Text this colour links to Pages. Text this colour links to Family Trees. Text this colour are links that disabled for Guests.
Place the mouse over images to see a larger image. Click on paintings to see the painter's Biography Page.
Mouse over links for a preview. Move the mouse off the painting or link to close the popup.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Paternal Family Tree: Russell of Chippenham
In 1575 William Russell 1st Baronet was born.
After 1605 William Russell 1st Baronet (age 30) and Elizabeth Cherry (age 16) were married.
Around 1610 [his daughter] Elizabeth Russell was born to William Russell 1st Baronet (age 35) and [his wife] Elizabeth Cherry (age 21). There is some confusion over as to whether her mother was Elizabeth Cherry or [his future wife] Elizabeth Gerard but if born in 1610 then her mother Elizabeth Cherry since she died in 1611. She married (1) before 22nd December 1634 Edward Lewknor of Denham (2) before 20th September 1660 Bishop John Gauden.
Around 1611 [his wife] Elizabeth Cherry (age 22) died.
On 1st March 1613 William Russell 1st Baronet (age 38) and Elizabeth Smallpage (age 13) were married. The difference in their ages was 25 years.
On 1st March 1613 William Russell 1st Baronet (age 38) and Elizabeth Gerard were married.
Around 1615 [his daughter] Sarah Russell was born to William Russell 1st Baronet (age 40) and [his wife] Elizabeth Gerard. She married 13th August 1635 Thomas Chicheley of Wimpole and had issue.
In 1616 [his son] Francis Russell 2nd Baronet was born to William Russell 1st Baronet (age 41) and [his wife] Elizabeth Gerard. He married 19th December 1631 Catherine Wheatley and had issue.
In January 1630 William Russell 1st Baronet (age 55) was created 1st Baronet Russell of Chippenham in Wiltshire.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 19th December 1631 [his son] Francis Russell 2nd Baronet (age 15) and [his daughter-in-law] Catherine Wheatley (age 21) were married. Step-siblings. She the daughter of his father's third wife [his wife] Elizabeth Smallpage (age 31) by her first husband John Wheatley.
Before 22nd December 1634 [his son-in-law] Edward Lewknor of Denham (age 20) and [his daughter] Elizabeth Russell (age 24) were married.
On 13th August 1635 [his son-in-law] Thomas Chicheley of Wimpole (age 21) and [his daughter] Sarah Russell (age 20) were married.
Around 1654 Thomas Foley (age 37) bought Witley Court, Worcestershire from William Russell 1st Baronet (age 79). The Foley's remained at Witley Court for the next two hundred years, enlarging the original Jacobean house.
In 1654 William Russell 1st Baronet (age 79) died. His son Francis (age 38) succeeded 2nd Baronet Russell of Chippenham in Wiltshire.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 25th July 1663. By and by to dinner, and in comes Mr. Creed. I saluted Mr. Gauden's lady, and the young ladies, he having many pretty children, and his sister, the Bishop's [his daughter] widow (age 53); who was, it seems, Sir W. Russel's daughter, the Treasurer of the Navy; who by her discourse at dinner I find to be very well-bred, and a woman of excellent discourse, even so much as to have my attention all dinner with much more pleasure than I did give to Mr. Creed, whose discourse was mighty merry in inveighing at Mr. Gauden's victuals that they had at sea the last voyage that he prosecuted, till methought the woman began to take it seriously.
[his son] William Russell 1st Baronet was born to William Russell 1st Baronet and Elizabeth Smallpage. He married in or before 1669 Hester Rouse Lady Russell, daughter of Thomas Rouse 1st Baronet, and had issue.
John Wheatley and Elizabeth Smallpage were married.