General Notes

The surname of this family was originally le Blount, which had its own origin from the Blondi or Brondi, of Italy. Its patriarchs, the Counts of Guisnes, claimed alliance with most of the royal families of Europe and counted amongst their progenitors, the Emperors and Kings of France, the Kings of Denmark, the Counts of Flanders, and the Guelphs, Dukes of Bavaria. Rodolph, third Count of Guisnes (whose grandfather was Siegfred, the Dane, first Count, grandson of Harold V, King of Denmark) espoused Rosetta, daughter of Hugh, second Count St. Pol, and had three sons who accompanied the Conqueror into England, one of whom returned into Normandy, while the other two, Sir Robert and Sir William, remained and participated largely in the spoils of conquest -- Sir William obtaining several lordships in Lincolnshire, and Sir Robert no less than thirteen lordships in the county of Suffolk, of which Ixworth was the head of the feudal barony. [John Burke, Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. I, R. Bentley, London, 1834-1838, p. 356, Croke, of Studley]
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The origin of this most ancient and distinguished family is traced from the Counts of Guisnes, in Picardy, a race of nobles descended from the Scandinavian rulers of Denmark. Rodolph, 3rd count of Guisnes, had three sons by his wife Rosetta, dau. of the Count de St. Pol, all of whom accompanied William the Conqueror in his expedition against England in 1066, and contributing to the triumph of their chief, shared amply in the spoils of conquest. One of the brothers returned to his native country; the other two adopted that which they had so gallantly helped to win and abided there. Of these, Sir William le Blount, the younger, was a general of foot at Hastings and was rewarded by grants of seven lordships in Lincolnshire; his son was seated at Saxlingham, in Norfolk, and the great-granddau. of that gentleman, sole heiress of her line, Maria le Blount, marrying in the next century Sir Stephen le Blount, the descendant and representative of her great-great-great-uncle, Sir Robert le Blount, united the families of the two brothers. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1884, p. 54, Blount, Barons Mountjoy and Earl of Devon]