Norton Family of Sharpenhoe

home
Contact: Scott Norton snorton@nortonfamily.net

The Noble family of Le Signeur de Norton
who came into England with William the conqueror and was his constable.

Norville-Norton DNA results

The noble Norton line begins with Le Signeur de Norouile who came with William the Conqueror in 1066 and was a sheriff or tax collector. The origin of this information is from an originial document that was in the posession of Charles-Eliot Norton esq. of Cambridge when it was an article was published by the New England Historical and Genealogical Register vol XIII page 225 in 1859.

"It is described as a "carefully drawn pedigree". (Commentary in RED)

The Norton
Coat-of-Arms

The Visitation of the Heralds to Bedfordshire in 1622 respited the arms of Thomas Norton. This means they didn't accept the arms but didn't demand proof at that time. A later Visitation accepted the arms presented by Robert Norton in Bedforshire. These are his arms.

This is what is also found in Burke's.

However, it does not appear that the arms are rendered on the pedigree done in 1632.

The Herald who produced the pedigree in 1632 related the arms of Norton found in Fulham, Co. Middelsex with the arms of the Sharpenhoe Nortons.
"In an ancient Mansion Hous in Fulham, in the Countie of Midd. ... the armes of Norton are in manie places remaining and the Bassingbourne's Armes quarters with theirs. There are also impailed the armes of Norland and Norton, quarteringe Bassingborn and Walker, impaled with Norton
Pr. John Philepott, Somersett. 1632

"... The manuscript is a large sheet of parchment, bearing a tabular pedigree, of which we give the substance, adorned with the various coats-of-arms in the successive generations and was apparently drawn by the Somerset herald. The present copy was made from the original, and, on all doubtful points, reference has been had to a copy made in 1802, at which time the writing was of course more legible.

Perhaps the reason for the compilation of this pedigree was this: Thomas Norton, who "added the residue partly" married the daughter and the niece of Archbishop Cranmer, and the position he must haveen placed in, would account for his desire to investigate his pedigree.

One the left side are two notes. the first reads:
"This Genealogie of the Nortons of Sharpehow in Bedfordshire, beginninge at Noruile that married into the howse Valois, and came into England with Kinge William the Conqueror, and was his Constable; whose posteritie, long time after, assumed the English name of Norton, being the same in signification that Noruile is in French. For the proof whereof it is to be understood that this pedigree agreeth with records remaining in the office of Armes....in one book of pedigree, late William Haruie's, Clarencieux King of Armes, couered in Read, and set forth in trick, as far as Noruile, wch. was sonn of Sr. John Noruile, alias Norton, and married with the daughter of Montchensie, and to Joan daughter of Sr. John, and her issue."

Underneath this is the following:-
"In an ancient Mansion Hous in Fulham, in the Countie of Midd. sometime the possession of Thomas Windowt, Alderman of London, and now hoc anno 1632, the possession of Mr. Williamson, procurator in the court of Arches, London, the armes of Norton are in manie places remaining and the Bassingbourne's Armes quarters with theirs. There are also impailed the armes of Norland and Norton, quarteringe Bassingborn and Walker, impaed with Norton: also the armes of Mr. Hill and Mr. Rice, impaled with Norland."
Pr. John Philepott, Somersett.

On the right are also two notes. the first says --
"It appeares likewise by another book of pedegrees, late the said William Haruie's covered with parchment, havinge on the right side upon corner written "Wendout," and sett forth in coulers; saving that in the first book, is Joane said to be the sister to the said Sr. John, and in the second, she is sett downe to be his daughter, as truth is: and in that second book, Joane is siad to be married first to Norland and after to Walker, which contrarie as appeareth by her owne testament, made by the name of Joane Norland, widow, wherein she alsoe maketh mention of her children by Walker. Now for proof that the Nortons of Sharpenhoe are descended from the aforesaid Sr. John Nourile, als. Norton, is to be known that Sr. John Norton had one other son, named John Norton, dwelling at Sharpenhoe, had issue John, Joane, Isabel and Alce, as appeareth by the several testatments of Joane Norland and Agnes Wenger, her daughter. The said John Norton, son of John, married his second wife Jane, daughter of Cowper, and had issue Thomas Norton as appeareth by the testament of Agnes Winger, recorded in the Prerogative Office."

Underneath is written:
"The residue [of] this peegree is partly added by Thomas Norton, Esq., sonn of the said Thomas with his owne hand yet estant, and for the most part within memory, and continued downe to this present yeare 1632, by the informaion of Mr. Robert Norton the elder, sonn of the siad Mr. Thomas Norton the younger."

Here is the first part of the pedigree as presented in 1859.
The arms are those found on the pedigree chart which seems to be prepared by the John Philepott, Sommerset Herald in 1632.

1. Le Signor. de Noruile 1040?-1100? came into England with William the conqueror and was his constable. He married into the house of Valois.
(Valois coat of arms)

2. Sr. de Noruile 1075-1150?married in the house of Barr.
(Barr coat of arms)
(Barre family is found in Bedfordshire by Sharpenhoe 1384)

3. Sr. de Noruile 1125-1195? married in the house of Dalbemonte.
(Dalbemonte coat of arms)

4. Sr. de Noruile 1160-1226? married Auelina, daughter of Neuil of Raby.
(Nevill coat of arms) (Nevill became Earl of Northumberland)
The Nevil famly arrives in Durham with the 2nd set of Norman nobles in 1069 along with Nourvile. Almost certainly Norvuile is a contemporary and places the family in Durham at this date.

5. Sr. de Noruile 1195-1260? married Jordica, daughter of Sigr. Dampre de Court.
(Dampre de Court coat of arms)
(Court family is associated with Warwick, close by Bedforshire, York and Sommerset)

6. Sr. de Noruile 1230-1295? alias Norton married the daughter of Sir John Hadscoke.
(Hadscoke coat of arms)

7. Sr. de Noruile 1265-1330? alias Norton married the daughter and coheiress of Monsigur. Bassingbourne, and had Elizabeth, who m. Roger Hill of co. Stafford. And.
(Bassingbourne coat of arms) (The principle estate of Bassingbourne is found in about 5 miles from Sharpenhoe in Cambridgeshire. "At Fulton manor the Bassingbourne arms are quartered with Norton in many places."

8. Sir John Norton 1300-1365? alias Noruile married the daughter of the Lord Grey de Ruthyn, by whom he had John of whom hereafter.
(Grey de Ruthyn coat of arms)
Roger de Grey 1st baron Grey de Ruthyn b.abt1290 and his wife Elizabeth de Hastings. This Lord Grey de Ruthin is the younger son and is established at Ruthyn in Wales. He is summoned to Parliment in 1324 and dies in 1353 suggesting that the dates for the 8th signeour de Norvile are just about right. He had 4 daughters: Julianne, Elizabeth, Joan, and Mary. Sir John Norton is not specifically listed as a husbant to and of these, but could have been a 2nd husband. Roger de Grey's grandfather was Sheriff of Buckingham & Bedford and the Grey's are centered in Bedford, building Wrest House (which is still standing) just 3 miles North of Sharpenhoe.

note: it is understood that this is an incomplete genealogy because there are too few generations for the dates. The article now follows the individual children of #8. For our purposes I will follow the direct line.

9. John Norton (b. abt. 1457) of Sharpenhoe, in Bedfordshire, (He should be born abt 1330, so we are short about 127 years or 4 generations.
m. --------, and had I. John II. Jane III. Isabel IV. Alaice

10. John Norton (b.abt.1483) of Sharpenhoe married first a daughter of Mr. Danie, and had issue, I. William, prob d. young
He m. 2d, Jane, dau. of Cowper, and had II. Thomas. III. Richard, of whom hereafter. IV. Robert, prob. d. s. p. V. John, m. 1st, a Preston; 2d, a Spycer, No issue given. VI. Alice, m. 1st a Goodrich; 2d, Thomas Decon. No issue given. VII. William No issue reported.

11. Thomas Norton of Sharpenhoe (II Thomas from above) m. first Elizabeth Merry, and had issue, I. Margaret, m. a Symons. II. Thomas, who m 1st Margaret, daughter of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Caterbury, who d.s.p.; and 2d, Alice, dau. of Edmond Cranmer, brother of Thomas, and had issue, ...
He m. secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Marshall, and widow of Ralph Radcliff, and had issue,

Now we return to the other sone of John #10 and Jane Cowper.

12. Richard Norton (b.1517) married Margary, duaghter of Winger of Sharpenhoe, and had I. Thomas and II. William

13. William Norton (b.1555) of Sharpenhoe, married first Margarie, dau, of Will. Hawes, and widow of Mr. Hamos and had ...
He married secondly, Dennis Cholmley, niece of Sir Nicholas Hare, Master of the Rolls (Master 1553-1557), and had II. Thomas, III. John, IV. Elizabeth, V. Francis, VI. Hugh, VII. Daniel, VIII.Phebe, IX Richard (b.1595), who m. Ellen, dau. of thomas Rowley of Wllden, in Essix, and had Luke, Richard, John (b.1628 removed to Hartford, CT), Ellen and Dorothy.

Here's a short summary of the Norvile's as they turn into Nortons.

Norvile was apparently not a commander at the battle of Hastings 1066.
Norvile was a constable/sheriff/tax collector for King William. This placed him at the center of trade and enforcing taxation.
Norvile was charged to bring York and Durham under King Williams control after the first set of Norman nobles were slaughtered.
Norvile recieved large estates in Durham and York as a result of his service there.

Le Signor. de Norvile is not listed on the "Battle Abbey Rolls" as being a companion or commander at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 when William the Conqueror defeated the English King Harold. This list of commanders all got huge grants of land in England. That Norvile is not listed suggests that he was not a commander, but is presented variously as King William's constable or sheriff. This is often interpreted as "Tax Collector".

Two events changed the fortunes of Le Signor. de Norvile. The first of these was the 1st Norman visit to Durham and York.

Norton's in Durham
A Norman army of seven-hundred men stormed into the Durham City on the January 30th 1069 under the command of an aggressive Norman earl by the name of ROBERT COMINE who is listed on the Battle Abbey Rolls.. His men had distributed themselves throughout the narrow streets of the city and were confident they could take control of the place despite strong warnings from the Bishop of Durham called AEGELWINE, who predicted their defeat.

The following morning the Bishop’s prediction proved true as the Norman occupants of the city were set upon by the Durham people aided by a large Northumbrian army from the north who broke open all gates of the town and stormed through the narrow streets of the city, slaughtering the Normans as they went. Some of the Normans, including Comine fled for safety to the bishop’s palace but this was set alight causing a fierce blaze which posed a threat to the western tower of Durham’s early stone minster. This caused the local people to fall to their knees;

"with eyes filled with tears and elevated hands, petitioning heaven, that by some assistance of the holy saint the structure might be saved from damage."

Miraculously the wind changed direction and diverted the flames away from the minster’s tower.Comine and the occupants of the bishop’s palace were burnt to death and the snow covered streets of the city, filled with the carcasses of dead soldiers are said to have ran with Norman blood. All but one of the Norman occupants lost their lives in the massacre. King William was extremely angered by the event and sent north a second, even greater army to burn and plunder the land between York and Durham. This was known as the HARRYING OF THE NORTH. It demonstrated the might of the Norman army to the people of northern England and forced them to recognise Norman control.

Norvile or some of his sons certainly went to Durham and York during this time because they aquired huge estates in this area. These estates were later inherited by the Conyers family when Roger Conyers married Margaret Norton, the last Norton to inherit in York and Northumbria land. That Norvile was selected to conquer the Northumbrians is a measure of his capablities.

A picture of Norvile begins to emerge. First he is a constable or sheriff, a position requiring what might euphemistically be called assertiveness. Then being sent to the border regions where the previous Norman Earl was burned alive suggests that Norvile was able to handle hostile situations. As a result of the Norman "occupation", Durham was so devastated by the Norman armies that it was simply listed as "wasted" in the Doomsday book census of 1086. Only the most fierce and capable Normans could last in the border lands of England. Once the locals were subjegated, it was a constant battle with the Scots.

1040?-1100? 1st Le Signor. de Noruile married into the house of Valois. At this point in time there is no particular significants with the house of Valois. Probably Norvill is in Durham and York after 1069 but has interests North of London.

1075-1150? 2nd Sr. de Noruile married in the house of Barr. Barre family is found in Bedforshire by Sharpenhoe 1384 and in Yorkshire, they are found along with the Nortons from 1616.

1125-1195? 3rd Sr. de Noruile married in the house of Dalbemonte. I can find no info about the Dalbemonte family.

1160-1226? 4th Sr. de Noruile married Auelina, daughter of Neuil of Raby. This has to be the first Nevill of that name. Geoffrey I de Neville b. about 1140. The Nevilles are centered at Raby in Durham. I would suggest that Noruile, Neville, D' Albemonte and Barr families were those who were sent to Durham and York. D'Albemonte and Barr seem to have been minor families or perhaps they died out early as there are few noble references to them. This places the Norviles in Durham and we know that their lands are those at Norton-Conyers including manors at Sawley and Grantley.

1195-1260? 5th Sr. de Noruile married Jordica, daughter of Sigr. Dampre de Court. The Court family is associated with Warwick, close by Bedforshire, Yorkshire and Sommerset.

1230-1295? 6th Sr. de Noruile alias Norton married the daughter of Sir John Hadscoke.

1265-1330? 7th Sr. de Noruile alias Norton married the daughter and coheiress of Monsigur. Bassingbourne, and had Elizabeth, who m. Roger Hill of co. Stafford. Bassingbourne is found in Essex from 1252. At Fulton manor the Bassingbourne arms are quartered with Norton in many places. This indicates the Nortons are now centered in Bedford/London. This is also the time that Roger Conyers marries Margaret Norton and inherits the Norton lands in Yorkshire.

1300-1365? 8th Sir John Norton alias Noruile married the daughter of the Lord Grey de Ruthyn. This Lord Grey is the younger son and is established at Ruthyn in Wales. He is summoned to Parliment in 1324 and dies in 1353 suggesting that the dates for the 8th Signeour de Norvile are off just a little off. The senior Lord grey is established at Wilton, Wilshire.

This marks the period when the Norvile's will anglicize their name to Norton and begin to leave Durham and York. About 1330 Margaret Norton marries Roger Conyers in Durham. Margaret Norton inherits the estates in York. Roger will assume the title of Norton and their children will be called Norton establishing at Norton-Conyers on the southern border of North Riding Yorkshire. From this line will come the noble Nortons of York.

1457 - John Norton b: 1457 Sharpenhoe, Bedfordshire, England.

1483 - John Norton, born about 1483, of Sharpenhow, Bedfordshire, England; married Jane Cooper (Cowper).

Charles-Eliot Norton esq. of Cambridge
1827–1908, American scholar and teacher, b. Cambridge, Mass., grad. Harvard, 1846. As professor of the history of art at Harvard (1875–98) and as a man of letters he had a stimulating influence on his time. He edited (1864–68), with James Russell Lowell, the North American Review and was a founder (1865) of the Nation. Of his several scholarly works, the most notable were his Italian studies and his prose translation (3 vol., 1891–92) of Dante.

First Professor of Fine Arts, Harvard University; influential mentor for a generation of art historians. Norton was born to a wealthy Boston family with strong intellectual interests. His father, Andrews Norton (1786-1853), was a Unitarian theologian and professor of sacred literature at Harvard. He attended Harvard University, graduating with an A. B. in 1846. After college he toured India and Europe, particularly England between 1849–51. With his various attempts at business a failure, he returned to Europe in 1855, remaining there until1857. Norton returned to focus on writing and literature. He edited the North American Review between 1864–8 and co-founded The Nation in 1865. His articles at this time demonstrated both a knowledge in art history and archaeology as well as literature. In 1859 he published his Notes of Study and Travel in Italy largely an art-historical travelogue of that country. Norton made another trip to Europe 1868–73 where his interests in architectural history and enthusiasm for Britain heightened. He was appointed by Harvard University President (and first cousin) Charles W. Eliot to be the first lecturer of Fine Arts at Harvard in 1873. A dynamic lecturer though little interested in scholarship, Norton influenced some of the greatest American art historians of the next generation. Classical interests always high with Norton, he founded the Archaeological Institute of America, whose first local society was in Boston, in 1879. A short while later he founded the American Academy in Rome. In 1880, he issued his Historical Studies of Church Building in the Middle Ages. Norton employed a moral interpretation of art history, fuelled by a romantic vision of the middle ages and a disillusion with late-19th century industrialism. Like many English-speaking art scholars, he was deeply affected by the writings of John Ruskin (q.v.) whom he knew personally from his trips to England. His most popular course was "The History of the Fine Arts as Connected with Literature." His collected Harvard lectures, published in 1891 as History of Ancient Art, belie the debt to Ruskin's Oxford lectures on beauty as a source for moral uprightness. Norton was the literary executor for Ruskin as well as Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881). As a man of letters, Norton maintained a correspondence with many of the later 19th-century authors, including Charles Dickens, Matthew Arnold, Charles Darwin, Robert Browning and Ralph Waldo Emerson. His cottage in Ashfield in the Massachusetts Berkshires as well as Shady Hill, his home in Cambridge (Massachusetts) were the meeting place for many intellectuals and discussions. A Charles Eliot Norton Professorship of Poetry (a distinguished visiting professorship in the Faculty of Arts) at Harvard was established in 1925. Harvard students influenced by his teaching included Bernard Berenson (q.v.), Edward Forbes (q.v.), Paul J. Sachs (q.v.), and Rathfon Post (q.v.) among many others.

Methodologically, Norton followed a connoisseurship mode of art history, prevalent among the Italo-Anglo and art historians, eschewing German methods of art as a historical phenomenon. His lectures and writing focused on Italian art and civilization, paralleling the aesthetics of Ruskin and the Pre-Raphaelites, which linked esthetic purity to social reform. In Church Building in the Middle Ages he suggested that spiritual values, such as those embodied in the middle ages, led to the creation of fine art while materialism, such as that of his own age, poisoned it. Democracy, he mused may be incompatible with a "healthy culture." Unashamedly subjective, his influence rests largely on the scholars he encouraged rather than his own writings.

HCountry: United States

HBiography: Bazin, Germain. Histoire de l'histoire de l'art; de Vasari à nos jours. Paris: Albin Michel, 1986, p. 540; Calder, William M. "Charles Eliot Norton." Encyclopedia of the History of Classical Archaeology. Nancy Thomson de Grummond, ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996, vol. 2, p. 812.

HBibliography: Letters of Charles Eliot Norton. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1913; List of the Principal Books Relating to the Life and Works of Michel Angelo. Cambridge, MA: Press of J. Wilson and Son, 1879; and Ruskin, John. The Correspondence of John Ruskin and Charles Eliot Norton. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987; and Ruskin, John. Letters of John Ruskin to Charles Eliot Norton. 2 vols. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1905; [exhibition curated], Ruskin, John. Notes on Drawings. Cambridge: University Press, John Wilson and son, 1879; Historical Studies of Church-building in the Middle Ages: Venice, Siena, Florence. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1880; Notes of Travel and Study in Italy. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company 1859; Brown, Harry Fletcher, and Wiggin, William Harrison, eds. History of Ancient Art. Boston: A. Mudge & Son, 1891.

This DNA signature is prone to fast mutating markers. We are also looking at differing MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestors) which express themselves as increased mutations.

For instance, The tests from Grant, KY are separated by only 4 generations and differ at 2 marker locations. The CT DNA tests are separated by 9 generations and also exhibit 2 mutated markers. The English test is separated by possibly 20 generations and matches 12/12 with CT/ KY and 22/25 with the Lockport, NY test. of the first 12 markers there are three which have mutated. 2 of these are fast mutating markers and are of little concern. However, marker 389-b is a stable marker and is still shifting. More tests could enable us to use this marker to identify differnt clans. The mutation at marker 459b may also be used to differentiate the Nortons in England vs the Nortons who came to America.

Norton Coat-of-Arms Study Gap in Norton Line	home Contact: Scott Norton snorton@nortonfamily.net
Norton Coat-of-Arms Study Gap in Norton Line	The Noble family of Le Signeur de Norton who came into England with William the conqueror and was his constable. Norville-Norton DNA results The noble Norton line begins with Le Signeur de Norouile who came with William the Conqueror in 1066 and was a sheriff or tax collector. The origin of this information is from an originial document that was in the posession of Charles-Eliot Norton esq. of Cambridge when it was an article was published by the New England Historical and Genealogical Register vol XIII page 225 in 1859. "It is described as a "carefully drawn pedigree". (Commentary in RED)
The Norton Coat-of-Arms The Visitation of the Heralds to Bedfordshire in 1622 respited the arms of Thomas Norton. This means they didn't accept the arms but didn't demand proof at that time. A later Visitation accepted the arms presented by Robert Norton in Bedforshire. These are his arms. This is what is also found in Burke's. However, it does not appear that the arms are rendered on the pedigree done in 1632. The Herald who produced the pedigree in 1632 related the arms of Norton found in Fulham, Co. Middelsex with the arms of the Sharpenhoe Nortons. "In an ancient Mansion Hous in Fulham, in the Countie of Midd. ... the armes of Norton are in manie places remaining and the Bassingbourne's Armes quarters with theirs. There are also impailed the armes of Norland and Norton, quarteringe Bassingborn and Walker, impaled with Norton Pr. John Philepott, Somersett. 1632	"... The manuscript is a large sheet of parchment, bearing a tabular pedigree, of which we give the substance, adorned with the various coats-of-arms in the successive generations and was apparently drawn by the Somerset herald. The present copy was made from the original, and, on all doubtful points, reference has been had to a copy made in 1802, at which time the writing was of course more legible. Perhaps the reason for the compilation of this pedigree was this: Thomas Norton, who "added the residue partly" married the daughter and the niece of Archbishop Cranmer, and the position he must haveen placed in, would account for his desire to investigate his pedigree. One the left side are two notes. the first reads: "This Genealogie of the Nortons of Sharpehow in Bedfordshire, beginninge at Noruile that married into the howse Valois, and came into England with Kinge William the Conqueror, and was his Constable; whose posteritie, long time after, assumed the English name of Norton, being the same in signification that Noruile is in French. For the proof whereof it is to be understood that this pedigree agreeth with records remaining in the office of Armes....in one book of pedigree, late William Haruie's, Clarencieux King of Armes, couered in Read, and set forth in trick, as far as Noruile, wch. was sonn of Sr. John Noruile, alias Norton, and married with the daughter of Montchensie, and to Joan daughter of Sr. John, and her issue." Underneath this is the following:- "In an ancient Mansion Hous in Fulham, in the Countie of Midd. sometime the possession of Thomas Windowt, Alderman of London, and now hoc anno 1632, the possession of Mr. Williamson, procurator in the court of Arches, London, the armes of Norton are in manie places remaining and the Bassingbourne's Armes quarters with theirs. There are also impailed the armes of Norland and Norton, quarteringe Bassingborn and Walker, impaed with Norton: also the armes of Mr. Hill and Mr. Rice, impaled with Norland." Pr. John Philepott, Somersett. On the right are also two notes. the first says -- "It appeares likewise by another book of pedegrees, late the said William Haruie's covered with parchment, havinge on the right side upon corner written "Wendout," and sett forth in coulers; saving that in the first book, is Joane said to be the sister to the said Sr. John, and in the second, she is sett downe to be his daughter, as truth is: and in that second book, Joane is siad to be married first to Norland and after to Walker, which contrarie as appeareth by her owne testament, made by the name of Joane Norland, widow, wherein she alsoe maketh mention of her children by Walker. Now for proof that the Nortons of Sharpenhoe are descended from the aforesaid Sr. John Nourile, als. Norton, is to be known that Sr. John Norton had one other son, named John Norton, dwelling at Sharpenhoe, had issue John, Joane, Isabel and Alce, as appeareth by the several testatments of Joane Norland and Agnes Wenger, her daughter. The said John Norton, son of John, married his second wife Jane, daughter of Cowper, and had issue Thomas Norton as appeareth by the testament of Agnes Winger, recorded in the Prerogative Office." Underneath is written: "The residue [of] this peegree is partly added by Thomas Norton, Esq., sonn of the said Thomas with his owne hand yet estant, and for the most part within memory, and continued downe to this present yeare 1632, by the informaion of Mr. Robert Norton the elder, sonn of the siad Mr. Thomas Norton the younger."
	Here is the first part of the pedigree as presented in 1859. The arms are those found on the pedigree chart which seems to be prepared by the John Philepott, Sommerset Herald in 1632. 1. Le Signor. de Noruile 1040?-1100? came into England with William the conqueror and was his constable. He married into the house of Valois. (Valois coat of arms) 2. Sr. de Noruile 1075-1150?married in the house of Barr. (Barr coat of arms) (Barre family is found in Bedfordshire by Sharpenhoe 1384) 3. Sr. de Noruile 1125-1195? married in the house of Dalbemonte. (Dalbemonte coat of arms)
	4. Sr. de Noruile 1160-1226? married Auelina, daughter of Neuil of Raby. (Nevill coat of arms) (Nevill became Earl of Northumberland) The Nevil famly arrives in Durham with the 2nd set of Norman nobles in 1069 along with Nourvile. Almost certainly Norvuile is a contemporary and places the family in Durham at this date. 5. Sr. de Noruile 1195-1260? married Jordica, daughter of Sigr. Dampre de Court. (Dampre de Court coat of arms) (Court family is associated with Warwick, close by Bedforshire, York and Sommerset) 6. Sr. de Noruile 1230-1295? alias Norton married the daughter of Sir John Hadscoke. (Hadscoke coat of arms)
	7. Sr. de Noruile 1265-1330? alias Norton married the daughter and coheiress of Monsigur. Bassingbourne, and had Elizabeth, who m. Roger Hill of co. Stafford. And. (Bassingbourne coat of arms) (The principle estate of Bassingbourne is found in about 5 miles from Sharpenhoe in Cambridgeshire. "At Fulton manor the Bassingbourne arms are quartered with Norton in many places." 8. Sir John Norton 1300-1365? alias Noruile married the daughter of the Lord Grey de Ruthyn, by whom he had John of whom hereafter. (Grey de Ruthyn coat of arms) Roger de Grey 1st baron Grey de Ruthyn b.abt1290 and his wife Elizabeth de Hastings. This Lord Grey de Ruthin is the younger son and is established at Ruthyn in Wales. He is summoned to Parliment in 1324 and dies in 1353 suggesting that the dates for the 8th signeour de Norvile are just about right. He had 4 daughters: Julianne, Elizabeth, Joan, and Mary. Sir John Norton is not specifically listed as a husbant to and of these, but could have been a 2nd husband. Roger de Grey's grandfather was Sheriff of Buckingham & Bedford and the Grey's are centered in Bedford, building Wrest House (which is still standing) just 3 miles North of Sharpenhoe. note: it is understood that this is an incomplete genealogy because there are too few generations for the dates. The article now follows the individual children of #8. For our purposes I will follow the direct line. 9. John Norton (b. abt. 1457) of Sharpenhoe, in Bedfordshire, (He should be born abt 1330, so we are short about 127 years or 4 generations. m. --------, and had I. John II. Jane III. Isabel IV. Alaice 10. John Norton (b.abt.1483) of Sharpenhoe married first a daughter of Mr. Danie, and had issue, I. William, prob d. young He m. 2d, Jane, dau. of Cowper, and had II. Thomas. III. Richard, of whom hereafter. IV. Robert, prob. d. s. p. V. John, m. 1st, a Preston; 2d, a Spycer, No issue given. VI. Alice, m. 1st a Goodrich; 2d, Thomas Decon. No issue given. VII. William No issue reported. 11. Thomas Norton of Sharpenhoe (II Thomas from above) m. first Elizabeth Merry, and had issue, I. Margaret, m. a Symons. II. Thomas, who m 1st Margaret, daughter of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Caterbury, who d.s.p.; and 2d, Alice, dau. of Edmond Cranmer, brother of Thomas, and had issue, ... He m. secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Marshall, and widow of Ralph Radcliff, and had issue, Now we return to the other sone of John #10 and Jane Cowper. 12. Richard Norton (b.1517) married Margary, duaghter of Winger of Sharpenhoe, and had I. Thomas and II. William 13. William Norton (b.1555) of Sharpenhoe, married first Margarie, dau, of Will. Hawes, and widow of Mr. Hamos and had ... He married secondly, Dennis Cholmley, niece of Sir Nicholas Hare, Master of the Rolls (Master 1553-1557), and had II. Thomas, III. John, IV. Elizabeth, V. Francis, VI. Hugh, VII. Daniel, VIII.Phebe, IX Richard (b.1595), who m. Ellen, dau. of thomas Rowley of Wllden, in Essix, and had Luke, Richard, John (b.1628 removed to Hartford, CT), Ellen and Dorothy.
	Here's a short summary of the Norvile's as they turn into Nortons. Norvile was apparently not a commander at the battle of Hastings 1066. Norvile was a constable/sheriff/tax collector for King William. This placed him at the center of trade and enforcing taxation. Norvile was charged to bring York and Durham under King Williams control after the first set of Norman nobles were slaughtered. Norvile recieved large estates in Durham and York as a result of his service there. Le Signor. de Norvile is not listed on the "Battle Abbey Rolls" as being a companion or commander at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 when William the Conqueror defeated the English King Harold. This list of commanders all got huge grants of land in England. That Norvile is not listed suggests that he was not a commander, but is presented variously as King William's constable or sheriff. This is often interpreted as "Tax Collector". Two events changed the fortunes of Le Signor. de Norvile. The first of these was the 1st Norman visit to Durham and York. Norton's in Durham A Norman army of seven-hundred men stormed into the Durham City on the January 30th 1069 under the command of an aggressive Norman earl by the name of ROBERT COMINE who is listed on the Battle Abbey Rolls.. His men had distributed themselves throughout the narrow streets of the city and were confident they could take control of the place despite strong warnings from the Bishop of Durham called AEGELWINE, who predicted their defeat. The following morning the Bishop’s prediction proved true as the Norman occupants of the city were set upon by the Durham people aided by a large Northumbrian army from the north who broke open all gates of the town and stormed through the narrow streets of the city, slaughtering the Normans as they went. Some of the Normans, including Comine fled for safety to the bishop’s palace but this was set alight causing a fierce blaze which posed a threat to the western tower of Durham’s early stone minster. This caused the local people to fall to their knees; "with eyes filled with tears and elevated hands, petitioning heaven, that by some assistance of the holy saint the structure might be saved from damage." Miraculously the wind changed direction and diverted the flames away from the minster’s tower.Comine and the occupants of the bishop’s palace were burnt to death and the snow covered streets of the city, filled with the carcasses of dead soldiers are said to have ran with Norman blood. All but one of the Norman occupants lost their lives in the massacre. King William was extremely angered by the event and sent north a second, even greater army to burn and plunder the land between York and Durham. This was known as the HARRYING OF THE NORTH. It demonstrated the might of the Norman army to the people of northern England and forced them to recognise Norman control. Norvile or some of his sons certainly went to Durham and York during this time because they aquired huge estates in this area. These estates were later inherited by the Conyers family when Roger Conyers married Margaret Norton, the last Norton to inherit in York and Northumbria land. That Norvile was selected to conquer the Northumbrians is a measure of his capablities. A picture of Norvile begins to emerge. First he is a constable or sheriff, a position requiring what might euphemistically be called assertiveness. Then being sent to the border regions where the previous Norman Earl was burned alive suggests that Norvile was able to handle hostile situations. As a result of the Norman "occupation", Durham was so devastated by the Norman armies that it was simply listed as "wasted" in the Doomsday book census of 1086. Only the most fierce and capable Normans could last in the border lands of England. Once the locals were subjegated, it was a constant battle with the Scots. 1040?-1100? 1st Le Signor. de Noruile married into the house of Valois. At this point in time there is no particular significants with the house of Valois. Probably Norvill is in Durham and York after 1069 but has interests North of London. 1075-1150? 2nd Sr. de Noruile married in the house of Barr. Barre family is found in Bedforshire by Sharpenhoe 1384 and in Yorkshire, they are found along with the Nortons from 1616. 1125-1195? 3rd Sr. de Noruile married in the house of Dalbemonte. I can find no info about the Dalbemonte family. 1160-1226? 4th Sr. de Noruile married Auelina, daughter of Neuil of Raby. This has to be the first Nevill of that name. Geoffrey I de Neville b. about 1140. The Nevilles are centered at Raby in Durham. I would suggest that Noruile, Neville, D' Albemonte and Barr families were those who were sent to Durham and York. D'Albemonte and Barr seem to have been minor families or perhaps they died out early as there are few noble references to them. This places the Norviles in Durham and we know that their lands are those at Norton-Conyers including manors at Sawley and Grantley. 1195-1260? 5th Sr. de Noruile married Jordica, daughter of Sigr. Dampre de Court. The Court family is associated with Warwick, close by Bedforshire, Yorkshire and Sommerset. 1230-1295? 6th Sr. de Noruile alias Norton married the daughter of Sir John Hadscoke. 1265-1330? 7th Sr. de Noruile alias Norton married the daughter and coheiress of Monsigur. Bassingbourne, and had Elizabeth, who m. Roger Hill of co. Stafford. Bassingbourne is found in Essex from 1252. At Fulton manor the Bassingbourne arms are quartered with Norton in many places. This indicates the Nortons are now centered in Bedford/London. This is also the time that Roger Conyers marries Margaret Norton and inherits the Norton lands in Yorkshire. 1300-1365? 8th Sir John Norton alias Noruile married the daughter of the Lord Grey de Ruthyn. This Lord Grey is the younger son and is established at Ruthyn in Wales. He is summoned to Parliment in 1324 and dies in 1353 suggesting that the dates for the 8th Signeour de Norvile are off just a little off. The senior Lord grey is established at Wilton, Wilshire. This marks the period when the Norvile's will anglicize their name to Norton and begin to leave Durham and York. About 1330 Margaret Norton marries Roger Conyers in Durham. Margaret Norton inherits the estates in York. Roger will assume the title of Norton and their children will be called Norton establishing at Norton-Conyers on the southern border of North Riding Yorkshire. From this line will come the noble Nortons of York. 1457 - John Norton b: 1457 Sharpenhoe, Bedfordshire, England. 1483 - John Norton, born about 1483, of Sharpenhow, Bedfordshire, England; married Jane Cooper (Cowper).
	Charles-Eliot Norton esq. of Cambridge 1827–1908, American scholar and teacher, b. Cambridge, Mass., grad. Harvard, 1846. As professor of the history of art at Harvard (1875–98) and as a man of letters he had a stimulating influence on his time. He edited (1864–68), with James Russell Lowell, the North American Review and was a founder (1865) of the Nation. Of his several scholarly works, the most notable were his Italian studies and his prose translation (3 vol., 1891–92) of Dante. First Professor of Fine Arts, Harvard University; influential mentor for a generation of art historians. Norton was born to a wealthy Boston family with strong intellectual interests. His father, Andrews Norton (1786-1853), was a Unitarian theologian and professor of sacred literature at Harvard. He attended Harvard University, graduating with an A. B. in 1846. After college he toured India and Europe, particularly England between 1849–51. With his various attempts at business a failure, he returned to Europe in 1855, remaining there until1857. Norton returned to focus on writing and literature. He edited the North American Review between 1864–8 and co-founded The Nation in 1865. His articles at this time demonstrated both a knowledge in art history and archaeology as well as literature. In 1859 he published his Notes of Study and Travel in Italy largely an art-historical travelogue of that country. Norton made another trip to Europe 1868–73 where his interests in architectural history and enthusiasm for Britain heightened. He was appointed by Harvard University President (and first cousin) Charles W. Eliot to be the first lecturer of Fine Arts at Harvard in 1873. A dynamic lecturer though little interested in scholarship, Norton influenced some of the greatest American art historians of the next generation. Classical interests always high with Norton, he founded the Archaeological Institute of America, whose first local society was in Boston, in 1879. A short while later he founded the American Academy in Rome. In 1880, he issued his Historical Studies of Church Building in the Middle Ages. Norton employed a moral interpretation of art history, fuelled by a romantic vision of the middle ages and a disillusion with late-19th century industrialism. Like many English-speaking art scholars, he was deeply affected by the writings of John Ruskin (q.v.) whom he knew personally from his trips to England. His most popular course was "The History of the Fine Arts as Connected with Literature." His collected Harvard lectures, published in 1891 as History of Ancient Art, belie the debt to Ruskin's Oxford lectures on beauty as a source for moral uprightness. Norton was the literary executor for Ruskin as well as Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881). As a man of letters, Norton maintained a correspondence with many of the later 19th-century authors, including Charles Dickens, Matthew Arnold, Charles Darwin, Robert Browning and Ralph Waldo Emerson. His cottage in Ashfield in the Massachusetts Berkshires as well as Shady Hill, his home in Cambridge (Massachusetts) were the meeting place for many intellectuals and discussions. A Charles Eliot Norton Professorship of Poetry (a distinguished visiting professorship in the Faculty of Arts) at Harvard was established in 1925. Harvard students influenced by his teaching included Bernard Berenson (q.v.), Edward Forbes (q.v.), Paul J. Sachs (q.v.), and Rathfon Post (q.v.) among many others. Methodologically, Norton followed a connoisseurship mode of art history, prevalent among the Italo-Anglo and art historians, eschewing German methods of art as a historical phenomenon. His lectures and writing focused on Italian art and civilization, paralleling the aesthetics of Ruskin and the Pre-Raphaelites, which linked esthetic purity to social reform. In Church Building in the Middle Ages he suggested that spiritual values, such as those embodied in the middle ages, led to the creation of fine art while materialism, such as that of his own age, poisoned it. Democracy, he mused may be incompatible with a "healthy culture." Unashamedly subjective, his influence rests largely on the scholars he encouraged rather than his own writings. HCountry: United States HBiography: Bazin, Germain. Histoire de l'histoire de l'art; de Vasari à nos jours. Paris: Albin Michel, 1986, p. 540; Calder, William M. "Charles Eliot Norton." Encyclopedia of the History of Classical Archaeology. Nancy Thomson de Grummond, ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996, vol. 2, p. 812. HBibliography: Letters of Charles Eliot Norton. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1913; List of the Principal Books Relating to the Life and Works of Michel Angelo. Cambridge, MA: Press of J. Wilson and Son, 1879; and Ruskin, John. The Correspondence of John Ruskin and Charles Eliot Norton. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987; and Ruskin, John. Letters of John Ruskin to Charles Eliot Norton. 2 vols. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1905; [exhibition curated], Ruskin, John. Notes on Drawings. Cambridge: University Press, John Wilson and son, 1879; Historical Studies of Church-building in the Middle Ages: Venice, Siena, Florence. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1880; Notes of Travel and Study in Italy. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company 1859; Brown, Harry Fletcher, and Wiggin, William Harrison, eds. History of Ancient Art. Boston: A. Mudge & Son, 1891.