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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Ashbourne, Derbyshire is in Derbyshire Dales.
See: Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire [Map], Hough, Derbyshire [Map], Mapleton, Derbyshire [Map], Sandybrook Cottage, Ashbourne, St Oswald's Church, Ashbourne [Map].
Around 1250 William Cockayne was born at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map].
In 1276 John Cockayne was born to William Cockayne [aged 26] at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map].
In 1300 John Cockayne was born to John Cockayne [aged 24] at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map].
In 1323 William Cockayne [aged 73] died at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map].
In 1356 Edmund Cockayne was born to John Cockayne [aged 31] and Cecilia Vernon [aged 26] at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map]. He married Elizabeth Harthill and had issue.
Around 1360 John Cockayne was born to John Cockayne [aged 35] and Cecilia Vernon [aged 30] at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map]. He married 1382 Ida Grey, daughter of Reginald Grey 2nd Baron Grey Ruthyn and Alianore Strange Baroness Grey Ruthyn, and had issue.
In 1369 John Cockayne [aged 44] died at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map].
On 23rd April 1391 Ralph Shirley was born to Hugh Shirley [aged 40] at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map]. He married Alice Cockayne.
In 1411 John Cockayne was born to John Cockayne [aged 41] and Isabel Shirley at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map]. He married his half third cousin Agnes Vernon and had issue.
On 22nd May 1429 John Cockayne [aged 69] died at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map]. He was buried at Church of St John, Cockayne Hatley.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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In 1451 Thomas Cockayne was born to John Cockayne [aged 40] and Agnes Vernon [aged 24] at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map]. He married in or before 1477 Agnes Barlow aka Barley and had issue.
In 1451 Margaret Melton [aged 49] died at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map].
Around 1477 Thomas Cockayne was born to Thomas Cockayne [aged 26] and Agnes Barlow aka Barley [aged 22] at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map]. He married Barbara Fitzherbert and had issue.
In May 1504 John Cockayne [aged 93] died at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map].
In 1576 John Ferrers [aged 62] died at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map]. He was buried at St Oswald's Church, Ashbourne [Map].
In 1721 Thomas Kirkland was born at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map].
Roger Cockayne was born to John Cockayne and Agnes Vernon at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map].
On or before 20th December 1608, the date he was baptised at St Oswald's Church, Ashbourne [Map], Aston Cockayne 1st Baronet was born to Thomas Cockayne of Ashbourne and Pooley [aged 21] and Anna Katherine Stanhope [aged 15] in Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire [Map]. He married before February 1684 Mary Kniveton, daughter of Gilbert Kniveton 2nd Baronet.
In 1671 William Boothby 1st Baronet [aged 33] purchased Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire [Map] from Aston Cockayne 1st Baronet [aged 62].
On 24th March 1707 William Boothby 1st Baronet [aged 69] died at Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire [Map]. His grandson Henry [aged 25] succeeded 2nd Baronet Boothby of Broadlow Ash in Derbyshire.
On 27th October 1708 Hill Boothby was born to Brooke Boothby [aged 38] in Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire [Map].
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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On 16th February 1758 Maria Elizabeth Boothby was born to Brooke Boothby 5th Baronet [aged 47] and Phoebe Hollins Lady Boothby [aged 41] in Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire [Map].
On 19th March 1791 Penelope Boothby [aged 5] died at Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire [Map]. She was buried in St Oswald's Church, Ashbourne [Map].
On 2nd January 1838 Frances Jenkinson Lady Boothby died at Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire [Map].
On 21st April 1846 William Boothby 8th Baronet [aged 64] died at Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire [Map]. His son Brooke [aged 37] succeeded 9th Baronet Boothby of Broadlow Ash in Derbyshire.
In 1359 William Bradbourne was born at Hough, Derbyshire [Map].
In 1385 Roger Bradbourne was born to William Bradbourne [aged 26] at Hough, Derbyshire [Map].
Around 1410 Henry Bradbourne was born to Roger Bradbourne [aged 25] at Hough, Derbyshire [Map].
Around 1427 Isabel Bradbourne was born to Henry Bradbourne [aged 17] at Hough, Derbyshire [Map]. She married in or before 1442 John Babington and had issue.
In 1465 Humphrey Bradbourne was born to John Bradbourne at Hough, Derbyshire [Map]. He married Margaret Longford and had issue.
In 1495 Benedicta Bradbourne was born to Humphrey Bradbourne [aged 30] and Margaret Longford [aged 15] at Hough, Derbyshire [Map]. She married George Beresford and had issue.
In 1495 Humphrey Bradbourne [aged 30] died at Hough, Derbyshire [Map].
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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The River Dove rises on Axe Edge Moor, Derbyshire [Map] after which it travels broadly south past Longnor, Saffordshire [Map], Pilsbury [Map], Hartington, Derbyshire [Map], Milldale, Derbyshire [Map], Thorpe, Derbyshire [Map], just before whic it is joined by the River Manifold, Mapleton, Derbyshire [Map], Mayfield, Staffordshire [Map], Norbury, Derbyshire [Map], Rocester, Staffordshire [Map], Sudbury Hall, Derbyshire [Map] and Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire [Map] before joining the River Trent at Newton Solney, Derbyshire [Map].
Ten Years' Digging. In a field called Callow [Map], at Mappleton, near Ashbourne, are three tumuli placed in a line about eighty yards from each other; they are all formed of sandy earth and pebbles. We opened that nearest to Ashbourne on the 28th of August; it is fourteen yards diameter, and two feet six inches high. On the natural surface the earth was darker in colour and finer than elsewhere, and mixed with a little charcoal; near the centre was a piece of an urn, some burnt bones, and flakes of flint. On the same day, we cut into that at the opposite extremity with no better success, finding only flints and charcoal, but no bones. The height of this mound, which has been frequently ploughed over, is two feet only.
On 3rd December 1883 Matthew Blakiston 4th Baronet [aged 72] died unmarried at Sandybrook Cottage, Ashbourne. His nephew Horace [aged 22] succeeded 5th Baronet Blakiston of the City of London.