Biography of Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough 1641-1689

Paternal Family Tree: Noel

Maternal Family Tree: Hester Wotton Viscountess Campden 1615-1655

On 25th December 1632 [his father] Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 21] and Anne Feilding were married. She the daughter of William Feilding 1st Earl Denbigh [aged 45] and Susan Villiers Countess Denbigh [aged 49].

Around June 1636 [his father] Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 25] and Ann Lovett Countess Bath [aged 19] were married.

On 21st December 1639 [his father] Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 28] and [his mother] Hester Wotton Viscountess Campden [aged 24] were married.

In 1641 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough was born to Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 30] and Hester Wotton Viscountess Campden [aged 26].

On 8th March 1643 [his grandfather] Edward Noel 2nd Viscount Campden [aged 61] died. His son [his father] Baptist [aged 32] succeeded 3rd Viscount Campden, 3rd Baron Hicks of Ilmington in Warwickshire. [his mother] Hester Wotton Viscountess Campden [aged 28] by marriage Viscountess Campden.

After 1655 [his mother] Hester Wotton Viscountess Campden [deceased] died.

On 6th July 1655 [his father] Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 44] and [his step-mother] Elizabeth Bertie Viscountess Campden [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Viscountess Campden. The difference in their ages was 29 years. She the daughter of Montagu Bertie 2nd Earl Lindsey [aged 47] and Martha Cockayne Countess Holderness. They were second cousin twice removed.

In 1661 [his daughter] Frances Noel Baroness Digby was born to Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 20] and [his wife] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 15]. She married 27th August 1683 her fifth cousin Simon Digby 4th Baron Digby, son of Kildare Digby 2nd Baron Digby, and had issue.

Around 1661 [his son] Wriothesley Baptist Noel 2nd Earl Gainsborough was born to Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 20] and [his wife] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 15]. He married 30th December 1687 Catherine Greville Duchess Buckingham and Normandby, daughter of Fulke Greville 5th Baron Brooke and Sarah Dashwood Baroness Brooke, and had issue.

Around 1661 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 20] and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 15] were married. She the daughter of Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester [aged 53] and Elizabeth Leigh Countess Southampton. They were third cousin once removed.

On 23rd December 1662 Josceline Percy 11th Earl of Northumberland [aged 18] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Northumberland [aged 16] were married. She by marriage Countess of Northumberland. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester [aged 55] and Elizabeth Leigh Countess Southampton. He the son of Algernon Percy 10th Earl of Northumberland [aged 60] and Elizabeth Howard Countess Northumberland [aged 39]. They were third cousins.

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 30th July 1664 [his brother-in-law] William Alington 1st and 3rd Baron Alington [aged 24] and [his sister] Juliana Noel Baroness Alington [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Baroness Alington of Killard.

In 1666 Henry Worsley 2nd Baronet [aged 53] died. His son Robert [aged 23] succeeded 3rd Baronet Worsley of Appuldurcombe. [his future wife] Mary Herbert Countess Gainsborough by marriage Lady Worsley of Appuldurcombe.

On 14th September 1667 [his sister] Juliana Noel Baroness Alington [aged 22] died.

In 1668 Robert Worsley 3rd Baronet [aged 25] and [his future wife] Mary Herbert Countess Gainsborough were married. They were fourth cousins.

In 1673 Ralph Montagu 1st Duke Montagu [aged 34] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Northumberland [aged 27] were married. She the wealthy daughter of [his father-in-law] Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester who had died six years previously. She the daughter of Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester and Elizabeth Leigh Countess Southampton. They were third cousin once removed.

On 8th January 1673 [his brother-in-law] John Manners 1st Duke Rutland [aged 34] and [his half-sister] Catherine Noel Duchess Rutland [aged 16] were married. He the son of John Manners 8th Earl of Rutland [aged 68] and Frances Montagu Countess Rutland. They were half first cousin twice removed.

In February 1676 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 35] was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.

On 16th August 1677 [his brother-in-law] Charles Berkeley 2nd Earl Berkeley [aged 28] and [his sister] Elizabeth Noel Countess Berkeley [aged 23] were married. He the son of George Berkeley 1st Earl Berkeley [aged 49] and Elizabeth Massingberd Couness Berkeley.

On 29th September 1679 John Manners 8th Earl of Rutland [aged 75] died at Nether Haddon, Derbyshire [Map]. He was buried at St Mary the Virgin Church, Bottesford, Leicestershire [Map]. His son [his brother-in-law] John [aged 41] succeeded 9th Earl of Rutland. [his half-sister] Catherine Noel Duchess Rutland [aged 22] by marriage Countess of Rutland.

On 29th October 1682 [his father] Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 71] died. His son Edward [aged 41] succeeded 4th Viscount Campden, 4th Baron Hicks of Ilmington in Warwickshire. Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 36] by marriage Viscountess Campden. He was buried at Church of St Peter and St Paul, Exton, Rutlandshire [Map].

A huge monument in black and white marble, with a tall base on which stand obelisks, on balls capped by two black urns and a large open pediment. Within, are the Viscount and his fourth wife Elizabeth Bertie Viscountess Campden [aged 42] in effigy and various low reliefs, depicting his previous wives and nineteen children, in Roman dress, completed by Grinling Gibbons [aged 34].

Elizabeth Bertie Viscountess Campden: In 1640 she was born to Montagu Bertie 2nd Earl Lindsey and Martha Cockayne Countess Holderness. On 6th July 1655 Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden and she were married. She by marriage Viscountess Campden. The difference in their ages was 29 years. She the daughter of Montagu Bertie 2nd Earl Lindsey and Martha Cockayne Countess Holderness. They were second cousin twice removed. In 1683 Elizabeth Bertie Viscountess Campden died.

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On 1st December 1682 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 41] was created 1st Earl Gainsborough. [his wife] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 36] by marriage Countess Gainsborough.

On 26th April 1683 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 42] and Mary Herbert Countess Gainsborough were married. She by marriage Countess Gainsborough. They were fourth cousins.

On 27th August 1683 [his son-in-law] Simon Digby 4th Baron Digby [aged 26] and Frances Noel Baroness Digby [aged 22] were married. She the daughter of Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 42] and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 37]. They were fifth cousins.

Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'

This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.

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On or before 4th October 1684, the date she was buried at the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Coleshill [Map], [his daughter] Frances Noel Baroness Digby [aged 23] died in childbirth.

In 1686 [his son-in-law] William Digby 5th Baron Digby [aged 24] and Jane Noel Baroness Digby were married. She by marriage Baroness Digby of Geashill in County Offaly. She the daughter of Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 45] and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 40]. They were fifth cousins.

On 30th December 1687 Wriothesley Baptist Noel 2nd Earl Gainsborough [aged 26] and Catherine Greville Duchess Buckingham and Normandby were married. He the son of Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 46] and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 41].

In January 1689 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 48] died. His son Wriothesley [aged 28] succeeded 2nd Earl Gainsborough, 5th Viscount Campden, 5th Baron Hicks of Ilmington in Warwickshire. Catherine Greville Duchess Buckingham and Normandby by marriage Countess Gainsborough.

On 19th September 1690 [his former wife] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 44] died.

On 9th April 1693 [his former wife] Mary Herbert Countess Gainsborough died. She was buried at St Andrew's Chuch, Minterne Magna [Map] where she has a memorial.

[his daughter] Jane Noel Baroness Digby was born to Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough. She married 1686 her fifth cousin William Digby 5th Baron Digby, son of Kildare Digby 2nd Baron Digby, and had issue.

[his daughter] Juliana Noel was born to Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough.

[his daughter] Elizabeth Noel was born to Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough. She married Richard Norton.