The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel Volume 1 Chapters 1-60 1307-1342
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel offer one of the most vivid and immediate accounts of 14th-century Europe, written by a knight who lived through the events he describes, and experienced some of them first hand. Covering the early decades of the Hundred Years’ War, this remarkable chronicle follows the campaigns of Edward III of England, the politics of France and the Low Countries, and the shifting alliances that shaped medieval warfare. Unlike later historians, Jean le Bel writes with a strong sense of eyewitness authenticity, drawing on personal experience and the testimony of fellow soldiers. His narrative captures not only battles and sieges, but also the realities of military life, diplomacy, and the ideals of chivalry that governed noble society. A key source for Jean Froissart, Le Bel’s chronicle stands on its own as a compelling and insightful work, at once historical record and literary achievement. This translation builds on the 1905 edition published in French by Jules Viard, adding extensive translations from other sources Rymer's Fœdera, the Chronicles of Adam Murimuth, William Nangis, Walter of Guisborough, a Bourgeois of Valenciennes, Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke and Richard Lescot to enrich the original text and Viard's notes.
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Paternal Family Tree: Evelyn
In 1642 Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton was born to John Evelyn of Wiltshire [aged 40] and Elizabeth Coxe.
In 1648 [her future husband] Thomas Fanshawe 2nd Viscount Fanshawe [aged 16] and Catherine Ferrers [aged 13] were married.
In 1650 Peregrine Saunderson 4th Viscount Castleton [aged 22] died. His brother [her future husband] George [aged 18] succeeded 5th Viscount Castleton.
On 23rd January 1652 [her future husband] John Wray 3rd Baronet [aged 32] and Elizabeth Willoughby Lady D'Ewes and Glentworth [aged 27] were married. She by marriage Lady Wray of Glentworth in Lincolnshire.
On 31st December 1655 John Wray 2nd Baronet [aged 69] died. His son [her future husband] John [aged 36] succeeded 3rd Baronet Wray of Glentworth in Lincolnshire.
Before 26th September 1662 [her son] John Wray was born to [her husband] John Wray 3rd Baronet [aged 43] and Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton [aged 20]. He died aged less than one years old.
Before 26th September 1662 John Wray 3rd Baronet [aged 43] and Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Lady Wray of Glentworth in Lincolnshire. The difference in their ages was 22 years.
Before 23rd December 1662 [her son] John Wray died. John Wray was buried at St Michael's Church, Glentworth [Map].
Before 27th February 1663 [her daughter] Elizabeth Wray was born to [her husband] John Wray 3rd Baronet [aged 43] and Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton [aged 21]. On 27th February 1663 Elizabeth Wray was baptised.
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 29th October 1664 [her husband] John Wray 3rd Baronet [aged 45] died. He was buried at St Michael's Church, Glentworth [Map]. His brother [her brother-in-law] Christoper [aged 43] succeeded 4th Baronet Wray of Glentworth in Lincolnshire.
Around 1665 Thomas Fanshawe 2nd Viscount Fanshawe [aged 33] and Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton [aged 23] were married.
On 30th March 1665 [her father-in-law] Thomas Fanshawe 1st Viscount Fanshawe [aged 69] died. His son [her husband] Thomas [aged 33] succeeded 2nd Viscount Fanshawe. Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton [aged 23] by marriage Viscountess Fanshawe.
Before 1667 [her future husband] George Saunderson 5th Viscount Castleton [aged 35] and Grace Belasyse were married. They were fourth cousin once removed.
In 1669 [her son] Evelyn Fanshawe 3rd Viscount Fanshawe was born to [her husband] Thomas Fanshawe 2nd Viscount Fanshawe [aged 37] and Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton [aged 27]. He was baptised at St Michael's Church, Glentworth [Map].
In 1674 [her husband] Thomas Fanshawe 2nd Viscount Fanshawe [aged 42] died. His son Evelyn [aged 5] succeeded 3rd Viscount Fanshawe.
After 1674 George Saunderson 5th Viscount Castleton [aged 42] and Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton [aged 32] were married. His second wife, her third husband. She by marriage Viscountess Castleton.
On 26th June 1685 [her father] John Evelyn of Wiltshire [aged 83] died. He left his daughter Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton [aged 43] only five shillings in his will since he disapproved of her marriage with [her husband] George Saunderson 5th Viscount Castleton [aged 53].
Around 1687. John Riley [aged 41]. Portrait of Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton [aged 45].
Aleppo the 17th day of October 1687.
Whereas I [[her son] Evelyn Fanshawe 3rd Viscount Fanshawe [aged 18]] have made my will in England I doe hereby confirme the same, only with this following Exception, That whereas I have bequeathed to my Uncle Charles ffanshaw all my moneys after debts, Legacies, and funerall charges paid, I doe now hereby bequeath a Thousand pounds of said money to the honourable William Montague [aged 69] Esq. late Lord cheife Baron of the Exchequer, and Samuel Eyre Esq. Councellor at Law, for the Sole use and benefitt of my Mother [aged 45] the Viscountess Castleton, her Executors, Administrators or Assignes, I doe also beneath unto my Servant Thomas Harding all my wearing apparrell, besides the Legacy left him in my aforementioned Will, unto which I add this as a Coddicil desiring my Executor, my Uncle Charles ffanshaw, to see it performed.
E. Fanshaw.
Signed, sealed and published in the psence of Kingston, Thomas Metcalfe, Edm. Challoner, Alexander Bigby, Alexander' Prescott, William Pearll.
On 18th October 1687 [her son] Evelyn Fanshawe 3rd Viscount Fanshawe [aged 18] died in . He was buried at Ware, Hertfordshire [Map]. His uncle [her former brother-in-law] Charles [aged 44] succeeded 4th Viscount Fanshawe.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 7th April 1714 [her daughter] Elizabeth Wray [aged 51] died. She was buried at St Michael's Church, Glentworth [Map].
On 27th May 1714 [her husband] George Saunderson 5th Viscount Castleton [aged 82] died at Sandbeck Park Maltby. His son [her step-son] James [aged 47] succeeded 6th Viscount Castleton.
In 1717 Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton [aged 75] died.
[her father] John Evelyn of Wiltshire and [her mother] Elizabeth Coxe were married.
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Evelyn of Kingston
Great x 2 Grandfather: George Evelyn of Long Ditton
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Evelyn of Godstone
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Williams
Great x 2 Grandmother: Rose Williams
GrandFather: George Evelyn of West Dean
Father: John Evelyn of Wiltshire
Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton
GrandFather: Robert Coxe
Mother: Elizabeth Coxe