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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Around 1540 George Gower was born.
In 1573 George Gower [aged 33]. Portrait of Elizabeth Lyttelton [aged 25].
Elizabeth Lyttelton: Around 1548 she was born to John Lyttelton of Frankley and Bridget Packington at Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, Nottinghamshire [Map]. In 1563 Francis Willoughby and she were married. They were half fifth cousin once removed. In 1594 Elizabeth Lyttelton died.
Around 1574 George Gower [aged 34]. Portrait of Elizabeth Cornwallis [aged 33].
Elizabeth Cornwallis: In 1541 she was born to Thomas Cornwallis and Anne Jerningham. Before 7th May 1567 Thomas Kitson and she were married. He the son of Thomas Kitson and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath. On 28th April 1581 the marriage of William Bourchier 3rd Earl Bath and Mary Cornwallis Countess Bath was annulled. A letter of Sir Thomas Cornwallis, dat. Brome, 10 June 1601, states "By deposition of 10 witnesses, it was most manifestly proved in the Arches, that the marriage was lawfully, clearly, and honestly compassed," that the Earl's mother "did by great means attempt to corrupt the then Judge of that Court... but not prevailing that way, all course of law was then broken, for they appealed to the Delegates, slne gravamlne... who thereupon proceeded in so violent a course as the like hath not been heard of.... Her adversaries effected the end of their desire; and yet the Commissioners' Sentence was with this corrective, viz. leaving the Earl to his own conscience." (Hist. MSS. Com., Hatfield MSS., Part xi, p. 223). This Mary was a legatee, 25 June 1601, in the will of Sir Thomas Kitson, her sister's husband, who mentions her said marriage, and that it afterwards proved most unfortunate and to her great hindrance. W. Lewyn, also, speaks of this Earl as having "made an untimely marriage by night with the da. of Sir Thomas Cornwallys, which was undone and the Earl since married to another, the da. (as I think) of the late Earl of Bedford." (Letter to Lord Cobham, 29 May 1596). V.G. In 1628 Elizabeth Cornwallis died.
Around 1574 George Gower [aged 34]. Portrait of Charles Somerset. Armorial top left quarterly 1&4 
Beaufort Arms with a yellow band top and bottom 2 
Herbert Arms 3 
Woodville Arms. The attribution here possibly incorrect since Charles Somerset was born in 1587 ie before the 1574 date when painted. A possible subject is William Somerset 3rd Earl of Worcester [aged 48] who has the same armoiral in another
Charles Somerset: he was appointed Knight of the Bath. In 1587 he was born to Edward Somerset 4th Earl of Worcester and Elizabeth Hastings Countess of Worcester. In 1665 Charles Somerset died.
Around 1575 George Gower [aged 35]. Portrait of Philip Howard 13th or 20th Earl of Arundel [aged 17].
Around 1577 George Gower [aged 37]. Portrait of Richard Drake [aged 42]. The heraldic escutcheon shows seven quarters as follows:
1: 
Drake of Ash Arms. Drake of Ash in the parish of Musbury, Devon.
2: Argent, on a chief gules three cinquefoils of the first; Billet of Ash.
3: Gules, on a fess argent two mullets sable; Hamton of Rockbere and Ash.
4: Ermine, on a chief indented sable three crosslets fitchee or; Orwey of Orwey and Ash.
5: Barry of seven argent and sable.
6: Azure, six lions rampant argent crowned Gules, 3, 2, 1; Forde of Forde.
7: Argent, two chevrons sable (Esse/Ash of Ash); Esse or Ash of Ash.
In 1579 George Gower [aged 39]. The Plimton Sieve Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 45].
In 1579 George Gower [aged 39]. Self-Portrait.
In 1581 George Gower [aged 41] was appointed Serjeant to Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 47].
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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Around 1582 George Gower [aged 42]. Portrait of Mary Cornwallis Countess Bath.
Mary Cornwallis Countess Bath: she was born to Thomas Cornwallis and Anne Jerningham. On 15th December 1578 William Bourchier 3rd Earl Bath and she were married. The marriage, apparently, taking place secretly at night. She by marriage Countess Bath. In 1627 Mary Cornwallis Countess Bath died.
Before 1596 George Gower [aged 55]. Portrait of Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 52] with the 
Knollys Arms with Elephant Crest on her right.
Before 1596 George Gower [aged 55]. Portrait of Elizabeth Knollys [aged 46] with Elephant Crest the Knollys Arms on her right.
Elizabeth Knollys: Thomas Leighton and she were married. They were fifth cousin once removed. On 15th June 1549 she was born to Francis Knollys and Catherine Carey. Around 1605 Elizabeth Knollys died.
In 1596 George Gower [aged 56] died.