In 1630 Mary Gifford was born to [her father] Thomas Gifford.
On 14th November 1644 John Shelley of Mitchelgrove 1st Baronet died. His son [her future husband] Charles succeeded 2nd Baronet Shelley of Mitchelgrove in Sussex.
Before 1662 [her future husband] Charles Shelley 2nd Baronet and Elizabeth Weston were married. She the daughter of Benjamin Weston and Elizabeth Sheldon Countess Anglesey (age 53).
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 19th February 1664. After dinner I to the office, where we should have met upon business extraordinary, but business not coming we broke up, and I thither again and took my wife; and taking a coach, went to visit my Ladys Jemimah and Paulina Montagu, and Mrs. Elizabeth Pickering (age 22), whom we find at their father's new house1 in Lincolne's Inn Fields; but the house all in dirt. They received us well enough; but I did not endeavour to carry myself over familiarly with them; and so after a little stay, there coming in presently after us my Lady Aberguenny (age 34) and other ladies, we back again by coach, and visited, my wife did, my she cozen Scott, who is very ill still, and thence to Jaggard's again, where a very good supper and great store of plate; and above all after supper Mrs. Jaggard did at my entreaty play on the Vyall, but so well as I did not think any woman in England could and but few Maisters, I must confess it did mightily surprise me, though I knew heretofore that she could play, but little thought so well.
Note 1. The Earl of Sandwich had just moved to a house in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Elizabeth Dickering, who afterwards married John Creed, was niece to Lord Sandwich (age 38).
Before 21st April 1665 George Neville (age 50) and Mary Gifford (age 35) were married.
On 21st April 1665 [her son] George Neville 1st Baron Abergavenny was born to [her husband] George Neville (age 50) and Mary Gifford (age 35). He married before 26th March 1695 Honora Belasyse Baroness Bergavenny, daughter of John Belasyse 1st Baron Belasyse and Anne Paulett Baroness Belasyse.
On 2nd June 1666 [her husband] George Neville (age 51) died.
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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After 2nd June 1666 Charles Shelley 2nd Baronet and Mary Gifford (age 36) were married. His son John Shelley 3rd Baronet (age 4) subsequently married her daughter Winifred Neville Lady Shelley.
In 1681 [her husband] Charles Shelley 2nd Baronet died. His son [her future son-in-law] John (age 19) succeeded 3rd Baronet Shelley of Mitchelgrove in Sussex.
Before 15th June 1685 [her son-in-law] John Shelley 3rd Baronet (age 23) and [her daughter] Winifred Neville Lady Shelley were married. She by marriage Lady Shelley of Mitchelgrove in Sussex. His father [her former husband] Charles Shelley 2nd Baronet and her mother Mary Gifford (age 55) were married meaning her step-father became her father-in-law.
Before 24th May 1687 [her daughter] Winifred Neville Lady Shelley died.
Before 26th March 1695 [her son] George Neville 1st Baron Abergavenny (age 29) and [her daughter-in-law] Honora Belasyse Baroness Bergavenny were married. She by marriage Baroness Abergavenny.
On 26th March 1695 [her son] George Neville 1st Baron Abergavenny (age 29) died. Baron Abergavenny extinct..
Before 14th November 1699, the date she was buried, Mary Gifford (age 69) died.
Cansisk's Monumental Inscriptions Volume 1 Old St Pancras Churchyard. Churchyard St Pancras Old Church [Map]. The Right Hon. Mary (deceased), Lady Dowager Abergavenny, buried Nov. 14, 1699.
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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[her daughter] Winifred Neville Lady Shelley was born to George Neville and Mary Gifford. She married before 15th June 1685 John Shelley 3rd Baronet, son of Charles Shelley 2nd Baronet and Elizabeth Weston, and had issue.