" Robert Malet was the son of William Malet , who being at the battle of Hastings , and witnessing the fall of the unfortunate Harold, was commissioned to see him decently buried . Both William and this Robert , his son , enjoyed immense estates ; the latter having , besides his possessions in this county , thirty - two lordships in Yorkshire , and two hundred and twenty - one in Suffolk , his chief residence being at Eye , in that county ; he had also , besides these , many other possessions . He was advanced to the office of great chamberlain in the first year of King Henry the First; but , in the following year , taking part with Robert Curthose, he was banished the kingdom , his estates confiscated , and his high office of great chamberlain given to Alberic de Vere. "

" Alberic de Vere, who married Beatrix, half-sister to King William; he was the founder of the noble family of the Veres, earls of Oxford. Alberic is supposed to have taken his surname from Vere, a town in Zealand , where the family he belonged to had estates. He accompanied William as one of his chiefs. His sons by Beatrix were Alberic, Geofrey, Roger, Robert, and William; he had also a daughter, named Poesia, married to Pagan de Beauchamp, and afterwards to Geofrey de Mandeville, the first earl of Essex of that name. This family of de Vere is justly reckoned one of the most ancient and illustrious in the world, and which continued longest crowned with honour and riches, having produced a succession of twenty earls of the same name and lineage, from the year 1137 to 1703.
Besides the office of lord high chamberlain, and the earldom of Oxford, hereditary dignities in this family, some of them discharged the offices of portreve of London, of chief justice, chancellor, high-admiral, lord high-steward, and constable of England. William de Vere, son of the first earl, was bishop of Hereford in 1186.
Several renowned warriors and generals, and four knights of the order of the garter , have also arisen from this family.
The ninth earl, Robert, was the first that was honoured with the title of marquis in this kingdom, being created marquis of Dublin and duke of Ireland by King Richard the Second. "