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: Bugge
Around 1290 Richard Willoughby was born to [his father] Richard Bugge aka Willoughby [aged 57] at Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, Nottinghamshire [Map].
In 1310 Richard Willoughby [aged 20] and Isabel Morteyn were married.
In 1323 Richard Willoughby [aged 33] was appointed Chief Justice of the Bench in Ireland.
In February 1324 Richard Willoughby [aged 34] was elected MP Northamptonshire.
In 1325 [his father] Richard Bugge aka Willoughby [aged 92] died at Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, Nottinghamshire [Map].
In 1328 Richard Willoughby [aged 38] was appointed Justice of the Common Pleas.
In 1330 Richard Willoughby [aged 40] was appointed Justice of the King's Bench.
In 1332 [his wife] Isabel Morteyn died.
In 1333 Richard Willoughby [aged 43] and Joan Grey were married.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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In 1338 Richard Willoughby [aged 48] was appointed Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
In 1340 Richard Willoughby [aged 50] pleaded guilty on payment of 1200 marks.
In 1340 Richard Willoughby [aged 50] was imprisoned at Corfe Castle, Dorset [Map].
In 1340 Richard Willoughby [aged 50] was charged with corruption.
Around 1340 [his son] Edmund Willoughby was born to Richard Willoughby [aged 50] and [his wife] Joan Grey at Wollaton, Nottinghamshire. He married Alice Somerville and had issue.
In 1342 [his wife] Joan Grey died at Rotherfield Greys, Oxfordshire.
After 1342 Richard Willoughby [aged 52] and Elizabeth Valletort were married.
In 1343 Richard Willoughby [aged 53] was appointed Justice of the King's Bench.
On 14th March 1362 Richard Willoughby [aged 72] died. He was buried at St Mary & All Saints Church, Willoughby-on-the-Wolds [Map].
After 1363 [his former wife] Elizabeth Valletort died.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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Effigy in Willoughby Church. Willoughby Church [Map]
THIS is supposed to be one of the Lords of Willoughby, in Nottinghamshire. Perhaps Sir Richard de Willoughby, who was Chief Justice of the King's Bench 11th Edward IIIa Chaucer says of his Serjeant-at-law,
"Justice he was full oftin in Assise,
By patent, and by pleine commissione;"
and that he was
"Girt with a ceint of silk with barris smale."
The tunic of the figure is confined by a richly-embossed girdle.
Details. Ornament of the girdle.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. At dawn, the king immediately summoned1 the chancellor, the treasurer, and the justices then present in London. He at once intended to send the Bishop of Chichester [the chancellor] and the Bishop of Coventry [the treasurer], stripped of their offices, to Flanders as pledges for money. But the Bishop of Chichester explained to the king and his council the danger of the canon law that threatened those who imprisoned bishops. So the king allowed them to leave the Tower. However, the senior justices: Sir John de Stonore, Sir Richard de Willoughby, Sir William de Shareshull, and especially Sir Nicholas de la Beche, who had previously been the constable of the Tower of London, and Sir John Molyns, knight; likewise, the merchants Sir John de Pulteney, William de la Pole, and his brother Richard; and the senior clerks of the chancery: Sir John de St. Paul, Michael de Wath, Henry de Stratford; and of the Exchequer, Sir John de Thorp, and many others, he ordered to be thrown into various prisons. He did not release them until his anger, which he had conceived over the withholding of money that ought to have been sent for the siege of Tournai, had subsided.
Statim in aurora misit rex pro cancellario, tesaurario, et iusticiariis tunc Londoniis existentibus, et statim episcopum Cicestrensem cancellarii dignitate et episcopum Coventrensem ab officio tesaurarie absolutos voluit misisse in Flandriam impignorandos pro pecunia; set Cicestrensis exposuit sibi et suis periculum canonis qui imminet episcopos incarcerantibus, et sic ipsos turrim exire permisit. Iusticiarios vero maiores, scilicet dominum Iohannem de Stonore, dominum Ricardum de Wyleby, dominhum Willelmum de Scharesheolle, et precipue dominum Nicholaum de la Beche, qui prius fuit custos turris Londoniarum, et dominum Iohannem Molyns militem; item, mercatores dominos J de Pulteney, Willelmum de la Pole, et Ricardum fratrem eius; et clericos cancellarie maiores, videlicet dominos Iohannem de Sancto Paulo, Michaelem de Wath, Henricum de Stratford, et de skakkario dominum Iohannem de Thorp et alios quam plures, iussit diversis carceribus mancipari. Nec eos absolvit quousque sua melancolia concepta de pecunie detencione, quam ad obsidionem Torneacensem debuerant misisse, fuerat sedata.
Note 1. Robert Stratford, bishop of Chichester and brother of the archbishop, was chancellor; Roger de Northburgh, bishop of Coventry, treasurer. John Stonore was chief justice of the Common Pleas; he was restored 9th May 1342. Richard Willoughby and William de Shareshull were justices of the Common Pleas. Nicholas de la Beche, constable of the Tower, became, in 1343, seneschal of Gascony. Michael Wath was Master of the Rolls, 13341337; and was succeeded by John of St. Paul, 1337-1340. Foss, Judges of England, 3.
[his son] Hugh Willoughby was born to Richard Willoughby.
[his daughter] Majory Willoughby was born to Richard Willoughby.
[his son] Roger Willoughby was born to Richard Willoughby.
[his son] Thomas Willoughby was born to Richard Willoughby.
[his son] Richard Willoughby was born to Richard Willoughby.
GrandFather: Robert Bugge de Bingham 
Father: Richard Bugge aka Willoughby