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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Paternal Family Tree: Herbert
Maternal Family Tree: Margaret Donnington Countess Bath 1509-1561
On 19th November 1627 [his father] Richard Herbert 2nd Baron Herbert of Cherbury [aged 23] and [his mother] Mary Egerton Baroness Herbert of Cherbury were married at Bridgwater House Barbican. She the daughter of [his grandfather] John Egerton 1st Earl Bridgewater [aged 48] and [his grandmother] Frances Stanley Countess Bridgewater [aged 44].
In 1633 Edward Herbert 3rd Baron Herbert of Cherbury was born to Richard Herbert 2nd Baron Herbert of Cherbury [aged 29] and Mary Egerton Baroness Herbert of Cherbury.
On 5th August 1648 [his grandfather] Edward Herbert 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury [aged 66] died. His son [his father] Richard [aged 44] succeeded 2nd Baron Herbert of Cherbury.
In 1651 Edward Herbert 3rd Baron Herbert of Cherbury [aged 18] and Ann Myddelton were married.
On 13th May 1655 [his father] Richard Herbert 2nd Baron Herbert of Cherbury [aged 51] died. His son Edward [aged 22] succeeded 3rd Baron Herbert of Cherbury. [his mother] Mary Egerton Baroness Herbert of Cherbury by marriage Baroness Herbert of Cherbury.
In 1659 [his mother] Mary Egerton Baroness Herbert of Cherbury died.
Around 1660 [his wife] Ann Myddelton died.
On 20th August 1673 Edward Herbert 3rd Baron Herbert of Cherbury [aged 40] and Elizabeth Brydges Countess Inchiquin [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Baroness Herbert of Cherbury. They were second cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
Around 1675 Gilbert Soest [aged 70]. Portrait of Edward Herbert 3rd Baron Herbert of Cherbury [aged 42]. Powis Castle.
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 9th December 1678 Edward Herbert 3rd Baron Herbert of Cherbury [aged 45] died. He was buried at Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His brother Henry [aged 38] succeeded 4th Baron Herbert of Cherbury. Catherine Newport Baroness Herbert Chirbury by marriage Baroness Herbert of Cherbury.
In or after 1684 William O'Brien 2nd Earl Inchiquin [aged 44] and [his former wife] Elizabeth Brydges Countess Inchiquin [aged 32] were married. She by marriage Countess Inchiquin. He the son of Murdough O'Brien 1st Earl Inchiquin and Elizabeth St Leger Countess Inchiquin.
In August 1694 Charles Howard 4th Baron Howard [aged 24] and [his former wife] Elizabeth Brydges Countess Inchiquin [aged 43] were married. She by marriage Baroness Howard of Escrick. They were fifth cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 3rd February 1718 [his former wife] Elizabeth Brydges Countess Inchiquin [aged 66] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 15 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 21 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 16 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 5 Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 25 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 8 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 22 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Herbert 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Herbert
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Jones
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Herbert
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Herbert
GrandFather: Edward Herbert 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury 10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Newport 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Newport 8 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Corbet 6 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Corbet 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Vernon 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Magdalen Newport 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Bromley
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Bromley
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Bromley
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Lyster
Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabel Lyster
Father: Richard Herbert 2nd Baron Herbert of Cherbury 11 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Herbert of St Julians 9 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter Herbert of Caerleon 10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Herbert 11 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Herbert 12 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
GrandMother: Mary Herbert Baroness Herbert Chirbury 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Edward Herbert 3rd Baron Herbert of Cherbury 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Philip Egerton 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Egerton
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Egerton
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Egerton 1st Viscount Brackley
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Sparkes of Bickerton
GrandFather: John Egerton 1st Earl Bridgewater
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Ravenscroft
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Ravenscroft of Bretton
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Ravenscroft of Bretton
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Ravenscroft
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Grosvenor 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Grosvenor
Great x 2 Grandmother: Katherine Grosvenor
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Cotton
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Cotton
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Brereton
Mother: Mary Egerton Baroness Herbert of Cherbury 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Stanley 2nd Earl of Derby 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Stanley 3rd Earl of Derby 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Hastings Countess Derby 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Stanley 4th Earl of Derby 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Dorothy Howard Countess Derby 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Tilney Duchess Norfolk 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Clifford 1st Earl of Cumberland 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Clifford 2nd Earl of Cumberland 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Percy Baroness Clifford 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Clifford Countess Derby Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Brandon 1st Duke of Suffolk 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Brandon Countess Cumberland 
Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Tudor Queen Consort France 
Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
GrandMother: Frances Stanley Countess Bridgewater 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Spencer 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Spencer
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Graunt
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Spencer
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Knightley 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Susan Knightley
Great x 1 Grandmother: Alice Spencer Countess Derby
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Kitson 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Katherine Kitson
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Donnington of Stoke Newington
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Donnington Countess Bath