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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Paternal Family Tree: Grey
In or before 1722 [his father] Henry Grey 1st Baronet [aged 30] and [his mother] Hannah Wood were married.
On or before 23rd October 1729 Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey was born to [his father] Henry Grey 1st Baronet [aged 37] and [his mother] Hannah Wood at Howick Hall, Northumberland [Map]. He was baptised on 23rd October 1729.
Around May 1749 [his father] Henry Grey 1st Baronet [aged 57] died. His son [his brother] Henry [aged 27] succeeded 2nd Baronet Grey of Howick in Northumberland.
In 1762 Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 32] and Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 18] were married.
On 13th March 1764 [his son] Charles Grey 2nd Earl Grey was born to Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 34] and [his wife] Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 20]. He married 18th November 1794 Mary Elizabeth Ponsonby Countess Grey, daughter of William Ponsonby 1st Baron Ponsonby of Imokilly in County Cork and Louisa Molesworth Countess Fitzwilliam, and had issue.
In 1766 [his son] Henry George Grey was born to Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 36] and [his wife] Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 22].
On 10th October 1767 [his son] George Grey 1st Baronet was born to Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 37] and [his wife] Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 23] at Fallodon Hall, Northumberland [Map]. He married 18th June 1795 Mary Whitbread Lady Grey and had issue.
In 1777 [his son] Lieutenant-Colonel William Grey was born to Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 47] and [his wife] Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 33]. He married 7th May 1805 Maria Shirreff and had issue.
On 25th May 1782 [his son] Bishop Edward Grey was born to Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 52] and [his wife] Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 38]. He married (1) 21st March 1809 Charlotte Elizabeth Croft (2) 9th September 1824 Elizabeth Adair (3) 24th July 1837 Eliza Innes and had issue.
In 1785 [his daughter] Hannah Althea Grey was born to Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 55] and [his wife] Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 41]. She married 30th October 1809 Edward Ellice.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 26th December 1787 [his son-in-law] Samuel Charles Whitbread [aged 23] and Elizabeth Grey were married. See Marriage of Two Sets of Siblings. She the daughter of Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 58] and Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 43].
On 20th February 1792 [his granddaughter] Eliza Courtenay was born illegitimately to [his son] Charles Grey 2nd Earl Grey [aged 27] and Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire [aged 34] at Aix en Provence whilst she, Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire was married to William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 44]. The Duchess was forced to relinquish the child shortly after her birth, to be raised by Charles Grey's parents, Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 62] and [his wife] Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 48]. The surname Courtenay was derived from her great-uncle, her maternal grandmother's brother, William Poyntz [aged 57].
In 1793 HMS Boyne sailed for the West Indies carrying Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 63].
On 18th November 1794 Charles Grey 2nd Earl Grey [aged 30] and Mary Elizabeth Ponsonby Countess Grey [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of William Ponsonby 1st Baron Ponsonby of Imokilly in County Cork [aged 50] and Louisa Molesworth Countess Fitzwilliam [aged 45]. He the son of Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 65] and Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 50].
On 18th June 1795 George Grey 1st Baronet [aged 27] and Mary Whitbread Lady Grey [aged 25] were married. Her brother Samuel [aged 31] had married her husband George's sister Elizabeth six years earlier. See Marriage of Two Sets of Siblings. He the son of Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 65] and Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 51].
The London Gazette 15374. Whitehall, June 13, 1801.
The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of a Baron of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, unto the Right Honorable General Sir Charles Grey [aged 71], KB aud the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, by the Name, Stile, and Title of Baron Grey, of Howick, in the County of Northumberland.
On 7th May 1805 Lieutenant-Colonel William Grey [aged 28] and Maria Shirreff [aged 23] were married. He the son of Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 75] and Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 61].
The London Gazette 15905. Whitehall, April 1, 1806.
The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of an Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, and Ireland to the Right Honorable Charles Viscount Newark [aged 68], and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, by the Name, Stile, and Title as Earl Manvers. [Anne Mills Countess Manvers [aged 59] by marriage Countess Manvers]
The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of an Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to the Right Honorable Horatio Baron Walpole [aged 82], and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, by the Name, Stile, and Title of Earl of Orford, in the County of Suffolk.
The King has been pleased to grant the Dignities of Viscount and Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, and Ireland to the Right Honorable Charles Lord Grey [aged 76], of Howick; Knight of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath, and General of His Majesty's Forces, and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, by the Names, Stile, and Titles of Viscount Howick, in the County of Northumberland, and Earl Grey. [Note. [his wife] Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 62] by marriage Countess Grey.]
On 14th November 1807 Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey [aged 78] died. His son Charles [aged 43] succeeded 2nd Earl Grey, 2nd Viscount Grey of Howick in Northumberland, 2nd Baron Grey of Howick in Northumberland. Mary Elizabeth Ponsonby Countess Grey [aged 31] by marriage Countess Grey.
In 1822 [his former wife] Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 78] died.
[his daughter] Elizabeth Grey was born to Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey and Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey. She married 26th December 1787 Samuel Charles Whitbread and had issue.
Kings Wessex: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 19 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 25 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 20 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 23 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 13 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 20 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 28 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 22 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 26 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Grey of Morpeth and Howick
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Philip Grey
8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Grey
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Grey
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: John Grey
11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Father: Henry Grey 1st Baronet
12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
GrandMother: Margaret Person
Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey
13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: Thomas Wood of Fallodon, Northumberland
Mother: Hannah Wood