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: Herbert
On 21st January 1904 [his father] Reginald Herbert 15th Earl Pembroke 12th Earl Montgomery (age 23) and [his mother] Beatrice Eleanor Paget Countess Pembroke and Montgomery (age 20) were married. He the son of [his grandfather] Sidney Herbert 14th Earl Pembroke 11th Earl Montgomery (age 50) and [his grandmother] Beatrix Louisa Lambton Countess Pembroke and Montgomery (age 45). They were third cousin once removed.
On 9th January 1906 Sidney Herbert 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery was born to [his father] Reginald Herbert 15th Earl Pembroke 12th Earl Montgomery (age 25) and [his mother] Beatrice Eleanor Paget Countess Pembroke and Montgomery (age 22). He was educated at Eton College [Map] and Pembroke College, Oxford University.
On 30th March 1913 [his grandfather] Sidney Herbert 14th Earl Pembroke 11th Earl Montgomery (age 60) died in Rome, Italy [Map]. His son [his father] Reginald (age 32) succeeded 15th Earl Pembroke, 12th Earl Montgomery, 4th Baron Herbert Lea. [his mother] Beatrice Eleanor Paget Countess Pembroke and Montgomery (age 29) by marriage Countess Pembroke, Countess Montgomery.
On 26th September 1928 [his brother-in-law] William Smith 3rd Viscount Hambleden (age 25) and [his sister] Patricia Herbert Viscountess Hambleden (age 23) were married. She by marriage Viscountess Hambleden of Hambleden in Buckinghamshire. She the daughter of [his father] Reginald Herbert 15th Earl Pembroke 12th Earl Montgomery (age 48) and [his mother] Beatrice Eleanor Paget Countess Pembroke and Montgomery (age 45).
In 1935 Sidney Herbert 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery (age 28) was appointed Equerry to Prince George Windsor 1st Duke Kent (age 32) which office he held until 1942.
On 27th July 1936 Sidney Herbert 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery (age 30) and Mary Dorothea Hope Countess Pembroke and Montgomery were married. She the daughter of John Hope 1st Marquess Linlithgow. He the son of Reginald Herbert 15th Earl Pembroke 12th Earl Montgomery (age 55) and Beatrice Eleanor Paget Countess Pembroke and Montgomery (age 53).
On 19th May 1939 [his son] Henry Herbert 17th Earl of Pembroke, 14th Earl of Montgomery was born to Sidney Herbert 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery (age 33) and [his wife] Mary Dorothea Hope Countess Pembroke and Montgomery. He married (1) 20th January 1966 Clare Pelly Countess of Pembroke and Montgomery (2) 1988 Miranda Kendall Oram Countess Pembroke and Montgomery.
In 1942 Sidney Herbert 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery (age 35) was appointed Comptroller and Private Secretary to Princess Marina Glücksburg Duchess Kent (age 35) which office he held until 1948.
In 1942 Sidney Herbert 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery (age 35) was appointed a Trustee of the National Gallery, which position he held until 1949.
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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In 1945 Sidney Herbert 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery (age 38) was appointed Knight Commander of the Victorian Order.
In 1954 Sidney Herbert 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery (age 47) was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire which office he held for life.
On 13th January 1960 [his father] Reginald Herbert 15th Earl Pembroke 12th Earl Montgomery (age 79) died. His son Sidney (age 54) succeeded 16th Earl Pembroke, 13th Earl Montgomery, 5th Baron Herbert Lea.
On 20th January 1966 [his son] Henry Herbert 17th Earl of Pembroke, 14th Earl of Montgomery (age 26) and [his daughter-in-law] Clare Pelly Countess of Pembroke and Montgomery were married. He the son of Sidney Herbert 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery (age 60) and [his wife] Mary Dorothea Hope Countess Pembroke and Montgomery.
On 16th March 1969 Sidney Herbert 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery (age 63) died. His son Henry (age 29) succeeded 17th Earl Pembroke, 14th Earl Montgomery, 6th Baron Herbert Lea. [his daughter-in-law] Clare Pelly Countess of Pembroke and Montgomery by marriage Countess Pembroke, Countess Montgomery.
Kings Wessex: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 22 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 28 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 23 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 7 Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 21 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 9 Grand Son of Henry IV King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 29 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Herbert 6th Earl Montgomery 9th Earl Pembroke 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Herbert 10th Earl Pembroke 7th Earl Montgomery 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Fitzwilliam Countess Pembroke and Montgomery 
10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: George Augustus Herbert 11th Earl Pembroke 8th Earl Montgomery 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Spencer 3rd Duke of Marlborough 
11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Spencer Countess Pembroke and Montgomery 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Trevor Duchess of Marlborough 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Sidney Herbert 1st Baron Herbert Lea 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Semyon Romanovich Vorontsova
Great x 2 Grandmother: Yekaterina Semyonovna Vorontsova Countess Pembroke and Montgomery
GrandFather: Sidney Herbert 14th Earl Pembroke 11th Earl Montgomery 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Father: Reginald Herbert 15th Earl Pembroke 12th Earl Montgomery 6 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Henry Lambton
Great x 2 Grandfather: John "Radical Jack" Lambton 1st Earl Durham 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Bussy Villiers 4th Earl Jersey 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Barbara Frances Villiers 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Twysden 
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Frederick D'Arcy Lambton 2nd Earl Durham 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Grey 1st Earl Grey 
13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Charles Grey 2nd Earl Grey 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Louisa Elizabeth Grey Countess Durham 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Ponsonby 1st Baron Ponsonby of Imokilly in County Cork 
12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Elizabeth Ponsonby Countess Grey 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Louisa Molesworth Countess Fitzwilliam
GrandMother: Beatrix Louisa Lambton Countess Pembroke and Montgomery 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Hamilton 1st Marquess Abercorn 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: James Hamilton 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Moyle Marchioness Abercorn 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Douglas 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Harriet Douglas Countess Aberdeen 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Lascelles 
Great x 1 Grandmother: Beatrix Frances Hamilton Countess Durham 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Russell 
11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Russell 6th Duke Bedford 2 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Keppel 
Great Grand Daughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandmother: Louisa Jane Russell Duchess Abercorn 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Georgiana Gordon Duchess Bedford 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon 
Sidney Herbert 16th Earl of Pembroke, 13th Earl of Montgomery 7 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Nicholas Bayly 2nd Baronet Bayly of Plas Newydd in Anglesey 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Bayly-Paget 1st Earl Uxbridge 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Caroline Paget Lady Plas Newydd Anglesey 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry William Paget 1st Marquess Anglesey 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Very Reverend Arthur Champagné
Great x 3 Grandmother: Jane Champagné Countess Uxbridge
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Paget 2nd Marquess Anglesey 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Villiers 3rd Earl Jersey 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Bussy Villiers 4th Earl Jersey 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Egerton Duchess Bedford 
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 2 Grandmother: Caroline Elizabeth Villiers Duchess Argyll 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Bishop Philip Twysden
Great x 3 Grandmother: Frances Twysden
GrandFather: Alexander Victor Paget 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Walter Wagstaffe Bagot 5th Baronet 
17 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Bagot 1st Baron Bagot 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Barbara Legge Baroness Bagot 
12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Bagot 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John St John 2nd Viscount St John 
11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth St John Baroness Bagot 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Furnese
Great x 1 Grandmother: Henrietta Bagot Marchioness Anglesey 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Garrett Wellesley 1st Earl Mornington
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Wellesley aka Wellesley-Pole 3rd Earl Mornington
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Hill Countess Mornington
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Charlotte Anne Wellesley-Pole 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Forbes
Great x 3 Grandmother: Katherine Forbes Countess Mornington 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Capell 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Mother: Beatrice Eleanor Paget Countess Pembroke and Montgomery 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland