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.

Biography of Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford 1819-1898

Paternal Family Tree: Bridgeman

On 5th March 1818 [his father] George Bridgeman 2nd Earl Bradford [aged 28] and [his mother] Georgina Elizabeth Moncrieffe Countess Bradford [aged 27] were married. He the son of [his grandfather] Orlando Bridgeman 1st Earl Bradford [aged 55] and [his grandmother] Lucy Elizabeth Byng Countess Bradford [aged 51].

On 24th April 1819 Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford was born to [his father] George Bridgeman 2nd Earl Bradford [aged 29] and [his mother] Georgina Elizabeth Moncrieffe Countess Bradford [aged 28].

On 7th September 1825 [his grandfather] Orlando Bridgeman 1st Earl Bradford [aged 63] died. His son [his father] George [aged 35] succeeded 2nd Earl Bradford, 2nd Viscount Newport of Shropshire, 3rd Baron Bradford in Shropshire, 7th Baronet Bridgeman of Great Lever in Lancashire. [his mother] Georgina Elizabeth Moncrieffe Countess Bradford [aged 35] by marriage Countess Bradford.

On 12th October 1842 [his mother] Georgina Elizabeth Moncrieffe Countess Bradford [aged 52] died.

On 20th April 1844 Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford [aged 24] and Selina Weld-Forester Countess Bradford were married. He the son of George Bridgeman 2nd Earl Bradford [aged 54] and Georgina Elizabeth Moncrieffe Countess Bradford. They were fifth cousin once removed.

In 1845 [his son] George Cecil Orlando Bridgeman 4th Earl Bradford was born to Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford [aged 25] and [his wife] Selina Weld-Forester Countess Bradford. He married 7th September 1869 his second cousin once removed Ida Frances Annabella Lumley Countess Bradford, daughter of Richard Lumley 9th Earl Scarborough and Adeliza Drummond Countess Scarborough, and had issue.

In 1846 [his son] Francis Charles Bridgeman was born to Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford [aged 26] and [his wife] Selina Weld-Forester Countess Bradford.

On 30th October 1849 [his father] George Bridgeman 2nd Earl Bradford [aged 60] and [his step-mother] Helen Mackay Countess Bradford [aged 49] were married. She by marriage Countess Bradford. She the widow of his first wife [his mother] Georgina's brother [his uncle] David Moncrieffe 6th Baronet. He the son of [his grandfather] Orlando Bridgeman 1st Earl Bradford and [his grandmother] Lucy Elizabeth Byng Countess Bradford.

The London Gazette 21397. St, James's-Palace, December 30, 1852. THE Queen has been pleased to appoint the Right Honourable Lord Ernest Augustus Charles Brudenell-Bruce [aged 41], to be Vice-Chamberlain of Her Majesty's Household, in the room of the Right Honourable Orlando-George-Charles-Bridgeman [aged 33], Viscount Newport, resigned.

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.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

In 1859 [his daughter] Florence Katharine Bridgeman Countess Harewood was born to Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford [aged 39] and [his wife] Selina Weld-Forester Countess Bradford. She married 5th November 1881 her third cousin Henry Ulrick Lascelles 5th Earl Harewood, son of Henry Thynne Lascelles 4th Earl Harewood and Elizabeth Joanna Burgh, and had issue.

On 22nd March 1865 [his father] George Bridgeman 2nd Earl Bradford [aged 75] died. His son Orlando [aged 45] succeeded 3rd Earl Bradford, 3rd Viscount Newport of Shropshire, 4th Baron Bradford in Shropshire, 8th Baronet Bridgeman of Great Lever in Lancashire. [his wife] Selina Weld-Forester Countess Bradford by marriage Countess Bradford.

On 7th September 1869 George Cecil Orlando Bridgeman 4th Earl Bradford [aged 24] and Ida Frances Annabella Lumley Countess Bradford [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of Richard Lumley 9th Earl Scarborough [aged 56] and Adeliza Drummond Countess Scarborough. He the son of Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford [aged 50] and Selina Weld-Forester Countess Bradford. They were second cousin once removed.

On 5th November 1881 [his son-in-law] Henry Ulrick Lascelles 5th Earl Harewood [aged 35] and Florence Katharine Bridgeman Countess Harewood [aged 22] were married. She the daughter of Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford [aged 62] and Selina Weld-Forester Countess Bradford. He the son of Henry Thynne Lascelles 4th Earl Harewood [aged 57] and Elizabeth Joanna Burgh. They were third cousins.

The London Gazette 25486. Whitehall, July 1, 1885. The Queen [aged 66] has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, appointing the Right Honourable Orlando George Charles [aged 66], Earl of Bradford, to be Master of the Horse to Her Majesty.

On 27th July 1885 [his sister-in-law] Anne Weld-Forester Countess Chesterfield [aged 82] died.

In November 1894 [his wife] Selina Weld-Forester Countess Bradford died.

On 12th March 1898 Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford [aged 78] died at Weston Park, Staffordshire. His son George [aged 53] succeeded 4th Earl Bradford, 4th Viscount Newport of Shropshire, 5th Baron Bradford in Shropshire, 9th Baronet Bridgeman of Great Lever in Lancashire. Ida Frances Annabella Lumley Countess Bradford [aged 49] by marriage Countess Bradford.

Adeline Horsey Recollections. My girlhood's friend, the Marquis of Granby, was very much in love with his cousin, Miss Forester, but as his father did not approve of cousins marrying, Lord Granby promised the Duke not to think of her as a wife. Miss Forester married the Earl of Bradford, but she and Granby indulged in a very romantic flirtation after her marriage, both posing as the unfortunate victims of a stern father's caprice. Lady Bradford did not like me and always snubbed me as much as she dared. One day at Melton I met her at Egerton Lodge when she was uncommonly disagreeable. Lady Wilton asked me to play and of course I willing complied. Lady Bradford and Jim Macdonald were sitting near the pianoforte, and under cover of the music I heard the heroine of Granby's blighted love affair say in languishing tones, "Oh, Jim, whenever I meet you I always take off my wedding ring and forget I'm married". Of course I was highly amused, and the next time I met Lady Bradford with Granby in attendance I could not resist saying quite innocently, "Oh, Lady Bradford, what did you mean the other day when you told Jim Macdonald that you always took off your wedding ring and forgot you were married when you saw him?".

It was rather mean of me, but I had not forgotten my undeserved snubbings from her Ladyship.

[his daughter] Mabel Selina Bridgeman was born to Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford and Selina Weld-Forester Countess Bradford.

Royal Ancestors of Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford 1819-1898

Kings Wessex: Great x 23 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Gwynedd: Great x 20 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd

Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 26 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth

Kings Powys: Great x 21 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys

Kings Godwinson: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Harold II of England

Kings England: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Kings Scotland: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland

Kings Franks: Great x 30 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Kings France: Great x 15 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 27 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Ancestors of Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford 1819-1898

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Bridgeman 2nd Baronet

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Bridgeman 3rd Baronet

Great x 2 Grandfather: Orlando Bridgeman 4th Baronet

Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Bridgeman 1st Baron Bradford 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Newport 1st Earl Bradford 11 x Great Grand Son of King John of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Newport 2nd Earl Bradford 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Diana Russell Countess Bradford 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Newport Lady Bridgeman 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Wilbraham 3rd Baronet 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Wilbraham Countess Bradford 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Mytton Lady Wilbrahim

GrandFather: Orlando Bridgeman 1st Earl Bradford 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Reverend John Simpson

Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Simpson Baroness Bradford

Father: George Bridgeman 2nd Earl Bradford 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandfather: George Byng 1st Viscount Torrington

Great x 2 Grandfather: George Byng 3rd Viscount Torrington

Great x 1 Grandfather: George Byng 4th Viscount Torrington

GrandMother: Lucy Elizabeth Byng Countess Bradford 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Boyle 2nd Earl Orrery 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Charles Boyle 4th Earl Cork 4th Earl Orrery 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Sackville Countess Orrery 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: John Boyle 5th Earl Cork 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Cecil 5th Earl Exeter 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Cecil Countess Cork 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Cavendish Countess Exeter 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 1 Grandmother: Lucy Boyle Viscountess Torrington 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Orlando Bridgeman 3rd Earl Bradford 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Moncrieffe 4th Baronet

GrandFather: Thomas Moncrieffe 5th Baronet

Mother: Georgina Elizabeth Moncrieffe Countess Bradford