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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Kensal Green Cemetery, Kensington, London, England, British Isles [Map]

Kensal Green Cemetery is in Kensal Green, Kensington.

See: Catacomb B Kensal Green Cemetery.

On 14th September 1836 Elizabeth Agneta Pole-Carew [aged 45] died. She was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

On 24th January 1837 Joseph Sabine [aged 66] died at his home in Mill Street, Hanover Square. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map] on 1st February 1837.

On 21st April 1843 Prince Augustus Frederick Hanover 1st Duke Sussex [aged 70] died at Kensington Palace. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map]. Duke Sussex extinct.

On 12th May 1846 Robert Waller Otway 1st Baronet [aged 76] died. He was buried in the northwest quadrant in the centre Kensal Green Cemetery [Map]. His son George [aged 29] succeeded 2nd Baronet Otway of Brighthelmstone in Sussex.

On 5th June 1846 Elizabeth Bromley [aged 27] died of tuberculosis in Paris [Map]. She was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

On 13th December 1848 John Ternouth [aged 52] died of typhus. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map]. His grave is marked by a Carrara marble stela with a classical relief of a grieving draped woman embracing an urn-topped pedestal. This may be one of his own works.

On 15th August 1855 Edward Seymour 11th Duke of Somerset [aged 80] died at Somerset House 40 Park Lane. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map]. His son Edward [aged 50] succeeded 12th Duke Somerset, 10th Baronet Seymour of Berry Pomeroy. Jane Georgiana Sheridan Duchess Somerset [aged 45] by marriage Duchess Somerset.

On 2nd July 1856 Jemima Cornwallis Countess St Germans [aged 52] died at Dover Street. She was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

On 10th March 1859 Thomas Somers-Cocks [aged 79] died. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

On 3rd July 1859 Bishop Edward Maltby [aged 89] died. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

Life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel Chapter 17. The funeral was on September 20 [1859], at the Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

Along the road leading to the chapel many hundreds of his private and professional friends, his neighbours among the tradespeople of Westminster, the Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and the servants of the Great Western Railway Company, had assembled, and, with his family, followed his body to its place of burial, in the grave of his father and mother1.

Note 1. A few weeks after Mr, Brunel's death, a meeting of his friends was held, when it was determined to raise some memorial to him. A statue was made by the late Baron Marochetti [aged 54], and a site for it promised by the First Commissioner of Works; but it has not yet been erected.

Mr. Brunel's family, by the permission of the Dean of Westminster, have placed a memorial window in the north aisle of the nave of Westminster Abbey. Along the bottom of the window (which consists of two lights, each 23 feet 6 inches high and 4 feet wide, surmounted by a quatrefoil opening, 6 feet 6 inches across) is the Inscription, 'IN MEMORY OF ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL, CIVIL ENGINEER. BORN APRIL 9, 1806. DEPARTED THIS LIFE, SEPTEMBER 15, 1859.' Over this are four allegorical figures (two in each light): Fortitude, Justice, Faith, and Charity. The upper part of the window consists of six panels, divided by a pattern work of lilies and pomegranates. The panels contain subjects from the history of the Temple. The three subjects in the western light represent scenes from the Old Testament—viz. the Dedication of the Temple by Solomon, the Finding of the Book of the Law by Hilkiah, and the Laying the Foundations of the Second Temple. The subjects in the eastern light are from the New Testament—viz. Simeon Blessing the Infant Saviour, Christ Disputing with the Doctors, and The Disciples pointing out to Christ the Buildings of the Temple. In the heads of each light are angels kneeling, and in the quatrefoil is a representation of Our Lord in Glory, surrounded by angels.

The work was placed in the hands of Mr. R. Norman Shaw, architect, who prepared the general design, arranged the scale of the various figures, and designed the ornamental pattern work. The figure subjects were drawn by Mr. Henry Holiday, and the whole design was executed in glass by Messrs. Heaton, Butler, & Bayne.

The History of William Marshal, Earl of Chepstow and Pembroke, Regent of England. Book 1 of 2, Lines 1-10152.

The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.

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On 19th November 1864 Edmund Molyneux [aged 73] died at Monmartre in Paris where he was initially buried. His remains were subsequently removed to Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

On 2nd June 1869 Katherine Frances Champion [aged 6] was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map]. Her address is given as 17 Harewood Square, Marylebone.

On 5th May 1877 John Stepney Cowell-Stepney 1st Baronet [aged 86] died. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map]. His son Arthur [aged 42] succeeded 2nd Baronet Cowell Stepney of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire.

On 6th December 1879 William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck 5th Duke Portland [aged 79] died unmarried at his London residence Harcourt House Cavendish Square Marylebone. He was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery [Map]. His first cousin once removed William [aged 21] succeeded 6th Duke Portland, 7th Earl of Portland.

On 2nd March 1881 John Prescott Knight [aged 78] died. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

On 19th March 1881 William Gordon Cornwallis Eliot 4th Earl St Germans [aged 51] died unmarried. He was buried near his mother Jemima Cornwallis Countess St Germans at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map]. His brother Henry [aged 46] succeeded 5th Earl St Germans, 6th Baron Eliot of St Germans in Cornwall.

On 22nd March 1883 Alfred Clint [aged 76] died. He was buried in the same grave as his father, in Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

On 19th May 1887 Margaret Calder [aged 70] died. She was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

On 20th January 1889 Edward Chichester 4th Marquess Donegal [aged 89] died at St Leonards On Sea. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map]. His son George [aged 66] succeeded 5th Marquess Donegal, 5th Baron Fisherwick of Fisherwick in Staffordshire. Mary Cobb Marchioness Donegal by marriage Marchioness Donegal.

On 16th June 1894 William Calder Marshall [aged 81] died at his home 115 Ebury Street, Chester Square [Map]. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map] in the same grave as his wife who had died seven years before.

On 27th December 1899 Ada Alice "Dorothy Dene" Pullen [aged 40] died. She was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans

Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.

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On 10th February 1917 John William Waterhouse [aged 67] died. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map].

On 16th April 1918 John Christopher Willoughby 5th Baronet [aged 59] died. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map]. Baronet Willoughby of Baldon House in Oxfordshire extinct.

On 15th December 1944 Esther Kenworthy [aged 87] died. She was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery [Map] with her husband John William Waterhouse.

Catacomb B Kensal Green Cemetery, Kensington, London, England, British Isles

On 1st July 1857 William Pole Tylney Long Wellesley 4th Earl Mornington [aged 69] died at Thayer Street Manchester Square Marylebone. He was buried at Catacomb B Kensal Green Cemetery. His son William [aged 43] succeeded 5th Earl Mornington, 5th Viscount Wellesley of Dangan Castle.