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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Paternal Family Tree: Stanley
Maternal Family Tree: Anne Fitzwilliam 1504-1588
On 26th January 1595 [his father] William Stanley 6th Earl of Derby [aged 34] and [his mother] Elizabeth Vere Countess Derby [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Countess Derby. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Edward de Vere 17th Earl of Oxford [aged 44] and [his grandmother] Anne Cecil Countess of Oxford. He the son of Henry Stanley 4th Earl of Derby and Margaret Clifford Countess Derby [aged 55]. They were fifth cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 31st January 1607 James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby was born to William Stanley 6th Earl of Derby [aged 46] and Elizabeth Vere Countess Derby [aged 31] at Knowsley, Lancashire. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
In 1626 Michiel Janszoon van Mierevelt [aged 59] (attributed). Portrait of James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 18].
On 2nd February 1626 King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 25] was crowned I King England Scotland and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop George Abbott [aged 63]. His wife Henrietta Maria [aged 16] was not crowned since she being Catholic refused to attend an Anglican service. She watched Charles at a discreet distance.
Robert Radclyffe 5th Earl of Sussex [aged 52] carried the Orb.
Francis Talbot 11th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 3] bore the Second Sword of State.
Philip Herbert 4th Earl Pembroke 1st Earl Montgomery [aged 41] carried the Spurs.
Francis Manners 6th Earl of Rutland [aged 48] bore the Rod with the Dove.
William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 8], James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 19], James Howard 3rd Earl Suffolk [aged 6], Roger Palmer [aged 49] and Mildmay Fane 2nd Earl of Westmoreland [aged 24], John Maynard [aged 34] were appointed Knight of the Bath.
John Rayney 1st Baronet [aged 25] was knighted.
On 26th June 1626 James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 19] and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 26] were married. She by marriage Baroness Strange Knockin. She the daughter of Claude de La Tremoille 2nd Duke Thouars and Charlotte Flandrina Orange Nassau [aged 46]. He the son of William Stanley 6th Earl of Derby [aged 65] and Elizabeth Vere Countess Derby [aged 50].
In 1627 James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 19] was appointed Lord Mann.
On 10th March 1627 [his mother] Elizabeth Vere Countess Derby [aged 51] died at Richmond, Surrey [Map]. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 19th January 1628 [his son] Charles Stanley 8th Earl of Derby was born to James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 20] and [his wife] Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 28]. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. He married before 1655 Dorothea Helena Kirkoven Countess Derby, daughter of Jehan Lord of Heenvliet and Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield, and had issue.
On 7th March 1628 James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 21] was created 1st Baron Strange Knockin.
On 17th November 1630 [his daughter] Henriette Stanley Countess Strafford was born to James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 23] and [his wife] Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 30]. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She married 27th February 1654 her fourth cousin William Wentworth 2nd Earl Strafford, son of Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Strafford and Arabella Holles.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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In 1633 [his daughter] Amelia Stanley Marchioness Atholl was born to James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 25] and [his wife] Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 33]. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She married 5th May 1659 John Murray 1st Marquess Atholl, son of John Murray 1st Earl Atholl and Jean Campbell Countess Atholl, and had issue.
Around 1635 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 35]. Portrait of James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 27] and [his wife] Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 35] and their daughter.
On 7th January 1639 [his son] Edward Stanley was born to James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 31] and [his wife] Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 39]. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
Around 1640 Cornelius Janssens aka Johnson [aged 46]. Portrait of James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 32]. Tabley House.
On 18th October 1640 [his son] William Stanley was born to James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 33] and [his wife] Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 40]. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 29th September 1642 [his father] William Stanley 6th Earl of Derby [aged 81] died. His son James [aged 35] succeeded 7th Earl Derby. [his wife] Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 42] by marriage Countess Derby.
In 1650 James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 42] was appointed 452nd Knight of the Garter by King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 19].
Between September 1651 and November 1651 a rebellion against the Royalist leader of the Isle of Man James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 44] who had been captured at the Battle of Worcester. His wife Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 51] resisted the rebels with the aid of Philip Musgrave 2nd Baronet [aged 44] and Illiam Dhone (her husband's Receiver General). The Countess eventually surrendered after hearing of her husband's death. Illiam Dhone changed sides and worked with Parliamentarian soldiers to achieve a bloodless coup. Illiam Dhone was eventually arrested by the Earl's son Charles Stanley 8th Earl of Derby [aged 23] and executed by firing squad at Hango Hill on 2nd January 1663.
On 15th October 1651 James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 44] died. His son Charles [aged 23] succeeded 8th Earl Derby, 2nd Baron Strange Knockin.
On 31st March 1664 [his former wife] Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 64] died.
[his daughter] Catherine Stanley Marchioness Dorchester was born to James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She married September 1652 her fifth cousin once removed Henry Pierrepont 1st Marquess Dorchester, son of Robert Pierrepont 1st Earl Kingston and Gertrude Talbot Baroness Pierrepont Holme Pierrepoint.
[his daughter] Charlotte Stanley was born to James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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[his son] Two sons Stanley was born to James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
Kings Wessex: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 14 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 19 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 14 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 3 Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 23 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 6 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 20 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Stanley 9th Baron Strange Knockin 5th Baron Mohun Dunster 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Neville Baroness Stanley 
2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Stanley 2nd Earl of Derby 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Strange 8th Baron Strange Knockin 4th Baron Mohun Dunster 
8 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Strange 9th Baroness Strange of Knockin 5th Baroness Dunster 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jacquetta Woodville Baroness Strange and Mohun 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Edward Stanley 3rd Earl of Derby 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Hastings 1st Baron Hastings 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Hastings 2nd Baron Hastings Baron Botreaux, Hungerford and Moleyns 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Katherine Neville Baroness Bonville and Hastings 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Hastings Countess Derby 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Hungerford 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 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 4 Grandmother: Anne Percy 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: Henry Stanley 4th Earl of Derby 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Howard 
4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Howard 1st Duke of Norfolk 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Mowbray Baroness Grey Ruthyn 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Moleyns 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Katherine Moleyns 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Dorothy Howard Countess Derby 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Philip Tilney 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh Tilney
Great x 2 Grandmother: Agnes Tilney Duchess Norfolk
Father: William Stanley 6th Earl of Derby 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John "Butcher" Clifford 9th Baron Clifford 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry "Shepherd Lord" Clifford 10th Baron Clifford 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Bromflete Baroness Clifford 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Clifford 1st Earl of Cumberland 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John St John 
7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne St John Baroness Clifford 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Bradshaigh
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Clifford 2nd Earl of Cumberland 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Percy 4th Earl of Northumberland 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Percy 5th Earl of Northumberland 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Herbert Countess Northumberland 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Percy Baroness Clifford 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Spencer of Spencer Combe 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Katherine Spencer Countess Northumberland 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Beaufort Countess Ormonde 
2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandMother: Margaret Clifford Countess Derby Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Brandon 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Brandon 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Wingfield 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Brandon 1st Duke of Suffolk 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Bruyn aka Darcy 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Bruyn
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Darcy 
Great x 1 Grandmother: Eleanor Brandon Countess Cumberland Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Tudor 1st Earl Richmond 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: King Henry VII of England and Ireland 
3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Tudor Queen Consort France Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Edward IV of England 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth York Queen Consort England Daughter of King Edward IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby 3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert de Vere 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John de Vere 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Courtenay 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Colbroke
Great x 1 Grandfather: John de Vere 16th Earl of Oxford 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Trussell
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Trussell
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Trussell Countess of Oxford 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Donne
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Donne 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Hastings 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
GrandFather: Edward de Vere 17th Earl of Oxford 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Golding
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margery Golding Countess of Oxford
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tonge
Mother: Elizabeth Vere Countess Derby 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Cecil 
Great x 3 Grandfather: David Cecil
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Cecil
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Dicons
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Heckington
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jane Heckington
GrandMother: Anne Cecil Countess of Oxford 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Philip Cooke
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Cooke of Gidea Hall
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Belnap
Great x 2 Grandfather: Anthony Cooke
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Saunders of Banbury in Oxfordshire
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Saunders
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Spencer
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mildred Cooke Baroness Burghley 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Fitzwilliam 
7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Fitzwilliam 8 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Fitzwilliam 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England