The Clinton Family: A Concise History c. 1056-2001

On 14th October 1066 one of the most dramatic events in history took place at Senlac near Hastings when William, Duke of Normandy, challenged Harold II for the throne of England. Following William the Conqueror's victory, in an instant, the ruling Anglo-Saxon elite were swept aside, only to be replaced by their Norman counterparts. A concerted programme of castle building then ensued, as did the building of magnificent churches, cathedrals and monasteries. Within the next fifty years "New Men" began to make their mark on the landscape during the reign of William the Conqueror's youngest son, Henry I. Men of vision, including Geoffrey de Clinton the founder of Kenilworth Castle and a Priory which he dedicated to St Mary the Virgin for the good of his soul, now came to prominence. The ambitions of the de Clintons, however, did not end there. Over the next 900 years their influence was to expand to Ireland and eventually to America.