The fortunes of a Norman family : the de Verduns in England, Ireland & Wales, 1066-1316

Nowdays, Alton Towers is a well known amusement park, but from c.1000-1316 it belonged to the de Verdun family who, from humble origins in Normandy came to rule estates stretching from Buckinghamshire to the Welsh march and beyond to the Shannon in Ireland especially in modern day Co.

Louth. This study examines the growth of family power, through service to the crown and military strength, which culminated in the appointment of Theobald II de Verdun as justiciar of Ireland in 1312.

It also considers how a tradition of royal service was gradually diluted by both the disturbed politics of the late-13th and early-14th centuries and by a pressing need for money.

A study of the members of the family, their estates and their identity provides an insight into the problems that holding lands across such a wide area presented and how these problems were dealt with.

It also offers an opportunity to examine how the economies of the estates in England, Wales and Ireland differed (and the reasons for those differences).