The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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In 1824 [his father] Spencer de Horsey [aged 34] and [his mother] Louisa Rous [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] John Rous 1st Earl Stradbroke [aged 73] and [his grandmother] Charlotte Maria Whittaker Countess of Stradbroke [aged 54].
In 1826 Colonel William de Horsey was born to Spencer de Horsey [aged 36] and Louisa Rous [aged 26].
Adeline Horsey Recollections. After mamma's death I kept house for papa at 8 Upper Grosvenor Street. My brothers were rarely at home. William [aged 17] was educated at Eton [Map], and when he was sixteen years old the Duke of Wellington [aged 73] gave him a commission in the Grenadier Guards. Later he went through the Crimean War, and he retired from the Army in 1883, on account of ill-health, with the rank of Lieutenant-General.
Algernon [aged 16] entered the Navy in 1840 as a midshipman, and the same year took part in the operations on the coast of Syria. After the battle of Acre he received the Turkish medal and clasps: his promotion was rapid, and as Admiral, his flagship, the Shah, engaged the Huascar, which he forced to surrender to the Peruvian authorities.
Now that I was so much alone I occasionally found time hang heavy on my hands, and I welcomed any excitement as a break in the monotony, for of course our period of mourning prevented us entertaining or accepting invitations. One day my maid told me about a fortune-teller who had a wonderful gift for predicting the future. I was very much interested, and made up my mind to consult the oracle. My maid attempted to dissuade me, saying that the woman lived in Bridge Street, Westminster, which was not at all a nice neighbourhood. I have always had my own way and, disguised in a borrowed cloak, bonnet and thick veil, and accompanied by my protesting servant, I started off to Bridge Street late one November afternoon.
It was dusk when we reached Westminster and found Bridge Street, badly lighted and evil-smelling. We knocked at the door, stated whom we wished to see, and we were ushered through a dark passage into a dirty room reeking of tobacco.
The fortune-teller was a wrinkled old woman who was smoking a short clay pipe with evident enjoyment. When I told her what I had come for, she produced a greasy pack of cards, and after I had "crossed her pahn" she commenced to tell my future.
"Ah!" said she at last, and she looked curiously, "my pretty young lady, fate holds a great deal in store for you. You will not marry for several years, but when you do it will be to a widower - a man in a high position. You will suffer much unkindness before you experience real happiness, you will obtain much and lose much, you will marry again after your husband's death, and you will live to a great age".
I was quite impressed by my "fortune", but I was a little disappointed, for like most girls I had my day-dreams of a young husband, and the prospect of a widower was thus rather depressing.
Strangely enough, the prediction came true, for Lord Cardigan [aged 45] was a widower, and nearly all the men who proposed to me were widowers! I was asked in marriage by Lord Sherborne [aged 38], a widower with ten children; by the Duke of Leeds [aged 40], who was a widower with eleven children, and by Christopher Maunsell Talbot [aged 39], once Father of the House of Commons, also a widower with four children. Prince Soltykoff, the Duke of St. Albans [aged 41], Harry Howard, and Disraeli [aged 38] were other widowers who proposed to me, so I suppose I must have had some unaccountable fascination for bereaved husbands.
On 24th March 1843 [his mother] Louisa Rous [aged 43] died of scarlet fever.
On 28th September 1858 [his brother-in-law] James Brudenell 7th Earl Cardigan [aged 60] and [his sister] Adeline Horsey Countess Cardigan [aged 33] were married; she had been his mistress since 1857. She by marriage Countess Cardigan. The marriage something of a scandal since James Brudenell 7th Earl Cardigan had left his first wife; Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom [aged 39] refused to have Adeline at court. See My Recollections by Adeline Horsey. The difference in their ages was 27 years. He the son of Robert Brudenell 6th Earl Cardigan and Penelope Cooke Countess Cardigan.
Adeline Horsey Recollections. The estates were heavily mortgaged, and since Cardigan's death I have paid off £365,000 of the mortgages, which by the terms of the will was not compulsory for me to do. I have also spent £200,000 on the estate, and the many modern improvements now at Deene [Map] (which in past years was more gorgeous than comfortable) are entirely due to me.
After the will had been read. Lord Ernest Bruce [aged 47] and my brother, Colonel de Horsey [aged 33], went for a stroll in the park. They were discussing the contents of the will, and Lord Ernest said cheerfully, "Well, it's a good thing for Robert [aged 13], as Lady Cardigan won't last long ". "Look here, my Lord", replied my brother in an icy tone, "you seem to forget you are talking about my sister".
I looked delicate in those days, and my death would have been "a good thing for Robert", but forty years have passed, and he is still waiting for his inheritance!
On 20th May 1860 [his father] Spencer de Horsey [aged 70] died.
On 15th September 1877 Colonel William de Horsey [aged 51] retired from the army on half-pay after thirty-three years service.
On 7th May 1878 Colonel William de Horsey [aged 52] was declared bankrupt whilst living at 1 Cleveland Row.
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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On 6th May 1915 Colonel William de Horsey [aged 89] died.
Father: Spencer de Horsey
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Rous 1st Baronet 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Rous 2nd Baronet
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Rous 4th Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Rous 5th Baronet
GrandFather: John Rous 1st Earl Stradbroke
Mother: Louisa Rous
Great x 1 Grandfather: Abraham Whittaker
GrandMother: Charlotte Maria Whittaker Countess of Stradbroke
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Tempest 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Tempest
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Tempest
Great x 1 Grandmother: Penelope Tempest