to their king, or their duke, and their Norman roots.

Back in Normandy, Bigod had become an under-tenant of Odo of Bayeux, who was the leading figure in the revolt against Rufus in England and make Robert King and Duke. The key military strategy of the 11^th century was the Norman's use of castles to establish their control over the land, and this was something that the rebels were quick to exploit. Across England, in anticipation that Robert would invade from Normandy to support their move, some of the most powerful men in the country moved to secure castles in their region. For Roger Bigod the royal castle at Norwich was a prime target, and it was duly seized.    

William was an astute politician and sought to divide the rebels; offering to them more English lands, and cautioning them not to oppose the decision of the Conqueror. Through a combination of cajoling, threats, and brute force, William succeeded in suppressing the rebellion. After a lengthy siege at Rochester, Odo was captured and Robert’s position in Normandy was consistently undermined by his younger brother.

Bigod's involvement with the rebel’s cause was brief, and his realignment with the King indeed proved profitable and was made the royal advisor.

When William died in a tragic accident during a hunting trip (what really happened is not clear) on the 2^nd August 1100 is younger brother Henry became King. There was an attempt to Henry with Robert, but this time Roger Bigod stayed loyal to the King.

In 1120 another drama about the issue of succession once more plunged the Anglo-Norman Kingdom into conflict. In November of that year the White Ship sank off Barfleur taking the life of the only legitimate male heir to Henry's throne. Among the other casualties of the disaster was William Bigod. The event was to prove as fateful for the fortunes of the Bigod family as it was for the crown.

Framlingham Castle

Sometime before his death in 1147, he acquired the manor of Framlingham that was to become so indelibly linked to the Bigod name, his lands then passed to his second son Hugh as his eldest son William had drowned on the White Ship. Roger also had 3 daughters: Gunnor, Cicely and Maud by his wife Adeliza de Tosny.