Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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Around July 1639 [his father] John Middleton 1st Earl Middleton (age 31) and [his mother] Grizel Durham Countess Middleton were married.
In 1650 Charles Middleton 2nd Earl Middleton was born to [his father] John Middleton 1st Earl Middleton (age 42) and [his mother] Grizel Durham Countess Middleton.
In 1656 [his father] John Middleton 1st Earl Middleton (age 48) was created 1st Earl Middleton by King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland (age 25) whilst in exile. [his mother] Grizel Durham Countess Middleton by marriage Countess Middleton.
On 23rd August 1662 [his brother-in-law] Patrick Lyon 3rd Earl Strathmore and Kinghorne (age 19) and [his sister] Helen Middleton Countess Strathmore and Kinghorne (age 17) were married. She by marriage Countess Strathmore and Kinghorne. She the daughter of [his father] John Middleton 1st Earl Middleton (age 54) and [his mother] Grizel Durham Countess Middleton. He the son of John Lyon 2nd Earl Kinghorne and Elizabeth Maule Countess Kinghorne and Linlithgow.
In September 1666 [his mother] Grizel Durham Countess Middleton died.
On 16th December 1667 [his father] John Middleton 1st Earl Middleton (age 59) and [his step-mother] Martha Carey Countess Middleton (age 32) were married at St Andrew's Church, Holborn [Map]. She by marriage Countess Middleton. The difference in their ages was 27 years. She the daughter of Henry Carey 2nd Earl Monmouth and Martha Cranfield Countess Monmouth (age 66).
On 3rd July 1674 [his father] John Middleton 1st Earl Middleton (age 66) died at Tangier [Map]. His son Charles (age 24) succeeded 2nd Earl Middleton.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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Around December 1682 Charles Middleton 2nd Earl Middleton (age 32) and Catherine Brudenell Countess Middleton (age 34) were married. She by marriage Countess Middleton. She the daughter of Robert Brudenell 2nd Earl Cardigan (age 75) and Anna Savage Countess Cardigan. He the son of John Middleton 1st Earl Middleton and Grizel Durham Countess Middleton.
John Evelyn's Diary. 26th September 1684. The King (age 54) being return'd from Winchester [Map], there was a numerous Court at White-hall. At this time the Earle of Rochester (age 42) was remov'd from the Treasury to the Presidentship of the Council; Lord Godolphin (age 39) was made first Commissioner of the Treasury in his place; Lord Middleton (age 34) (a Scot) made Secretary of State, in ye room of Lord Godolphin. These alterations being very unexpected and mysterious, gave greate occasion of discourse. There was now an Ambassador from ye King of Siam in ye East Indies to his Majesty.
John Evelyn's Diary. 11th June 1686. I went to see Middleton's (age 36) receptacle of water at the New River, and the new Spa Wells neere.
John Evelyn's Diary. 2nd May 1687. I dined with Mynheer Diskvelts, the Holland Ambassador, a prudent and worthy person. There dined Lord Middleton (age 37), principal Secretary of State, Lord Pembroke (age 31), Lord Lumley (age 37), Lord Preston, Colonel Fitzpatrick, and Sir John Chardin (age 43). After dinner, the Ambassador discoursed of and deplored the stupid folly of our politics, in suffering the French to take Luxemburg, it being a place of the most concern to have been defended, for the interest not only of the Netherlands, but of England.
On 10th June 1688 James "Old Pretender" Stewart was born to King James II of England Scotland and Ireland (age 54) and Mary of Modena Queen Consort England Scotland and Ireland (age 29). Winifred Trentham (age 43) and Charles Middleton 2nd Earl Middleton (age 38) were present. He married 3rd September 1719 Maria Clementina Sobieska and had issue.
In 1692 Charles Middleton 2nd Earl Middleton (age 42) was imprisoned in the Tower of London [Map] for plotting to restore King James II of England Scotland and Ireland (age 58). After his release his joined the exiled court in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines.
On 23rd July 1694 Charles Middleton 2nd Earl Middleton (age 44) was tried, in absentia, for treason and outlawed. He was attainted on 2nd July 1695. Earl Middleton forfeit.
On 20th April 1702 [his sister-in-law] Anna Maria Brudenell Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 60) died.
Around 1st May 1708 [his sister] Helen Middleton Countess Strathmore and Kinghorne (age 63) died.
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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On 9th August 1719 Charles Middleton 2nd Earl Middleton (age 69) died. He was buried at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines.
On 11th March 1743 [his former wife] Catherine Brudenell Countess Middleton (age 95) died.
GrandFather: Robert Middleton of Caldhame
Charles Middleton 2nd Earl Middleton
Mother: Grizel Durham Countess Middleton