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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MP St Albans is in Member Parliament.
In 1554 Thomas Wendy (age 53) was elected MP St Albans.
On 4th January 1610 Thomas Parry (age 69) was elected MP St Albans.
In 1621 Thomas Richardson (age 52) was elected MP St Albans.
In 1621 Robert Shute (age 45) was elected MP St Albans which seat he held until he died later that year. It is likely he didn't take his seat in Parliament.
In 1624 Arthur Capell of Little Hadham (age 38) was elected MP St Albans. He had been nominated by the 2nd earl of Salisbury (age 32), whose eldest daughter (age 2), a child of 12, was betrothed to his nephew, Arthur (age 15).
In 1628 John Jennings was elected MP St Albans.
In April 1640 Samuel Sandes (age 24) was elected MP Droitwich.
Thomas Jermyn (age 67) was elected MP Cambridge University.
Thomas Jermyn (age 23) was elected MP Corfe Castle, Dorset.
Henry Jermyn 1st Earl St Albans (age 35) was elected MP Corfe Castle, Dorset.
John Jennings was elected MP St Albans.
Ambrose Browne 1st Baronet was elected MP Surrey.
John Curzon 1st Baronet (age 41) was elected MP Derbyshire.
George Fane of Burston (age 59) was elected MP Maidstone.
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In November 1640 Humphrey Coningsbury (age 17) was elected MP Herefordshire in the Long Parliament.
William Heveningham (age 36) was elected MP Stockbridge during the Long Parliament.
Robert Crane 1st Baronet (age 54) was elected MP Sudbury in the Long Parliament holding the seat until his death in 1643.
John Jennings was elected MP St Albans during the Long Parliament.
John Glynne (age 38) was elected MP Westminster during the Long Parliament.
In 1642 Richard Jennings (age 23) was elected MP St Albans.
In 1659 Richard Jennings (age 40) was elected MP St Albans during the Third Protectorate Parliament.
On 25th April 1660...
Thomas Thynne (age 50) was elected MP Hindon.
Henry Carey 4th Viscount Falkland (age 26) was elected MP Oxfordshire.
Henry Cavendish 2nd Duke Newcastle upon Tyne (age 29) was elected MP Derbyshire.
John Glynne (age 58) was elected MP Caernarfonshire.
William Glynne 1st Baronet (age 22) was elected MP Caernarfon.
Francis Godolphin (age 54) was elected MP Heytesbury.
Richard Jennings (age 41) was elected MP St Albans.
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On 8th May 1661 King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland (age 30) summoned his second Parliament.
John Bennet 1st Baron Ossulston (age 44) was elected MP Wallingford.
James Thynne (age 56) was elected MP Wiltshire.
Adam Browne 2nd Baronet (age 35) was elected MP Surrey.
Henry Cavendish 2nd Duke Newcastle upon Tyne (age 30) was elected MP Northumberland.
William Compton (age 36) was elected MP Cambridge.
Thomas Coventry 1st Earl Coventry (age 32) was elected MP Camelford.
Charles Berkeley 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge (age 61) was elected MP Bath and Heytesbury.
Edward Hungerford (age 28) was elected MP Chippenham.
Robert Pierrepont (age 24) was elected MP Nottingham.
John Melbury Sampford Strangeways (age 75) was elected MP Weymouth.
Giles Strangeways (age 45) was elected MP Dorset.
John Strangeways (age 24) was elected MP Bridport.
William Wyndham 1st Baronet (age 29) was elected MP Taunton.
James Herbert (age 38) was elected MP Queenborough.
William Alington 1st and 3rd Baron Alington (age 21) was elected MP Cambridge.
William Bowes of Streatlam (age 4) was elected MP Durham.
Robert Brooke (age 24) was elected MP Aldeburgh.
Josiah Child (age 30) was elected MP Dartmouth.
Gervase Clifton 1st Baronet (age 73) was elected MP Nottinghamshire.
Thomas Crew 2nd Baron Crew (age 37) was elected MP Brackley.
Richard Jennings (age 42) was elected MP St Albans.
Robert Kemp 2nd Baronet (age 33) was elected MP Norfolk.
Edward Phelips (age 48) was elected MP Somerset.
Robert Robartes (age 27) was elected MP Bossiney.
Hender Robartes (age 25) was elected MP Bodmin.
Clement Fisher 2nd Baronet (age 48) was elected MP Coventry.
William Portman 6th Baronet (age 17) was elected MP Taunton.
John Robinson 1st Baronet (age 46) was elected MP Rye.
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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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In May 1668 Samuel Grimston 3rd Baronet (age 25) was elected MP St Albans at a by-election which seat he held until 1678. He was re-elected in 1679 and 1680.
In 1679 John Gape (age 55) was elected MP St Albans.
On 22nd January 1689 Samuel Grimston 3rd Baronet (age 46) was elected MP St Albans which seat he held until May 1699.
In 1705 Henry Killigrew (age 53) was elected MP St Albans.
In 1711 William Grimston 1st Viscount Grimston (age 26) was elected MP St Albans which seat he held until 1722.
In 1727 William Grimston 1st Viscount Grimston (age 42) was elected MP St Albans which seat he held until 1734.
In 1761 George Harcourt 2nd Earl Harcourt (age 24) was elected MP St Albans which seat he held until 1767.
In 1790 Richard Bingham 2nd Earl Lucan (age 25) was elected MP St Albans.
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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In June 1800 William Stephen Poyntz (age 30) was elected MP St Albans.