20 Jul is in July.
1503 Margaret Tudor's Journey to Scotland
1559 Henry II of France Dies Francis and Mary "Queen of Scots" Succeeds
History of the Dukes of Normandy by William of Jumieges. At last he surrounded the city of Chartres with a siege; and as he attacked it with engines and siege-weapons Richard, duke of the Burgundians, arrived with his own army and that of the Franks, and fell upon him [20th July 911]. Rollo met them in battle, and with his men resisted fiercely, until Anselm the bishop, unexpectedly bursting forth from the city with armed troops and bearing the tunic of the holy Mother of God, Mary, attacked him from behind, cutting down his men. Then at length Rollo, seeing himself and his followers brought to the brink of death, resolved for the moment to yield to his enemies, rather than to continue fighting to the ruin of his own people; and withdrawing by prudent counsel, though not through cowardice, he disengaged from the battle.
Postremo, Carnotenam urbem obsidione circumdat; quam cum machinis et tormentis impugnaret, Richardus Burgundionum dux cum suo Francorumque exercitu adveniens, super eum irruit. Cum quo congressus, cum suis atrociter resistebat, quousque Antelmus episcopus ex civitate cum armis inopinato prosiliens, sanctæque Dei genitricis Mariæ supparum præferens, a tergo eum invasit cædendo. Hic tandem videns Rollo se suosque in extremo mortis, decrevit ad horam hostibus cedere, quam cum suorum detrimento pugnare; et provido consilio, non tamen ignavia declinavit a certamine.
History of the Dukes of Normandy by William of Jumieges. At the same time, Baldwin, the count of Flanders, wishing to ennoble his offspring with royal lineage, sought out Robert, king of the Franks, and asked that the king's daughter1 be given to his son Baldwin. Having received her in the royal palace, he brought her to his own house in a cradle, and raised her with careful attention until she reached marriageable age. But his son, once he began to enjoy the embraces of the noble maiden, relying on the royal alliance, drove his own father from his land, drawing the Flemings away from their loyalty to him. The father, shamefully cast out by his own people, hurried to the duke of the Normans, seeking help against his son. The duke, moved by compassion for such a noble man's misfortune, gathered his forces and, like a raging storm, went forth from his land and invaded Flanders, laying it waste with destructive fire. Marching on to the castle called Cioca2, he immediately overthrew it and burned everything within. The other nobles, seeing this and fearing to suffer the same, abandoned the son and returned to the father, sending hostages to the duke. The young Baldwin, realising that he could not in any way withstand the unbearable attacks of the duke, sent envoys to him with the most humble entreaties, declaring his desire to be reconciled to his father through the duke's mediation. The duke, being a man of great kindness, gladly granted the request and persuaded them both, with the kiss of peace, to return at once to their former concord. Thus the disputes being settled, they remained thereafter in peace and affection as was fitting. The duke, having overthrown the rebels' resources, returned with his army unharmed to Normandy. At this time King Robert3 of the Franks died, and his son Henry succeeded him.
Sub eodem tempore Balduinus satrapa Frandrensis sobolem suam cupiens innormare prosapia regali Robertum regem Francorum expetiit, et filiam ejus Balduino filio suo dari poposcit. Palatinis vero tricliniis adeptam tulit, ac ad domum propriam in cu nis asportavit, camque usque ad annos nubiles diligenti cura nutrivit. Filius autem ipsius mox ut nobilis puellæ amplexibus cœpit frui, affinitate fretus. regali, patrem a proprio solo pepulit, Flandrensibus ab ejus fidelitate avulsis. Qui indecenter a suis destitutus, Northmannorum ducem festinanter aggreditur, suffragium adversus filium postulaturus. Dux ergo nobilis viri calamitatem miseratus, contractis militum viribus velut horridus turbo a patria egressus, Flandoniam est aggressus, illam exterminans flammis exitialibus. Progrediens itaque ad castrum quod Cioca vocabatur, confestim illud subvertit, et omnia quæ in eo consistebant combussit. Videntes autem reliqui proceres, et similia pati formidantes, relicto filio ad patrem reversi obsides dirigunt duci. Adolescens vero Balduinus intuens se non posse ullo modo subsistere ante ducis intolerabiles excursus, legatos illi cum precibus humillimis dirigit, patri se cupere eo mediatore reconciliari. Desiderio ejus ac petitioni vir summæ benevolentiæ congratulanti affectu favit, et utrosque libato pacis osculo in pristinam concordiam continuo redire persuasit. Sic litibus compressis, ulterius in pace et amore quo decuit perstiterunt. Ipse vero dux, demolitis rebellium rebus, cum incolumi exercitu in Northmanniam regreditur.Qua tempestate Robertus rex Francorum moritur, cui successit Henricus filius ejus.
Note 1. Adela of Francia, -1076, was the second daughter of King Robert II of Francia and Constance of Arles. She married Baldwin of Flanders in 1028. Their daughter Matilda married William the Conqueror.
Note 2. Cioca Castle. Location unknown. Guizot, in his French translation has 'Chioc'.
Note 3. King Robert II of Francia died 20th July 1031. He was succeeded by his son King Henry I, 1008-1060, who had been crowned before his father's death at the Cathedral of Reims on 14 May 1027, and whose mother was Constance of Arles, around 986-1032.
On 20th July 1031 Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks [aged 59] died at Melun, Seine et Marne. His son Henry [aged 23] succeeded I King France: Capet.
On 20th July 1101 Robert Curthose III Duke Normandy [aged 50] landed at Portsmouth, Hampshire [Map].
On 20th July 1153 Sancho "Wise" King Navarre [aged 21] and Sancha Ivrea [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon [aged 48] and Berenguela Barcelona Queen Consort Castile and Leon. He the son of García "Restorer" IV King Navarre and Marguerite Aigle Queen Consort Navarre. They were fourth cousins.
On 13th June 1222 Eleanor Fair Maid of Brittany [aged 38] was imprisoned at Gloucester Castle, Gloucestershire [Map] where she remained until 20th July 1223.
On 20th July 1235 Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor [aged 40] and Isabella Plantagenet Holy Roman Empress [aged 21] were married at Worms Cathedral [Map]. She the daughter of King John of England and Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England [aged 47]. He the son of Henry Hohenstaufen VI Holy Roman Emperor. They were fourth cousin once removed.
On 20th July 1304 William Oliphant, Governor of Stirling Castle [Map], surrendered the castle to King Edward I of England [aged 65]. King Edward refused the surrender, wanting to test his new trebuchet 'Warwolf'. He eventually accepted the surrender four days later on 24th July 1304. See 
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough and John of Fordun.
John of Fordun's Chronicle. 111. Stirling Castle [Map] besieged by the King of England
Just after Easter, in the year 1304, that same king besieged Strivelyn [Map] Castle for three months without a break. For this siege, he commanded all the lead of the refectory of Saint Andrews [Map] to be pulled down, and had it taken away for the use of his engines. At last, the aforesaid castle was surrendered [20th July 1304] and delivered unto him on certain conditions, drawn up in writing, and sealed with his seal. But when he had got the castle, the king [aged 64] belied his troth, and broke through the conditions: for William Oliphant, the warden thereof, he threw bound into prison in London, and kept him a long time in thrall. The same year, when both great and small in the kingdom of Scotland (except William Wallace alone) had made their submission unto him; when the surrendered castles and fortified towns, which had formerly been broken down and knocked to pieces, had been all rebuilt, and he had appointed wardens of his own therein; and after all and sundry of Scottish birth had tendered him homage, the king, with the Prince of Wales [aged 19], and his whole army, returned to England. He left, however, the chief warden as his lieutenant, to amend and control the lawlessness of all the rest, both Scots and English. He did not show his face in Scotland after this.
Annals of Six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet. 1304. The King of England, the winter having passed, came in person to the siege of the castle of Stirling, and, having prepared various engines1, assaulted it more vigorously than usual. Those who held the castle, defending it stoutly, slew many with their machines. A certain religious man, who was personally present at the siege, was accustomed to relate this of the King of England, that on a certain day, while he was riding about surveying the castle, and had approached within the range of the crossbows, a bolt discharged from the castle struck upon his upper armour without causing any bodily injury. When this had been drawn out, the king, spitting upon it, turned his face towards the castle, and, showing the bolt to him who had discharged it, threatened him with hanging in a loud voice. The garrison, seeing the siege pressing heavily upon them, offered the castle to the king, with life and limb preserved; and afterwards placed themselves simply at his mercy. But the king would in no way accept them on those terms, but only on this condition, that they should surrender themselves purely and simply to his will. And although this at first seemed hard to them, yet when they saw the ditches being filled with earth and stone, and ladders prepared for scaling the walls, which were being shattered by continual blows of stones, at length, on the day of Saint Margaret the Virgin 20th July 1304, they surrendered the castle and submitted themselves to the king’s pleasure. Their captain, William Oliphant, a knight very valiant and resolute, he sent to the Tower of London, and the rest he dispatched to various other castles to be kept in custody. After this, Scotland having been brought into subjection according to his desire, and its custody committed to John de Segrave, the king, returning into England, when he had come to York, ordered that the sessions of the justices, who are called those of the Bench, and the Exchequer, which had now remained at York for seven years, should be transferred to London to their former place.
1304. REX Angliæ, transacta hieme ad obsidionem castri de Strivelin, personaliter accedens, diversis præparatis 'machinis, illud solito fortius impugnavit. Qui vero castrum custodiebant, illud fortiter defendentes, cum machinis suis plurimos occiderunt. Religiosus quidam, qui obsidioni personaliter intererat, de rege Angliæ hoc referre solebat, quod die quadam cum castrum considerando obequitaret, ac quodam loco infra jactum balistarum obequitando appropinquaret, jaculum quoddam de castro emissum, superiori ejus armaturæ affixum sine ulla corporis læsione. In quod extractum rex exspuens, conversa facie ad castrum, alta voce ei, qui illud emiserat, jaculum ostendendo, suspendium minabatur. Castellani, videntes obsidionem super se aggravari, obtulerunt castrum regi, salvis vita et membris; ac postea, simpliciter se in ejus gratia ponentes. Sed neutro modo voluit eos rex admittere, sed tantum in ea forma, ut pure et simpliciter se dederent regiæ voluntati. Quod licet eis primo videretur difficile, tamen cum fossata conspicerent terra impleri et lapide, scalasque ad transcensionem murorum, qui assiduis jactibus petrarum conquassabantur, parari; tandem in die B. Margaretæ virginis castrum reddentes, se regis placito subdiderunt. Quorum capitaneum Willelmum Olifardi, militem admodum strenuum et cordatum, ad castrum Londoniarum, reliquos vero ad alia castra diversa transmisit custodiæ mancipandos. Exinde subacta ad votum Scotia, commissaque ejus custodia Joanni de Segrave, rex in Angliam rediens, cum venisset Eboracum, jussit sessionem justitiariorum, qui dicuntur de Banco, et scaccarium, quæ jam septennio manserant Eboraci, Londonias ad antiquum locum transferri.
Note 1. It is Langtoft's Chronicle that describes King Edward's trebuchet 'Ludgar' i.e. 'Lupus Guerre' i.e. 'Warwolf': 'The engines without are put to work, And cause the stones to pass walls and towers; They overthrow the battlements around, And throw down to the ground the houses inside. In the midst of these doings the king causes to be built of timber, A terrible engine, and to be called Ludgar; And this at its stroke broke down the entire wall.'
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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Adam Murimuth Continuation. In this year King Edward went into Scotland to the castle of Stirling, which William Oliphant was guarding, intending to besiege it vigorously. After he had strongly besieged it for ninety days, attacking it continually, those within, overcome by want and fear, came out on the feast of Saint Margaret [20th July 1304] barefoot, carrying the ropes of the castle on their necks and asking for mercy. The king received them to mercy and sent them to various castles in England to be kept in prison, putting no one to death. Afterwards, having placed wardens throughout all Scotland, he returned to England to spend the winter there, as will appear below.
Hoc anno rex Edwardus se transtulit in Scociam ad castrum de Stryvelyn, quod custodiebat Willelmus Olifard, viriliter obsessurus; et, postquam per nonaginta dies ipsos impugnando fortiter obsedisset, ipsi præ inopia et timore in festo sanctæ Margaretæ exiverunt discalceati, funes castri in Collis habentes, et misericordiam postulantes. Quos rex suscepit ad misericordiam, et ad diversa castra in Anglia misit carceribus mancipandos, neminem occidendo. Positis deinde custodibus per totain Scociam, rediit in Angliam, hiematurus in ea, sicut inferius apparebit.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough. When the besieged saw this, they asked, again and again, that their lives and limbs might be spared if they surrendered; but the king would not hear them, nor would he consent unless they submitted themselves wholly to his and his council's judgment. They delayed for a time, fearing death; but at last, overcome and unable to hold out any longer, they submitted themselves to the king's mercy and surrendered the castle on the feast of Saint Margaret the Virgin [20th July 1304] in the following year. The king ordered them to be safely kept until his parliament at London; they numbered more than one hundred and forty, and they were handed over to prisons in various places. The king then returned with the victory, moving south by very short marches, and he held Christmas at Lincoln with the highest honour. On his return, he ordered that his justices of the Bench, and his Exchequer with the full Bench, which, for seven years, from the Feast of the Holy Trinity in the year of Our Lord 1297 until the present Christmas, had been sitting together at York along with the Chancery, should return to Westminster in London; and so it was done.
Quod videntes obsessi petierunt vitam et membra ut darent se, et hoc iteratis vicibus; sed non audivit eos rex, nec audire voluit nisi suæ gratiæ et suorum judicio se mere supponerent. Distuleruntque ad tempus, mortem metuentes; tandem vero attoniti, nec valentes ulterius sustinere, dederunt se gratiæ regis, et castrum reddiderunt die Sanctæ Margaretæ virginis anni subsequentis, jussitque eos salvo custodiri usque ad parliamentum suum Londoniis; et erant in numero plusquam CXL, et traditi sunt carceribus per diversa loca. Reversusque est rex cum victoria, tendens ad austrum per dietas pervalde modicas, et tenuit Lincolniæ Natale Domini cum summo honore. Jussitque in redeundo quod justiciarii sui de banco, et Scaccarium suum cum banco integro, quæ jam per septem annos, a festo Sanctæ Trinitatis anno Domini MCCXCVII usque in præsens Natale Domini, apud Eborum cum cancellaria sua communiter sederant, ad Westmonasterium Londoniis reverterentur et redirent, et factum est ita.
On 20th July 1304 Hugh Mortimer 3rd Baron Mortimer [aged 49] died from poisoning, possibly by his wife Matilda Baroness Mortimer. He was buried in Worcester Cathedral [Map]. Baron Mortimer Burford aka Richard's Castle abeyant between his daughters Joan Mortimer Baroness Talbot and Alice Mortimer [aged 4] and their descendants. His wife sought the protection of Margaret of France Queen Consort England [aged 25]. After the death of King Edward I of England [aged 65] in 1307 she, Matilda Baroness Mortimer died suddenly, probably murdered in revenge for the murder of her husband.
Chronicle of Jean le Bel Volume 1. About that same time, soon afterward, the noble and valiant Earl of Moray1 passed from this world, he who was the greatest and most powerful lord of the kingdom of Scotland, and who bore silver arms with three golden cushions.
En ce temps, assez tost aprez, trespassa de ce siecle le noble et vaillant conte de Moret, qui estoit le plus grand et le plus poissant du royaume d'Escoce, qui portoit ung escu d'argent à trois oreilliers d'or.
Note 1. Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, died on 20th July 1332.
Chronicle of Jean le Bel Volume 1. Thus he governed nobly so long as the truces endured between him and the kingdom of Scotland. When the truces had expired1, and he was informed that the young King David II of Scotland had taken possession of the town of Berwick, which, he said, ought to belong to his realm, and which the good King Edward III of England had always held peacefully, as had his father before him for a long time, and when he was further informed that the kingdom of Scotland was held of him in fief, and that King David, his brother-in-law, had not yet performed homage nor taken up the fief from him, he was greatly angered. He at once sent noble envoys to the young King David and his council, demanding that he withdraw from the good town of Berwick, for it was his rightful inheritance and had always belonged to his predecessors, the kings of England; and that he should come to him to do homage for the kingdom of Scotland, which he ought to hold of him in fief.
Ainsi se gouverna noblement tant que treves durerent entre luy et le royaume d'Escoce. Quant les treves furent faillies, et il fut enfourmé que le jœune roy David estoit saisy de la cité de Beruwik, qui debvoit estre de son royaume, et que le bon roy Edowart avoit tousjours tenue quittement et en pais, et son pere aprez grand temps, et fut enfourmé que le royaume d'Escoce mouvoit de luy en fief et que le roy David, son serourge, ne l'avoit encores relevé, ne fait hommage, il en eut indignation, et envoya tantost aprez grands messages au jœune roy David et à son conseil, et luy fist requerre qu'il se voulsist desister de la bonne cité de Berwick, car c'estoit son droit heritage, et avoit esté tousjours à ses predecesseurs roys d'Angleterre, et que II venist à luy pour faire hommage du royaume d'Escoce, qu'il debvoit tenir de luy en fief.
Note 1. The causes of this war are badly set out by Jean le Bel, who confused the facts. In order to understand this chapter and those that follow, it is necessary to set forth in chronological order the sequence of events that provoked the conflict between England and Scotland. The war began with an invasion by Edward Balliol, who, together with Henry de Beaumont, at the head of a number of men recruited in England, sought to assert his claim to the Scottish crown by force of arms. This expedition took place at the beginning of August 1332, and the Scottish party that opposed Balliol was defeated on 11th August 1332 at the Battle of Dupplin Moor; Deeds of King Edward III by Robert of Avesbury: 'Soon afterwards he fought a very fierce battle [on 11th August 1332] against the Scots, who came almost without number to resist him at Kinghorn. There the conflict lasted from sunrise almost until the ninth hour of the same day. Christ, however, always favouring justice, preserved the English unharmed, and more than twenty thousand Scots fell before them. Many Scots, because of their own impetuosity and misfortune, fell upon their own companions in the battle and immediately perished without a blow, being crushed by other Scots coming upon them. Thus, the heap of Scots slain and crushed there stretched in length for a stadium and rose in height to six cubits or more.' Feigning to fear disturbances on the Scottish marches, Edward III of England appointed Henry Percy, 2nd Baron Percy, guardian of the borders on 9th August 1332 (Rymer 2.843–844). As early as 7th October, under the pretext that the Scots were preparing incursions into England, he ordered the levying and arming of archers and men-at-arms for the defense of the frontiers (Ibid p. 846). Edward Balliol, who had invaded Scotland and had himself crowned king, acknowledged himself as vassal of the King of England on 23rd November 1332 (Ibid pp. 847–848). Finally, on 21st March 1333, Edward III, alleging the ravages committed by the Scots in England, summoned his army to assemble at Newcastle upon Tyne for Trinity Sunday [30th May], in order to march against the Scots (Rymer 2.855–857). By 23rd April, the King of England was preparing to lay siege to Berwick-upon-Tweed, and on 18th May the town was closely invested by land and sea. On 15th July, a truce was concluded, to last until 20th July, the feast of Saint Margaret, in order to allow William Keith, guardian of Berwick, to seek relief from the Scots. Failing such relief, the town was to surrender on that day (Rymer 2.864–865). On 19th July, the Scottish army that had come to relieve Berwick was defeated at the Battle of Halidon Hill, and the town surrendered; Deeds of King Edward III by Robert of Avesbury: 'And afterwards, within a month, the king himself came to the siege with many earls, barons, and other men-at-arms and archers, and continued it until Monday, on the eve [20th July 1333] of Saint Margaret. On that day, the Scots came in great multitude, intending to break the said siege with force. But the King of England, coming to meet them with his army, he himself leading, engaged in battle with the Scots in a very fierce fight at a place near Berwick, commonly called Huntenemour. There, with the English remaining unharmed, forty thousand Scots fell. The rest of the Scots turned to flight; then the besieged within the said town and castle surrendered themselves. And the said lord King of the English kept the aforesaid town with its castle under his control, subdued to his dominion.'
1. Les causes de cette guerre sont mal exposées par Jean le Bel, qui a confondu les faits. Il est nécessaire, pour comprendre ce Chapitre et les suivants, d'exposer dans leur ordre chronologique la suite des événements qui provoquèrent le conflit entre l'Angleterre et l'Écosse. Cette guerre commence paruneinvasion d'Édouard Baillol, qui, avec Henri de Beaumont, à la tête d'un certain nombre d'hommes recrutés en Angleterre, veut faire valoir ses droits à la couronne d'Écosseles armes à la main. Cette expédition eut lieu au commencement du mois d'août 1332, et le parti écossais, qui voulait s 'opposer à Baillol, fut défait le II août 1332. (A. Murimuth, op. cit., p. 66, et T. Walsingham, op. cit., t. 1, p. 193.) Édouard Ill, feignant de craindre des troubles sur les marches d'Écosse, nomma, le 9 août 1332, Henri de Percy garde de ces frontières (Rymer op. eit., t. II, Ile partie, p. 843 et 844), et, dès le 7 octobre sion, sous prétexte que les Écossais se préparaient à faire des incursions en Angleterre, il ordonna de lever et d'armer des archers et des gens d'armes pour la défense des frontières. (Rymer Ibid p. 846.) Édouard Baillol, qui avait envahi l'Écosse et s'était fait couronner (T. Walsingham, Ibid p.194 et 195), se reconaut comme le vassal du roi d'Angleterre le 23 novembre 1332. (Rymer Ibid p. 847-848.) Enûn, le 21 mars 1333, Édouard II, prétextant les ravages commis par les Écossais en Angleterre, convoqua son armée pour la fête de la Trinité suivante (30 mai) à Newcastle, afin de marcher contre les Écossais. (Rymer Ibid p. 855 à 857.) Dés le 23 avril, le roi d'Angleterre se préparait à assiéger Berwick, et, le 18 mai, la ville était fortement investie par terre et par mer. (T. Walsingham, Ibid p. 195 et 196.) Le 15 juillet, une trève, devant durer jusqu'au 20, jour de la Sainte-Marguerite, fut conclue, afin de permettre à Guillaume de Keith, gardien de Berwick, de demander du secours aux Ecossais. À défaut de secours, la ville devait se rendre le jour même. (Rymer Ibid p. 864 et 865.) Le 19 juillet, l'armée écossaise, qui était venue au secours dy Berwick, fut vaincue à Halidon-Hill et la ville se rendit. (Adam Murimuth, Ibid p. 68.)
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Immediately the opposing forces clashed. The King of England, with wise words and cheerful courage, heartened his men. Yet the battle, though intense, lasted scarcely half an hour of natural daylight, as fierce resistance on both sides gave way: the Scots, now with their three battles compressed into one great host, at last sought the only refuge left, flight. Then the king and his forces, spurring their warhorses, swiftly pursued them, cutting them down, capturing them, driving them into pits and lakes, and scattered them for a distance of five miles. The estimated number of Scots slain exceeded sixty thousand men. After this battle, a false belief spread that the Scottish war was finally ended, since scarcely anyone remained in that nation who could, would, or dared to gather fighters for war, or to lead those gathered. Nearly all the bishops of the kingdom of Scotland fled to France, and their wealthiest men hastened to the Supreme Pontiff, tearfully seeking aid and remedy for their misfortune. After this triumph, the king returned to the siege of Berwick,1 and both the castle and the town, surrendered by the guardian of both, Earl Patrick, were received into the king's hand. The same Earl Patrick, in the next Parliament held at York, swore fealty and homage to the king and received many honours from him. But again, returning treacherously to his rebellion, he suffered a second siege at Dunbar, this time at the hands of Lord William de Montagu [aged 32], Earl of Salisbury.
Continuo congrediuntur partes adverse, rege Anglorum suos sapienter atque decenti hilaritate confortante, set vix per mediam horam diei naturalis attrocitate utrobique resistencium Scotis aliquali numero peremptis et iam illorum tribus aciebus in unum exercitum conglobatis, tandem necessarium fuge presidium arripientes dominus rex et sui, dextrariis concensis, celeriter persecuti, occidendo, capiendo, in puteos et lacus ipsos fugando, per quinque miliaria ventilarunt. Numerus estimatus Scotorum occisorum excedebat sexaginta millia virorum. Post istud bellum opinio falsa fuit pupplicata quod guerra Scotica fuerat finaliter terminata, eo quod vix aliquis de illa nacione remansit, qui posset, sciret, et vellet preliaturos congregare, et regere congregatos, Prelati fere tocius regni Scocie in Franciam fugierunt, et eorum valenciores ad summum pontificem de illorum infortunio adiutorium et remedium flebiliter requirentes. Post belli triumphum rex ad obsidionem Berewici reversus, tam castruim quam villam, per comitem Patricium custodem eorumdem reddita, suscepit. Et idem comes Patricius in proximo sequenti parliamento Eboracensi fidelitatem et homagium iuravit regi, et ab eodem multos recepit honoures; set, iterum infideliter ad suam reversus rebellionem, secundam apud Dunbar passus est obsidionem per dominum Willelmum de Monte acuto, comitem Sarisburie.
Note 1. Berwick surrendered on the 20th July 1333. The siege of Dunbar, referred to in the next sentence, is the famous siege of 1338, when 'Black Agnes,' the earl of March's wife, so gallantly defended the fortress for some five months. March was not present.
Deeds of King Edward III by Robert of Avesbury. And afterwards, within a month, the king himself came to the siege with many earls, barons, and other men-at-arms and archers, and continued it until Monday, on the eve [20th July 1333] of Saint Margaret. On that day, the Scots came in great multitude, intending to break the said siege with force. But the King of England, coming to meet them with his army, he himself leading, engaged in battle [the Battle of Halidon Hill] with the Scots in a very fierce fight at a place near Berwick, commonly called Huntenemour. There, with the English remaining unharmed, forty thousand Scots fell. The rest of the Scots turned to flight; then the besieged within the said town and castle surrendered themselves. And the said lord King of the English kept the aforesaid town with its castle under his control, subdued to his dominion.
Et postea infra mensem ad ipsam obsidionem cum multis comitibus, baronibus, et aliis hominibus armorum et sagittariis veniens, continuavit eandem usque ad diem Lunæ in vigilia sanctæ Margarete; quo die venerunt Scoti in magna multitudine, intendentes dictam obsidionem cum potentia removere. Quibus rex Angliæ cum suo exercitu, ipso rege præcedente, veniens in occursum, et bello inter Scotos et Anglicos inito valde forti in quodam loco prope Berewyke, Huntenemour vulgariter nuncupato, Anglicis conservatis illæsis, XL millia Scotorum ceciderunt. Ceteris Scotis in fugam conversis, tunc obsessi in dictis villa et castro se reddiderunt; et dictus dominus rex Anglorum præfatam villam cum castro suo imperio retinuit subjugatam.
On 20th July 1346 Margaret Plantagenet Countess of Pembroke was born to King Edward III of England [aged 33] and Philippa of Hainaut Queen Consort England [aged 36] at Windsor Castle [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 3.00%. She married her half fourth cousin John Hastings 2nd Earl Pembroke, son of Laurence Hastings 1st Earl Pembroke and Agnes Mortimer Countess of Pembroke.
Deeds of King Edward III by Robert of Avesbury. In the year of grace 1350, about the feast of Saint Margaret [20th July], the said Sir Thomas de Dagworth, knight, who had command over the subjects of the king of England in Brittany and who, as mentioned above, had captured Sir Charles of Blois, who called himself duke of Brittany while that same duke was besieging the town and castle of Roche-Derrien, intended, as was his custom, to move from one place to another, taking with him only a small company. Not forewarned that Frenchmen had gathered in ambush to meet him on the road, he unfortunately fell into their hands. And although he might more cautiously have escaped their attack, he would not turn his back upon his enemies; but, like a brave and exceedingly bold knight, he attacked the French and fought with them valiantly. Although surrounded by very powerful enemies, he nevertheless refused in any way to surrender, nor were his adversaries able to take him alive. At length, after many Frenchmen had been slain by him and others grievously wounded, the same Sir Thomas, having first received many wounds himself and with the men who came with him either captured or slain, was, alas, killed.
Anno vero gratie MCCCL, circiter festum sanctæ Margarete, dictus dominus Thomas de Dagworthe, miles, qui subjectis regi Anglorum in Britannia præfuit, et dominum Carolum de Blois, ducem Britanniæ se dicentem, dum idem dux villam et castrum de Rochediryan obsideret, ut præscribitur, captivavit, volens more solito de uno loco ad alium locum declinare, gentem modicam secum ducens, non præmunitus de Francigenis ad obviandum sibi in itinere in insidiis congregatis, per infortunium incidebat in eos, et, licet potuisset manus ipsorum cautius evasisse, noluit suis adversariis tergum dare, sed, sicut miles strenuus et nimis audax, Francigenos aggrediens, pugnavit viriliter cum eisdem, et, licet fortissimis. inimicis circumdatus esset, tamen noluit se reddere quovis inodo, nec ipsum vivum sui adversarii capere potuerunt. Tandem, multis Francigenis per ipsum interemptis et quibusdam graviter vulneratis, idem dominus Thomas, sibi primitus impositis plagis multis et hominibus cum eo venientibus captis vel interemptis, pro dolor occisus est.
On 20th July 1372 Janet Stewart was born to Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 32] and Margaret Graham 3rd Countess Menteith [aged 38].
On 20th July 1385 Richard of Conisbrough 1st Earl Cambridge was born to Edmund of Langley 1st Duke of York [aged 44] and Isabella of Castile Duchess York [aged 30] at Conisbrough Castle [Map]. Some historians suggest the father was John Holland 1st Duke Exeter [aged 33] with whom Isabella of Castile Duchess York was suspected of having an affair since 1. Richard received no lands from his father and was not mentioned either in his father's will nor his brother's will, 2. the age gap, around ten years, between Richard and his older siblings. He a grandson of King Edward III of England. He married (1) May 1406 his first cousin twice removed Anne Mortimer, daughter of Roger Mortimer 4th Earl March 3rd Earl of Ulster and Eleanor Holland Countess March and Ulster, and had issue (2) after 21st September 1411 his third cousin twice removed Maud Clifford Countess Cambridge, daughter of Thomas Clifford 6th Baron Clifford and Elizabeth Ros Baroness Clifford.
On 20th July 1387 Robert IV Artois Count of Eu [aged 31] died from poisoning.
On 20th July 1405 John Fauconberg was beheaded in Durham, County Durham [Map].
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 20th July 1454 John II King Castile [aged 49] died. His son Henry [aged 29] succeeded IV King Castile. Blanche Trastámara II Queen Navarre [aged 30] by marriage Queen Consort Castile.
On 20th July 1455 Ursula of York was born to Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York [aged 43] and Cecily "Rose of Raby" Neville Duchess York [aged 40]. She died young. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England. Coefficient of inbreeding 2.42%.
On 20th July 1460 Thomas Scales 7th Baron Scales [aged 63] was murdered by boatmen whilst travelling from the Tower of London [Map] to Sanctuary, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His daughter Elizabeth succeeded 8th Baroness Scales. She was, or had been married to, Henry Bourchier (the year of his death may been 1458). She was in 1466 married to Anthony Woodville 2nd Earl Rivers [aged 20], brother of King Edward IV's [aged 18] wife Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England [aged 23]; an example of the Woodville family marrying rich heiresses.
A Brief Latin Chronicle. Meanwhile, with Lord Scales [aged 62] and many others guarding the Tower of London, after cannon shots were fired at the besiegers outside the Tower and sailors on the Thames, many were killed. Eventually, after the Tower was surrendered to Sir John Wenlock [aged 59], who was besieging it, Lord Scales, on the night of Saint Margaret1, attempting to escape by boat from those lying in wait for him, was captured and killed. And shortly thereafter, Sir Thomas Browne [aged 57] along with five others, who were condemned for extortion, robbery, and treason, were beheaded at Tyburn.
Note 1. The Feast of Saint Margaret the Virgin i.e. 20th July.
Interim, domino Scales cum multis aliis Turrim London. servante, factis jacturis gunnorum in extra existentes obsessores Turris et nautas in Tamesi, multi interfecti sunt. Tandem, reddita Turre predicta Johanni Wenloc militi obsidenti eam, dominus Scales in nocte Sancte Margarete volens in cimba evadere ab insidiantibus sibi, captus et interfectus est. Et infra breve Thomas Browne miles cum aliis quinque qui super extorcione rapinis et prodicione damnati sunt apud Tyburne decapitati sunt.
Chronicle of Gregory. 20th July 1460. As for the sege of the Towre, it is com1 and opyn i-knowe, I passe ovyr. But son aftyr the ende of the sege the Lord Schalys [aged 63], that notabylle warryoure, was slayne at Synt Mary Overeyes [Map] with water men, and laye there dyspoyly nakyd as a worme. But the lordys were full sory of his dethe.
Note 1. Apparently the writer intended to say "commonly."
An English Chronicle. 20th July 1460. The lord Scales, for as meche as men of Londoun loued hym nat, he thoughte that he myghte haue stande in the more sewrte in the saintwary of Westmynstre thanne in the toure. Late in the euyn, [he] entred a boote with iij [3] persones rowyng toward Westmynstre, and a wommanne the whiche that knewe hym ascryed hym, and anone the boote men gadered theym togedre and folowed hym, and fylle vpponne hym, and kylde hym and caste hym on the lond, besyde seynt Mary Ouerey. And grete pyte it was, that so noble and so worshypfulle a knyghte, and so welle approued in the warrys of Normandy and Fraunce, shuld dy so myscheuously.
Collectanea by John Leland [1502-1552]. The XXth Day of the said Monneth [20th July 1503] the Quene [aged 13] departed from Darnton in fayr Aray, and with the precedente Company went to the Town of Durham. A Mylle out of the said Towne, cam before hyr Syr Richard Stanley and my Lady his Wyffe, accompanyd of Gentlemen and Gentlewomen varey well appoynted, hys Folks arayd in hys Livery, to the Nombre of L Horsys, v/ell mounted.
Then the Quene prepared hyrselfe to enter into the said Towne, and every ychon in lyk wys, in fayr Aray, and rychely, after the Manere acostomed. In specyall th Erle of Northumberlaund [aged 25] ware on a goodly Gowne of Tynfill, fourred with Hermynes1. He was mounted upon a fayr Courser, hys Harnays of Goldsmyth Warke, and thorough that sam was sawen small Bells that maid a mellodyous Noyse, without sparing Gambads. Hys Gentylmen of Honor and hys Company wer well appoynted.
At the Intryng of the said Towne, and with in, in the Streytts and in the Wyndowes was so innumerable People, that it was a fayr Thing for to se. And in fayr Ordre she was conveyd to the Church, the Officers of Armes, Sergeants of Armes, Trompetts, and Mynstrells going before her.
At the Gatt of the Church [Durham Cathedral [Map]] was my Lord the Byschop of the sayd Place, and my Lord the Prior, revested in Pontificalis, with the Convent all revested of ryches Copps, in Processyon, with the Crossys. And ther was apoynted a Place for to kisse them.
Then the sayd Processyon departed in Ordre, and all the Noblesse in lyke wys, to the Church, in whiche ny to the Fount was a ryche Awter, adorned of ryches Jwells and precyowses Relikes, the wich the said Bischop delivered to the said Qwene to kiss. And by the Erle of Surrey [aged 60] was gyffyn hyr Offrynge. After this sche was noble conveyd to the Castell, wher her Lodging was prepared and drest honnestly. And every ychon retourned agayn to hys Repayre.
Note 1. 'fourred with Hermynes i.e. furred with ermines. Ermine in heraldry is a fur consisting of a white background with a pattern of black shapes representing the winter coat of the stoat with white fur and a black-tipped tail.
Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1528. 20th July 1520. R.O. 4534. Henry Duke of Richmond [aged 1] to Henry VIII [aged 29].
I have received your letters and the goodly apparel you sent me by Master Magnus, director of my council. According to the purport of your said letters, I shall apply myself to learning, and proceed in virtue. Sheriffhutton [Map], 20 July.
On 20th July 1524 Claude Valois Orléans Queen Consort France [aged 24] died.
The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn. Letter 5. Henry VIII [aged 36] to Anne Boleyn [aged 26].
For a present so beautiful that nothing could be more so (considering the whole of it), 1 thank you most cordially, not only on account of the fine diamond and the ship in which the solitary damsel is tossed about, but chiefly for the fine interpretation and the too humble submission which your goodness hath used towards me in this case; for I think it would be very difficult for me to find an occasion to deserve it, if I were not assisted by your great humanity and favour, which I have always sought to seek, and will seek to preserve by all the kindness in my power, in which my hope has placed its unchangeable intention, which says, Aut illic aut nullibi. The demonstrations of your affection are such, the beautiful mottoes of the letter so cordially expressed, that they oblige me for ever to honour, love, and serve you sincerely, beseeching you to continue in the same firm and constant purpose, assuring you that, on my part, I will surpass it rather than make it reciprocal, if loyalty of heart and a desire to please you can accomplish this. I beg, also, if at any time before this I have in anyway offended you, that you would give me the same absolution that you ask, assuring you, that henceforward my heart shall be dedicated to you alone. I wish my person was so too. God can do it, if He pleases, to whom I pray every day for that end, hoping that at length my prayers will be heard. I wish the time may be short, but I shall think it long till we see one another. Written by the hand of that secretary, who in heart, body, and will, is. Your loyal and most assured Servant, H. aultre A.B. ne chrse R.
The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn. Letter 12. Henry VIII [aged 37] to Anne Boleyn [aged 27].
The approach of the time for which I have so long waited rejoices me so much, that it seems almost to have come already. However, the entire accomplishment cannot be till the two persons meet, which meeting is more desired by me than anything in this world; for what joy can be greater upon earth than to have the company of her who is dearest to me, knowing likewise that she does the same on her part, the thought of which gives me the greatest pleasure.
Judge what an effect the presence of that person must have on me, whose absence has grieved my heart more than either words or writing can express, and which nothing can cure, but that begging you, my mistress, to tell your father from me, that I desire him to hasten the time appointed by two days, that he may be at court before the old term, or, at farthest, on the day prefixed; for otherwise I shall think he will not do the lover's turn, as he said he would, nor answer my expectation.
No more at present for lack of time, hoping shortly that by word of mouth I shall tell you the rest of the sufferings endured by me from your absence.
Written by the hand of the secretary, who wishes himself at this moment privately with you, and who is, and always will be.
Your loyal and most assured Servant,
H. no other A B seek R.
Note. The date of this letter is presumed to be middle July 1528.
Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1537. 20th July 1537. 292. Richard Coren to Cromwell.
R. O. St. P. i. 557.
Excuses his slack letters by his absence from my Lord of Norfolk at the expedition of the last post. Was present at Aske's [deceased] execution, as well as at that of Sir Robert Constable [deceased], which no doubt Thomas Hossy has described. Noted in both men "that they thought a religion to keep secret between God and them certain things rather than open their whole stomach; from the which opinion I could not abduce them." For Robert Aske's demeanour, refers to the schedule enclosed. Sherifhoton, 20 July.
ii. Goods which Robert Aske had during the commotion, whereof no satisfaction is made, to his remembrance.
First, Mr. Lacy sent to him to Hull £10 of Dr. Halsworth's goods, and an obligation of the Abbot of Kirkstead, Linc, which the subprior of Watton had. 2. The vicar of Braton sent him 10 sheep and 30s., but of whose goods he knows not. 3. Had sent from Drake Abbey to Wresill 10 or 12 qrs. of oats and 3 qrs. of wheat. 4. From Wato[n], 40 sheep. 5. Had of Mr. Krake's goods, sheep to the value of £4 10s. Thinks that is all he had, "not given and not restored," and begs the King to pay them out of his goods for the discharge of his conscience.
In Aske's hand and subscribed: "This is Ask's own hand delivered unto me, Richard Coren."
St. P. i. 558.
iii. "The saying of Robert Aske to me, Richard Coren, out of confession to-for his death.
"First, he said that my lord Darcy [deceased] did tell him that he had spoken with the emperor's ambassador concerning his purpose in this late rebellion, for the causes of the Church, as he said, and that the said ambassador should encourage him unto the same, saying that he should lack none help."
2. Lord Darcy, Sir Robt. Constable, and he were about to send Doctor Marmaduke to the Council in Flanders for aid and ordnance.
3. That my lord Privy Seal "did not bear so great favour to my Lord of Norfolk as he thought he did; which thing I have kept secret from my said Lord of Norfolk."
4. When he "should be" laid on the hurdle to be drawn he openly confessed he had offended God, the King, and the world. After this he declared that the King was so gracious that none should be troubled for offences comprised in the pardon. He was then laid on the hurdle and drawn through the notable places of the city "desiring the people ever as he passed by to pray for him."
5. At the place of execution he was taken off the hurdle, repeated like confession, and ascended up into the dungeon to wait the coming of my Lord of Norfolk.
6. "Item, there were two things, wherewithal he was aggrieved. The one was, that he said my lord Privy Seal spake a sore word and affirmed it with a stomach, swearing that all the Northern men were but traitors: where-withal he was somewhat offended. The second was that my lord Privy Seal sundry times promised him a pardon of his life, and at one time he had a token from the King's Majesty of pardon for confessing the truth. These two things he showed to no man in these North parts, as he said, but to me only; which I have and will ever keep secret."
7. At Norfolk's arrival Aske ascended the tower to the gallows, repeated his former confession and asked forgiveness of the King, my lord Chancellor, my Lord of Norfolk, my lord Privy Seal, my Lord of Sussex, and all the world; and after orisons made on the ladder, commended his soul to God.
Pp. 5. All in Coren's hand, except § ii. Add.: Privy Seal. Sealed and endd.
On 20th July 1542 King Henry VIII of England and Ireland [aged 51] purchased the premises at Stanmore, with a windmill, lands in Great and Little Stanmore and Harrow, others in Essex, and also the "premises in the parish of St Sepulchre in the ward of Faryngton Without" from Geoffrey Chamber of Stanmore in Middlesex -1550.
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 20th July 1554. Fryday the xxth of Julie tydinges came to the Lord Mayre payne that the Prince of Spayne [aged 27] was come into Englande, and landed at Southampton, Hampshire [Map] this daye, and came with viiixx sayle of Spanish shippes well appoynted, beside the navie of Flaunders and the Queens navie, which were to the number of lx [60] shippes and more, Lord Wm. Howarde, Lord Admirall of England [aged 44], conductinge them, after they came into the costes of Englande.
On 20th July 1559 Philip "The Prudent" II King Spain [aged 32] and Elizabeth Valois Queen Consort Spain [aged 14] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Spain. She the daughter of King Henry II of France [deceased] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 40]. He the son of Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and Isabel Aviz Queen Consort Spain. They were fourth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 20th July 1559. The xx day of July kyng Phelype [aged 32] was mared [married] unto the Frenche kyng('s) [deceased] dowthur [aged 14], and grett justes mad ther, and the Frenche kyng dyd just [joust], and ther he had on of ys ees stryken owtt with a spyld [splinter] of a spayre, that he ded of the stroke, by one (blank).
Henry Machyn's Diary. 20th July 1559. The xx day of July the good old the bysshope of D[urham] [aged 85] cam rydyng to London with iijxx [60] hors, and so to Sowth[wark] unto master Dolman('s) howsse, a talowchandler, and ther he lys aganst the chene gatte.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 20th July 1562. The sam nyght was the Mercers' soper, and ther sopy[d my] lord of Penbroke [aged 61] and (unfinished)
On 20th July 1572 Frederick II King of Denmark [aged 38] and Sophie Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Denmark [aged 14] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Denmark. The difference in their ages was 23 years. He the son of Christian III King of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe Lauenburg Queen Consort Denmark and Norway. They were second cousin once removed.
On 20th July 1577 Bishop Richard Howand [aged 36] was admitted as Master of St John's College, Cambridge University [Map].
On 20th July 1590 James Stewart 1st Lord Doune [aged 61] was assassinated (the first in Scotland by a fiream). His son James [aged 25] succeeded 2nd Lord Doune.
On 20th July 1642 William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 24] was expelled from the House of Lords for having refused to come to the bar to answer charges of high crimes and misdemeanors. He left England, and his estates were sequestrated.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 20th July 1664. Up, and a while to my office, and then home with Deane [aged 30] till dinner, discoursing upon the business of my Chancellor's [aged 55] timber in Clarendon Parke [Map], and how to make a report therein without offending him; which at last I drew up, and hope it will please him. But I would to God neither I nor he ever had had any thing to have done with it! Dined together with a good pig, and then out by coach to White Hall, to the Committee for Fishing; but nothing done, it being a great day to-day there upon drawing at the Lottery of Sir Arthur Slingsby [aged 41]. I got in and stood by the two Queenes [Note. Catherine of Braganza Queen Consort England [aged 25] and Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England [aged 54] ] and the Duchesse of Yorke [aged 27], and just behind my Baroness Castlemayne [aged 23], whom I do heartily adore; and good sport it was to see how most that did give their ten pounds did go away with a pair of globes only for their lot, and one gentlewoman, one Mrs. Fish, with the only blanke. And one I staid to see drew a suit of hangings valued at £430, and they say are well worth the money, or near it. One other suit there is better than that; but very many lots of three and fourscore pounds. I observed the King [aged 34] and Queenes did get but as poor lots as any else. But the wisest man I met with was Mr. Cholmley [aged 31], who insured as many as would, from drawing of the one blank for 12d.; in which case there was the whole number of persons to one, which I think was three or four hundred. And so he insured about 200 for 200 shillings, so that he could not have lost if one of them had drawn it, for there was enough to pay the £10; but it happened another drew it, and so he got all the money he took.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 20th July 1665. So home to write letters late, and then home to bed, where I have not lain these 3 or 4 nights. I received yesterday a letter from my Lord Sandwich [aged 39], giving me thanks for my care about their marriage business, and desiring it to be dispatched, that no disappointment may happen therein, which I will help on all I can.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 20th July 1665. So down to Deptford, Kent [Map] and there dined, and after dinner saw my Lady Sandwich [aged 40] and Mr. Carteret [aged 24] and his two sisters over the water, going to Dagenhams, and my Baroness Carteret [aged 63] towards Cranburne1. So all the company broke up in most extraordinary joy, wherein I am mighty contented that I have had the good fortune to be so instrumental, and I think it will be of good use to me.
Note 1. The royal lodge of that name in Windsor Forest, occupied by Sir George Carteret [aged 55] as Vice-Chamberlain to the King [aged 35]. B.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 20th July 1665. So walked to Redriffe [Map], where I hear the sickness is, and indeed is scattered almost every where, there dying 1089 of the plague this week. My Baroness Carteret [aged 63] did this day give me a bottle of plague-water1 home with me.
This afternoon I waited on the Duke of Albemarle [aged 56], and so to Mrs. Croft's, where I found and saluted Mrs. Burrows, who is a very pretty woman for a mother of so many children. But, Lord! to see how the plague spreads. It being now all over King's Streete, at the Axe, and next door to it, and in other places.
Note 1. The recipe for Plague Water from The London Distiller is full of ingredients once thought to mitigate this feared illness. Angelica roots, for example, "is a singular remedy against pestilence and poyson." Contra Yerva was considered to be "binding and stops blood," and zedoary could "resist poyson."
John Evelyn's Diary. 20th July 1670. We went to dine at Lord Allington's [aged 30], who had newly built a house of great cost, I believe a little less than £20,000. His architect was Mr. Pratt [aged 50]. It is seated in a park, with a sweet prospect and stately avenue; but water still defective; the house has also its infirmities. Went back to Mr. Slingsby's [aged 49].
John Evelyn's Diary. 20th July 1683. Several of the conspirators of the lower form were executed at Tyburn [Map]; and the next day.
John Evelyn's Diary. 20th July 1685. The Trinity House met this day, which should have ben on ye Monday after Trinity, but was put off by reason of the Royal Charter being so large that it could not be ready before. Some immunities were super-added. Mr. Pepys [aged 52], Secretary to ye Admiralty, was a second time chosen Master. There were present the Duke of Grafton [aged 21], Lord Dartmouth [aged 12], Master of ye Ordnance, the Commissioners of ye Navy, and brethren of the Corporation. We went to Church according to costome, and then took barge to the Trinity House [Map], in London, where we had a great dinner, above 80 at one table.
On 20th July 1729 William Stukeley [aged 41] was ordained as a Deacon by Archbishop William Wake [aged 72].
On 20th July 1742 Arthur Devis [aged 30] and Elizabeth Faulkener [aged 23] were married at Church of St Katharine's by the Tower, Tower Hill [Map]. They had twenty-two children of which only six survived infancy.
Letters of Horace Walpole. 20th July 1752. Arlington Street. To George Montagu Esq [aged 39].
You have threatened me with a messenger from the secretary's office to seize my papers; who would ever have taken you for a prophet? If Goody Compton [aged 60]320, your colleague, had taken upon her to foretell, there was enough of the witch and prophetess in her person and mysteriousness to have made a superstitious person believe she might be a cousin of Nostradamus, and heiress of some of her visions; but how came you by second sight? Which of the Cues matched in the Highlands? In short, not to keep you in suspense, for I believe you are so far inspired as to be ignorant how your prophecy was to be accomplished, as we were sitting at dinner t'other day, word was brought that one of the King's messengers was at the door. Every drop of ink in my pen ran cold; Algernon Sidney danced before my eyes, and methought I heard my Lord Chief-Justice Lee, in a voice as dreadful as Jefferies', mumble out, Scribere est agere. How comfortable it was to find that Mr. Amyand, who was at table, had ordered this appanage of his dignity to attend him here for orders! However, I have buried the Memoires under the oak in my garden, where they are to be found a thousand years hence, and taken perhaps for a Runic history in rhyme. I have part of another valuable MS. to dispose of, which I shall beg leave to commit to your care, and desire it may be concealed behind the wainscot in Mr. Bentley's Gothic house, whenever you build it. As the great person is living to whom it belonged, it would be highly dangerous to make it public; as soon as she is in disgrace, I don't know whether it Will not be a good way of making court to her successor, to communicate it to the world, as I propose doing, under the following title: "The Treasury of Art and Nature, or a Collection of inestimable Receipts, stolen out of the Cabinet of Madame de Pompadour [aged 30], and now first published for the use of his fair Countrywomen, by a true born Englishman and philomystic." * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So the pretty Miss Bishop [aged 24]321, instead of being my niece, is to be Mrs. Bob Brudenel [aged 25]. What foolish birds are turtles when they have scarce a hole to roost in! Adieu!
Note 320. The Hon. George Compton son of Lord Northampton, Mr. Montagu's colleague for Northampton.-E.
Note 321. Daughter of Sir Cecil Bishop [aged 51].
Letters of Elizabeth Montagu. 20th July 1769. In the midst of letters & packing I have only time to tell my Dear Friend I arrived safe in Hillstreet & am going quietly into ye Country tomorrow morning. I shall go round by Sunning to view my lodgings & to see to get a room added there to as Mr Montagu talks of coming from Sandleford to make me a weeks visit. Little Matt is to go with me to Sandd. Poor Mrs Boscawen bears her loss with great resignation. She is at Hatchlands. The Dr D-ss of Beaufort [aged 56] is in hourly expectation of losing Lady Ht Williams [aged 21], I have offerd my service to these unfortunate Mothers, & will leave sunning for a few days at any time if I can enliven their melancholly retreat. Mrs Bosn is at Hatchds the Dss at Kensington but she will leave it to relax to East Bourne Place as soon as Lady Ht is no more. I shall see my Lodging at Sunning with great delight.
In the hope of recovery there my Dear Dear & most Dear friend. A thousand thanks for your kind reception at Deal. Oh that we were now enjoying ye Breeze & looking at ye green sea I had ye pleasure of seeing Mrs Pennington My sweet Godson & Mr Penn at Sittingbourn. I brought ye rheumsm to London but it is gone. In great haste
I am my Dr friend Ever yrs
On 20th July 1821 Alexander Frederick Oldenburg was born to Christian August Oldenburg II Duke Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Augustenburg [aged 23] and Louise Sophie Danneskiold Samsøe Duchess Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Augustenburg. He a great x 3 grandson of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland. He died aged one in 1823.
Greville Memoirs. 20th July 1830. Yesterday was a very busy day with his Majesty, who is going much too fast, and begins to alarm his Ministers and astonish the world. In the morning he inspected the Coldstream Guards, dressed (for the first time in his life) in a military uniform and with a great pair of gold spurs half-way up his legs like a game cock, although he was not to ride, for having chalk-stones in his hands he can't hold the reins. The Queen came to Lady Bathurst's [aged 64] to see the review and hold a sort of drawing-room, when the Ministers' wives were presented to her, and official men, to which were added Lady Bathurst's relations; everybody was in undress except the officers. She is very ugly, with a horrid complexion, but has good manners, and did all this (which she hated) very well. She said the part as if she was acting, and wished the green curtain to drop. After the review the King, with the Dukes of Cumberland, Sussex, and Gloucester, and Prince George and the Prince of Prussia, and the Duchess of Cumberland's son, came in through the garden gate; the Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Augusta were already there; they breakfasted and then went away, the Duke of Gloucester bowing to the company while nobody was taking any notice of him or thinking about him. Nature must have been merry when she made this Prince, and in the sort of mood that certain great artists used to exhibit in their comical caricatures; I never saw a countenance which that line in Dryden's M'Flecknoe would so well describe—
And lambent dulness plays around his face.
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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Greville Memoirs. 20th July 1830. All this was very well; no great harm in it; more affable, less dignified than the late King; but when this was over, and he might very well have sat himself quietly down and rested, he must needs put on his plainer clothes and start on a ramble about the streets, alone too. In Pall Mall he met Watson Taylor, and took his arm and went up St. James's Street. There he was soon followed by a mob making an uproar, and when he got near White's a woman came up and kissed him. Belfast (who had been sworn in Privy Councillor in the morning), who saw this from White's, and Clinton thought it time to interfere, and came out to attend upon him. The mob increased, and, always holding W. Taylor's arm, and flanked by Clinton and Belfast, who got shoved and kicked about to their inexpressible wrath, he got back to the Palace amid shouting and bawling and applause. When he got home he asked them to go in and take a quiet walk in the garden, and said, 'Oh, never mind all this; when I have walked about a few times they will get used to it, and will take no notice.' There are other stories, but I will put down nothing I do not see or hear, or hear from the witnesses. Belfast told me this in the Park, fresh from the scene and smarting from the buffeting he had got. All the Park was ringing with it, and I told Lady Bathurst [aged 64], who thought it so serious she said she would get Lord Bathurst [aged 68] to write to the Duke directly about it. Lord Combermere wanted to be made a Privy Councillor yesterday, but the Duke would not let it be done; he is in a sort of half-disgrace, and is not to be made yet, but will be by-and-by.
Thomas Bateman 1846. The second barrow [Note. Probably Stanshope Barrow 2 [Map]] was at the distance of about five hundred yards from the foregoing, and had been entirely removed to the surface of the ground whereon it stood; on digging, however, in the centre, it was found to descend a few inches in a dish-like form, at which point a few pieces of human bone, the fragments of a skeleton, and some pieces of a small cup of Samian ware, probably of Romano-British manufacture, were found. Owing to the barrow having been taken away, these things were in a lamentably shattered condition, which is the more to be regretted, as this is the only instance of Samian ware being applied to a sepulchral purpose as yet brought to light in the counties of Derby or Stafford.
Thomas Bateman 1846. On the 20th of July, 1846, were opened two barrows, upon Stanshope Pasture, near Dovedale, Staffordshire. The first [Note. Probably Stanshope Barrow 1 [Map]] is of considerable magnitude, and appeared beautifully perfect, but, as is not unfrequently the case under similar circumstances, proved entirely deceptive. A natural elevation in this rocky neighbourhood having been taken advantage of in the construction of this barrow, and trimmed into form, consequently the greater part of it was solid rock, and the small portion of soil which had been added had been much disturbed at some prior excavation. In one situation in the interior of the barrow, the rock seemed to have been slightly cut, in order to form a cist, and here were found the only traces of interment that were met with; namely, a small piece of a coarse urn, some calcined human bones, and various pieces of flint, which had undergone the same process.
Ten Years' Digging. 20th of July, opened a large tumulus in a narrow valley by the river Manifold, between Castern [Map] and Throwley [Map], called Cow Close Lea. The mountainous scenery through which the river winds its serpentine course (whence the name) is most picturesque, the hills, on the Throwley side especially, rising to a great height. On account of the barrows in this district being for the most part on the tops of the hills, this one had been previously overlooked by us. The search was commenced by a section through the midst of the barrow, which, to the depth of four feet was composed of boulders from the bed of the river; next was a layer of clay and soil mixed with stone, a foot in thickness; below this was sand like the bed of the river, into which we dug for two feet without perceiving any mixture, as would probably have been the case had it been before disturbed: and as the remains of human bones, and those of the rat which we found, were confined to the level of the clay, we took advantage of the hole made by digging in the sand, to remove by undermining, a very large stone from the centre of the barrow, by the side of which were piled several smaller ones.
No trace of interment was observed near these stones, which lay within a foot of the surface. Confining the depth of the cutting to the level of the clay, we discovered at the side a skeleton and a few burnt bones; pursuing the same direction about five feet further, we found another skeleton, lying on its left side in a contracted posture, having with it burnt bones, a round-ended instrument and a pebble, both of flint. An arrow-head and some chippings of flints were found in other parts of the mound, and the earth on being turned over, emitted an odour so fragrant as to cause us to look about more than once to see whether there were not many flowers close by.
Ten Years' Digging. On the 20th of July we opened a small mound [Map] [Rockhurst Barrow [Map]] near the preceding, on the face of the hill declining towards the Brassington and Elton road. Upon cutting a section through the middle, traces of a large fire appeared, the earth forming the tumulus being changed in colour and consolidated. The natural surface in the centre was strewed with charred wood, calcined human bones, and stones which had been cracked and flaked by heat. Amongst these relics of the long quenched pile, were portions of three vessels of compact wheel-formed earthenware, precisely like the bulk of the fragments from the large barrow last described, and one small brass coin of the Lower Empire; all much burnt. One, only, of the three vessels is sufficiently complete to afford an, outline of its form, which is clearly an improvement on the usual globular shape of the Roman olla: it is very elegant in outline, and measures 7 inches in height, and differs from the Roman ware in the quality of the paste, which is extremely gritty and hard, and is externally grey. One of the others has been of the same shape, but of a dark red colour. It is certain that this mound covers the place where the corpse was reduced to ashes along with the three vases and the coin, but from so few bones being found, it is rather likely that the collected remains were deposited in some part of the mound not explored unless, indeed, they were so completely burnt as to leave but a slight residuum.
I have frequently observed the difference between Celtic deposits from tumuli, and Roman incinerated bones, to be most strongly marked; the former are almost uniformly cleanly burnt in pieces sufficiently large to be recognised as parts of the skeleton, and consequently far exceed the latter in quantity, which are as constantly reduced to ashes, and are frequently mixed with sand and other impurities from the embers of the pile. This discovery is chiefly interesting as fixing the date of a kind of pottery which might easily be mistaken for medieval ware by persons not accustomed to the critical examination of texture.
On 20th July 1851 Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland was born to George Leveson-Gower 3rd Duke Sutherland [aged 22] and Anne Hay Mackenzie Duchess Sutherland [aged 22]. He married 20th October 1884 his fourth cousin once removed Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland and had issue.
Before 20th July 1889. Carte-de-Visite, Studio W.T.&R. Gowland in York. Major Bryan Burrell [aged 50].
On 20th July 1889 Major Bryan Burrell [aged 50] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
On 20th July 1890 George II King Hellenes was born to Constantine I King Greece [aged 21] and Sophia Hohenzollern Queen Consort Greece [aged 20]. He a great grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. He married 27th February 1921 his second cousin Elisabeth Hohenzollern Sigmaringen Queen Consort Greece Queen Consort Hellenes.
On 20th July 1934 Arthur Foord Hughes [aged 78] died.
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 20th July 1947 Sylvia Storey Countess Poulett [aged 57] died.
On 20th July 2011 Lucian Freud [aged 88] died.
On 20th July 1313 John Tiptoft 2nd Baron Tibetot was born to Pain Tiptoft 1st Baron Tibetot [aged 33] and Agnes Ros Baroness Tibetot. He married (1) in or before 1341 Margaret Badlesmere Baroness Tibetot, daughter of Bartholomew Badlesmere 1st Baron Badlesmere and Margaret Clare Baroness Badlesmere, and had issue (2) before 13th April 1367 Elizabeth Aspall Baroness Tibetot and had issue.
On 20th July 1345 Thomas Fauconberg 5th Baron Fauconberg was born to Walter Fauconberg 4th Baron Fauconberg [aged 26] and Maud Pateshull Baroness Fauconberg [aged 22]. He married (1) 17th November 1366 Constance Felton Baroness Fauconberg and had issue (2) before 18th October 1406 Joan Brounflete Baroness Fauconberg and had issue.
On 20th July 1346 Margaret Plantagenet Countess of Pembroke was born to King Edward III of England [aged 33] and Philippa of Hainaut Queen Consort England [aged 36] at Windsor Castle [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 3.00%. She married her half fourth cousin John Hastings 2nd Earl Pembroke, son of Laurence Hastings 1st Earl Pembroke and Agnes Mortimer Countess of Pembroke.
On 20th July 1372 Janet Stewart was born to Robert Stewart 1st Duke Albany [aged 32] and Margaret Graham 3rd Countess Menteith [aged 38].
On 20th July 1385 Richard of Conisbrough 1st Earl Cambridge was born to Edmund of Langley 1st Duke of York [aged 44] and Isabella of Castile Duchess York [aged 30] at Conisbrough Castle [Map]. Some historians suggest the father was John Holland 1st Duke Exeter [aged 33] with whom Isabella of Castile Duchess York was suspected of having an affair since 1. Richard received no lands from his father and was not mentioned either in his father's will nor his brother's will, 2. the age gap, around ten years, between Richard and his older siblings. He a grandson of King Edward III of England. He married (1) May 1406 his first cousin twice removed Anne Mortimer, daughter of Roger Mortimer 4th Earl March 3rd Earl of Ulster and Eleanor Holland Countess March and Ulster, and had issue (2) after 21st September 1411 his third cousin twice removed Maud Clifford Countess Cambridge, daughter of Thomas Clifford 6th Baron Clifford and Elizabeth Ros Baroness Clifford.
On 20th July 1386 Joan Grey 5th Baroness Grey was born to Robert Grey 4th Baron Grey [aged 37]. She married 24th February 1404 her fourth cousin John Deincourt 5th Baron Deincourt, son of William Deincourt 3rd Baron Deincourt and Alice Neville Baroness Deincourt, and had issue.
On 20th July 1455 Ursula of York was born to Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York [aged 43] and Cecily "Rose of Raby" Neville Duchess York [aged 40]. She died young. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England. Coefficient of inbreeding 2.42%.
On 20th July 1470 John Bourchier 1st Earl Bath was born to Fulk Bourchier 10th Baron Fitzwarin [aged 24] and Elizabeth Dynham Baroness Fitzwarin. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward III of England. He married (1) in or shortly before 1499 his fifth cousin once removed Cecily Daubeney Baroness Fitzwarin, daughter of Giles Daubeney 1st Baron Daubeney and Elizabeth Arundell Baroness Offaly, and had issue (2) before 30th October 1524 his fourth cousin once removed Florence Bonville Countess Bath (3) after 30th October 1524 his fourth cousin twice removed Elizabeth Wentworth Countess Bath, daughter of Henry Wentworth 4th Baron Despencer and Anne Saye Baroness Despencer.
On 20th July 1649 William Bentinck 1st Earl of Portland was born.
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 20th July 1655 Ford Grey 1st Earl Tankerville was born to Ralph Grey 2nd Baron Grey Werke [aged 25] and Catherine Anna Ford [aged 21]. He married before 1678 his fourth cousin twice removed Mary Berkeley Countess Tankerville, daughter of George Berkeley 1st Earl Berkeley and Elizabeth Massingberd Couness Berkeley, and had issue.
On 20th July 1667 Philip Astley 2nd Baronet was born to Jacob Astley 1st Baronet [aged 28] and Blanche Wodehouse Lady Astley [aged 25].
On 20th July 1673 John Dalrymple 2nd Earl of Stair was born to John Dalrymple 1st Earl of Stair [aged 24].
On 20th July 1687 Justinian Isham 5th Baronet was born to Justinian Isham 4th Baronet [aged 28] and Elizabeth Turnor Lady Isham [aged 21].
On 20th July 1723 Robert Shirley 6th Earl Ferrers was born to Laurence Shirley [aged 29] and Anne Clarges [aged 28] at St James'. He married 26th December 1754 Catherine Cotton Countess Ferrers and had issue.
On 20th July 1761 Arthur Saunders Gore 3rd Earl Arran was born to Arthur Saunders Gore 2nd Earl Arran [aged 26] and Catherine Annesley. He married 1787 Mary Tyrrell 3rd Countess Arran, daughter of John Tyrrell 5th Baronet.
On 20th July 1764 Robert Williams 9th Baronet was born to Hugh Williams 8th Baronet [aged 46] and Emma Bridget Rowlands Viscountess Bulkeley.
On 20th July 1764 Louisa Bermingham Baroness Wallscourt was born to Thomas Bermingham 1st Earl of Louth [aged 46] and Margaret Daly [aged 39]. She married (1) 18th August 1784 Joseph Blake 1st Baron Wallscourt and had issue (2) 21st April 1804 James Daly.
On 20th July 1766 Thomas Bruce 11th Earl Kincardine 7th Earl Elgin was born to Charles Bruce 9th Earl Kincardine 5th Earl Elgin [aged 34] at Broomhall House, Broomhall. He married (1) 11th March 1799 Mary Nisbet Countess Elgin and had issue (2) 21st September 1810 Elizabeth Oswald Countess Kincardine and Elgin and had issue.
On 20th July 1799 Grenville Temple 10th Baronet was born to Grenville Temple 9th Baronet [aged 30]. He married 5th May 1829 Mary Baring and had issue.
On 20th July 1804 James Phillips Kay-Shuttleworth 1st Baronet was born to Robert Kay. He married 24th February 1842 Janet Shuttleworth and had issue.
On 20th July 1807 Charles Vincent Loraine 7th Baronet was born to Charles Loraine 5th Baronet [aged 28] and Elizabeth Campart Lady Loraine [aged 28]. He was baptised on 31st August 1807 at St Wilfrid's Church, Kirkharle [Map].
On 20th July 1811 James Bruce 12th Earl Kincardine 8th Earl Elgin was born to Thomas Bruce 11th Earl Kincardine 7th Earl Elgin [aged 45] and Mary Nisbet Countess Elgin [aged 33]. He married (1) 22nd April 1841 Elizabeth Mary Cumming Bruce Countess Kincardine and Elgin and had issue (2) 7th November 1846 Mary Louisa Lambton Countess Kincardine and Elgin, daughter of John "Radical Jack" Lambton 1st Earl Durham and Louisa Elizabeth Grey Countess Durham, and had issue.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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On 20th July 1811 John Dunn-Gardner was born to John Margetts Brewer and Sarah Dunn-Gardner Marchioness Townshend. His mother had married John Margetts Brewer bigamously so legally John Dunn-Gardner was the son of her first husband George Ferrers Townshend 3rd Marquess Townshend [aged 32] and was, therefore, styled by the courtesy title Earl of Leicester.
On 20th July 1812 Henry Edwards 1st Baronet was born to Henry Lees Edwards and Lea Priestley at Pye Nest, Halifax.
On 20th July 1821 Alexander Frederick Oldenburg was born to Christian August Oldenburg II Duke Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Augustenburg [aged 23] and Louise Sophie Danneskiold Samsøe Duchess Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Augustenburg. He a great x 3 grandson of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland. He died aged one in 1823.
On 20th July 1838 George Trevelyan 2nd Baronet was born to Charles Edward Trevelyan 1st Baronet [aged 31]. He married 1869 Caroline Philips Lady Trevelyan and had issue.
On 20th July 1844 John Sholto Douglas 9th Marquess Queensberry was born to Archibald William Douglas 8th Marquess Queensberry [aged 26] and Caroline Clayton Marchioness Queensbury [aged 23].
On 20th July 1844 Major-General Hugh Richard Dawnay 8th Viscount Downe was born to William Henry Dawnay 7th Viscount Downe [aged 32] and Mary Isabel Bagot. He married 12th July 1869 Cecilia Maria Charlotte Molyneux, daughter of Charles William Molyneux 3rd Earl Sefton and Mary Augusta Gregg-Hopwood Countess Sefton, and had issue.
On 20th July 1848 Thomas William Coke 3rd Earl of Leicester was born to Thomas Coke 2nd Earl of Leicester [aged 25] and Juliana Whitbread Countess Leicester [aged 23]. He married Alice Emily White Countess Leicester and had issue.
On 20th July 1851 Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland was born to George Leveson-Gower 3rd Duke Sutherland [aged 22] and Anne Hay Mackenzie Duchess Sutherland [aged 22]. He married 20th October 1884 his fourth cousin once removed Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland and had issue.
On 20th July 1860 William Murray 5th and 4th Earl Mansfield was born to William David Murray [aged 24].
On 20th July 1866 Francis Denzil Edward Baring 5th Baron Ashburton was born to Alexander Hugh Baring 4th Baron Ashburton [aged 31] and Leonara Caroline Digby Baroness Ashburton [aged 21]. He married 25th July 1889 Mabel Edith Hood Baroness Ashburton, daughter of Francis Wheler Hood 4th Viscount Hood and Edith Lydia Drummond Ward Viscountess Hood, and had issue.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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On 20th July 1870 George Francis Cradock-Hartopp 8th Baronet was born to John William Cradock-Hartopp 4th Baronet [aged 41]. He married 28th July 1909 Ethel Caroline Jane Wellesley Lady Cradock-Hartopp.
On 20th July 1874 Ivo Francis Byng was born to Francis Edmund Cecil Byng 5th Earl Strafford [aged 39] and Emily Georgina Kerr Countess Strafford [aged 27].
On 20th July 1881 John Crichton-Stuart 4th Marquis of the Isle of Bute was born to John Crichton-Stuart 3rd Marquis of the Isle of Bute [aged 33] and Gwendolen Mary Anne Fitzalan Howard Marchioness Bute [aged 27].
On 20th July 1890 George II King Hellenes was born to Constantine I King Greece [aged 21] and Sophia Hohenzollern Queen Consort Greece [aged 20]. He a great grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. He married 27th February 1921 his second cousin Elisabeth Hohenzollern Sigmaringen Queen Consort Greece Queen Consort Hellenes.
On 20th July 1918 Fiona Colquhoun Countess of Arran was born to Iain Colquhoun 7th Baronet [aged 31] and Geraldine Bryde Dinah Tennant Lady Colquhoun [aged 29]. She married in or before 1938 Arthur Gore 8th Earl of Arran, son of Arthur Gore 6th Earl of Arran and Maud Jacqueline Marie Beauclerk van Kattendyke Countess of Arran, and had issue.
On 20th July 1931 Rosemary Tyrwhit Williams was born to Harold Williams Baron Berners and Vera Ruby Tyrwhitt 15th Baroness Berners [aged 29].
On 20th July 1940 Niall Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe was born to Richard Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe 2nd Baronet [aged 32].
On 20th July 1945 Charles Stanhope 12th Earl of Harrington was born to William Stanhope 11th Earl of Harrington [aged 22] and Eileen Foley Grey Countess Harrington [aged 23].
On 20th July 1952 Emma Howard was born to Charles James Ruthven Howard 12th Earl Carlisle [aged 29] and Ela Helen Aline Beaumont Countess Carlisle [aged 27].
On 20th July 1153 Sancho "Wise" King Navarre [aged 21] and Sancha Ivrea [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon [aged 48] and Berenguela Barcelona Queen Consort Castile and Leon. He the son of García "Restorer" IV King Navarre and Marguerite Aigle Queen Consort Navarre. They were fourth cousins.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 20th July 1235 Frederick I King Jerusalem II Holy Roman Emperor [aged 40] and Isabella Plantagenet Holy Roman Empress [aged 21] were married at Worms Cathedral [Map]. She the daughter of King John of England and Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England [aged 47]. He the son of Henry Hohenstaufen VI Holy Roman Emperor. They were fourth cousin once removed.
On 20th July 1559 Philip "The Prudent" II King Spain [aged 32] and Elizabeth Valois Queen Consort Spain [aged 14] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Spain. She the daughter of King Henry II of France [deceased] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 40]. He the son of Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and Isabel Aviz Queen Consort Spain. They were fourth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
On 20th July 1572 Frederick II King of Denmark [aged 38] and Sophie Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Denmark [aged 14] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Denmark. The difference in their ages was 23 years. He the son of Christian III King of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe Lauenburg Queen Consort Denmark and Norway. They were second cousin once removed.
On 20th July 1615 Henry Portman 2nd Baronet [aged 18] and Anne Stanley [aged 15] were married. She brought £5000 to the marriage. She the daughter of William Stanley 6th Earl of Derby [aged 54] and Elizabeth Vere Countess Derby [aged 40].
On 20th July 1639, some sources say 11th July 1639, Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland [aged 18] and Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland [aged 21] were married at Penhurst Rother. She by marriage Baroness Spencer Wormleighton. Her long-term suitor, she was the 'Sacharissa' of his poems, Edmund Waller [aged 33] wrote a letter to the bride's sister [aged 12] on the occasion of the wedding. She the daughter of Robert Sidney 2nd Earl of Leicester [aged 43] and Dorothy Percy Countess Leicester [aged 41]. They were third cousins.
Madam,
In this common joy at Penshurst, I know none to whom complaints may come less unseasonably than to your ladyship, the loss of a bedfellow being almost equal to that of a mistress; and therefore you ought at least to pardon, if you consent not to the imprecations of, the deserted, which just Heaven no doubt will hear. May my lady Dorothy, if we may yet call her so, suffer as much, and have the like passion for this young lord, whom she has preferred to the rest of mankind, as others have had for her; and may his love, before the year go about, make her taste of the first curse imposed upon womankind, the pains of becoming a mother. May her first born be none of her own sex, nor so like her but that he may resemble her lord as much as herself. May she that always affected silence and retirement have the house filled with the noise and number of her children, and hereafter of her grandchildren; and then may she arrive at that great curse, so much declined by fair ladies, old age; may she live to be very old and yet seem young; be told so by her glass, and have no aches to inform her of the truth; and when she shall appear to be mortal, may her lord not mourn for her, but go hand in hand with her to that place where we are told there is neither marrying nor giving in marriage, that being there divorced we may all have an equal interest in her again! My revenge being immortal, I wish all this may befall her posterity to the world's end and afterwards! To you, madam, I wish all good things, and that this loss may in good time be happily supplied with a more constant bedfellow of the other sex. Madam, I humbly kiss your hands, and beg pardon for this trouble, from
Your ladyship's
most humble servant,
E. Waller.
On 20th July 1654 John Skeffington 2nd Viscount Massereene and Mary Clotworthy were married at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden.
On 20th July 1700 Louis Otto Salm Count Salm Salm [aged 25] and Albertine Johannette Nassau Hadamar Countess Salm [aged 25] were married. He the son of Charles Theodore Salm Prince Salm [aged 55] and Luise Marie Palatinate Simmern Countess Salm.
On 20th July 1730 Charles Calvert 5th Baron Baltimore [aged 30] and Mary Janssen Baroness Baltimore were married. She by marriage Baroness Baltimore of Longford in Leinster.
On 20th July 1742 Arthur Devis [aged 30] and Elizabeth Faulkener [aged 23] were married at Church of St Katharine's by the Tower, Tower Hill [Map]. They had twenty-two children of which only six survived infancy.
On 20th July 1765 George Byng 4th Viscount Torrington [aged 24] and Lucy Boyle Viscountess Torrington were married. She the daughter of John Boyle 5th Earl Cork.
On 20th July 1805 Thomas de Grey 2nd Earl de Grey [aged 23] and Henrietta Cole Countess de Grey [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of William Willoughby Cole 1st Earl Enniskillen and Anne Lowry-Corry Countess Enniskillen.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 20th July 1805 Peter Nassau Clavering-Cowper 5th Earl Cowper [aged 27] and Emily Lamb Countess Cowper [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Countess Cowper. He the son of George Nassau Clavering-Cowper 3rd Earl Cowper and Hannah Anna Gore 3rd Countess Cowper.
On 20th July 1841 John Russell 1st Earl Russell [aged 48] and Frances Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound Countess Russell [aged 25] were married. The difference in their ages was 23 years. She the daughter of Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound 2nd Earl Minto [aged 58] and Mary Brydone Countess Minto. He the son of John Russell 6th Duke Bedford and Georgiana Elizabeth Byng.
On 20th July 1842 Isaac Lowthian Bell 1st Baronet [aged 38] and Margaret Pattinson were married.
On 20th July 1842 Thomas Taylour 3rd Marquess of Headfort [aged 19] and Amelia Thompson were married. He the son of Thomas Taylour 2nd Marquess of Headfort [aged 55] and Olivia Stevenson.
On 20th July 1848 George Hay-Drummond 12th Earl Kinnoull [aged 21] and Emily Blanche Charlotte Somerset Countess Kinnoul [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of Henry Somerset 7th Duke Beaufort [aged 56] and Emily Frances Smith Duchess Beaufort [aged 48]. He the son of Thomas Hay-Drummond 11th Earl Kinnoull [aged 63] and Louisa Burton Rowley Countess Kinnoul.
On 20th July 1853 Richard Boyle 9th Earl Cork [aged 24] and Emily Charlotte Burgh Countess Cork [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of Ulick Burgh 1st Marquess Clanricarde [aged 50] and Harriet Canning Marchioness Clanricarde [aged 49].
On 20th July 1858 Arthur Walsh 2nd Baron Ormathwaite [aged 31] and Katherine Somerset Baroness Ormathwaite [aged 23] were married. She the daughter of Henry Somerset 7th Duke Beaufort and Emily Frances Smith Duchess Beaufort [aged 58]. They were fifth cousins.
On 20th July 1861 Claude Scott 4th Baronet [aged 21] and Maria Burney Lady Scott were married.
On 20th July 1867 Robert Grosvenor 2nd Baron Ebury [aged 33] and Emilie Beaujolais White were married.
On 20th July 1875 William Eden 4th Baron Auckland [aged 46] and Edith Eden Baroness Auckland [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Baroness Auckland of West Auckland. The difference in their ages was 30 years. He the son of Bishop Robert Eden 3rd Baron Auckland. They were second cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 20th July 1882 Walter John Grove 2nd Baronet [aged 29] and Agnes Geraldine Lane Fox-Pitt Lady Grove [aged 19] were married. She the daughter of Augustus Henry Fox Pitt-Rivers [aged 55] and Alice Margaret Stanley [aged 54].
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 20th July 1917 Harold Augustus Wernher 3rd Baronet [aged 24] and Countess Anastasia Torby [aged 24] were married.
On 20th July 1921 Wentworth Henry Canning Beaumont 2nd Viscount Allendale [aged 30] and Violet Lucy Emily Seely Viscountess Allendale [aged 24] were married at St Martin in the Fields Church [Map].
On 20th July 1931 Gerard Henry Fleetwood Fuller 2nd Baronet [aged 25] and Fiona Pratt were married. They were divorced in 1944. She by marriage Lady Fuller of Neston Park in Corsham in Wiltshire. She the daughter of John Pratt 4th Marquess Camden [aged 59] and Joan Marion Neville Marchioness Camden [aged 54].
On 20th July 1031 Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks [aged 59] died at Melun, Seine et Marne. His son Henry [aged 23] succeeded I King France: Capet.
On 20th July 1304 Hugh Mortimer 3rd Baron Mortimer [aged 49] died from poisoning, possibly by his wife Matilda Baroness Mortimer. He was buried in Worcester Cathedral [Map]. Baron Mortimer Burford aka Richard's Castle abeyant between his daughters Joan Mortimer Baroness Talbot and Alice Mortimer [aged 4] and their descendants. His wife sought the protection of Margaret of France Queen Consort England [aged 25]. After the death of King Edward I of England [aged 65] in 1307 she, Matilda Baroness Mortimer died suddenly, probably murdered in revenge for the murder of her husband.
On 20th July 1332 Thomas Randolph 1st Earl of Moray [aged 54] died. His son Thomas succeeded 2nd Earl Moray. He would be Earl for twenty days only.
On 20th July 1387 Robert IV Artois Count of Eu [aged 31] died from poisoning.
On 20th July 1398 Roger Mortimer 4th Earl March 3rd Earl of Ulster [aged 24] died at Kells, County Meath. He was buried at Wigmore Abbey [Map]. His son Edmund [aged 6] succeeded Heir to the Throne of England, 5th Earl March, 4th Earl of Ulster, 7th Baron Mortimer of Wigmore.
On 20th July 1454 John II King Castile [aged 49] died. His son Henry [aged 29] succeeded IV King Castile. Blanche Trastámara II Queen Navarre [aged 30] by marriage Queen Consort Castile.
On 20th July 1524 Claude Valois Orléans Queen Consort France [aged 24] died.
On 20th July 1590 James Stewart 1st Lord Doune [aged 61] was assassinated (the first in Scotland by a fiream). His son James [aged 25] succeeded 2nd Lord Doune.
On 20th July 1618 Bishop James Montagu [aged 50] died. He was buried at Bath Abbey [Map].
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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On 20th July 1628 Anne Ashley Lady Cooper died.
On 20th July 1649 John Gayer [aged 65] died.
On 20th July 1733 Elizabeth Russell Lady Thirkleby [aged 69] died.
On 20th July 1736 Lucy Pelham Countess Lincoln died.
On 20th July 1750 Philip Sherard 2nd Earl Harborough [aged 70] died. His son Bennet [aged 40] succeeded 3rd Earl Harborough, 3rd Viscount Sherard, 5th Baron Sherard of Leitrim, 3rd Baron Sherard of Harborough.
On 20th July 1754 Catherine Tipping Baroness Archer died.
On 20th July 1765 Robert Cann 6th Baronet [aged 24] died. Baronet Cann of Compton Green in Gloucestershire extinct.
On 20th July 1786 Thomas Robinson 2nd Baron Grantham [aged 47] died. His son Thomas [aged 4] succeeded 3rd Baron Grantham.
On 20th July 1807 Archibald Edmonstone 1st Baronet [aged 89] died. His son Charles [aged 43] succeeded 2nd Baronet Edmonstone of Duntreath in Stirlingshire.
On 20th July 1828 George Pitt 2nd Baron Rivers [aged 76] died in Grosvenor Place, Belgravia. His nephew Horace [aged 50] succeeded 3rd Baron Rivers of Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. Baron Rivers of Stratfield Saye in Hampshire extinct.
On 20th July 1833 Other Archer Windsor 6th Earl Plymouth [aged 44] died aboard his yacht at Deptford, Kent [Map]. His uncle Andrew [aged 69] succeeded 7th Earl Plymouth. Baron Windsor of Stanwell in Buckinghamshire abeyant between his daughters Maria Windsor Marchioness Downshire [aged 43] and Harriet Windsor [aged 35].
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 20th July 1864 Mary Sackville Countess Plymouth Amherst [aged 71] died.
On 20th July 1867 Charles Miles Lambert Monck 6th Baronet [aged 88] died. His grandson Arthur [aged 29] succeeded 7th Baronet Monck of Belsay Castle in Northumberland.
On 20th July 1873 Richard Bethell 1st Baron Westbury [aged 73] died. His son Richard [aged 43] succeeded 2nd Baron Westbury of Westbury in Wiltshire.
On 20th July 1877 Thomas Neville Abdy 1st Baronet [aged 66] died. His son William [aged 33] succeeded 2nd Baronet Abdy of Albyns in Essex.
On 20th July 1900 William Charles Wynn 4th Baron Newborough [aged 26] died.
On 20th July 1902 Charles Shelley 5th Baronet [aged 64] died. His son John [aged 30] succeeded 6th Baronet Shelley of Castle Goring in Sussex.
On 20th July 1925 Violet Franklin Lady de Trafford died.
On 20th July 1934 Arthur Foord Hughes [aged 78] died.
On 20th July 1944 Thomas Fermor-Hesketh 1st Baron Hesketh [aged 62] died. His son Frederick [aged 28] succeeded 2nd Baron Hesketh of Hesketh Lancashire, 9th Baronet Fermor-Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire.
On 20th July 1947 Sylvia Storey Countess Poulett [aged 57] died.
On 20th July 1956 Algernon Skeffington 12th Viscount Massereene, 5th Viscount Ferrard [aged 82] died. His son John [aged 41] succeeded 13th Viscount Massereene, 6th Viscount Ferrard, 12th Baron Lough Neagh, 6th Baron Oriel, 6th Baron Oriel of Ferrand in Louth.
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 20th July 1968 Ralph Alured Newman 5th Baronet [aged 66] died. His son Geoffrey [aged 21] succeeded 6th Baronet Newman of Stokeley and Mamhead in Devon.
On 20th July 1974 Geraldine Bryde Dinah Tennant Lady Colquhoun [aged 85] died.
On 20th July 2005 Phillipa Victoria Hunloke Viscountess Astor [aged 74] died.
On 20th July 2011 Lucian Freud [aged 88] died.