Isabel de Bolebec

1165 - 1245  (80 years)

• Name	Isabel de Bolebec  [1, 2, 3]
  Birth	1165	Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire, England   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Female
  Death	4 Feb 1245	Oxford, Oxfordshire, England   [1, 2, 3]
  Burial	Oxfordshire, England   [2, 3]
  	Christchurch Cathedral
  		Church - Cathedral Christ Church Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. This dual role as cathedral and college chapel is unique in the Church of England. This gives the Dean of Christ…
  Person ID	I19855	A Tree Called Smith
  Last Modified	21 Jul 2025

  
  

  Father	Walter de Bolebec,   b. 1140, Hampshire, England d. 1187, Hampshire, England (Age 47 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Sibil de Vesey,   b. 1142, Hampshire, England d. 1170, Hexham, Northumberland, England (Age 28 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	1161	Alnwick, Northumberland, England
  Family ID	F1449	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	3rd Earl of Oxford Robert de Vere,   b. 1164, Colne Engaine, Essex, England d. 25 Oct 1221, Colne Engaine, Essex, England (Age 57 years)
  Marriage	1183	Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex, England
  Children	1. 4th Earl of Oxford Hugh de Vere,   b. Abt 1185, Essex, England d. 23 Dec 1263, Essex, England (Age 78 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F7544	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Jul 2025

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 1165 - Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire, England Marriage - 1183 - Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex, England Death - 4 Feb 1245 - Oxford, Oxfordshire, England Burial - - Oxfordshire, England  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Arms Icons & Insignia

  Arms-BOLOBEC Bolobec Coat of Arms

  
  

  Places

  Church - Cathedral Christ Church Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. This dual role as cathedral and college chapel is unique in the Church of England. This gives the Dean of Christ…

  
  

• Sources

  [S202] Ancestry.com, Web: Netherlands, GenealogieOnline Trees Index, 1000-Current, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT ; Date: 2014;). [S6040] FindAGrave Old World, Isabel de Bolebec de Vere 1164-1245. Isabel de Bolebec, Countess of Oxford was the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Hugh II de Bolebec, lord of Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire, England and his wife Margaret de Montfichet. Isabel was a patroness of the Order of Friars Preacher (Dominicans) in England. She was always referred to as Isabel or Isabella de Bolebec after her second marriage to Robert de Vere. She eventually inherited the entire Bolebec barony. Isabel married first Henry of Nonant (Novaunt), Lord of Totnes, Devonshire who died childless in 1206. In 1207, she petitioned the Crown for the right to marry whom she wished. She received permission, and that same year she married Robert de Vere, later heir to the earldom of Oxford. Isabel's only known child, Hugh de Vere (later fourth earl of Oxford), was born within a year of her marriage to Robert de Vere and Isabel became countess of Oxford when Robert inherited the earldom from his brother in 1214. Robert joined the barons whose dissatisfaction with King John of England prompted their rebellion, and he was one of twenty-five barons elected by the terms of Magna Carta to ensure the John's continued good behaviour. That position led to his excommunication when Pope Innocent III released John from the terms of Magna Carta, and the king took Castle Hedingham, Essex, the Earl's seat, in 1216. Robert made peace with the regents of John's son, Henry III of England, in 1217 and eventually served as a royal judge until his death in 1222. The widowed Countess Isabel purchased the wardship of her minor son and his inheritance for 6000 marks. They traveled together on pilgrimage "beyond the sea" in 1237. Isabel was one of the chief benefactors of the Dominican Order when the friars came to England. She assisted the friars in 1221 to find quarters in the city of Oxford, contributing to the building of their oratory there c. 1227. When they needed a larger priory, she and the bishop of Carlisle bought land south of Oxford and contributed most of the funds and materials needed. She was buried in the new church there. The countess was litigious, engaging in a number of lawsuits, including one long dispute with Woburn Abbey. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78667041/isabel-de_bolebec [S984] Heritage Consulting, Millennium File, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT ; Date: 2003;).