On 28th September 1626 Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale was born to [her father] William Murray 1st Earl Dysart (age 26).
On 6th September 1640 Lionel Tollemache 2nd Baronet (age 49) died at Tilbury, Essex [Map]. He was buried at Church of St Mary, Helmingham [Map]. His son [her future husband] Lionel (age 16) succeeded 3rd Baronet Talmash of Helmingham in Suffolk. Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 13) by marriage Lady Talmash of Helmingham in Suffolk.
Around 1641 Peter Lely (age 22). Portrait of Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 14).
In 1643 [her father] William Murray 1st Earl Dysart (age 43) was created 1st Earl Dysart.
On 18th January 1645 John Maitland 1st Earl Lauderdale died. His son [her future husband] John (age 28) succeeded 2nd Earl Lauderdale, 2nd Viscount Maitland, 2nd Viscount Lauderdale.
Around 1647 John Weesop. Portrait of Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 20).
Around 1648 Lionel Tollemache 3rd Baronet (age 23) and Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 21) were married. She the daughter of William Murray 1st Earl Dysart (age 48).
Around 1648 Peter Lely (age 29). Portrait of Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 21).
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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Around 1649 [her son] Thomas Tollemache was born to [her husband] Lionel Tollemache 3rd Baronet (age 24) and Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 22).
Around 1649 [her son] William Tollemache was born to [her husband] Lionel Tollemache 3rd Baronet (age 24) and Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 22).
On 30th January 1649 [her son] Lionel Tollemache 3rd Earl Dysart was born to [her husband] Lionel Tollemache 3rd Baronet (age 24) and Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 22). He married 30th September 1680 Grace Wilbraham Countess Dysart, daughter of Thomas Wilbraham 3rd Baronet and Elizabeth Mytton Lady Wilbrahim, and had issue.
In December 1655 [her father] William Murray 1st Earl Dysart (age 55) died. His daughter Elizabeth (age 29) succeeded 2nd Countess Dysart.
On 10th July 1659 [her daughter] Elizabeth Tollemache Duchess Argyll was born to [her husband] Lionel Tollemache 3rd Baronet (age 35) and Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 32). She married 12th March 1678 her sixth cousin Archibald Campbell 1st Duke Argyll, son of Archibald Campbell 9th Earl Argyll and Mary Stewart Countess Argyll, and had issue.
After 10th July 1659 [her daughter] Catherine Tollemache was born to [her husband] Lionel Tollemache 3rd Baronet (age 35) and Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 32).
Around 1665 Peter Lely (age 46). Portrait of Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 38).
Before 25th March 1669 [her husband] Lionel Tollemache 3rd Baronet (age 44) died. His son Lionel (age 20) succeeded 4th Baronet Talmash of Helmingham in Suffolk.
In December 1671 [her future husband] John Maitland 1st Duke Lauderdale (age 55) and Anne Home (age 59) were married. She the daughter of Alexander Home 1st Earl of Home and Mary Dudley Countess Home. He the son of John Maitland 1st Earl Lauderdale.
In 1672 John Maitland 1st Duke Lauderdale (age 55) and Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 45) were married. She the daughter of William Murray 1st Earl Dysart. He the son of John Maitland 1st Earl Lauderdale.
On 2nd May 1672 [her husband] John Maitland 1st Duke Lauderdale (age 55) was created 1st Duke Lauderdale, 1st Earl March Unknown Creation. Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 45) by marriage Duchess Lauderdale.
On 3rd June 1672 [her husband] John Maitland 1st Duke Lauderdale (age 56) was appointed 472nd Knight of the Garter by King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland (age 42).
On 25th June 1674 [her husband] John Maitland 1st Duke Lauderdale (age 58) was created 1st Earl Guildford, 1st Baron Petersham. Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 47) by marriage Countess Guildford.
Around 1675 Peter Lely (age 56). Portrait of [her husband] John Maitland 1st Duke Lauderdale (age 58) and Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 48).
John Evelyn's Diary. 10th September 1677. To divert me, my Lord (age 59) would needs carry me to see Ipswich, Suffolk [Map], when we dined with one Mr. Mann by the way, who was Recorder of the town. There were in our company my Lord Huntingtower (age 28), son to the Duchess of Lauderdale (age 50), Sir Edward Bacon, a learned gentleman of the family of the great Chancellor Verulam, and Sir John Felton, with some other knights and gentlemen. After dinner came the bailiff and magistrates in their formalities with their maces to compliment my Lord, and invite him to the town-house, where they presented us a collation of dried sweetmeats and wine, the bells ringing, etc. Then, we went to see the town, and first, the Lord Viscount Hereford's (age 3) house, which stands in a park near the town, like that at Brussels, in Flanders; the house not great, yet pretty, especially the hall. The stews for fish succeeded one another, and feed one the other, all paved at bottom. There is a good picture of the blessed virgin in one of the parlors, seeming to be of Holbein, or some good master. Then we saw the Haven, seven miles from Harwich, Essex [Map]. The tide runs out every day, but the bedding being soft mud, it is safe for shipping and a station. The trade of Ipswich, Suffolk [Map] is for the most part Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland [Map] coals, with which they supply London; but it was formerly a clothing town. There is not any beggar asks alms in the whole place, a thing very extraordinary, so ordered by the prudence of the magistrates. It has in it fourteen or fifteen beautiful churches: in a word, it is for building, cleanness, and good order, one of the best towns in England. Cardinal Wolsey was a butcher's son of Ipswich, but there is little of that magnificent Prelate's foundation here, besides a school and I think a library, which I did not see. His intentions were to build some great thing. We returned late to Euston, Suffolk, having traveled about fifty miles this day.
On 12th March 1678 [her son-in-law] Archibald Campbell 1st Duke Argyll (age 19) and Elizabeth Tollemache Duchess Argyll (age 18) were married. She the daughter of Lionel Tollemache 3rd Baronet and Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 51). He the son of Archibald Campbell 9th Earl Argyll (age 49) and Mary Stewart Countess Argyll. They were sixth cousins.
On 30th September 1680 Lionel Tollemache 3rd Earl Dysart (age 31) and Grace Wilbraham Countess Dysart (age 19) were married. She by marriage Countess Dysart. He the son of Lionel Tollemache 3rd Baronet and Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 54).
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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On 24th August 1682 [her husband] John Maitland 1st Duke Lauderdale (age 66) died. Duke Lauderdale, Earl Guildford, Baron Petersham extinct. His brother [her brother-in-law] Charles succeeded 3rd Earl Lauderdale, 3rd Viscount Maitland, 3rd Viscount Lauderdale.
On 25th May 1691 [her son] William Tollemache (age 42) died.
Around June 1694 [her son] Thomas Tollemache (age 45) died.
On 5th June 1698 Elizabeth Murray Duchess Lauderdale (age 71) died at Ham House, Richmond, Surrey. She was buried at Church of St Peter Petersham, Surrey. Her son Lionel (age 49) succeeded 3rd Earl Dysart.
GrandFather: William Murray 
Father: William Murray 1st Earl Dysart