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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Paternal Family Tree: Stanley
On 31st May 1825 [his father] Edward Smith-Stanley 14th Earl of Derby [aged 26] and [his mother] Emma Caroline Bootle-Wilbraham Countess Derby [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Countess Derby. He the son of [his grandfather] Edward Smith-Stanley 13th Earl of Derby [aged 50] and [his grandmother] Charlotte Margaret Hornby Countess Derby.
On 21st July 1826 Edward Henry Stanley 15th Earl of Derby was born to [his father] Edward Smith-Stanley 14th Earl of Derby [aged 27] and [his mother] Emma Caroline Bootle-Wilbraham Countess Derby [aged 21].
On 29th April 1847 James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil 2nd Marquess Salisbury [aged 56] and [his future wife] Mary Catherine Sackville-West Marchioness Salisbury [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Marchioness Salisbury in Wiltshire. The difference in their ages was 33 years. She the daughter of George Sackville-West 5th Earl De La Warr [aged 55] and [his future mother-in-law] Elizabeth Sackville Countess De La Warr [aged 51]. He the son of James Cecil 1st Marquess Salisbury and Mary Amelia Hill Marchioness Salisbury. They were fourth cousin twice removed.
On 30th June 1851 [his grandfather] Edward Smith-Stanley 13th Earl of Derby [aged 76] died. His son [his father] Edward [aged 52] succeeded 14th Earl Derby, 8th Baronet Stanley of Bickerstaffe.
Around 1858. George Herbert Watkins [aged 30]. Photograph of Edward Henry Stanley 15th Earl of Derby [aged 31].
On 31st May 1864 [his brother] Frederick Arthur Stanley 16th Earl of Derby [aged 23] and [his sister-in-law] Constance Villiers Countess Derby [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of George William Villiers 4th Earl Clarendon [aged 64] and Katherine Grimston Countess Clarendon [aged 54]. He the son of [his father] Edward Smith-Stanley 14th Earl of Derby [aged 65] and [his mother] Emma Caroline Bootle-Wilbraham Countess Derby [aged 59].
On 23rd October 1869 [his father] Edward Smith-Stanley 14th Earl of Derby [aged 70] died. His son Edward [aged 43] succeeded 15th Earl Derby, 9th Baronet Stanley of Bickerstaffe.
In 1870 Edward Henry Stanley 15th Earl of Derby [aged 43] and Mary Catherine Sackville-West Marchioness Salisbury [aged 45] were married. She by marriage Countess Derby. She the daughter of George Sackville-West 5th Earl De La Warr and Elizabeth Sackville Countess De La Warr [aged 74]. He the son of Edward Smith-Stanley 14th Earl of Derby and Emma Caroline Bootle-Wilbraham Countess Derby [aged 65].
On 9th January 1870 [his mother-in-law] Elizabeth Sackville Countess De La Warr [aged 74] died. Her son [his brother-in-law] Reginald [aged 52] succeeded 2nd Baron Buckhurst of Buckhurst in Sussex.
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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In 1872 Alan Stewart 10th Earl Galloway [aged 36] and [his step-daughter] Mary Arabella Arthur Gascoyne-Cecil Countess Galloway [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil 2nd Marquess Salisbury and [his wife] Mary Catherine Sackville-West Marchioness Salisbury [aged 47]. He the son of Randolph Stewart 9th Earl Galloway [aged 72] and Harriet Blanche Somerset Countess Galloway [aged 60]. They were third cousin once removed.
In 1873 Randolph Stewart 9th Earl Galloway [aged 73] died. His son Alan [aged 37] succeeded 10th Earl Galloway, 9th Baronet Stewart of Corsewall, 8th Baronet Stewart of Burray in Orkney. [his step-daughter] Mary Arabella Arthur Gascoyne-Cecil Countess Galloway [aged 22] by marriage Countess Galloway.
On 23rd April 1873 [his brother-in-law] Charles Sackville-West 6th Earl De La Warr [aged 57] committed suicide by drowning himself in the River Cam. His brother Reginald [aged 56] succeeded 7th Earl De La Warr, 7th Viscount Cantalupe, 13th Baron De La Warr. Constance Mary Elizabeth Baillie-Cochrane Countess De La Warr [aged 27] by marriage Countess De La Warr.
On 26th April 1876 [his mother] Emma Caroline Bootle-Wilbraham Countess Derby [aged 71] died.
In 1884 Edward Henry Stanley 15th Earl of Derby [aged 57] was appointed 781st Knight of the Garter by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom [aged 64].
On 21st April 1893 Edward Henry Stanley 15th Earl of Derby [aged 66] died at Knowsley, Lancashire. His brother Frederick [aged 52] succeeded 16th Earl Derby, 10th Baronet Stanley of Bickerstaffe. Constance Villiers Countess Derby [aged 53] by marriage Countess Derby.
On 6th December 1900 [his former wife] Mary Catherine Sackville-West Marchioness Salisbury [aged 76] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 24 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 21 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 27 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 22 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 25 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 23 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 31 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 19 Grand Son of Philip V King France I King Navarre
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 29 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Horton Stanley 4th Baronet 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Stanley 11th Earl of Derby 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Patten
Great x 2 Grandfather: James Stanley "Lord Strange" 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Edward Smith-Stanley 12th Earl of Derby 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh Smith of Weald Hall Essex
Great x 2 Grandmother: Lucy Smith
GrandFather: Edward Smith-Stanley 13th Earl of Derby 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Hamilton Duke Hamilton, 1st Duke Brandon 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: James Hamilton 5th Duke Hamilton 2nd Duke Brandon 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Gerard Duchess Brandon 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: James Hamilton 6th Duke Hamilton 3rd Duke Brandon 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Cochrane 4th Earl Dundonald 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Cochrane Duchess Hamilton Duchess Brandon 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Hamilton Countess Derby 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Barnaby Gunning
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Gunning Duchess Hamilton and Argyll
Great x 4 Grandfather: Theobald Bourke
Great x 3 Grandmother: Bridget Bourke
Father: Edward Smith-Stanley 14th Earl of Derby 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Geoffrey Hornby 
GrandMother: Charlotte Margaret Hornby Countess Derby
Edward Henry Stanley 15th Earl of Derby 15 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England