Understanding why ancestral romances such as Gui de Warewic were written reveals a great deal about Anglo-Normans in the 14th Century. One of the essential functions of ancestral romance is to award prestige to a family whose social or economic advancement has left them open to mistrust by established society.
Historian M. Dominica Legge, suggests that Gui de Warewic may have been written sometime between 1232 and 1242 by a canon of Oseney to flatter Thomas, Earl of Warwick. By fulfilling the desire of this Anglo-Norman family to have a stronger, more glorious link to Warwickshire, the poet may have hoped to receive a monetary or promotional reward from the satisfied Warwick family.
The theme of feudal rights and baronial duty which underlies Gui de Warewic proves even more fruitful in identifying the preoccupations of Anglo-Norman society. Throughout his adventures Guy of Warwick puts the demands of his family and lord above those of his own. A common purpose of his adventures is to defend land rights. The rights of landownership were held sacred by Anglo Normans, many of whom had received lands as a reward for supporting William the Conqueror.
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