Companions to William
Having started on my History of Belchamp Walter the name de Vere became pretty prominant. While I cannot deny that the family was pretty important in the shaping of the country, especially in the local area, I am intriged by the lack of certainty of where they are from and why did they come to be so influencial.
Being a "Companion to William the Conqueror" seems to be on the same lines of having a convict in your past to an Australian, the desire to be "on the list" seems to be a historians prime objective.
The Wikipedia page lists only 15 names of those that are definitly on the list. There are 6 more names added by David C. Douglas and J. F. A.Mason plus some sources of "secondary merit".
For the purposes of this website and the history of Belchamp Walter and surrounding area there is no de Vere listed.
The three "trusted" sources
I find it interesting that there are three that are quoted as being "trusted" (Wikipedia).
- William of Poitiers
- Orderic Vitalis
- and the Bayeux Tapestry
There are many others that have written accounts of the battle including William of Malmesbury
The "proven" list