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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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Paternal Family Tree: Spencer
Maternal Family Tree: Jeanne Sabran
In 1615 [her father] William Spencer 2nd Baron Spencer (age 23) and [her mother] Penelope Wriothesley Baroness Spencer Wormleighton (age 16) were married. She by marriage Baroness Spencer Wormleighton. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Henry Wriothesley 3rd Earl of Southampton (age 41) and [her grandmother] Elizabeth Vernon Countess Southampton (age 43). They were fourth cousins.
In 1617 Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Craven was born to [her father] William Spencer 2nd Baron Spencer (age 25) and [her mother] Penelope Wriothesley Baroness Spencer Wormleighton (age 18).
On 12th March 1627 [her future brother-in-law] William Craven 1st Earl Craven (age 18) was created 1st Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire with a special remainder to his brothers [her future husband] John (age 16), who was later created Baron Craven of Ryton, and [her future brother-in-law] Thomas, both of whom predeceased William, rendering the remainder ineffective.
On 25th October 1627 [her grandfather] Robert Spencer 1st Baron Spencer (age 57) died. His son [her father] William (age 36) succeeded 2nd Baron Spencer Wormleighton.
Between 1634 and 1643 John Craven 1st Baron Craven (age 23) and Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Craven (age 17) were married.
On 19th December 1636 [her father] William Spencer 2nd Baron Spencer (age 45) died. His son [her brother] Henry (age 16) succeeded 3rd Baron Spencer Wormleighton.
On 20th July 1639, some sources say 11th July 1639, [her brother] Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland (age 18) and [her sister-in-law] Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland (age 21) were married at Penhurst Rother. She by marriage Baroness Spencer Wormleighton. Her long-term suitor, she was the 'Sacharissa' of his poems, Edmund Waller (age 33) wrote a letter to the bride's sister (age 12) on the occasion of the wedding. She the daughter of Robert Sidney 2nd Earl of Leicester (age 43) and Dorothy Percy Countess Leicester (age 41). They were third cousins.
Madam,
In this common joy at Penshurst, I know none to whom complaints may come less unseasonably than to your ladyship, the loss of a bedfellow being almost equal to that of a mistress; and therefore you ought at least to pardon, if you consent not to the imprecations of, the deserted, which just Heaven no doubt will hear. May my lady Dorothy, if we may yet call her so, suffer as much, and have the like passion for this young lord, whom she has preferred to the rest of mankind, as others have had for her; and may his love, before the year go about, make her taste of the first curse imposed upon womankind, the pains of becoming a mother. May her first born be none of her own sex, nor so like her but that he may resemble her lord as much as herself. May she that always affected silence and retirement have the house filled with the noise and number of her children, and hereafter of her grandchildren; and then may she arrive at that great curse, so much declined by fair ladies, old age; may she live to be very old and yet seem young; be told so by her glass, and have no aches to inform her of the truth; and when she shall appear to be mortal, may her lord not mourn for her, but go hand in hand with her to that place where we are told there is neither marrying nor giving in marriage, that being there divorced we may all have an equal interest in her again! My revenge being immortal, I wish all this may befall her posterity to the world's end and afterwards! To you, madam, I wish all good things, and that this loss may in good time be happily supplied with a more constant bedfellow of the other sex. Madam, I humbly kiss your hands, and beg pardon for this trouble, from
Your ladyship's
most humble servant,
E. Waller.
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Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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In 1643 [her brother] Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland (age 22) was created 1st Earl of Sunderland. [her sister-in-law] Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland (age 25) by marriage Countess of Sunderland.
On 21st March 1643 [her husband] John Craven 1st Baron Craven (age 32) was created 1st Baron Craven of Ryton in Shropshire. Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Craven (age 26) by marriage Baroness Craven of Ryton in Shropshire.
On 20th September 1643 [her brother] Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland (age 22) died. His son [her nephew] Robert (age 2) succeeded 2nd Earl of Sunderland, 4th Baron Spencer Wormleighton.
In 1648 [her husband] John Craven 1st Baron Craven (age 37) died. Baron Craven of Ryton in Shropshire extinct.
On 7th July 1648 Henry Howard (age 28) and Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Craven (age 31) were married. He the son of Thomas Howard 1st Earl Berkshire (age 60) and Elizabeth Cecil Countess Berkshire (age 52). They were fourth cousins.
Before 1652 John Weesop. Portrait of Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Craven (age 34).
In 1652 [her future husband] William Crofts 1st Baron Crofts (age 41) was appointed Gentlemen of the Bedchamber to the exiled King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland (age 21).
On 30th August 1655 [her brother-in-law] Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl Shaftesbury (age 34) and [her sister] Margaret Spencer Countess Shaftesbury (age 30) were married.
In or before 1658 [her brother-in-law] Robert Lucy (age 35) and [her sister] Margaret Spencer Baroness Arundel Wardour (age 30) were married. They were second cousin once removed.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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In 1658 [her future husband] William Crofts 1st Baron Crofts (age 47) was created 1st Baron Crofts of Saxham, probably as a consequence of having been given charge of Charle's illegitimate son James Scott 1st Duke Monmouth 1st Duke Buccleuch (age 8) whose mother Lucy Walter (age 28) had died.
In or before 1661 [her brother-in-law] Thomas Arundell 4th Baron Arundel (age 27) and [her sister] Margaret Spencer Baroness Arundel Wardour (age 33) were married. She by marriage Baroness Arundel of Wardour in Wiltshire. They were second cousin once removed.
In 1663 [her husband] Henry Howard (age 43) died.
In or after 1663 William Crofts 1st Baron Crofts (age 52) and Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Craven (age 46) were married. They were fourth cousins.
Before 25th February 1663 [her husband] William Crofts 1st Baron Crofts (age 52) and Dorothy Hobart (age 43) were married. They were fourth cousins. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 16th July 1667 [her mother] Penelope Wriothesley Baroness Spencer Wormleighton (age 68) died.
In 1672 [her brother-in-law] Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl Shaftesbury (age 50) was created 1st Earl Shaftesbury. [her sister] Margaret Spencer Countess Shaftesbury (age 47) by marriage Countess Shaftesbury.
On 11th August 1672 Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Craven (age 55) died.
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 11th September 1677 [her former husband] William Crofts 1st Baron Crofts (age 66) died. Baron Crofts of Saxham extinct.
Kings Wessex: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Spencer 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Spencer
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Graunt
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Spencer
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Knightley 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Susan Knightley
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Spencer
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Kitson 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Katherine Kitson
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Donnington of Stoke Newington
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Donnington Countess Bath
GrandFather: Robert Spencer 1st Baron Spencer
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Catlyn
Father: William Spencer 2nd Baron Spencer 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Willoughby 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Willoughby 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Markham
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Willoughby 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Filiol of Woodlands and Filiols Hall
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Filiol
Great x 1 Grandfather: Francis Willoughby 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Grey 1st Marquess Dorset 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Grey 2nd Marquess Dorset 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Cecily Bonville Marchioness Dorset 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Grey 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Wotton Marchioness Dorset
GrandMother: Margaret Willoughby 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Lyttelton
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Lyttelton
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Lyttelton of Frankley 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gilbert Talbot 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Talbot 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Paston 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Lyttelton 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Pakington 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Pakington of Hampton Lovett
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Washbourne
Great x 2 Grandmother: Bridget Packington
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Dacres of Mayfield
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Dacres
Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Craven 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Writhe 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Wriothesley
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Wriothesley 1st Earl of Southampton
Great x 3 Grandmother: Agnes Drayton of London
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Wriothesley 2nd Earl of Southampton
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Cheney
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Cheney of Chesham Blois in Buckinghamshire
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jane Cheney Countess Southampton
GrandFather: Henry Wriothesley 3rd Earl of Southampton 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Anthony Browne 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Anthony Browne 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Lucy Neville 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Anthony Browne 1st Viscount Montagu 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Gage
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Gage
Great x 4 Grandmother: Philippa Guildford
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Browne Countess Southampton 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Radclyffe 9th Baron Fitzwalter 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Radclyffe 1st Earl of Sussex 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Whetehill
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jane Radclyffe 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Stanley 2nd Earl of Derby 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Stanley Countess Sussex 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Hastings Countess Derby 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Mother: Penelope Wriothesley Baroness Spencer Wormleighton 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Vernon 
12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Vernon 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Talbot 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: George Vernon 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Ludlow 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Ludlow 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Grey 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Vernon 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
GrandMother: Elizabeth Vernon Countess Southampton 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Devereux 9th Baron Ferrers of Chartley 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter Devereux 1st Viscount Hereford 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Cecily Bourchier Baroness Ferrers Chartley 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Devereux 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Grey 1st Marquess Dorset 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Grey Baroness Ferrers Chartley 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Cecily Bonville Marchioness Dorset 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Devereux 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Hastings 2nd Baron Hastings Baron Botreaux, Hungerford and Moleyns 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Hastings 1st Earl Huntingdon 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Hungerford Baroness Hastings, 4th Baroness Hungerford, 5th Baroness Botreaux and 2nd Baroness Moleyns 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Dorothy Hastings 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Stafford 2nd Duke of Buckingham 
3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Stafford Countess Huntingdon 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Woodville Duchess Buckingham and Bedford 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England