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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On 5th December 1877 [his father] Hugh Birley [aged 22] and [his mother] Elizabeth McCorquodale [aged 22] were married.
On 31st March 1880 Oswald Birley was born to Hugh Birley [aged 24] and Elizabeth McCorquodale [aged 24] in New Zealand.
1912. Oswald Birley [aged 31]. Portrait of William ffolkes 3rd Baronet [aged 64].
William ffolkes 3rd Baronet: On 21st November 1847 he was born to Martin William Browne ffolkes. On 24th March 1860 William Browne ffolkes 2nd Baronet died. His grandson William succeeded 3rd Baronet ffolkes of Hillington Hall in Norfolk. On 9th May 1912 William ffolkes 3rd Baronet died. His first cousin William succeeded 4th Baronet ffolkes of Hillington Hall in Norfolk.
On 5th November 1916 [his father] Hugh Birley [aged 61] died.
In 1921 Oswald Birley [aged 40] and Rhoda Vava Pike [aged 21] were married.
On 25th June 1922 [his daughter] Maxime Birley was born to Oswald Birley [aged 42] and [his wife] Rhoda Vava Pike [aged 23] in West Dean, Sussex. Given the name 'Maxine' at birth she later changed it to 'Maxime' following her marriage to Alain Le Bailly de La Falaise in 1946. She married (1) 1946 Count Alain Le Bailly de La Falaise.
1924. Oswald Birley [aged 43]. Portrait of Fiennes Cornwallis 1st Baron Cornwallis [aged 59].
1928. Oswald Birley [aged 47]. Portrait of Llewelyn Nevill Vaughan Lloyd-Mostyn 3rd Baron Mostyn [aged 71].
Llewelyn Nevill Vaughan Lloyd-Mostyn 3rd Baron Mostyn: On 7th April 1856 he was born to Thomas Edward Lloyd-Mostyn and Henrietta Augusta Neville. On 1st May 1879 Llewelyn Nevill Vaughan Lloyd-Mostyn 3rd Baron Mostyn and Mary Florence Edith Clements were married. On 17th March 1884 Edward Lloyd aka Lloyd-Mostyn 2nd Baron Mostyn died. His grandson Llewelyn succeeded 3rd Baron Mostyn of Mostyn in Flintshire, 4th Baronet Lloyd of Pengwerra in Flintshire. On 11th April 1929 Llewelyn Nevill Vaughan Lloyd-Mostyn 3rd Baron Mostyn died. His son Edward succeeded 4th Baron Mostyn of Mostyn in Flintshire, 5th Baronet Lloyd of Pengwerra in Flintshire.
On 6th July 1928 [his mother] Elizabeth McCorquodale [aged 72] died.
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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1930. Oswald Birley [aged 49]. Portrait of Henry Neville 3rd Marquess Abergavenny [aged 75].
1930. Oswald Birley [aged 49]. Portrait of Arthur Holland 3rd Viscount Knutsford [aged 74].
Arthur Holland 3rd Viscount Knutsford: On 19th March 1855 Sydney Holland 2nd Viscount Knutsford and Arthur Holland 3rd Viscount Knutsford were born to Henry Holland 1st Viscount Knutsford and Elizabeth Margaret HIbbert Lady Holland. Their mother died two weeks later, On 5th November 1884 he and Ellen Lawson Viscountess Knutsford were married. On 27th July 1931 Sydney Holland 2nd Viscount Knutsford died. His brother Arthur succeeded 3rd Viscount Knutsford of Knutsford in Cheshire, 3rd Baron Knutsford of Knutsford in Cheshire, 4th Baronet Holland of Sandlebridge. Ellen Lawson Viscountess Knutsford by marriage Viscountess Knutsford of Knutsford in Cheshire. On 16th January 1935 he died. His son Thurstan succeeded 4th Viscount Knutsford of Knutsford in Cheshire, 4th Baron Knutsford of Knutsford in Cheshire, 5th Baronet Holland of Sandlebridge.
1930. Oswald Birley [aged 49]. Portrait of John Pole-Carew 12th Baronet [aged 27].
On 29th May 1930 [his son] Mark Birley was born to Oswald Birley [aged 50] and [his wife] Rhoda Vava Pike [aged 31]. He married 10th March 1954 Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart, daughter of Edward Vane-Tempest-Stewart 8th Marquess of Londonderry and Romaine Combe Marchioness of Londonderry.
1933. Oswald Birley [aged 52]. Portrait of Ivor Windsor-Clive 2nd Earl Plymouth [aged 43].
Ivor Windsor-Clive 2nd Earl Plymouth: On 4th February 1889 he was born to Robert George Windsor-Clive 1st Earl Plymouth and Alberta Victoria Sarah Caroline Paget Countess Plymouth. On 14th July 1921 Ivor Windsor-Clive 2nd Earl Plymouth and Irene Corona Charteris Countess Plymouth were married. She the daughter of Hugo Charteris 11th Earl of Wemyss and Mary Constance Wyndham Countess Wemyss. He the son of Robert George Windsor-Clive 1st Earl Plymouth and Alberta Victoria Sarah Caroline Paget Countess Plymouth. On 6th March 1923 Robert George Windsor-Clive 1st Earl Plymouth died at Great Cumberland Place. He was buried at Windsor Clive Family Plot, St Bartholomew's Church, Tardebigge. His son Ivor succeeded 2nd Earl Plymouth in Devon. Irene Corona Charteris Countess Plymouth by marriage Countess Plymouth in Devon. On 1st October 1943 Ivor Windsor-Clive 2nd Earl Plymouth died. His son Other succeeded 3rd Earl Plymouth in Devon.
1943. Oswald Birley [aged 62]. Portrait of Diana Langton [aged 70].
Diana Langton: On 6th June 1872 she was born to Edmund Langton and Emily Caroline Langton Massingberd. In 1896 Field-Marshal Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd and she were married. On 26th November 1963 Diana Langton died.
1943. Oswald Birley [aged 62]. Portrait of Edward Fitzroy [aged 73].
Before 1944. Oswald Birley [aged 63]. Portrait of Annie Allen Cunard Baroness Wenlock [aged 80].
Annie Allen Cunard Baroness Wenlock: In 1863 she was born to Edward Cunard 2nd Baronet. On 15th October 1885 Arthur Lawley 6th Baron Wenlock and she were married. On 14th June 1931 Algernon Lawley 5th Baron Wenlock died. His brother Arthur succeeded 6th Baron Wenlock of Wenlock in Shropshire, 13th Baronet Lawley of Spoonhill in Shropshire which titles he enjoyed for a year dying a year later on the same day as his brother. She by marriage Baroness Wenlock. In 1944 Annie Allen Cunard Baroness Wenlock died.
1945. Oswald Birley [aged 64]. Portrait of Cynthia Mary Burns Lady Pole [aged 36].
Cynthia Mary Burns Lady Pole: On 22nd January 1908 she was born to Walter Spencer Morgan Burns and Ruth Evelyn Cavendish-Bentinck. On 12th June 1928 John Pole-Carew 12th Baronet and she were married. She by marriage Lady Pole of Shute House in Devon. They were fifth cousin once removed.
In 1946 [his son-in-law] Count Alain Le Bailly de La Falaise [aged 41] and Maxime Birley [aged 23] were married. She the daughter of Oswald Birley [aged 65] and Rhoda Vava Pike [aged 46].
1947. Oswald Birley [aged 66]. Portrait of Marye Frances Pole-Carew [aged 43].
Marye Frances Pole-Carew: On 19th April 1903 she was born to Lieutenant-General Reginald Pole-Carew and Beatrice Butler. In 1987 Marye Frances Pole-Carew died.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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Around 1947. Oswald Birley [aged 66]. Portrait of Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 51].
Before 1948. Oswald Birley [aged 67]. Portrait of Charles Portal 1st Viscount Portal [aged 54] in the robes of a Knight of the Garter.
In 1950 [his son-in-law] Count Alain Le Bailly de La Falaise [aged 45] and [his daughter] Maxime Birley [aged 27] were divorced following a series of her infidelities, including an affair with British ambassador Alfred Duff Cooper 1st Viscount Norwich [aged 59].
Before 1952. Oswald Birley [aged 71]. Portrait of Thomas Brand 3rd Viscount Hampden [aged 82].
Thomas Brand 3rd Viscount Hampden: On 29th January 1869 he was born to Henry Brand 2nd Viscount Hampden and Susan Henrietta Cavendish Viscountess Hampden. On 29th April 1899 Thomas Brand 3rd Viscount Hampden and Katharine Mary Montagu-Douglas-Scott were married. They had eight children. She the daughter of William Scott 6th Duke Buccleuch 8th Duke Queensberry and Louisa Jane Hamilton Duchess Buccleuch and Queensbury. They were third cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland. On 22nd November 1906 Henry Brand 2nd Viscount Hampden died. His son Thomas succeeded 3rd Viscount Hampden, 25th Baron Dacre Gilsland, 24th Baron Multon of Gilsland. On 4th September 1958 Thomas Brand 3rd Viscount Hampden died. His son Thomas succeeded 4th Viscount Hampden, 26th Baron Dacre Gilsland, 25th Baron Multon of Gilsland. Leila Seely Viscountess Hampden by marriage Viscountess Hampden.
On 6th May 1952 Oswald Birley [aged 72] died.
On 15th June 1981 [his former wife] Rhoda Vava Pike [aged 82] died.
Great x 1 Grandfather: Hugh Hornby Birley
GrandFather: Joseph Birley
Great x 1 Grandmother: Cicely Hornby 
Father: Hugh Birley
Great x 1 Grandfather: Hugh McCorquodale
GrandFather: George McCorquodale
Great x 1 Grandmother: Lucia Hall
Mother: Elizabeth McCorquodale
Great x 1 Grandfather: Frederick Honan
GrandMother: Louisa Kate Honan