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Hedingham
Timeline
c. 1110 Aubrey de Vere born.
1141 Aubrey de Vere created Earl of Oxford
Aubrey de Vere created Earl of Oxford by Matilda,
when she is declared queen
during the civil war with Stephen
I. This promotion probably motivates him to start building Hedingham.
But the de Vere family remain the poorest comital (earl's) family of their day,
with an income of around £800 a year. An 'average' earl would be worth around
double this amount.
1191 Aubrey de Vere dies
Aubrey dies, having lived into his eighties.
1215 Civil war breaks out
Civil war breaks out following King
John's repudiation of Magna Carta. Robert de Vere, Aubrey's son,
declares for the rebels and opposes the king.
October 1215 Rochester falls
Rochester falls to John after a seven-week siege. The defeat of the garrison there
discourages other rebels.
1216 King John moves into East Anglia
King
John, who is at war with his barons, moves into East Anglia, taking
castles without a fight. Colchester and Framlingham fall quickly. Hedingham is
persuaded to surrender, perhaps following a very short siege of a few days.
1217 Hedingham restored to the de Veres
Hedingham is restored to the de Veres following John's death in October.
1490s Henry VII comes to stay Henry
VII is entertained at the castle by Aubrey’s descendant, John
de Vere. The Tudor buildings, including the present bridge to the castle, are
added around this time.
1561 Elizabeth comes to stay
Queen
Elizabeth I, aged 28, stays at Hedingham for a few days. Edward de
Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, becomes one of her favourites and is a celebrated
court poet.
1625 Henry de Vere dies
Henry de Vere, the 18th Earl of Oxford, dies. He is the last member of the family
to live in the castle. During his lifetime some of the fabric of the castle's
bailey building is dismantled.
1703 Death of the last de Vere
The last of the de Veres, called Aubrey, dies.
1918 The floors and ceilings destroyed
Soldiers stationed on the roof during the First World War light a fire to keep
warm and burn down all the floors and ceilings of the castle. They are later replaced.
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