William de Warenne Earl of Surrey and Warenne

   Another name for William was 1st Earl of Surrey Guillaume de Varennes.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Family. ¹⁵⁷
According to Webber, author of A Genealogy of the Southworths (Southards)..., Gundred married William de Warren, who was the cousin of William the Conqueror, his granfather's wife having been the sister to the wife of William the Conqueror's great-grandfather.

William de Warren was made the earl of Surrey in 1088 by William rufus. He later died in 1089 from the effects of a wound received at the siege of Pevensy, leaving a son, William de Warren earl of Surrey.

~A Genealogy of the Southworths (Southards)..., p. 431

• Background Information. ⁷²⁶
William de Warren, the first Earl of Surrey, was Count of Warren in Normandy and closely related to the Conqueror, whom he accompanied to Englnad. After the battle of Hastings, he was rewarded with several lordships in several counties, among which were the barony of Lewes in Susses and the manors of Carletune and Benington in Lincolnshire. he married Gundred Gundred died 24 May 1085, at Castle Acre, Norfolk, England, but was interred at Lewes. Willaim died in 1089, and was interred in the Chapter House. The priory was the burial palce of the family as the castle of Lewes was their favorite residence. His children were, Ella, who married Sir William Fitz William, and William.

~Fenwick Allied Ancestry, pg. 124, Pedigree 90

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
William de Warenne was 1st son of Rodulf II by Emma. At some time in or after 1054, Duke William gave him the castle of Mortemer, which had been forfeited by his kinsman, Roger de Mortimer, after the Battle of Mortemer in February of that year. Probably at the same time he acquired lands at Bellencombre, the castle of which became the caput of the Warenne barony in Normandy. In 1066 he was one of the Norman barons summoned by the Duke to a Council on hearing that Harold had been crowned King after the death of the Confessor. He took part in the invasion of England and was present at the Battle of Hastings. For this he was rewarded with lands in 13 counties , including most of the rape of Lewes in Sussex, the manor of Conisborough, Yorkshire, and Castle Acre and a number of holdings in Norfolk. In 1067 he was one of the Norman nobles whom the Conqueror left in England to support his vice-regents, William FitzOsbern and the Bishop of Bayeux.

In 1075 he was one of the two chief justiciars who were in charge of England when the Earls of Hereford and Norfolk rebelled and who summoned them to the King's court, and on their refusal crushed the rebellion. About 1083-85 he was fighting for the King in Maine. In the spring of 1088 he supported William II against the rebels led by the Bishop of Bayeux and the Count of Mortain, and to secure his loyalty he was created, shortly after Easter (16 April) 1088, Earl of Surrey, his immediate successors being styled more usually earls de Warenne. He was mortally wounded at the siege of Pevensey before the end of May. He founded Lewes priory as a cell of Cluny abbey, about 1078-82.

He married, 1stly, Gundred, sister of Gerbod the Fleming, earl of Chester, possibly daughter of Gerbod, hereditary advocate of the Abbey of St. Bertin at St. Omer. She died in child-birth, 27 May 1085, at Castle Acre, Norfolk, and was buried the chapter-house at Lewes. He married, 2ndly, a sister of Richard Guet (living 1098). He died 24 June 1088, apparently from the effect of his wound at Pevensey, at Lewes, and was buried there beside his wife.


~Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, (Surry), Vol. XIIA pp. 493-495, & Some Some Corrections and Additions to the Complete Peerage for Surrey.

William married Gundred of Flanders. (Gundred of Flanders was born about 1050 in Ghent, died on 27 May 1085 in Castle Acre, Norfolk and was buried in Priory, Lewes, Sussex, England.)