Robert ROGER, BIGOD

                   EARL OF EAST ANGLIA
FOUNDED THETFORD PRIORY
About 1100, Roger built Bungay castle and in 1104 founded Thetford Priory in Norfolk. In 1101, King Henry I gave Roger Framlingham Castle and other estates in Norfolk and Suffolk. Framlingham became the principal family stronghold for the next200 years. Roger was suceeded by his eldest son, William who drowned in the wreck of the White ship on 26th November 1120. Roger's second son, Hugh Bigod then inherited the estates.
FRAMLINGHAM CASTLE, SUFFOLK:
The castle passed from the Bigods to the Royal Family to the Mowbrays, the Howards and back to the crown. Edward VI gave the castle to his half-sister Mary I (Bloody Mary) who spent a long summer there waiting to be declared Queen in 1553 whilethe succession of Edward VI was still in dispute. (Lady Jane Grey served as Queen for only 9 days in the interim). Elizabeth I used the castle to imprison priests who defied The Church of England. The castle, with its wonderful Wall Walk, iswell worth a visit today.
THE WRECK OF THE WHITE SHIP, 25 NOV 1120
King Henry I's only legitimate son and heir, the warrior prince William the Aetheling, was returning to England after defeating King Louis VI of France at the Battle of Bremule. The rising star of the Royal Court, the young Prince wasaccompanied on The White Ship by 140 knights, 18 noblewomen and many of the heirs to the great estates of England and Normandy. The mood was jubilant and the Prince supplied wine by the barrel for the occasion with passengers and crew partyinginto the night. Racing through the waves to catch up with the rest of the fleet which departed much
earlier, the White Ship hit a rock and opened a gaping hole on the port side. The Prince was rushed into a dinghy, but on hearing the desperate cries of his sister as the ship sunk beneath the waves, he ordered the little boat to turn around,but the situation was hopeless. Many fought desperately to save the Royal dinghy, but in the end all were lost to the sea. Only a Rouen butcher named Berold survived to tell the tale. When King Henry heard of the news, it is said he neversmiled again. To secure his family's succession, he ordered the barons to swear an oath to uphold the rights of his remaining legitimate heir, Matilda (or Maud). But the time was not ripe for a woman to rule, disputes broke out after Henry'sdeath, and his nephew Stephen of Blois seized power throwing the country into Civil War.