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: Spencer
Maternal Family Tree: Jeanne Sabran
In 1615 [his father] William Spencer 2nd Baron Spencer (age 23) and [his mother] Penelope Wriothesley Baroness Spencer Wormleighton (age 16) were married. She by marriage Baroness Spencer Wormleighton. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Henry Wriothesley 3rd Earl of Southampton (age 41) and [his grandmother] Elizabeth Vernon Countess Southampton (age 43). They were fourth cousins.
Before 23rd November 1620 Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland was born to [his father] William Spencer 2nd Baron Spencer (age 29) and [his mother] Penelope Wriothesley Baroness Spencer Wormleighton (age 22) at Althorp House, Northamptonshire [Map].
On 23rd November 1620 Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland was christened at St Mary the Virgin Church, Great Brington, Northamptonshire.
On 25th October 1627 [his grandfather] Robert Spencer 1st Baron Spencer (age 57) died. His son [his father] William (age 36) succeeded 2nd Baron Spencer Wormleighton.
Between 1634 and 1643 [his brother-in-law] John Craven 1st Baron Craven (age 23) and [his sister] Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Craven (age 17) were married.
On 31st August 1636 Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland (age 15) graduated at Magdalen College, Oxford University.
On 19th December 1636 [his father] William Spencer 2nd Baron Spencer (age 45) died. His son Henry (age 16) succeeded 3rd Baron Spencer Wormleighton.
On 20th July 1639, some sources say 11th July 1639, Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland (age 18) and Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland (age 21) were married at Penhurst Rother. She by marriage Baroness Spencer Wormleighton. Her long-term suitor, she was the 'Sacharissa' of his poems, Edmund Waller (age 33) wrote a letter to the bride's sister (age 12) on the occasion of the wedding. She the daughter of Robert Sidney 2nd Earl of Leicester (age 43) and Dorothy Percy Countess Leicester (age 41). They were third cousins.
Madam,
In this common joy at Penshurst, I know none to whom complaints may come less unseasonably than to your ladyship, the loss of a bedfellow being almost equal to that of a mistress; and therefore you ought at least to pardon, if you consent not to the imprecations of, the deserted, which just Heaven no doubt will hear. May my lady Dorothy, if we may yet call her so, suffer as much, and have the like passion for this young lord, whom she has preferred to the rest of mankind, as others have had for her; and may his love, before the year go about, make her taste of the first curse imposed upon womankind, the pains of becoming a mother. May her first born be none of her own sex, nor so like her but that he may resemble her lord as much as herself. May she that always affected silence and retirement have the house filled with the noise and number of her children, and hereafter of her grandchildren; and then may she arrive at that great curse, so much declined by fair ladies, old age; may she live to be very old and yet seem young; be told so by her glass, and have no aches to inform her of the truth; and when she shall appear to be mortal, may her lord not mourn for her, but go hand in hand with her to that place where we are told there is neither marrying nor giving in marriage, that being there divorced we may all have an equal interest in her again! My revenge being immortal, I wish all this may befall her posterity to the world's end and afterwards! To you, madam, I wish all good things, and that this loss may in good time be happily supplied with a more constant bedfellow of the other sex. Madam, I humbly kiss your hands, and beg pardon for this trouble, from
Your ladyship's
most humble servant,
E. Waller.
In 1640 [his daughter] Dorothy Spencer Lady Savile was born to Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland (age 19) and [his wife] Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland (age 22). She married 1656 her half sixth cousin George Savile 1st Marquess Halifax, son of William Savile 3rd Baronet and Anne Coventry Baroness Savile, and had issue.
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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On 5th September 1641 [his son] Robert Spencer 2nd Earl of Sunderland was born to Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland (age 20) and [his wife] Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland (age 23) at Paris [Map]. He married 9th June 1665 his half fifth cousin Anne Digby Countess Sunderland, daughter of George Digby 2nd Earl Bristol and Anne Russell Countess Bristol, and had issue.
In 1642 [his daughter] Penelope Spencer was born to Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland (age 21) and [his wife] Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland (age 24).
In 1643 Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland (age 22) was created 1st Earl of Sunderland. [his wife] Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland (age 25) by marriage Countess of Sunderland.
On 21st March 1643 [his brother-in-law] John Craven 1st Baron Craven (age 32) was created 1st Baron Craven of Ryton in Shropshire. [his sister] Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Craven (age 26) by marriage Baroness Craven of Ryton in Shropshire.
On 20th September 1643 Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland (age 22) died. His son Robert (age 2) succeeded 2nd Earl of Sunderland, 4th Baron Spencer Wormleighton.
John Evelyn's Diary. 28th May 1656. The [his uncle] Earl of Southampton (age 49) (since Treasurer) and [his brother] Mr. Spencer (age 27), brother to the Earl of Sunderland, came to see my garden.
On 5th February 1684 [his former wife] Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland (age 66) died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 15 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 21 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 16 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 8 Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 25 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 19 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 23 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Spencer 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Spencer
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Graunt
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Spencer
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Knightley 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Susan Knightley
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Spencer
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Kitson 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Katherine Kitson
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Donnington of Stoke Newington
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Donnington Countess Bath
GrandFather: Robert Spencer 1st Baron Spencer
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Catlyn
Father: William Spencer 2nd Baron Spencer 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Willoughby 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Willoughby 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Markham
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Willoughby 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Filiol of Woodlands and Filiols Hall
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Filiol
Great x 1 Grandfather: Francis Willoughby 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Grey 1st Marquess Dorset 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Grey 2nd Marquess Dorset 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Cecily Bonville Marchioness Dorset 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Grey 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Wotton Marchioness Dorset
GrandMother: Margaret Willoughby 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Lyttelton
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Lyttelton
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Lyttelton of Frankley 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gilbert Talbot 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Talbot 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Paston 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Lyttelton 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Pakington 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Pakington of Hampton Lovett
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Washbourne
Great x 2 Grandmother: Bridget Packington
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Dacres of Mayfield
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Dacres
Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Writhe 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Wriothesley
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Wriothesley 1st Earl of Southampton
Great x 3 Grandmother: Agnes Drayton of London
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Wriothesley 2nd Earl of Southampton
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Cheney
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Cheney of Chesham Blois in Buckinghamshire
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jane Cheney Countess Southampton
GrandFather: Henry Wriothesley 3rd Earl of Southampton 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Anthony Browne 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Anthony Browne 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Lucy Neville 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Anthony Browne 1st Viscount Montagu 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Gage
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Gage
Great x 4 Grandmother: Philippa Guildford
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Browne Countess Southampton 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Radclyffe 9th Baron Fitzwalter 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Radclyffe 1st Earl of Sussex 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Whetehill
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jane Radclyffe 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Stanley 2nd Earl of Derby 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Stanley Countess Sussex 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Hastings Countess Derby 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Mother: Penelope Wriothesley Baroness Spencer Wormleighton 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Vernon 
12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Vernon 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Talbot 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: George Vernon 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Ludlow 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Ludlow 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Grey 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Vernon 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
GrandMother: Elizabeth Vernon Countess Southampton 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Devereux 9th Baron Ferrers of Chartley 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter Devereux 1st Viscount Hereford 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Cecily Bourchier Baroness Ferrers Chartley 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Devereux 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Grey 1st Marquess Dorset 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Grey Baroness Ferrers Chartley 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Cecily Bonville Marchioness Dorset 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Devereux 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Hastings 2nd Baron Hastings Baron Botreaux, Hungerford and Moleyns 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Hastings 1st Earl Huntingdon 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Hungerford Baroness Hastings, 4th Baroness Hungerford, 5th Baroness Botreaux and 2nd Baroness Moleyns 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Dorothy Hastings 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Stafford 2nd Duke of Buckingham 
3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Stafford Countess Huntingdon 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Woodville Duchess Buckingham and Bedford 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England