This work investigates the origins and identities of the continental landowners who settled in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. K. S. B. Keats-Rohan, a scholar specializing in medieval prosopography, utilizes extensive archival research to reconstruct the social and familial networks of the post-conquest aristocracy. The text provides a systematic framework for identifying the specific continental regions from which these individuals originated, thereby clarifying the demographic shifts that occurred during the century following the invasion.

Historians and medievalists recognize this volume as a foundational reference for the study of the Anglo-Norman period. Scholars frequently cite the work for its meticulous attention to detail and its rigorous application of prosopographical methods to complex genealogical data.