Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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Paternal Family Tree: Sheffield
Maternal Family Tree: Elizabeth Sheppard 1617
Before 7th April 1648 [his father] Edmund Sheffield 2nd Earl Mulgrave [aged 36] and [his mother] Elizabeth Cranfield Countess Mulgrave [aged 40] were married. She by marriage Countess Mulgrave. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex and [his grandmother] Elizabeth Sheppard.
On 7th April 1648 John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby was born to [his father] Edmund Sheffield 2nd Earl Mulgrave [aged 36] and [his mother] Elizabeth Cranfield Countess Mulgrave [aged 40].
On 24th August 1658 [his father] Edmund Sheffield 2nd Earl Mulgrave [aged 46] died. His son John [aged 10] succeeded 3rd Earl Mulgrave, 5th Baron Sheffield of Butterwick in Lincolnshire.
After 24th August 1658 [his step-father] John Bennet 1st Baron Ossulston [aged 42] and [his mother] Elizabeth Cranfield Countess Mulgrave [aged 50] were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex and [his grandmother] Elizabeth Sheppard.
On 28th July 1667 Abraham Cowley [aged 49] died in Porch House. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map] where John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 19] subsequently commissioned a monument.
John Evelyn's Diary. 6th October 1672. Dr. Thistlethwaite preached at Whitehall on Rev. v. 2, - a young, but good preacher. I received the blessed Communion, Dr. Blandford [aged 56], Bishop of Worcester, and Dean of the Chapel, officiating. Dined at my Lord Clifford's [aged 42], with Lord Mulgrave [aged 24], Sir Gilbert Talbot [aged 41], and Sir Robert Holmes [aged 50].
In 1674 John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 25] was appointed 479th Knight of the Garter by King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 43].
John Evelyn's Diary. 19th September 1679. My Lord Sunderland [aged 38], one of the principal Secretaries of State, invited me to dinner, where was the King's [aged 49] natural son, the Earl of Plymouth [aged 22], the Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 19], Earl of Essex [aged 47], Earl of Mulgrave [aged 31], Mr. Hyde, and Mr. Godolphin [aged 34]. After dinner I went to prayers at Eton College [Map], and visited Mr. Henry Godolphin [aged 31], fellow there, and Dr. Craddock.
After 4th July 1681 Edward Conway 1st Earl Conway [aged 58] and [his future wife] Ursula Stawell Countess Mulgrave and Conway were married. She by marriage Countess Conway.
On 18th March 1686 John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 37] and Ursula Stawell Countess Mulgrave and Conway were married at the chapel of Littlecote House. She by marriage Countess Mulgrave. He the son of Edmund Sheffield 2nd Earl Mulgrave and Elizabeth Cranfield Countess Mulgrave [aged 78].
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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On 30th December 1687 Wriothesley Baptist Noel 2nd Earl Gainsborough [aged 26] and [his future wife] 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. [his future wife] Catherine Greville Duchess Buckingham and Normandby by marriage Countess Gainsborough.
In 1692 [his daughter] Mary Sheffield Baroness Altham was born to John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 43] and [his wife] Ursula Stawell Countess Mulgrave and Conway. She married before 15th April 1715 Arthur Annesley 4th Baron Altham, son of Richard Annesley 3rd Baron Altham and Dorothy Davey Baroness Altham, and had issue.
John Evelyn's Diary. 21st June 1693. I saw a great auction of pictures in the Banqueting house, Whitehall [Map]. They had been my Lord Melford's [aged 42], now Ambassador from King James [aged 59] at Rome, and engaged to his creditors here. Lord Mulgrave [aged 45] and Sir Edward Seymour [aged 60] came to my house, and desired me to go with them to the sale. Divers more of the great lords, etc., were there, and bought pictures dear enough. There were some very excellent of Vandyke, Rubens, and Bassan. Lord Godolphin [aged 48] bought the picture of the Boys, by Murillo the Spaniard, for 80 guineas, dear enough; my nephew Glanville, the old Earl of Arundel's head by Rubens, for £20. Growing late, I did not stay till all were sold.
John Evelyn's Diary. 18th July 1693. I dined with Lord Mulgrave [aged 45], with the Earl of Devonshire [aged 53], Mr. Hampden [aged 40] (a scholar and fine gentleman), Dr. Davenant, Sir Henry Vane, and others, and saw and admired the Venus of Correggio, which Lord Mulgrave had newly bought of Mr. Daun for £250; one of the best paintings I ever saw.
John Evelyn's Diary. 29th November 1694. I visited the Marquis of Normanby [aged 46], and had much discourse concerning King Charles II. being poisoned. Also concerning the quinquina which the physicians would not give to the King, at a time when, in a dangerous ague, it was the only thing that could cure him (out of envy because it had been brought into vogue by Mr. Tudor, an apothecary), till Dr. Short, to whom the King sent to know his opinion of it privately, he being reputed a Papist (but who was in truth a very honest, good Christian), sent word to the King that it was the only thing which could save his life, and then the King enjoined his physicians to give it to him, which they did and he recovered. Being asked by this Lord why they would not prescribe it, Dr. Lower said it would spoil their practice, or some such expression, and at last confessed it was a remedy fit only for kings. Exception was taken that the late Archbishop did not cause any of his Chaplains to use any office for the sick during his illness.
John Evelyn's Diary. 27th February 1695. The Marquis of Normanby [aged 46] told me King Charles had a design to buy all King Street, and build it nobly, it being the street leading to Westminster. This might have been done for the expense of the Queen's funeral, which was £50,000, against her desire.
On 13th August 1697 [his wife] Ursula Stawell Countess Mulgrave and Conway died.
On 12th March 1699 John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 50] and Catherine Greville Duchess Buckingham and Normandby were married at St Clement Danes Church, Westminster [Map]. She by marriage Countess Mulgrave. He the son of Edmund Sheffield 2nd Earl Mulgrave and Elizabeth Cranfield Countess Mulgrave [aged 91]. They were sixth cousins.
In October 1699 James Annesley 3rd Earl Anglesey [aged 25] and [his future wife] Catherine Darnley Duchess Buckingham and Normandby [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Countess Anglesey. She the illegitmate daughter of King James II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 65] and [his future mother-in-law] Catherine Sedley Countess Dorchester and Portmore [aged 41]. He the son of James Annesley 2nd Earl Anglesey and Elizabeth Manners Countess Anglesey [aged 45]. They were fourth cousin twice removed.
In 1703 John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 54] was created 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby. [his wife] Catherine Greville Duchess Buckingham and Normandby by marriage Duchess of Buckingham and Normanby.
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 1704 Johnathan "The Elder" Richardson [aged 36]. Portrait of John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 55].
On 7th February 1704 [his wife] Catherine Greville Duchess Buckingham and Normandby died.
Around 1705 [his illegitimate daughter] Katherine Sophia Sheffield was born illegitimately to John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 56] and Frances Stewart.
On 16th March 1705 John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 56] and Catherine Darnley Duchess Buckingham and Normandby [aged 25] were married at St Martin in the Fields Church [Map]. She by marriage Duchess of Buckingham and Normanby. The difference in their ages was 31 years. She the illegitmate daughter of King James II of England Scotland and Ireland and Catherine Sedley Countess Dorchester and Portmore [aged 47]. He the son of Edmund Sheffield 2nd Earl Mulgrave and Elizabeth Cranfield Countess Mulgrave [aged 97].
Around 1706 Frances Stewart became the mistress of John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 57].
Around 1706 [his illegitimate son] Charles Herbert Sheffield 1st Baronet was born illegitimately to John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 57] and Frances Stewart.
In 1707 Samuel Masham 1st Baron Masham [aged 28] and Abigail Hill Baroness Masham [aged 37] were married. [his sister-in-law] Queen Anne of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 41] was present. She contributed £2,000 to Abigail's dowry.
On 1st January 1712 [his sister-in-law] Queen Anne of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 46], on behalf of Robert Harley 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer [aged 50], created a number of new Baronies to balance power in Parliament, known as Harley's Dozen,...
Allen Bathurst 1st Earl Bathurst [aged 27] was created 1st Baron Bathurst.
Charles Bruce 4th Earl Elgin 3rd Earl Ailesbury [aged 29] by writ of acceleration 3rd Baron Bruce of Skelton in Yorkshire.
James Compton 5th Earl of Northampton [aged 24] by writ of acceleration 6th Baron Compton of Compton in Warwickshire.
Thomas Foley 1st Baron Foley [aged 38] was created 1st Baron Foley.
George Granville 1st Baron Lansdowne [aged 45] was created 1st Baron Lansdowne of Bideford in Devon. Mary Villiers Baroness Lansdowne by marriage Baroness Lansdowne of Bideford in Devon.
George Henry Hay 8th Earl Kinnoull [aged 22] was created 1st Baron Hay of Pedwardine in Herefordshire.
Thomas Mansel 1st Baron Mansel [aged 44] was created 1st Baron Mansel of Margam. Martha Millington Baroness Mansel by marriage Baroness Mansel of Margam.
Samuel Masham 1st Baron Masham [aged 33] was created 1st Baron Masham of Otes in Essex. Abigail Hill Baroness Masham [aged 42] by marriage Baroness Masham of Otes in Essex.
Henry Paget 1st Earl Uxbridge [aged 48] was created 1st Baron Burton.
Thomas Trevor 1st Baron Trevor Bromham [aged 53] was created 1st Baron Trevor Bromham.
Thomas Willoughby 1st Baron Middleton [aged 39] was created 1st Baron Middleton. Elizabeth Rothwell Baroness Willoughby and Middleton by marriage Baroness Middleton.
Thomas Windsor 1st Viscount Windsor [aged 42] was created 1st Baron Mountjoy.
On 1st August 1714 [his sister-in-law] Queen Anne of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 49] died at Kensington Palace. Her second cousin George [aged 54] succeeded I King Great Britain and Ireland.
Before 15th April 1715 [his son-in-law] Arthur Annesley 4th Baron Altham [aged 26] and Mary Sheffield Baroness Altham [aged 23] were married. She by marriage Baroness Altham. She the daughter of John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 67] and Ursula Stawell Countess Mulgrave and Conway.
On 11th January 1716 [his son] Edmund Sheffield 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Normanby was born to John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 67] and [his wife] Catherine Darnley Duchess Buckingham and Normandby [aged 36]. He a grandson of King James II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 24th February 1721 John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 72] died. His son Edmund [aged 5] succeeded 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, 4th Earl Mulgrave, 6th Baron Sheffield of Butterwick in Lincolnshire.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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On 13th March 1743 [his former wife] Catherine Darnley Duchess Buckingham and Normandby [aged 63] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 15 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 21 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 16 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 20 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 10 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 25 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 19 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 22 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Sheffield 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Sheffield 1st Baron Sheffield 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Stanley 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Sheffield 2nd Baron Sheffield 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Vere Baroness Sheffield 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Trussell Countess of Oxford 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Edmund Sheffield 1st Earl Mulgrave 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Howard 1st Baron Howard 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Tilney Duchess Norfolk 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Douglas Howard Baroness Sheffield 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Gamage
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Gamage Baroness Howard 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret St John 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
GrandFather: John Sheffield 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Tyrwhitt
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Tyrwhitt 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Constable 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Tyrwhitt 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Tailboys 8th Baron Kyme 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud Tailboys 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Heron Baroness Kyme
Great x 1 Grandmother: Ursula Tyrwhitt 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Girlington
Great x 2 Grandmother: Isabel Girlington
Father: Edmund Sheffield 2nd Earl Mulgrave 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Anderson
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Anderson
Great x 1 Grandfather: Edmund Anderson
GrandMother: Grizel Anderson
John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Cranfield 
GrandFather: Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex
Mother: Elizabeth Cranfield Countess Mulgrave
GrandMother: Elizabeth Sheppard