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: Parr
In or before 1407 [his father] John Parr [aged 26] and [his mother] Agnes Crophull [aged 35] were married.
In 1407 Thomas Parr was born to [his father] John Parr [aged 26] and [his mother] Agnes Crophull [aged 35].
In 1408 [his father] John Parr [aged 27] died.
In 1413 Thomas Parr [aged 6] and Alice Tunstall [aged 8] were married.
In 1429 [his daughter] Margaret Parr was born to Thomas Parr [aged 22] and [his wife] Alice Tunstall [aged 24]. She married before 1490 Thomas Radclyffe of Derwentwater and had issue.
In 1434 [his son] William Parr was born to Thomas Parr [aged 27] and [his wife] Alice Tunstall [aged 29]. He married before 1476 his fifth cousin once removed Elizabeth Fitzhugh Baroness Vaux Harrowden, daughter of Henry Fitzhugh 5th Baron Fitzhugh and Alice Neville Baroness Fitzhugh, and had issue.
In or after 1435 [his son] John Parr was born to Thomas Parr [aged 28] and [his wife] Alice Tunstall [aged 30].
On 3rd February 1436 [his mother] Agnes Crophull [aged 65] died.
Before 1443 [his daughter] Agnes Parr was born to Thomas Parr [aged 35] and [his wife] Alice Tunstall [aged 37]. She married in or before 1464 her sixth cousin Thomas Strickland and had issue.
On 12th October 1459 the Battle of Ludford Bridge nearly took place at Ludlow [Map]. In the event a large number of the Calais garrison led by Andrew Trollope refused to fight against King Henry VI of England and II of France [aged 37] who was present.
The Yorkist Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York [aged 48], the future King Edward IV of England [aged 17], Edmund York 1st Earl of Rutland [aged 16], Richard "Kingmaker" Neville Earl Warwick, 6th Earl Salisbury [aged 30], Richard Neville Earl Salisbury [aged 59] left overnight before the battle.
John Dynham 1st Baron Dynham [aged 26] and Thomas Parr [aged 52] were present.
The Lancastrian army included Humphrey Stafford 1st Duke of Buckingham [aged 57] and William Fitzalan 9th or 16th Earl of Arundel [aged 41].
Richard Grey 3rd Earl Tankerville [aged 22] was present on the Yorkist side for which he was subsequently attainted. Earl Tankerville forfeit.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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On 30th December 1460 the Lancastrian army took their revenge for the defeats of the First Battle of St Albans and the Battle of Northampton at the Battle of Wakefield near Sandal Castle [Map]. The Lancastrian army was commanded by Henry Holland 3rd Duke Exeter [aged 30], Henry Beaufort 2nd or 3rd Duke of Somerset [aged 24] and Henry Percy 3rd Earl of Northumberland [aged 39], and included John Courtenay 7th or 15th Earl Devon [aged 25] and William Gascoigne XIII [aged 30], both knighted, and James Butler 1st Earl Wiltshire 5th Earl Ormonde [aged 40], John "Butcher" Clifford 9th Baron Clifford [aged 25], John Neville 1st Baron Neville of Raby [aged 50], Thomas Ros 9th Baron Ros Helmsley [aged 33], Henry Roos and Thomas St Leger [aged 20].
The Yorkist army was heavily defeated.
Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York [aged 49] was killed. His son Edward [aged 18] succeeded 4th Duke York, 7th Earl March, 9th Earl of Ulster, 3rd Earl Cambridge, 9th Baron Mortimer of Wigmore.
Thomas Neville [aged 30], and Edward Bourchier were killed.
Father and son Thomas Harrington [aged 60] and John Harrington [aged 36] were killed, the former dying of his wounds the day after.
William Bonville 6th Baron Harington [aged 18] was killed. His daughter Cecily succeeded 7th Baroness Harington.
Thomas Parr [aged 53] fought in the Yorkist army.
Following the battle Richard Neville Earl Salisbury [aged 60] was beheaded by Thomas "Bastard of Exeter" Holland. William Bonville [aged 40] was executed.
Edmund York 1st Earl of Rutland [aged 17] was killed on Wakefield Bridge [Map] by John "Butcher" Clifford. Earl of Rutland extinct.
In or before 1464 [his son-in-law] Thomas Strickland and [his daughter] Agnes Parr [aged 21] were married. They were sixth cousins.
On 24th November 1464 Thomas Parr [aged 57] died.
In 1490 [his former wife] Alice Tunstall [aged 85] died.
[his daughter] Mabel Parr Baroness Dacre of Gilsland was born to Thomas Parr and Alice Tunstall. She married before 25th November 1467 her fifth cousin Humphrey Dacre 1st Baron Dacre Gilsland, son of Thomas Dacre 6th Baron Dacre Gilsland and Philippa Neville Baroness Dacre of Gilsland, and had issue.
Walter Devereux and [his mother] Agnes Crophull were married. They were sixth cousins.
[his son] Thomas Parr was born to Thomas Parr and Alice Tunstall.
Kings Wessex: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 8 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 14 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 9 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 7 Grand Son of King John of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 18 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 13 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 17 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
GrandFather: William Parr 
Father: John Parr
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Ros 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Ros 1st Baron Ros Kendal
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Brus
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Ros 2nd Baron Ros Kendal
Great x 3 Grandmother: Devorgilla Galloway Baroness Ros Kendal
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Ros
GrandMother: Elizabeth Ros
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Latimer
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Latimer 1st Baron Latimer
Great x 4 Grandmother: Christian Ledet
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Latimer
Great x 1 Grandmother: Catherine Latimer
Thomas Parr 7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Crophull
GrandFather: Thomas Crophull 5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John "The Botiller" Verdun 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Theobald Verdun 1st Lord Verdun
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret "Lady of Dulek" Lacy 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Theobald Verdun 2nd Lord Verdun
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margery Bohun Lady Verdun
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor de Braose 
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Verdun Baroness Hussey 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Mortimer 1st Baron Mortimer of Wigmore 
Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Mortimer 2nd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore 2 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud de Braose
Great x 2 Grandmother: Maud Mortimer Lady Verdun 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Fiennes 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Fiennes 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Blanche Beaumont 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Mother: Agnes Crophull 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England