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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Baron Burghley is in Baronies of England Alphabetically, Baronies of England Chronologically, Extant Baronies of England.
Summary
25th February 1571. William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley [aged 50] created.
4th August 1598. Son Thomas Cecil 1st Earl Exeter [aged 56] succeeded.
8th February 1623. Son William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 57] succeeded.
6th July 1640. Nephew David Cecil 3rd Earl Exeter [aged 40] succeeded.
1643. Son John Cecil 4th Earl Exeter [aged 15] succeeded.
February 1678. Son John Cecil 5th Earl Exeter [aged 30] succeeded.
29th August 1700. Son John Cecil 6th Earl Exeter [aged 26] succeeded.
24th December 1721. Son John Cecil 7th Earl Exeter [aged 21] succeeded.
1722. Brother Brownlow Cecil 8th Earl Exeter [aged 20] succeeded.
3rd November 1754. Son Brownlow Cecil 9th Earl Exeter [aged 29] succeeded.
26th December 1793. Nephew Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter [aged 39] succeeded.
1st May 1804. Son Brownlow Cecil 2nd Marquess Exeter [aged 8] succeeded.
16th January 1867. Son William Alleyne Cecil 3rd Marquess Exeter [aged 41] succeeded.
14th July 1895. Son Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter [aged 45] succeeded.
9th April 1898. Son William Cecil 5th Marquess Exeter [aged 21] succeeded.
1956. Son David George Brownlow-Cecil 6th Marquess Exeter [aged 50] succeeded.
22nd October 1981. Brother William Martin Alleyne Brownlow-Cecil 7th Marquess Exeter [aged 72] succeeded.
12th January 1988. Son Michael Cecil 8th Marquess of Exeter [aged 52] succeeded.
On 25th February 1571 William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley [aged 50] was created 1st Baron Burghley. Mildred Cooke Baroness Burghley [aged 45] by marriage Baroness Burghley.
On 4th August 1598 William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley [aged 77] died. His son Thomas [aged 56] succeeded 2nd Baron Burghley. He was buried at St Martin's Church, Stamford [Map] with a large free-standing Elizabethan Period monument under the north chapel arch, in coloured marbles with a figure on tomb chest under an arched canopy supported on paired columns. Attributed to Cornelius Cure. The emblem of the Knights of the Garter on William's left shoulder. Leg Garter. In his right-hand he is holding the Lord Treasurer Staff of Office; originally white.
The inscription on the monument is on contained within three panels: two on the south (Chancel) side, and one on the north (Chapel) side.
Sacred to God most good and great, and to memory. The most honourable and far renowned Lord William Cecil, Baron of Burghley, Lord High Treasurer of England, President of the Court of Wards, knight of the most noble order of the Garter, Privy Counsellor to the most serene Elizabeth, Queen of England, &c., and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, under this tomb awaits the second coming of Christ: Who for the excellent endowments of the mind, was first made Privy Counsellor to Edward the sixth, King of England; afterwards to Queen Elizabeth: under whom being intrusted with the greatest and most weighty affairs of this kingdom, and above all others approved, in promoting the true religion, and providing for the safety and honour of the commonwealth; by his prudence, honesty, integrity, and great services to the nation, he obtained the highest honours: and when he had long enough to nature, long enough for glory, but not long enough to his country, quietly fell asleep in Christ. He had two wives: Mary, sister of Sir John Cheeke, knight, of whom ie begat one son, Thomas, now Baron of Burghley; and Mildred, daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, knight, who bore to him Sir Robert Cecil [aged 35], knight, Privy Counsellor to Queen Elizabeth and President of the Court of Wards; Anne, married to Edward, Earl of Oxford [aged 48]; and Elizabeth [aged 34] to William Wentworth, eldest son of Baron Wentworth.
Mary Cheke: she was born to Peter Cheke. In 1541 William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley and she were married. In February 1543 Mary Cheke died.
Elizabeth Cecil: On 1st July 1564 she was born to William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley and Mildred Cooke Baroness Burghley. On 26th February 1582 William Wentworth and she were married.
On 8th February 1623 Thomas Cecil 1st Earl Exeter [aged 80] died. He was buried at Chapel of St John the Baptist, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son William [aged 57] succeeded 2nd Earl Exeter, 3rd Baron Burghley. Elizabeth Drury Countess Exeter [aged 45] by marriage Countess Exeter.
On 6th July 1640 William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 74] died. His nephew David [aged 40] succeeded 3rd Earl Exeter, 4th Baron Burghley. Elizabeth Egerton Countess Exeter by marriage Countess Exeter.
In 1643 David Cecil 3rd Earl Exeter [aged 43] died. In 1643 His son John [aged 15] succeeded 4th Earl Exeter, 5th Baron Burghley.
In February 1678 John Cecil 4th Earl Exeter [aged 50] died. His son John [aged 30] succeeded 5th Earl Exeter, 6th Baron Burghley. Anne Cavendish Countess Exeter [aged 29] by marriage Countess Exeter.
On 29th August 1700 John Cecil 5th Earl Exeter [aged 52] died. His son John [aged 26] succeeded 6th Earl Exeter, 7th Baron Burghley. Elizabeth Brownlow Countess Exeter [aged 19] by marriage Countess Exeter.
He was buried at St Martin's Church, Stamford [Map]. Monument to John Cecil and his wife Anne Cavendish Countess Exeter [aged 51] sculpted by the French sculptor Pierre Etienne Monnot [aged 43] who was working in Rome. Neo-classical statuary group. One of the finest tombs of its day in the country, displaying strong antique tendencies as befits its Roman creation.
John Cecil 5th Earl Exeter: Around 1648 he was born to John Cecil 4th Earl Exeter and Frances Manners Countess Exeter. On 2nd May 1670 John Cecil 5th Earl Exeter and Anne Cavendish Countess Exeter were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire and Elizabeth Cecil Countess Devonshire. He the son of John Cecil 4th Earl Exeter and Frances Manners Countess Exeter. They were half third cousin once removed. In February 1678 John Cecil 4th Earl Exeter died. His son John succeeded 5th Earl Exeter, 6th Baron Burghley. Anne Cavendish Countess Exeter by marriage Countess Exeter.
Elizabeth Brownlow Countess Exeter: In 1681 she was born to John Brownlow 3rd Baronet and Alice Sherard Baroness Brownlow. In 1699 John Cecil 6th Earl Exeter and she were married. He the son of John Cecil 5th Earl Exeter and Anne Cavendish Countess Exeter. In 1710 Margaret Brownlow died of smallpox. Her estate of £40,000 was divided between her four sisters: Jane Brownlow Duchess Ancaster and Kesteven, Elizabeth Brownlow Countess Exeter, Alicia Brownlow Baroness Guildford and Eleanor Brownlow Viscountess Tyconnel. In 1723 Elizabeth Brownlow Countess Exeter died.
On 24th December 1721 John Cecil 6th Earl Exeter [aged 47] died. His son John [aged 21] succeeded 7th Earl Exeter, 8th Baron Burghley.
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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In 1722 John Cecil 7th Earl Exeter [aged 22] died. His brother Brownlow [aged 20] succeeded 8th Earl Exeter, 9th Baron Burghley.
On 3rd November 1754 Brownlow Cecil 8th Earl Exeter [aged 53] died. His son Brownlow [aged 29] succeeded 9th Earl Exeter, 10th Baron Burghley. Laetitia Townshend Countess Exeter [aged 28] by marriage Countess Exeter.
On 26th December 1793 Brownlow Cecil 9th Earl Exeter [aged 68] died. His nephew Henry [aged 39] succeeded 10th Earl Exeter, 11th Baron Burghley. Sarah Hoggins Countess Exeter [aged 19] by marriage Countess Exeter.
On 1st May 1804 Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter [aged 50] died. His son Brownlow [aged 8] succeeded 2nd Marquess Exeter, 11th Earl Exeter, 12th Baron Burghley.
On 16th January 1867 Brownlow Cecil 2nd Marquess Exeter [aged 71] died. His son William [aged 41] succeeded 3rd Marquess Exeter, 12th Earl Exeter, 13th Baron Burghley. Georgina Sophia Pakenham Marchioness Exeter [aged 39] by marriage Marchioness Exeter.
He was buried at St Martin's Church, Stamford [Map].
Brownlow Cecil 2nd Marquess Exeter: On 2nd July 1795 he was born to Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter and Sarah Hoggins Countess Exeter. On 1st May 1804 Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter died. His son Brownlow succeeded 2nd Marquess Exeter, 11th Earl Exeter, 12th Baron Burghley. On 12th May 1824 Brownlow Cecil 2nd Marquess Exeter and Frances Isabella Selina Poyntz Marchioness of Exeter were married. She by marriage Marchioness Exeter. He the son of Henry Cecil 1st Marquess Exeter and Sarah Hoggins Countess Exeter. In 1827 he was appointed 664th Knight of the Garter by King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland.
On 14th July 1895 William Alleyne Cecil 3rd Marquess Exeter [aged 70] died. His son Brownlow [aged 45] succeeded 4th Marquess Exeter, 13th Earl Exeter, 14th Baron Burghley. Monument in the Church of St John the Baptist, Barnack [Map].
Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter: On 20th December 1849 he was born to William Alleyne Cecil 3rd Marquess Exeter and and Georgina Sophia Pakenham Marchioness Exeter. On 7th September 1875 Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter and Isabella Whichcote Marchioness of Exeter were married at St Denys' Church, Aswarby. He the son of William Alleyne Cecil 3rd Marquess Exeter.
On 9th April 1898 Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter [aged 48] died. His son William [aged 21] succeeded 5th Marquess Exeter, 14th Earl Exeter, 15th Baron Burghley. Monument in the Church of St John the Baptist, Barnack [Map].
William Cecil 5th Marquess Exeter: On 27th October 1876 he was born to Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter and Isabella Whichcote Marchioness of Exeter. On 16th April 1901 William Cecil 5th Marquess Exeter and Myra Rowena Sibell Orde-Powlett Marchioness of Exeter were married. She by marriage Marchioness Exeter. He the son of Brownlow Henry George Cecil 4th Marquess Exeter and Isabella Whichcote Marchioness of Exeter. In 1937 he was appointed 885th Knight of the Garter by King George VI of the United Kingdom. In 1956 William Cecil 5th Marquess Exeter died. His son David succeeded 6th Marquess Exeter, 15th Earl Exeter, 16th Baron Burghley.
In 1956 William Cecil 5th Marquess Exeter [aged 79] died. His son David [aged 50] succeeded 6th Marquess Exeter, 15th Earl Exeter, 16th Baron Burghley.
On 22nd October 1981 David George Brownlow-Cecil 6th Marquess Exeter [aged 76] died. His brother William [aged 72] succeeded 7th Marquess Exeter, 16th Earl Exeter, 17th Baron Burghley.
On 12th January 1988 William Martin Alleyne Brownlow-Cecil 7th Marquess Exeter [aged 78] died. His son Michael [aged 52] succeeded 8th Marquess Exeter, 17th Earl Exeter, 18th Baron Burghley.