William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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Earl Orford is in Earldoms of England Alphabetically.
Earl Orford is also in Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Earldoms of England.
Summary
7th May 1697. Edward Russell 1st Earl Orford [aged 44] created. See Invitation to William of Orange from the Immortal Seven.
26th November 1727. Edward Russell 1st Earl Orford extinct.
In November 1691 Edward Russell 1st Earl Orford [aged 38] and Margaret Russell Countess Orford [aged 35] were married. She by marriage Countess Orford. She the daughter of William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 75] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford. They were first cousins.
On 7th May 1697 Edward Russell 1st Earl Orford [aged 44] was created 1st Earl Orford by King William III of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 46] in recognition of his support of the Glorious Revolution he having been one of the signatories of the Invitation to William of Orange from the Immortal Seven.
On 26th November 1727 Edward Russell 1st Earl Orford [aged 74] died at 43 King Street. He was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies. Earl Orford extinct.
Earl Orford is also in Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Earldoms of England.
Summary
6th February 1742. Robert Walpole 1st Earl Orford [aged 65] created.
18th March 1745. Son Robert Walpole 2nd Earl Orford [aged 44] succeeded.
31st May 1751. Son George Walpole 3rd Earl Orford [aged 21] succeeded.
5th December 1791. Uncle Horace Walpole 4th Earl Orford [aged 74] succeeded.
2nd March 1797. Horace Walpole 4th Earl Orford extinct.
On 6th February 1742 Robert Walpole 1st Earl Orford [aged 65] was created 1st Earl Orford.
On 18th March 1745 Robert Walpole 1st Earl Orford [aged 68] died. His son Robert [aged 44] succeeded 2nd Earl Orford. Margaret Rolle Countess Orford [aged 36] by marriage Countess Orford.
On 31st May 1751 Robert Walpole 2nd Earl Orford [aged 50] died. His son George [aged 21] succeeded 3rd Earl Orford.
On 5th December 1791 George Walpole 3rd Earl Orford [aged 61] died. His uncle Horace [aged 74] succeeded 4th Earl Orford. His second cousin twice removed Robert [aged 27] succeeded 17th Baron Clinton.
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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On 2nd March 1797 Horace Walpole 4th Earl Orford [aged 79] died unmarried. Earl Orford extinct. He left a life interest in his home Strawberry Hill House to his first-cousin once-removed Anne Seymour-Conway [aged 48]. After her death in 1828 the house was inherited by his great great nephew John James Waldegrave 6th Earl Waldegrave [aged 11], great grandson of his brother Edward Walpole.
Earl Orford is also in Earldoms of England Chronologically, Extinct Earldoms of England.
Summary
1st April 1806. Horatio Walpole 1st Earl Orford [aged 82] created.
24th February 1809. Son Horatio Walpole 2nd Earl Orford [aged 56] succeeded.
15th June 1822. Son Horatio Walpole 3rd Earl Orford [aged 39] succeeded.
29th December 1858. Son Horatio Walpole 4th Earl Orford [aged 45] succeeded.
7th December 1894. Nephew Robert Walpole 5th Earl Orford [aged 40] succeeded.
27th September 1931. Robert Walpole 5th Earl Orford extinct.
The London Gazette 15905. Whitehall, April 1, 1806.
The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of an Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, and Ireland to the Right Honorable Charles Viscount Newark [aged 68], and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, by the Name, Stile, and Title as Earl Manvers. [Anne Mills Countess Manvers [aged 59] by marriage Countess Manvers]
The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of an Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to the Right Honorable Horatio Baron Walpole [aged 82], and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, by the Name, Stile, and Title of Earl of Orford, in the County of Suffolk.
The King has been pleased to grant the Dignities of Viscount and Earl of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, and Ireland to the Right Honorable Charles Lord Grey [aged 76], of Howick; Knight of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath, and General of His Majesty's Forces, and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, by the Names, Stile, and Titles of Viscount Howick, in the County of Northumberland, and Earl Grey. [Note. Elizabeth Grey Countess Grey [aged 62] by marriage Countess Grey.]
On 24th February 1809 Horatio Walpole 1st Earl Orford [aged 85] died. His son Horatio [aged 56] succeeded 2nd Earl Orford, 3rd Baron Walpole of Wollerton.
On 15th June 1822 Horatio Walpole 2nd Earl Orford [aged 69] died. His son Horatio [aged 39] succeeded 3rd Earl Orford, 4th Baron Walpole of Wollerton. Mary Fawkener Countess Orford [aged 34] by marriage Countess Orford.
On 29th December 1858 Horatio Walpole 3rd Earl Orford [aged 75] died. His son Horatio [aged 45] succeeded 4th Earl Orford, 5th Baron Walpole of Wollerton.
On 7th December 1894 Horatio Walpole 4th Earl Orford [aged 81] died. His nephew Robert [aged 40] succeeded 5th Earl Orford, 6th Baron Walpole of Wollerton.
On 27th September 1931 Robert Walpole 5th Earl Orford [aged 77] died. Earl Orford extinct. His third cousin twice removed Robert [aged 18] succeeded 7th Baron Walpole of Wollerton. Monument in Church of St Andrew, Wickmere [Map] sculpted by Esmond Burton [aged 45]. The stone brought from St Paul's Island in the Pacific where HMS Magaera, in which the Earl of Orford served as a midshipman, was wrecked in 1871. Armorials include 
Walpole Arms impaled 
Barkham Arms. Motto fari quae sentiat. Saracen's Head Crest.
Robert Walpole 5th Earl Orford: On 10th July 1854 he was born to Frederick Walpole and Laura Sophia Frances Walpole. On 7th December 1894 Horatio Walpole 4th Earl Orford died. His nephew Robert succeeded 5th Earl Orford, 6th Baron Walpole of Wollerton.
Robert Walpole 9th and 7th Baron Walpole: On 25th April 1913 he was born to Lieutenant Horatio Spencer Walpole. In 1989 Robert Walpole 9th and 7th Baron Walpole died. His son Robert succeeded 8th Baron Walpole of Wollerton.
