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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Before 1717 [her father] William Montgomery 1st Baronet and [her mother] Hannah Tomkyns were married.
On 19th December 1751 [her future husband] George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 27] and Charlotte Compton 16th Baroness Ferrers Chartley 7th Baroness Compton were married. He by marriage Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Baron Compton of Compton in Warwickshire. She the daughter of James Compton 5th Earl of Northampton [aged 64] and Elizabeth Shirley Countess Northampton. They were sixth cousins.
Around 1752 Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend was born to [her father] William Montgomery 1st Baronet and [her mother] Hannah Tomkyns.
On 12th March 1764 Charles Townshend 3rd Viscount Townsend [aged 63] died. His son [her future husband] George [aged 40] succeeded 4th George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend, 4th Baron Townshend of Lynn Regis in Norfolk, 6th Baronet Townshend. His son George succeeded 4th Viscount Townsend.
Before 1765 [her father] William Montgomery 1st Baronet and Anne Evatt were married.
1773. Joshua Reynolds [aged 49]. "Irish Graces" or "Three Ladies Adorning a Term of Hymen". Portrait of three elder Montgomery sisters Barbara Montgomery [aged 20], Elizabeth Montgomery [aged 22] and Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend [aged 21]. They are shown decorating a statue of Hymen, the Greek god of marriage and fertility, with flowers. The painting was commissioned by Luke Gardiner 1st Viscount Mountjoy [aged 27]
Barbara Montgomery: In 1753 she was born to William Montgomery 1st Baronet and Hannah Tomkyns. In 1774 John Beresford and she were married. He the son of Marcus Beresford 1st Earl Tyrone and Catherine Power Countess Tyrone. In 1788 she died.
Elizabeth Montgomery: In 1751 she was born to William Montgomery 1st Baronet and Hannah Tomkyns. On 3rd July 1773 Luke Gardiner 1st Viscount Mountjoy and she were married. In 1783 she died.
On 19th May 1773 George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 49] and Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend [aged 21] were married. The difference in their ages was 27 years.
On 16th March 1776 [her daughter] Charlotte Townshend Duchess Leeds was born to [her husband] George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 52] and Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend [aged 24]. She married 17th August 1797 her sixth cousin George William Frederick Osborne 6th Duke Leeds, son of Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds and Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers, and had issue.
In 1777 [her daughter] Honoria Townshend was born to [her husband] George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 52] and Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend [aged 25].
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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On 24th December 1777 [her step-son] George Townshend 2nd Marquess Townshend [aged 24] and Charlotte Mainwaring Ellerker Countess of Leicester [aged 6] were married. He the son of [her husband] George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 53] and Charlotte Compton 16th Baroness Ferrers Chartley 7th Baroness Compton.
In 1778 [her son] William Townshend was born to [her husband] George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 53] and Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend [aged 26].
Around 1780. Joshua Reynolds [aged 56]. Portrait of Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend [aged 28].
In 1784 [her step-son] George Townshend 2nd Marquess Townshend [aged 30] was created 1st Earl of Leicester. Charlotte Mainwaring Ellerker Countess of Leicester [aged 12] by marriage Countess of Leicester.
On 11th September 1785 [her son] James Nugent Boyle Bernardo Townshend was born to [her husband] George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 61] and Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend [aged 33].
In 1787 [her husband] George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 62] and Georgiana Anne Poyntz [aged 23] were married. The difference in their ages was 39 years.
On 27th October 1787 [her husband] George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 63] was created 1st Marquess Townshend. Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend [aged 35] by marriage Marchioness Townshend.
After 1788 [her father] William Montgomery 1st Baronet died.
In 1794 [her son] William Townshend [aged 16] died.
On 27th May 1796 [her step-son] Charles Townshend [aged 28] died.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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On 17th August 1797 [her son-in-law] George William Frederick Osborne 6th Duke Leeds [aged 22] and Charlotte Townshend Duchess Leeds [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Baroness Darcy of Knayth, Baroness Conyers. She the daughter of George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 73] and Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend [aged 45]. He the son of Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 46] and Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers. They were sixth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 14th September 1807 [her husband] George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 83] died. His son [her step-son] George [aged 54] succeeded 2nd Marquess Townshend, 5th Viscount Townsend, 5th Baron Townshend of Lynn Regis in Norfolk, 7th Baronet Townshend.
On 29th March 1819 Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend [aged 67] died.
[her daughter] Henrietta Townshend was born to George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend and Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend.
[her daughter] Anne Townshend was born to George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend and Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend.