Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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In or before 1754 [his father] Thomas Davy and [his mother] Mary Spry were married.
In 1754 Admiral Thomas Davy aka Spry was born to [his father] Thomas Davy and [his mother] Mary Spry.
On 16th May 1769 Thomas Davy (age 15) was commissioned Lieutenant.
On 29th July 1772 Lieutenant Thomas Davy (age 18) was promoted to Commander, and appointed to the sloop Diligence 12 which went out to the Jamaican station in October, remaining there for the next five years.
On 25th November 1775 [his uncle] Rear-Admiral Richard Spry (age 59) died unmarried at Place House, St Anthony in Roseland [Map]. He was buried at St Anthony's Church, St Anthony in Roseland [Map] where he has a monument sculpted by Richard "The Elder" Westmacott (age 28). His estates were inherited by his nephew Lieutenant Thomas Davy (age 21) who adopted the surname Spry.
Sacred to the Memory of Sir Richard Spry, KT Rear admiral of the White Several years Commander-in-Chief of H.M. Ships in North-America, the Mediterranean, and Plymouth. He was envoy to the Emporer of Morocco and the States of Barbary. He died on the 25st of November 1775, aged 60 years. This momument as a testimony of gratitude is erected by his affectionate nephew Admiral Thomas Spry.
On 5th May 1778 Commander Thomas Davy (age 24) was posted Captain, and during September commanded the Europe under the orders of Commodore John Evans in the expedition to capture the French islands of Miquelon and St. Pierre off Newfoundland. He then exchanged with Captain Richard King of the Pallas and returned to England in November.
On 13th April 1779 Captain Thomas Davy (age 25) assumed by Royal Licence the name of Spry as inheritor to his uncle, Rear-Admiral Sir [his uncle] Richard Spry of Place House, St. Anthony in Roseland, Cornwall, who 25 November 1775.
On 13th May 1779 Captain Thomas Spry (age 25) was present under the orders of Captain Sir James Wallace in the attack on a French force in Cancale Bay on, and having sailed for Jamaica in June he captured the Spanish vessel Diana 22 on 11 November, after which the Pallas was ordered home. He later commanded the Ulysses 44 on the Jamaican station in the latter part of 1782, returning home at the end of the war having made a number of captures including two Spanish men of war.
On 1st June 1795 Captain Thomas Spry (age 41) was promoted to Rear-Admiral.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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On 9th February 1796 Commander Thomas Davy (age 42) and Anna Maria Thomas of Tregolls, Cornwall (age 32) were married.
On 25th October 1801 [his daughter] Mary Spry was born to Commander Thomas Davy (age 47) and [his wife] Anna Maria Thomas of Tregolls, Cornwall (age 37).
On 25th July 1804 [his son] Samuel Thomas Spry was born to Commander Thomas Davy (age 50) and [his wife] Anna Maria Thomas of Tregolls, Cornwall (age 40). He married in or before 1857 Harriet Hill and had issue.
On 21st January 1807 [his son] Richard Spry was born to Commander Thomas Davy (age 53) and [his wife] Anna Maria Thomas of Tregolls, Cornwall (age 43).
On 27th November 1828 Admiral Thomas Davy aka Spry (age 74) died at Tregoles, Truro. He was buried St Anthony's Church, St Anthony in Roseland [Map] where there is a monument to him and his wife [his wife] Anna Maria Thomas of Tregolls, Cornwall (age 64) sculpted by Humphrey Hopper (age 61).
Anna Maria Thomas of Tregolls, Cornwall: Around 1764 she was born. On 9th February 1796 Commander Thomas Davy and she were married. On 21st September 1835 she died.
On 21st September 1835 [his former wife] Anna Maria Thomas of Tregolls, Cornwall (age 71) died.
Father: Thomas Davy
GrandFather: George Spry
Mother: Mary Spry
GrandMother: Mary Bullock