The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam is in Ilam, Staffordshire [Map], Churches in Staffordshire.
Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map]. Font with images representing Life of St Bertand.
Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map]. Monument to George Newell.
Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map]. Monument to St Betram.
Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map]. Exterior.
After 1653. Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map]. Monument to Elizabeth Meverell Countess Ardglass. Elizabethan Period.
After 1653. Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map]. Monument to Robert Meverell and Elizabeth Fleming. Elizabethan Period.
Robert Meverell: On 5th February 1628 he died. Before 5th August 1628 he and Elizabeth Fleming were married.
Elizabeth Fleming: she was born to Thomas Fleming. On 5th August 1628 she died.
On 15th June 1814 Mary Pauline D'Ewes [age 69] died. She was buried at the Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map].
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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After 29th July 1816. Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map]. Monument to David Pike Watts [deceased]. Sculpted by Francis Leggatt Chantrey [age 35].
David Pike Watts: On 29th January 1754 he was born. In 1809 David Pike Watts purchased Ilam Hall, Staffordshire from the Port family. On 29th July 1816 he died. His daughter Mary Watts and her husband Jesse Watts-Russell inherited Ilam Hall, Staffordshire.
Memorials of Francis Chantrey RA in Hallamshire and Elsewhere Part V London Life and Works. To this period belongs the execution of the celebrated monument-one of the largest of its class in England - of David Pike Watts [Map], Esq., now in a chapel erected for its reception in the church [Map] adjoining Ilam Hall, near Dovedale. In this fine work of art, the venerable man is represented "on his bed of death, from which he has raised himself by a final effort of expiring nature, to perform the last solemn act of a long and virtuous life: his only daughter- [ Mrs. Watts Russell [age 27] ] -and her children, all that were dearest to him in life, surround his couch, and bend at his side, as they receive from his lips the benedictions of a dying parent, when the last half-uttered farewell falters upon them."
How did that sculptured group command Our wonder, which hath ravish'd thousand eyes: The kneeling mother, and the soft surprise Of the three little ones that near her stand: ' Than this - thy genius, Chantrey [age 37]! scarce could rise Higher, with trophies fresh from Nature won; Art, how transcendent, when such power is given, To fix expression in the Parian stone, Which turns rapt thought towards holiness and heaven! "
On 1st March 1837 John Port of Ilam Hall, Staffordshire died. He was buried at the Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map].
1898. John Benjamin Stone [age 59]. Photograph of the font at Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map].