The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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A Tour in Scotland is in Georgian Books.
21st September 1769. Cross over the Eimot at Yeoma's bridge, and enter Westmoreland. At a small distance beyond the bridge near the road side is the circle called Arthur's round table, consisting of a high dike of earth, and a deep foss within surrounding an area twenty-nine yards in diameter. There are two entrances exactly opposite to each other; which interrupt the ditch, in those parts filled to a level with the middle. Some suppose this to have been designed for tilting matches, and that the champions entered at each opening. Perhaps that might have been the purpose of it; for the size forbids one to suppose it to be an encampment.
21st September 1769. A little to the North of this, on the summit of a small hill, is Maryborough, a vast circular dike of loose stones: the height and the diameter at the bottom is stupendous: it slopes on both sides, and is entirely formed of pebbles, such as are collected out of rivers. There is an entrance on the East side leading into an area eighty-eight yards in diameter. Near the middle is an upright stone nine feet eight inches high, and seventeen in circumference in the thickest part. There had been three more placed so as to form (with the other) a square. Four again stood on the sides of the entrance, viz. one on each exterior corner; and one on each interior: but excepting that at present remaining, all the others have long since been blasted to clear the ground.