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: Astor
In On 3rd May 1906 Waldorf Astor 2nd Viscount Astor [aged 26] and Nancy Witcher Langhorne Viscountess Astor [aged 26] were married. The groom's father gave the couple the family estate of Cliveden, Buckinghamshire [Map]. They had met on an Atlantic voyage returning to Britain
On 13th August 1907 William Waldorf Astor 3rd Viscount Astor was born to [his father] Waldorf Astor 2nd Viscount Astor [aged 28] and [his mother] Nancy Witcher Langhorne Viscountess Astor [aged 28].
On 18th October 1919 [his grandfather] William Waldorf Astor 1st Viscount Astor [aged 71] died. His son [his father] Waldorf [aged 40] succeeded 2nd Viscount Astor, 2nd Baron Astor.
On 27th July 1933 [his brother-in-law] Gilbert James Heathcote-Willoughby-Drummond 3rd Earl Ancaster [aged 25] and [his sister] Nancy Phyllis Louise Astor Countess Astor [aged 24] were married. He the son of Gilbert Heathcote-Willoughby-Drummond 2nd Earl Ancaster [aged 65] and Eloise Lawrence Breese Countess Ancaster [aged 51].
On 14th June 1945 William Waldorf Astor 3rd Viscount Astor [aged 37] and Sarah Norton Viscountess Astor [aged 25] were married. They had met one month before at a VE Day cocktail party given by her aunt Katherine "Kitty" Kinloch Baroness Brownlow [aged 39] having become engaged five days later.
On 19th September 1951 Gilbert Heathcote-Willoughby-Drummond 2nd Earl Ancaster [aged 84] died. His son [his brother-in-law] Gilbert [aged 43] succeeded 3rd Earl Ancaster in Lincolnshire, 27th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, 4th Baron Aveland, 8th Baronet Heathcote of London. [his sister] Nancy Phyllis Louise Astor Countess Astor [aged 42] by marriage Countess Ancaster in Lincolnshire.
On 27th December 1951 [his son] William Astor 4th Viscount Astor was born to William Waldorf Astor 3rd Viscount Astor [aged 44] and [his wife] Sarah Norton Viscountess Astor [aged 31].
On 30th September 1952 [his father] Waldorf Astor 2nd Viscount Astor [aged 73] died. His son William [aged 45] succeeded 3rd Viscount Astor, 3rd Baron Astor. [his wife] Sarah Norton Viscountess Astor [aged 32] by marriage Viscountess Astor.
In 1953 William Waldorf Astor 3rd Viscount Astor [aged 45] and Sarah Norton Viscountess Astor [aged 32] were divorced.
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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On 17th April 1953 Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Michael Baring [aged 25] and [his former wife] Sarah Norton [aged 33] were married.
On 26th April 1955 William Waldorf Astor 3rd Viscount Astor [aged 47] and Phillipa Victoria Hunloke Viscountess Astor [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Viscountess Astor. The difference in their ages was 23 years. She the daughter of Henry Philip Hunloke [aged 48] and Anne Cavendish Countess Sandwich [aged 45].
On 3rd June 1960 William Waldorf Astor 3rd Viscount Astor [aged 52] and Phillipa Victoria Hunloke Viscountess Astor [aged 29] were divorced.
On 14th October 1960 William Waldorf Astor 3rd Viscount Astor [aged 53] and Janet Bronwen Alun-Pugh Viscountess Astor [aged 30] were married. She by marriage Viscountess Astor. The difference in their ages was 22 years.
The second photograph J Wilds/Getty Images.
Janet Bronwen Alun-Pugh Viscountess Astor: On 6th June 1930 she was born. On 28th December 2017 she died.
On 1st December 1961 [his daughter] Janet Elizabeth Astor Duchess of Richmond and Gordon was born to William Waldorf Astor 3rd Viscount Astor [aged 54] and [his wife] Janet Bronwen Alun-Pugh Viscountess Astor [aged 31]. She married 30th November 1991 Charles Gordon-Lennox 11th Duke of Richmond and Lennox 6th Duke of Gordon, son of Charles Gordon-Lennox 10th Duke of Richmond and Lennox 5th Duke of Gordon.
On 2nd May 1964 [his mother] Nancy Witcher Langhorne Viscountess Astor [aged 84] died.
In 1965 Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Michael Baring [aged 37] and [his former wife] Sarah Norton [aged 44] were divorced.
On 7th March 1966 William Waldorf Astor 3rd Viscount Astor [aged 58] died. His son William [aged 14] succeeded 4th Viscount Astor, 4th Baron Astor.
On 20th July 2005 [his former wife] Phillipa Victoria Hunloke Viscountess Astor [aged 74] died.
On 4th February 2013 [his former wife] Sarah Norton Viscountess Astor [aged 93] died.
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 28th December 2017 [his former wife] Janet Bronwen Alun-Pugh Viscountess Astor [aged 87] died.
GrandFather: William Waldorf Astor 1st Viscount Astor
Father: Waldorf Astor 2nd Viscount Astor
GrandMother: Mary Dahlgren Paul
William Waldorf Astor 3rd Viscount Astor
Mother: Nancy Witcher Langhorne Viscountess Astor