Biography of Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria 1120-1178

Paternal Family Tree: Warenne

Maternal Family Tree: Adela Valois Countess Blois and Vermandois

In 1096 Robert Beaumont 1st Earl of Leicester Count Meulan [aged 56] and [her mother] Elizabeth Capet Countess Leicester, Meulan and Surrey [aged 11] were married. She by marriage Countess of Leicester. The difference in their ages was 45 years. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Hugh "Great" Capet [aged 39] and [her grandmother] Adelaide I Countess Vermandois.

Before 1119 [her father] William Warenne 2nd Earl of Surrey and [her mother] Elizabeth Capet Countess Leicester, Meulan and Surrey [aged 33] were married. She by marriage Countess Surrey. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Hugh "Great" Capet and [her grandmother] Adelaide I Countess Vermandois. He the son of William Warenne 1st Earl of Surrey and Gundred Countess of Surrey.

Around 1120 Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria was born to [her father] William Warenne 2nd Earl of Surrey and [her mother] Elizabeth Capet Countess Leicester, Meulan and Surrey [aged 35].

In 1121 [her half-brother] Robert Beaumont 2nd Earl of Leicester [aged 17] and [her sister-in-law] Amice Gael Countess Leicester were married. He the son of Robert Beaumont 1st Earl of Leicester Count Meulan and [her mother] Elizabeth Capet Countess Leicester, Meulan and Surrey [aged 36]. They were fourth cousin once removed.

In 1131 Maud Queen Consort Scotland [aged 57] died. Her son [her future husband] Henry [aged 17] succeeded 3rd Earl Huntingdon, 3rd Earl of Northampton. Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [aged 11] by marriage Countess Huntingdon.

On 13th February 1131 [her mother] Elizabeth Capet Countess Leicester, Meulan and Surrey [aged 46] died.

Around March 1136 [her half-brother] Waleran Beaumont 1st Earl of Worcester Count Meulan [aged 32] and [her sister-in-law] Matilda Blois Countess of Worcester [aged 3] were married. She by marriage Countess Worcester. The difference in their ages was 29 years. She the daughter of King Stephen I England [aged 42] and Matilda Flanders [aged 31]. He the son of Robert Beaumont 1st Earl of Leicester Count Meulan and [her mother] Elizabeth Capet Countess Leicester, Meulan and Surrey. They were third cousin once removed.

Before 1137 [her brother] William Warenne 3rd Earl of Surrey [aged 17] and [her sister-in-law] Adela Montgomery Countess of Salisbury and Surrey were married. She the daughter of William "Talvas" Montgomery III Count Ponthieu [aged 43] and Helie Burgundy Countess Ponthieu [aged 56]. He the son of [her father] William Warenne 2nd Earl of Surrey and [her mother] Elizabeth Capet Countess Leicester, Meulan and Surrey. They were third cousin once removed.

In 1138 [her half-brother] Hugh Beaumont [aged 32] was created 1st Earl Bedford. There is some doubt as to whether this creation existed.

After 1138 [her half-brother] Hugh Beaumont [deceased] died. Earl Bedford extinct.

On 11th May 1138 [her father] William Warenne 2nd Earl of Surrey died. His son [her brother] William [aged 19] succeeded 3rd Earl Surrey and inherited his estates including Conisbrough Castle [Map]. [her sister-in-law] Adela Montgomery Countess of Salisbury and Surrey by marriage Countess Surrey.

Before 1139 Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria [aged 24] and Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of William Warenne 2nd Earl of Surrey and Elizabeth Capet Countess Leicester, Meulan and Surrey. He the son of King David I of Scotland [aged 54] and Maud Queen Consort Scotland. They were half sixth cousins.

Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes

Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.

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In 1139 [her daughter] Ada Dunkeld Countess Holland was born to [her husband] Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria [aged 25] and Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [aged 19]. She married 28th September 1162 her fifth cousin once removed Floris Gerulfing III Count Holland, son of Dirk Gerulfing VI Count Holland and Sophie Salm Countess Holland, and had issue.

In 1139 [her husband] Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria [aged 25] was created 1st Earl of Northumbria. Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [aged 19] by marriage Countess of Northumbria.

On 23rd April 1141 [her son] King Malcolm IV of Scotland was born to [her husband] Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria [aged 27] and Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [aged 21] at Jedburgh.

In 1142 [her half-brother] Waleran Beaumont 1st Earl of Worcester Count Meulan [aged 38] and [her sister-in-law] Agnes Elizabeth Montfort Countess Worcester were married. She by marriage Countess Worcester. She the daughter of Amaury Montfort Count Évreux. He the son of Robert Beaumont 1st Earl of Leicester Count Meulan and [her mother] Elizabeth Capet Countess Leicester, Meulan and Surrey. They were fourth cousin once removed.

Around 1143 [her son] King William I of Scotland was born to [her husband] Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria [aged 29] and Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [aged 23]. He married 5th September 1186 his half fourth cousin Ermengarde Beaumont Sarthe Queen Consort Scotland, daughter of Richard Beaumont Sarthe I Viscount and Lucie Aigle Viscountess, and had issue.

In 1145 [her daughter] Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany was born to [her husband] Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria [aged 31] and Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [aged 25]. She married (1) William de Hertburn Fitzpatrick (2) her half fourth cousin Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany, son of Alan "Black" Penthièvre 1st Earl Richmond and Bertha Canhiart I Duchess Brittany, and had issue (3) February 1171 Humphrey Bohun and had issue.

On 6th January 1148 [her brother] William Warenne 3rd Earl of Surrey [aged 29] died. His daughter [her niece] Isabella [aged 11] succeeded 4th Countess Surrey and inherited his estates including Conisbrough Castle [Map].

In 1152 [her son] David Dunkeld 8th Earl Huntingdon was born to [her husband] Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria [aged 38] and Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [aged 32]. He married before 1194 his half fourth cousin once removed Matilda Gernon Countess Huntingdon, daughter of Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester and Bertrade Montfort Countess Chester, and had issue.

In 1152 [her daughter] Matilda or Maud Dunkeld died.

On 12th June 1152 [her husband] Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria [aged 38] died. His half brother [her brother-in-law] Simon [aged 54] succeeded 4th Earl Huntingdon, 4th Earl of Northampton. His son Malcolm [aged 11] succeeded 2nd Earl of Northumbria.

Memoires of Jacques du Clercq

This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.

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On 28th September 1162 [her son-in-law] Floris Gerulfing III Count Holland [aged 21] and Ada Dunkeld Countess Holland [aged 23] were married. She by marriage Countess Holland. She the daughter of Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria and Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [aged 42]. He the son of Dirk Gerulfing VI Count Holland and Sophie Salm Countess Holland [aged 42]. They were fifth cousin once removed.

Death of King Malcolm IV of Scotland

On 9th December 1165 [her son] King Malcolm IV of Scotland [aged 24] died. His brother William [aged 22] succeeded I King Scotland, 6th Earl Huntingdon.

On 9th April 1166 [her half-brother] Waleran Beaumont 1st Earl of Worcester Count Meulan [aged 62] died. Earl Worcester extinct. His son [her nephew] Robert [aged 24] succeeded Count Meulan.

On 5th April 1168 [her half-brother] Robert Beaumont 2nd Earl of Leicester [aged 64] died. His son [her nephew] Robert succeeded 3rd Earl of Leicester.

Between February 1171 and April 1175 [her son-in-law] Humphrey Bohun [aged 27] and Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany [aged 26] were married. She the daughter of Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria and Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [aged 51].

In 1178 Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria [aged 58] died.

In 1178 the Abbey of St Mary, Haddington [Map], was founded by Countess Ada of Northumbria [aged 58] as a Cistercian nunnery. She was the daughter-in-law of [her former father-in-law] King David I of Scotland, the founder of many Scottish monasteries. Haddington 'Abbey' was in fact a Priory with a Prioress at its head, but commonly called the Abbey.

[her daughter] Matilda or Maud Dunkeld was born to Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria and Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria.

[her daughter] Marjorie Dunkeld Countess Angus was born to Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria and Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria. She married Gille Críst Angus 4th Earl Angus and had issue.