hiː wʌz dᵻsˈɛndᵻd fɹʌm ɐ pɹˈɑːmɪnənt nˈoːɹmən fˈæmɪli fɹʌm ˈɛlˈeɪɡəl ɪtˈeɪliənˌaɪzd æz ˈækwɪlə, bˈoʊθ mˈiːnɪŋ "ˈiːɡəl".
He was descended from a prominent Norman family from L'Aigle (Italianised as Aquila, both meaning "eagle").