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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In 1600 Thomas Chiffinch Keeper of the King's Closet was born to [his father] Unknown Chiffinch in Salisbury.
Before 25th November 1637 Thomas Chiffinch Keeper of the King's Closet [aged 37] and Dorothy Thanet were married.
On or before 25th November 1637 [his son] Thomas Chiffinch was born to Thomas Chiffinch Keeper of the King's Closet [aged 37]. On 25th November 1637 he was baptised at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map].
Before 8th April 1666 Attributed to Jacob Huysmans [aged 33]. Portrait of Thomas Chiffinch Keeper of the King's Closet [aged 66].
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 8th April 1666. The Court full this morning of the newes of Tom Cheffin's [aged 66] death, the King's closett-keeper. He was well last night as ever, playing at tables in the house, and not very ill this morning at six o'clock, yet dead before seven: they think, of an imposthume in his breast. But it looks fearfully among people nowadays, the plague, as we hear, encreasing every where again.
On 8th April 1666 Thomas Chiffinch Keeper of the King's Closet [aged 66] died. He was buried on 10th April 1666 at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 18th November 1666. Back home in my Lord Bruncker's [aged 46] coach, and there W. Hewer [aged 24] and I to write it over fair; dined at noon, and Mercer with us, and mighty merry, and then to finish my letter; and it being three o'clock ere we had done, when I come to Sir W. Batten [aged 65]; he was in a huffe, which I made light of, but he signed the letter, though he would not go, and liked the letter well. Sir W. Pen [aged 45], it seems, he would not stay for it: so, making slight of Sir W. Pen's putting so much weight upon his hand to Sir W. Batten, I down to the Tower Wharfe [Map], and there got a sculler, and to White Hall, and there met Lord Bruncker, and he signed it, and so I delivered it to Mr. Cheving [aged 64]1, and he to Sir W. Coventry [aged 38], in the cabinet, the King [aged 36] and councill being sitting, where I leave it to its fortune, and I by water home again, and to my chamber, to even my Journall; and then comes Captain Cocke [aged 49] to me, and he and I a great deal of melancholy discourse of the times, giving all over for gone, though now the Parliament will soon finish the Bill for money. But we fear, if we had it, as matters are now managed, we shall never make the best of it, but consume it all to no purpose or a bad one. He being gone, I again to my Journall and finished it, and so to supper and to bed.
Note 1. William Chiffinch, pimp to Charles II and receiver of the secret pensions paid by the French Court. He succeeded his brother, Thomas Chiffinch (who died in April, 1666), as Keeper of the King's Private Closet (see note, vol. v., p. 265). He is introduced by Scott into his "Peveril of the Peak"..
On 28th March 1680 [his former wife] Dorothy Thanet died. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].