Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Paternal Family Tree: Cranfield
In 1575 Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex was born to [his father] Thomas Cranfield.
In 1599 Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 24] and Elizabeth Sheppard were married.
In 1601 [his daughter] Martha Cranfield Countess Monmouth was born to Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 26] and [his wife] Elizabeth Sheppard. She married 1620 Henry Carey 2nd Earl Monmouth, son of Robert Carey 1st Earl Monmouth and Elizabeth Trevannion Countess Monmouth, and had issue.
In May 1604 Robert Myddelton [aged 41] acquired the receivership of Crown lands in Dorset and Somerset from Alderman Thomas Smythe [aged 46], but he quickly passed them onto Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 29].
In 1608 [his daughter] Elizabeth Cranfield Countess Mulgrave was born to Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 33] and [his wife] Elizabeth Sheppard. She married (1) before 7th April 1648 Edmund Sheffield 2nd Earl Mulgrave and had issue (2) after 24th August 1658 John Bennet 1st Baron Ossulston.
In 1610 [his daughter] Mary Cranfield was born to Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 35] and [his wife] Elizabeth Sheppard.
In 1617 [his wife] Elizabeth Sheppard died.
Letters of the Court of James I 1618. [20th August 1618]. We talk still of a new treasurer, and the Lord Coke [aged 66] is in some consideration. But the most general and likely voice goeth with the lord chamberlain [aged 38], who seems nothing fond of it; unless he might leave his place to his brother Montgomery [aged 33]. But he hath two strong competitors, the Marquis Hamilton, and the Viscount Doncaster [aged 38], the one for favour, and the other per ragion di stato, like to over-sway him, if they could agree between themselves. Sir Lionel Cranfield [aged 43] is not yet master of the wardrobe, nor like to be, unless he give a viaticum to the Lord Hay, who, they say, stands upon £ 9000.
On 13th May 1619 Anne of Denmark Queen Consort Scotland England and Ireland was buried in the north eastern area Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey [Map].
The principal mourner was Alethea Talbot Countess Arundel, Surrey and Norfolk [aged 34].
Anne Carey [aged 27] and Mary Woodhouse walked in the procession.
As Keeper of the Wardrobe Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 44] supervised the spending of £20,000 on the funeral.
Richard Young 1st Baronet [aged 39] carried the banner roll.
Her grave has the inscription: "ANNE OF DENMARK QUEEN OF KING JAMES 1st 1619". her coffin has the inscription: "Here lies buried the Most Serene Queen Anne, consort of James, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, daughter of Frederick II, King of Denmark and Norway and of the Vandals and Goths, sister of Christian IV and mother of many Princes. She died at Hampton Court, in the year of salvation 1618, on the 4th March, aged 43 years, 4 months and 18 days."
In 1620 Daniel Mijtens [aged 30]. Portrait of Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 45].
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1620 [his son-in-law] Henry Carey 2nd Earl Monmouth [aged 23] and Martha Cranfield Countess Monmouth [aged 19] were married. She the daughter of Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 45] and Elizabeth Sheppard. He the son of Robert Carey 1st Earl Monmouth [aged 60] and Elizabeth Trevannion Countess Monmouth [aged 57].
Before 1621 Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 45] and Anne Brett Countess Middlesex were married.
In 1621 [his son] James Cranfield 2nd Earl Middlesex was born to Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 46] and [his wife] Anne Brett Countess Middlesex. He married 3rd March 1646 Anne Bourchier Countess Middlesex, daughter of Edward Bourchier 4th Earl Bath and Dorothy St John Countess Bath, and had issue.
In July 1621 Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 46] was created 1st Baron Cranfield of Cranfield in Bedfordshire.
Before November 1621 Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 46] was appointed Lord Treasurer.
Autobiography Simon D'Ewes. 20th November 1621. There was much good hoped in the public by the meeting again of the two Houses of Parliament upon Tuesday, (which day of the week the King held propitious to himself,) the 20th day of this instant November, especially after it was declared in the Upper House the day following, by the new Lord Keeper and Sir Lionel Cranfield [aged 46], Knt., - Lord Cranfield, (who, but a few years before, had himself been a shopkeeper in the city of London, as his father had been before him,) lately made Lord Treasurer, that the King purposed to aid his son-in-law for the recovery of the Palatinate.
In 1622 [his daughter] Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset was born to Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 47] and [his wife] Anne Brett Countess Middlesex. She married before 1637 Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset, son of Edward Sackville 4th Earl Dorset and Mary Curzon Countess Dorset, and had issue.
In 1622 Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 47] was created 1st Earl Middlesex. [his wife] Anne Brett Countess Middlesex by marriage Countess Middlesex.
In 1625 [his son] Lionel Cranfield 3rd Earl Middlesex was born to Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 50] and [his wife] Anne Brett Countess Middlesex. He married (1) 1st May 1655 Rachael Fane Countess Bath and Middlesex, daughter of Francis Fane 1st Earl of Westmoreland and Mary Mildmay Countess of Westmoreland.
Around 1628 [his son] Edward Cranfield was born to Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 53] and [his wife] Anne Brett Countess Middlesex.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Around 1631 [his daughter] Susanna Cranfield was born to Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 56] and [his wife] Anne Brett Countess Middlesex. She died aged five in 1636.
In 1636 [his daughter] Susanna Cranfield [aged 5] died.
In 1636 [his daughter] Mary Cranfield [aged 26] died.
Before 1637 [his son-in-law] Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 14] and Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 61] and Anne Brett Countess Middlesex. He the son of Edward Sackville 4th Earl Dorset [aged 45] and Mary Curzon Countess Dorset [aged 46].
Before 11th December 1643 Daniel Mijtens [aged 53]. Portrait of Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 68].
On 6th August 1645 Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 70] died. His son James [aged 24] succeeded 2nd Earl Middlesex, 2nd Baron Cranfield of Cranfield in Bedfordshire.
In 1670 [his former wife] Anne Brett Countess Middlesex died.
Letters of Horace Walpole. 5th August 1752. From Sevenoaks [Map] we went to Knowle. The park is sweet, with much old beech, and an immense sycamore before the great gate, that makes me more in love than ever with sycamores. The house is not near so extensive as I expected:330 the outward court has a beautiful decent simplicity that charms one. The apartments are many, but not large. The furniture throughout, ancient magnificence; loads of portraits, not good nor curious; ebony cabinets, embossed silver in vases, dishes, etc. embroidered beds, stiff chairs, and sweet bags lying on velvet tables, richly worked in silk and gold. There are two galleries, one very small; an old hall, and a spacious great drawing-room. There is never a good staircase. The first little room you enter has sundry portraits of the times; but they seem to have been bespoke by the yard, and drawn all by the same painter; One should be happy if they were authentic; for among them there is Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, Gardiner of Winchester, the Earl of Surry, the poet, when a boy, and a Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, but I don't know which. The only fine picture is of Lord Goring and Endymion Porter by Vandyke. There is a good head of the Queen of Bohemia, a whole-length of Duc d'Espernon, and another good head of the Clifford, Countess of Dorset, who wrote that admirable haughty letter to Secretary Williamson, when he recommended a person to her for member for Appleby: "I have been bullied by an usurper, I have been neglected by a court, but I won't be dictated to by a subject: your man shan't stand. Ann Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery." In the chapel is a piece of ancient tapestry: Saint Luke in his first profession is holding an urinal. Below stairs is a chamber of poets and players, which is proper enough in that house; for the first Earl wrote a play331, and the last [his grandson] Earl was a poet332, and I think married a player333 Major Mohun and Betterton are curious among the latter, Cartwright and Flatman among the former. The arcade is newly enclosed, painted in fresco, and with modern glass of all the family matches. In the gallery is a whole-length of the unfortunate Earl of Surry, with his device, a broken column, and the motto Sat superest. My father had one of them, but larger, and with more emblems, which the Duke of Norfolk bought at my brother's sale. There is one good head of henry VIII, and divers of Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, the citizen who came to be lord treasurer, and was very near coming to be hanged.334 His [his former wife] Countess, a bouncing kind of lady-mayoress, looks pure awkward amongst so much good company. A visto cut through the wood has a delightful effect from the front: but there are some trumpery fragments of gardens that spoil the view from the state apartments.
Note 329. Only son of Dr. Richard Bentley, the celebrated Divine and classical scholar. He was educated at Trinity College, under his father. Cumberland, who was his nephew, describes him as a man of various and considerable accomplishments; possessing a fine genius, great wit, and a brilliant imagination; "but there was," he adds, "a certain eccentricity and want of prudence in his character, that involved him in distresses, and reduced him to situations uncongenial with his feelings, and unpropitious to the cultivation and encouragement of his talents."-E.
Note 330. Evelyn in his Diary for July 25, 1673, says, "In my way I visited my Lord of Dorset's house at Knowle, near Sevenoaks, a greate old-fashion'd house."-E.
Note 331. Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, while a student in the Temple, wrote his tragedy of Gordobuc, which was played before Queen Elizabeth, at Whitehall, in 1561. He was created Earl of Dorset by James the First, in 1604.-E.
Note 332. Charles Sackville, sixth Earl of Dorset. On the day previous to the naval engagement with the Dutch, in 1665, he is said to have composed his celebrated song, "to all you Ladies now on Land."-E.
Note 333. On the contrary, he married the Lady Frances, daughter of the Earl of Middlesex, who survived him.-E. [Note. This appears to be a mistake insofar as [his former son-in-law] Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset married Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset who was the daughter of Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex. Charles Sackville 6th Earl Dorset 1st Earl Middlesex married firstly Mary Bagot Countess Falmouth and Dorset and secondly Mary Compton Countess Dorset and Middlesex. There, however, references to his marrying an actress Alice Lee with whom he appear to have had a daughter Mary Sackville Countess Orrery.]
Note 334. Lionel Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, married two wives: the first was the daughter of a London citizen; the second, the daughter of James Brett, Esq. and half-sister of Mary Beaumont, created Countess of Buckingham. To this last alliance, Lord Middlesex owed his extraordinary advancement.-E.
Survey London Volume 4 Chelsea Part II. Cecil does not seem to have carried out his larger schemes and he sold the house to Henry Clinton, second Earl of Lincoln, in 1599.
Lincoln settled the estate on Sir Arthur Gorges, who had married his daughter. He lived in the house just mentioned, adjoining the great house, built for him by his father-in-law, and some four years after the latter's death in 1615, he sold Sir Thomas More's house to Lionel Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex. [See Close Roll, 18 Jas. I., pt. 18.] The new owner purchased several additions to the property, including "Brick Barn Close" and "The Sandhills," both north of the King's Road. These he converted into the Park, which is shown in Kip's view and was not built upon until after 1717. Cranfield fell under the displeasure of the King, and in consequence forfeited his property, which Charles I. granted in 1627 to George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. After the Duke's assassination, the family continued to reside here until the outbreak of the Civil War, when the house was seized by the Parliament, and Mr. Randall Davies has referred to the record in the Perfect Occurrences of the petition in 1646 of the Duchess of Lennox, Buckingham's daughter, for leave to come to London, or to her house in Chelsea, to be under Dr. Mayerne's hands for her health. The great physician was then living at Lindsey House, the old farmhouse belonging to the estate.
