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: Burdett
On 30th December 1766 [his father] Francis Burdett [aged 23] and [his mother] Eleanor Jones were married.
On 25th January 1770 Francis Burdett 5th Baronet was born to [his father] Francis Burdett [aged 26] and [his mother] Eleanor Jones.
Around 1785 Stebbing Shaw [aged 23] became tutor to Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 14] grandson of [his grandfather] Robert Burdett 4th Baronet [aged 68].
1793. Thomas Lawrence [aged 23]. Portrait of Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 22].
In 1793 Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 22] and Sophia Coutts Lady Burdett were married. She brought £25,000 to the marriage.
On 3rd February 1794 [his father] Francis Burdett [aged 50] died.
After 3rd March 1794 Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 24] and Jane Elizabeth Scott Countess of Oxford and Mortimer [aged 20] engaged in a relationship.
In 1796 Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 25] was elected MP Boroughbridge.
On 28th February 1796 George Augustus North 3rd Earl Guildford [aged 38] and [his sister-in-law] Susan Coutts Countess Guildford [aged 25] were married. She by marriage Countess Guildford. He the son of Frederick North 2nd Earl Guildford and Anne Speke Countess Guilford [aged 56].
On 16th April 1796 [his son] Robert Burdett 6th Baronet was born to Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 26] and [his wife] Sophia Coutts Lady Burdett.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 13th February 1797 [his grandfather] Robert Burdett 4th Baronet [aged 80] died. His grandson Francis [aged 27] succeeded 5th Baronet Burdett of Bramcote in Warwickshire.
In 1802 Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 31] was elected MP Middlesex; the return was declared void in 1804 and he lost the ensuing by-election. In 1805 this return was amended in his favor, but as this decision was again quickly reversed, Burdett, who had spent an immense sum of money over the affair, declared he would not stand for parliament again.
In 1802 Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 31] presented the radical writer Thomas Paine with a gift of money to enable him to discharge his debts and return to the United States. See Keane, J.: Tom Paine – a political life; Bloomsbury, London, 1996; p. 452.
In 1806 [his daughter] Clara Burdett was born to Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 35] and [his wife] Sophia Coutts Lady Burdett. She married 28th April 1850 Reverend James Drummond Money and had issue.
In 1807 Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 36] fought a duel with James Paull 1770–1808 the reform candidate for the City of Westminster; both were wounded.
In 1807 Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 36] was elected MP Westminster.
Letters of Harriet, Countess Granville. To the Marquis of Hartington [aged 19]. London. April 12, 1810.
Dearest Hartington, — You must think me a brute for having been so long without writing to you, but I have been for some time the idlest of human beings. We keep terrible late hours, and I do nothing from morning till night but think what an angel my husband is, which is more pleasant than profitable. Your absence furnishes me with conversation wherever I go. I really cannot explain your leaving London just now, your thinking Bath the best place for mathematics or Doctor Randolph's attractions. Poor worn-out Lady Warwick rien peut plus with it, but with a tremulous voice, like cowards just before they dip into the sea, follows me about — 'Where is he gone, my dear Lady Harriet, what can he be gone about?' There are shoals of Miss Mildmays, and the good-natured Dowager quite like a hen. Sir Henry and his wife go about in attitudes, but they match so well and look so handsome that one forgives them for it.
You will have seen in the papers all that has been going on about Sir Francis Burdett [aged 40]. London is quiet and dull again. The mob entirely dispersed and nothing but soldiers to be seen. These riots have been very animating to different people in different ways. Lord Carlisle [aged 61]1 - got well pelted with mud and dirt. Think of the nose of nice nobility. Little 02. was obliged to explain his politics to the mob, who were going to swallow him, I believe. He is so factious that if he was not so small and inarticulate he might some day or other get into mischief. As it is he is never heard and scarcely seen. So passe, passe, petit bonhomme, very harmless and very ridiculous.
We all go to Court the day after to-morrow. Lady Stafford [aged 44]3 presents me, Lady Liverpool [aged 43] the Duchess [aged 52]4.
Note 1. He married Lady Caroline Leveson Gower, a daughter of the first Marquis of Stafford and half-sister to Lord Granville [aged 36]. He was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1780 to 1782. He wrote indifferent poetry, and was sneered at in English Bards amd Scotch Beviewers by his relative and ward, Lord Byron [aged 22].
Note 2. Lord Ossulston [aged 33], who succeeded his father, Lord Tankerville [aged 66], in 1822,. He married in 1806 Mlle. Corisande de Gramont [aged 27], of whom there is frequent mention in these letters.
Note 3. Countess of Sutherland, married in 1785 to the second Marquis of Stafford [aged 52], half-brother to Lord Granville. He was Ambassador in Paris from 1790 to 1792. She did what she could for Marie Antoinette when in prison.
Note 4. Elizabeth.Duchess of Devonshire.
On 21st April 1814 [his daughter] Angela Burdett-Coutts 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts was born to Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 44] and [his wife] Sophia Coutts Lady Burdett. She married 12th February 1881 William Lehman Ashmead-Bartlett Baron Burdett-Coutts.
From 1820 to his death in 1844 Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 49] lived at 25 St James' Place, Westminster.
On 17th April 1825 Henry Fuseli [aged 84] died at the house of the [his sister-in-law] Countess of Guildford [aged 55], on Putney Hill
In a maiden speech on 5th March 1827 George Howard 7th Earl Carlisle [aged 24] seconded Sir Francis Burdett's [aged 57] resolution for the relief of the Roman catholic disabilities, and in April 1830 he supported Robert Grant's motion for leave to bring in a bill for the repeal of Jewish disabilities.
On 23rd October 1832 [his son-in-law] Robert Otway-Cave [aged 36] and [his daughter] Sophia Burdett were married.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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On 24th September 1837 [his sister-in-law] Susan Coutts Countess Guildford [aged 67] died. She was buried at All Saints Church, Wroxton on 3rd October 1837.
On 13th January 1844 [his wife] Sophia Coutts Lady Burdett died.
On 23rd January 1844 Francis Burdett 5th Baronet [aged 73] died ten days after the death of his wife Sophia Coutts Lady Burdett; he had refused food after she had died. His son Robert [aged 47] succeeded 6th Baronet Burdett of Bramcote in Warwickshire.
In 1913 [his grandson] Francis Money-Coutts 5th Baron Latymer [aged 60] abeyance terminated 5th Baron Latimer of Snape. He was descended from John Neville 4th Baron Latimer of Snape via Lucy Neville, Frances Cornwallis, Elizabeth Withipoll, William Withipoll, Elizabeth Withipoll, Frances Devereux, Frances Devereux, [his grandfather] Robert Burdett 4th Baronet, [his father] Francis Burdett, Francis Burdett 5th Baronet and [his daughter] Clara Burdett.
[his daughter] Sophia Burdett was born to Francis Burdett 5th Baronet and Sophia Coutts Lady Burdett. She married 23rd October 1832 Robert Otway-Cave, son of Henry Otway of Castle Otway in Tipperary and Sarah Cave 3rd Baroness Braye.
Kings Wessex: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 18 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 19 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 21 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 23 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: Thomas Burdett 1st Baronet
Great x 3 Grandfather: Francis Burdett 2nd Baronet
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Francis
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Burdett 3rd Baronet
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Walter
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Walter
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Burdett 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Aston
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Aston 1st Baronet
Great x 2 Grandmother: Magdalen Aston 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Willoughby 1st Baronet 
13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Willoughby Lady Aston 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Knollys 
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: Robert Burdett 4th Baronet 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Tracy 2nd Viscount Tracy 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Tracy 3rd Viscount Tracy 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Bridget Lyttelton 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Tracy 4th Viscount Tracy 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Leigh 1st Baron Leigh
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Leigh Viscountess Tracy
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Egerton Baroness Leigh 
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tracy 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Walter Devereux 5th Viscount Hereford 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Leicester Devereux 6th Viscount Hereford 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Knightley Viscountess Hereford 
10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Frances Devereux 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Father: Francis Burdett 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Sedley 1st Baronet 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Sedley 2nd Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Sedley 5th Baronet 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Savile 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Savile
Great x 1 Grandfather: Charles Sedley 1st Baronet 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
GrandMother: Elizabeth Sedley Lady Burdett 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Francis Burdett 5th Baronet 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: William Jones of Ramsbury Manor, Wiltshire
Mother: Eleanor Jones