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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Dollar Princess is in Lords of England.
Dollar Princess is a term used to describe wealthy America women who, in the late nineteenth century (although the practice started in the early nineteenth century), married into the European nobility, particularly the English nobility.
On 24th April 1817 Felton Elwell Hervey-Bathurst 1st Baronet [aged 35] and Louisa Catharine Caton Duchess Leeds [aged 24] were married.
She one of the four Caton sisters, daughters of Richard Caton [aged 54], a merchant from Baltimore, the three eldest, known as the "The Three American Graces", married European husbands. Only the fourth daughter Emily Caton [aged 22] had children.
Marianne Caton Marchioness Wellesley [aged 29] married Richard Wellesley 1st Marquess Wellesley [aged 56],
Elizabeth Caton Baroness Stafford [aged 27] married George William Stafford-Jerningham 8th Baron Stafford [aged 45],
Louisa Catharine Caton Duchess Leeds married firstly Felton Elwell Hervey-Bathurst 1st Baronet and secondly Francis Godolphin Osborne 7th Duke Leeds [aged 18].
Emily Caton married Consul John MacTavish [aged 30].
On 29th October 1825 Richard Wellesley 1st Marquess Wellesley [aged 65] and Marianne Caton Marchioness Wellesley [aged 37] were married. She by marriage Marchioness Wellesley. The difference in their ages was 27 years. He the son of Garrett Wellesley 1st Earl Mornington and Anne Hill Countess Mornington [aged 83].
She one of the four Caton sisters, daughters of Richard Caton [aged 62], a merchant from Baltimore, the three eldest, known as the "The Three American Graces", married European husbands. Only the fourth daughter Emily Caton [aged 30] had children.
Marianne Caton Marchioness Wellesley married Richard Wellesley 1st Marquess Wellesley,
Elizabeth Caton Baroness Stafford [aged 35] married George William Stafford-Jerningham 8th Baron Stafford [aged 54],
Louisa Catharine Caton Duchess Leeds [aged 32] married firstly Felton Elwell Hervey-Bathurst 1st Baronet and secondly Francis Godolphin Osborne 7th Duke Leeds [aged 27].
Emily Caton married Consul John MacTavish [aged 38].
On 24th April 1828 Francis Godolphin Osborne 7th Duke Leeds [aged 29] and Louisa Catharine Caton Duchess Leeds [aged 35] were married. He the son of George William Frederick Osborne 6th Duke Leeds [aged 52] and Charlotte Townshend Duchess Leeds [aged 52].
She one of the four Caton sisters, daughters of Richard Caton [aged 65], a merchant from Baltimore, the three eldest, known as the "The Three American Graces", married European husbands. Only the fourth daughter Emily Caton [aged 33] had children.
Marianne Caton Marchioness Wellesley [aged 40] married Richard Wellesley 1st Marquess Wellesley [aged 67],
Elizabeth Caton Baroness Stafford [aged 38] married George William Stafford-Jerningham 8th Baron Stafford [aged 56],
Louisa Catharine Caton Duchess Leeds married firstly Felton Elwell Hervey-Bathurst 1st Baronet and secondly Francis Godolphin Osborne 7th Duke Leeds.
Emily Caton married Consul John MacTavish [aged 41].
On 26th May 1836 George William Stafford-Jerningham 8th Baron Stafford [aged 65] and Elizabeth Caton Baroness Stafford [aged 46] were married. She by marriage Baroness Stafford.
She one of the four Caton sisters, daughters of Richard Caton [aged 73], a merchant from Baltimore, the three eldest, known as the "The Three American Graces", married European husbands. Only the fourth daughter Emily Caton [aged 41] had children.
Marianne Caton Marchioness Wellesley [aged 48] married Richard Wellesley 1st Marquess Wellesley [aged 75],
Elizabeth Caton Baroness Stafford married George William Stafford-Jerningham 8th Baron Stafford,
Louisa Catharine Caton Duchess Leeds [aged 43] married firstly Felton Elwell Hervey-Bathurst 1st Baronet and secondly Francis Godolphin Osborne 7th Duke Leeds [aged 38].
Emily Caton married Consul John MacTavish [aged 49].
On 15th April 1874 Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill [aged 25] and Jenny Jerome [aged 20] were married at British Embassy, Paris. Regarded by some as the original Dollar Princess although there are much earlier examples. He the son of John Winston Spencer-Churchill 7th Duke of Marlborough [aged 51] and Frances Anne Emily Vane Duchess of Marlborough [aged 52].
On 22nd May 1876 George Victor Drogo Montagu 8th Duke Manchester [aged 22] and Consuelo Yznaga Duchess Manchester [aged 23] were married at Grace Church, Manhattan. Arguably a Dollar Princess. He the son of William Drogo Montagu 7th Duke Manchester [aged 52] and Louisa Vonalten Duchess Devonshire and Manchester [aged 43].
In July 1878 General Arthur Henry Fitzroy Paget [aged 27] and Mary "Minnie" Fiske Stevens [aged 25] were married.
On 22nd September 1880 James Roche 3rd Baron Fermoy [aged 29] and Frances Ellen Work Lady Fermoy [aged 22] were married at Christ Church New York. They separated in 1886.
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 22nd December 1880 Thomas George Fermor-Hesketh 7th Baronet [aged 31] and Florence Emily Sharon [aged 22] were married at Ralston Hall.
On 5th December 1881 John Lister-Kaye 3rd Baronet [aged 28] and Maria de la Natividad "Natica" Yznaga were married at Grace Church Manhattan.
On 8th March 1887 James Arthur Wellington Foley Butler 4th Marquess Ormonde [aged 37] and Ellen Stager Marchioness Ormonde were married. She brought a fortune of £200,000 to the marriage. He the son of John Butler 2nd Marquess Ormonde and Frances Paget Marchioness Ormonde [aged 70].
On 31st July 1889 Joseph Duveen 1st Baron Duveen [aged 19] and Elsie Salomon [aged 8] were married. Dollar Princess.
On 18th April 1893 William Craven 4th Earl Craven [aged 24] and Cornelia Martin Countess Craven [aged 21] were married at Grace Church Manhattan. She an heiress bringing an allowance of $75000 per year and property in Mayfair. He the son of George Grimston Craven 3rd Earl Craven.
On 14th December 1893 George Capell 7th Earl of Essex [aged 36] and Adele Beach Grant Countess Essex [aged 27] were married at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map]. She by marriage Countess Essex. Her uncle Richard Suydam Grant gave her away since her father David Beach Grant had died five years before.
On 6th November 1895 Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough [aged 23] and Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 18] were married at St Thomas' Church New York. She by marriage Duchess Marlborough. The marriage arranged by Mary "Minnie" Fiske Stevens [aged 42] and encouraged by mother Alva Erskine Smith [aged 42]. The marriage was unhappy; they separated in 1906 and the marriage was annulled on 19th Augiust 1926. He the son of George Charles Spencer-Churchill 8th Duke of Marlborough and Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton Duchess of Marlborough [aged 48].
The marriage settlement provided for the Duke to receive a $2,500,000 trust that would pay $100,000 per year. Consuelo also received a further $100,000 per year. The combined annual income of $200,000 (£40,000) more than doubled the income the Duke had enjoyed from his estates prior to the marriage. Consuelo and the Duke also acquired several large gifts from her father, William K. Vanderbilt, including a palatial London townhouse and a reported sum of $1,000,000 in cash to mark the Duke's safe return from South Africa.
On 14th November 1900 William Montagu 9th Duke Manchester [aged 23] and Helena Zimmerman [aged 22] were married at St Marylebone Church. They had met at a costume ball at a Brittany coast resort in Dinard in Brittany. They had two sons and two daughters. He the son of George Victor Drogo Montagu 8th Duke Manchester and Consuelo Yznaga Duchess Manchester [aged 47].
In 1905 George Charles Montagu 9th Earl Sandwich [aged 30] and Alberta Sturges Countess Sandwich [aged 27] were married.
On 6th December 1905 Gilbert Heathcote-Willoughby-Drummond 2nd Earl Ancaster [aged 38] and Eloise Lawrence Breese Countess Ancaster [aged 23] were married at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map]. He the son of Gilbert Henry Heathcote Drummond Willoughby 1st Earl Ancaster [aged 75] and Evelyn Elizabeth Gordon Countess Ancaster [aged 59].
On 10th October 1907 Alastair Robert Innes-Kerr [aged 26] and Anne Lawrence Breese [aged 22] were married. Dollar Princess. He the son of James Henry Robert Innes-Kerr 7th Duke Roxburghe and Anne Emily Spencer-Churchill Duchess Roxburghe [aged 52].
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 24th November 1909 Charles Beresford Fulke 3rd Baron Greville [aged 38] and Olive Agnes Grace Baroness Greville [aged 33] were married at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge. She, a widow, brought $1million to the marriage that she had inherited from her first husband; Dollar Princess. Further, she was the neice of the millionaire brothers Michael P. Grace and William R. Grace. She was, apparently, twenty minutes late as a consequence of her car breaking down; possibly the first such bride to be so affected given the earliness of the year.
The reception was held at Carlton Terrace. Guests included Alexander Teck 1st Earl Athlone [aged 35].
Their honeymoon was cut short by the serious illness of his father Algernon Greville-Nugent 2nd Baron Greville [aged 68] who died nine days after the wedding.
On 7th February 1911 John Beresford 5th Baron Decies [aged 44] and Helen Vivien Gould Baroness Decies [aged 17] were married. She by marriage Baroness Decies of Decies in Waterford. The difference in their ages was 26 years.
On 14th October 1924 Randolph Stewart 12th Earl Galloway [aged 31] and Philippa Fendall Wendell Countess of Galloway [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Countess Galloway. He the son of Randolph Stewart 11th Earl Galloway and Amy Mary Pauline Cliffe Countess Galloway.