Dear John,
Indeed Rollo was made Count of Rouen, or Radu-jarler in Norse, at first. The
lands granted at that time included the counties of Rouen, Lisieux, Evreux
plus the wooded plateau to the north-east betweeen the Epte and the Bresle.
It was only as time passed and the county was enlarged by a mixed process of
conquest, matrimonial alliance and settlement to include Lower Normandy, did
it become a Dukedom, circa 968 CE. However it has become known to the
general public as the Dukedom of Normandy from its inception. It is
misconceptiuons such as this that we will be clarifying as we develop the
web-site and move towards opening. However the reference to Rollo as 'Duke'
rather than Count of Normandy, accomplishes two objectives - 1) It uses a
term of reference familiar to the most people at the start and 2) provided
us with a first point of discussion which, when it provokes reasoned
questions such as yours, allows us to respond in a manner consistent with
historical reality.
Hope this calrifies matters a little.
Best wishes
Tim