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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Maternal Family Tree: Jane Coe
On 28th April 1583 [her father] Benedict Barnham [aged 24] and [her mother] Dorothy Smith were married at St Clements Church. They had seven girls and one boy. Three girls and a boy died in infancy.
In 1592 Alice Barnham Viscountess St Alban was born to [her father] Benedict Barnham [aged 33] and [her mother] Dorothy Smith.
In 1598 [her father] Benedict Barnham [aged 39] died. He left an estate of £20,000 of whom the chief beneficiaries were his wife [her mother] Dorothy Smith and her daughters [her sister] Elizabeth Barnham Countess Castlehaven [aged 6], Alice Barnham Viscountess St Alban [aged 6].
In November 1598 [her step-father] John "Lusty" Pakington [aged 49] and [her mother] Dorothy Smith were married. They had two daughters and a son.
On 10th May 1606 Francis Bacon 1st Viscount St Alban [aged 45] and Alice Barnham Viscountess St Alban [aged 14] were married. The difference in their ages was 30 years.
Before 1612 [her brother-in-law] Mervyn Tuchet 2nd Earl Castlehaven [aged 18] and [her sister] Elizabeth Barnham Countess Castlehaven [aged 19] were married. He the son of George Tuchet 1st Earl Castlehaven [aged 60] and Lucy Mervyn Baroness Audley and Tuchet.
On 29th June 1612 Robert Crichton 8th Lord Sanquhar was hanged in Westminster Palace Yard for having arranged the murder of his fencing Master John Painter Turner who had previously disfigured him during practice. At his trial [her husband] Francis Bacon 1st Viscount St Alban [aged 51] read the charges.
In 1617 George Tuchet 1st Earl Castlehaven [aged 66] died. His son [her brother-in-law] Mervyn [aged 24] succeeded 2nd Earl Castlehaven, 12th Baron Audley of Heighley in Staffordshire, 9th Baron Tuchet, 2nd Baron Audley of Orier in England. [her sister] Elizabeth Barnham Countess Castlehaven [aged 25] by marriage Countess Castlehaven.
In 1618 [her husband] Francis Bacon 1st Viscount St Alban [aged 56] was created 1st Baron Verulam. Alice Barnham Viscountess St Alban [aged 26] by marriage Baroness Verulam.
Letters of John Chamberlain Volume 2.310. [19th December 1618] Yt is growne altogether in fashion to burie now by night, as on Sonday last the Lady Haddington1 had a solemne convoy of almost an hundred coaches (and torches in aboundance), that accompanied her from Westminster to White-chappell on her way to New-hall in Essex where she is to be buried: in this troupe besides the countesses of Bedford [aged 38], Excester [aged 38], and Devonshire [aged 50] was the Lady Verulam [aged 26] with a world of other Ladies. The countesse of Salisburie [aged 28] the Friday before made a great feast and a play, though her husband [aged 27] were absent at court, and the rest of her house and frends in sorow about a lewde libell, that (excepting the highest) runs over all the court and countrie almost that followes not theyre faction, and though the author cannot be found out, yet notice is taken that the Lady of Wallingford [aged 35] was one of the first that sunge yt, and the King thinckes of her yt may be required. I heare of another crosse libell that shold pay her and all hers in the same coine, but for my part I protest I have neither seene nor seeke after any of them, but only heare the generall buzze abrode.
Note 1. Cf. Letters 309.
On 9th February 1619 [her brother-in-law] Humphrey Ferrers and [her half-sister] Anne Pakington [aged 20] were married at Kensington.
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
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In 1622 [her sister] Elizabeth Barnham Countess Castlehaven [aged 30] died.
On 27th January 1626 [her husband] Francis Bacon 1st Viscount St Alban [aged 65] was created 1st Viscount St Alban. Alice Barnham Viscountess St Alban [aged 34] by marriage Viscountess St Alban.
On 9th April 1626 [her husband] Francis Bacon 1st Viscount St Alban [aged 65] died of pneumonia. He was buried at St Paul's Walden Bury, Hertfordshire. Viscount St Alban and Baron Verulam extinct.
After 1636 [her brother-in-law] Philip Stanhope 1st Earl Chesterfield [aged 52] and [her half-sister] Anne Pakington Countess Chesterfield [aged 37] were married. She by marriage Countess Chesterfield.
Around 1639 [her mother] Dorothy Smith died.
On 29th June 1650 Alice Barnham Viscountess St Alban [aged 58] died.
GrandFather: Francis Barnham
Father: Benedict Barnham
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Bradbridge
GrandMother: Alice Bradbridge
Alice Barnham Viscountess St Alban
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Smith of Withcote in Leicestershire
GrandFather: Ambrose Smith of Withcote in Leicestershire
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Cave of Stanford in Northamptonshire
Great x 1 Grandmother: Dorothy Cave
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Mervin
Mother: Dorothy Smith
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Coe of Coggleshall in Essex
GrandMother: Jane Coe