21 Jan is in January.
1536 Death of Catherine of Aragon
1542 Execution of Catherine Howard and Jane Parker
1552 Trial and Execution of Edward Seymour Duke of Somerset and his Supporters
1560 Consecration of new Bishops
On 21st January 793 Archbishop Æthelhard was enthroned Archbishop of Canterbury in a service presided over by Archbishop Hygeberht.
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. 21st January 1140. Thurstan, Archbishop of York, retires to Pontefract. Thurstan [aged 70], the twenty-sixth archbishop of York in succession, a man advanced in years and full of days, put off the old man and put on the new, retiring from worldly affairs, and becoming a monk at Pontefract, on the twelfth of the ides of February (21st January), and departing this life in a good old age, on the nones [the 5th] of February, he lies buried there.
On 21st January 1264 Alexander Dunkeld Prince Scotland was born to King Alexander III of Scotland [aged 22] and Margaret Queen of Scotland [aged 23] at Jedburgh. He a grandson of King Henry III of England. He married 14th November 1282 his half third cousin once removed Margaret Dampierre Countess Guelders, daughter of Guy Dampierre Count Flanders and Isabelle Luxemburg Countess Flanders.
Annals of Six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet. After this, a rising was stirred up at Ghent by the sons of the Count of Flanders and the townsmen against the English, whose town would have been burned by the Welsh, had not the king, the count running to him, checked the attack. The Earl of Warenne, guardian of Scotland, and the other earls, assembling at York according to the king’s command, on the octave of Saint Hilary [21st January 1298], after the confirmation of the charters and the articles added had been published, proceeded towards Scotland. The leading men of Scotland, not coming to York according to the royal summons, kept themselves within the bounds of their own land. William Wallace had for many days been besieging the castle of Roxburgh, but, on hearing of the arrival of the English in great force, he fled. The earls, coming to Roxburgh, having strengthened the castle and comforted those who had been besieged, advanced as far as Kelso, and thence returned as far as Berwick, which they found already deserted by the Scots. While they were staying there, the king sent word to them of the truces accepted and of his speedy return, commanding them that, before his arrival, except for the occupation of Berwick, they should attempt nothing whereby they might be exposed to danger. Accordingly, the greater part of the army having been dismissed, and those retained who might suffice for holding the town, they awaited the king’s arrival. About the beginning of Lent, Robert de Clifford, with those who were in garrison at Carlisle, entered Scotland, burned the town of Annandale, and returned with much plunder. Then, when the King of England, about to return to his own realm, had come to the town called Ardres, almost all the Scots whom he had taken with him into Flanders on the expedition withdrew from him and went to Paris.
Suscitata est post hæc apud Gandavum seditio per filios comitis Flandriæ et villanos contra Anglicos; quorum villa per Wallenses incensa fuisset, nisi rex accurrente ad eum comite impetum impedisset. Comes Warennæ custos Scotiæ ac comites alii, juxta mandatum regium Eboracum convenientes, in octavis S. Hilarii, publicata confirmatione chartarum articulorumque adjectorum, versus Scotiam processerunt. Majores Scotorum Eboracum non venientes secundum vocationem regiam, se infra terræ suæ terminos tenuerunt. Willelmus Waleis castrum de Rokesburgia jam diebus multis obsederat, sed audito adventu Anglicoruam in multitudine magna diffugit. Comites venientes Rokesburgiam, munito castro ac consolatis obsessis, digressi sunt usque Kelston; et inde reversi sunt usque Berewicum, quam jam Scotis vacuam invenerunt. Dumque ibi morarentur, mandavit eis rex de treugis acceptis et reditu suo celeri, jubens ne ante adventum suum, excepta occupatione Berewici, aliquid quo paterent discrimini attentarent. Remissa igitur majori parte exercitus, et retentis qui ad detentionem villæ possent sufficere, adventum regium exspectabant. Circa principium Quadragesimæ Robertus de Clifford, cum his qui erant in præsidio Carleoli, Scotiam ingressus, villa Anandiæ combusta, rediit cum præda multa. Deinde cum rex Angliæ, reversurus ad propria, venisset ad villam quæ Ardeburgia dicitur, Scoti fere omnes, quos secum Flandriam duxerat in expeditionem, ab ipso rege discedentes, Parisios abierunt.
On 21st January 1397 Albert Wittelsbach II Duke Bavaria Straubing [aged 28] died.
Chronicle of Gregory. 21st January 1437. And that year the King [aged 15] ordaynyde the Parlyment to be holde at Caumbryge [Map], but aftyr warde by goode counselle it was tornyde and holde att Westemyster; the whyche Parlyment be ganne the XXj day of Janyver. And to that Parlyment come the Byschoppe of Tyrwynne [Thérouanne] ande the counselle of the Erle of Armanacke [aged 40].
Memoires Jacques du Clercq. In the said year also, on the 21st day of January [1458], in the town of Hesdin, one named Olion d'Aix killed with a dagger blow Andrieu de Fontaines, son of Bauduin de Fontaines, aged about twenty years. The cause was that the said de Fontaines had come to dance where the said Olion was at a gathering with the sisters of the said de Fontaines. Olion asked him who he was, and he would not name himself, whereupon Olion gave him a dagger blow, from which he quickly died without speaking, except that he said to his sister, who was there: "My sister, I am dead". This sister of de Fontaines, the said Olion, as was said, would gladly have taken in marriage; and the said de Fontaines was very well loved and a companion of the said Olion, who did not think that it was he. And at that time, about six days after this deed, in the town of Hesdin, a man was burned for the said sin of sodomy. In the said year also, on the 24th day of February, on a Saturday evening, in the town of Douai, between the gate of Esquerelins and the second gate, several houses were burned, to the number of twenty or twenty-four, and it began through a woman by misfortune in a stable; and the woman was burned, and thus the fire spread because she could not get out of the stable quickly enough where the fire began.
Oudit an aussy, le xxje de janvier, en la ville de Housdain, ung nommé Olion d'Aix tua d'ung coulp de dague Andrieu de Fontaines, fils de Bauduin de Fontaines, de l'age de xx ans, ou environ, et la cause fust, pour ce que ledit de Fontaines estoit venu monier ou ledit Olion estoit en une feste avecq les soeurs dudit de Fontaines, auquel ledit Olion demanda qui il estoit, lequel ne se vollut nommer, pourquoy ledit Olion lui donna ung coulp de dague, duquel il mourut prestement sans parler, synon qu'il dit a sa soeur, qui illecq estoit: "Ma soeur, je suis mort;" laquelle soeur dudit de Fontaines, ledit Olion eult, comme on disoit, vollontiers eu en marriage, et estoit ledit de Fontaines très bien amy et compagnon dudit Olion, et ne cuidoit point ledit Olion que ce fust ledit de Fontaines. Et en ce temps, environ six jours après ce fait, en la ville de Housdain, on ardit un compagnon pour ledit peschié de sodomite. Audit an aussy, le xxiiije de febvrier, par un samedy au soir, en la ville de Douay, entre la porte d'Esquerelins et la seconde porte, feurent ardses plusieurs maisons, au nombre de xx ou xxiiij, et se prist par une femme par mescher en une estable, et fust ardse la femme; par quoy le feu se prist, parce qu'elle ne sceut widier assés tost de l'estable ou le feu se prist.
21st January 1484. St Michael's Church, Chenies [Map]. Brass of Edmund Molyneux and Agnes Lexham inscribed "Here lies Dame Agnes Cheyne sometime wife of Sir John Cheyne knight who died day A.D. and Edmund Molyneux Esq. Second husband of the aforesaid lady who died 21 January A.D. 1484 on whose souls may God have mercy".
Note. Agnes Lexham was married, firstly to John Cheyne of Drayton Beauchamp and, secondly, to Edmund Molyneux.
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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21st January 1513. Brian Tuke to John Heron [aged 43], Treasurer of the Chamber. John Cavelcante has delivered me bills of exchange for 200 mks. for the master of the Rolls' and Sir Thomas Boleyn's [aged 36] expenses from 1 December last and £100 for Thomas Spynelly [aged 41] "of such money as he hath laid out for the King." I have sent the bills to them. Please deliver Cavalcante the said money "which Mr. Almoner spake to you to pay." London, 21 Jan. 4 Henry VIII.
Calendar of State Papers of Spain. 21st January 1536. Wien, Rep. P.C., Fasc. 236, No. 3. Eustace Chapuys [aged 46] to the Emperor [aged 35].
Cromwell also told me that the embassy sent by this King to Scotland some months ago was for the sole purpose of persuading king James to free himself from Apostolic obedience. But it seems to me as if these people had altogether lost their time in attempting to bring over the king of Scotland to their opinion, and have only got disrepute and shame through it; for I am told that when the Scotch ambassadors came [to London] and asked for a private and secret audience from this King—at which no one else was to be present but secretary Cromwell—when the question of these people's heretical doctrines was mooted, there resounded up in the air a most horrible and sudden clap of thunder louder than any that was ever heard; upon which king Henry began to make the sign of the Cross, not so much, as Cromwell told me, for the awe of the thing, but owing to the terrific words uttered by the Scotch ambassador on that occasion. However this may be, it appears that the King is now sending a fresh embassy to James on the same errand. I did not say much to the Scotchman about it, save to assure him in general terms of the good will and affection Your Majesty bore the King, his master, telling him besides that I held his countrymen to be good and wise people, who would know how to act in future according to their own interests, and the position of affairs in this country and elsewhere on the continent.
He who called himself "bailiff" of Amboise, as I have many a time written to Your Majesty, left this city some days ago; but no sooner had he landed at Boulogne than he was arrested and lodged in prison, at the request of the French ambassador residing here. To-day a French gentleman, attached to Mr. de Langes (Langeais) household, has arrived from Germany. As soon as 1 hear anything of the charge he brings to this country, Ishall not fail to inform Your Majesty.—London, 21 January 1536.
Signed "Eustace Chapuys."
Addressed "To the Emperor."
French. Original. Partly in cipher pp. 27.
Letters and Papers. 21st January 1536. The Queen [deceased] died two hours after midday, and eight hours afterwards she was opened by command of those who had charge of it on the part of the King, and no one was allowed to be present, not even her confessor or physician, but only the candle-maker of the house and one servant and a "compagnon," who opened her, and although it was not their business, and they were no surgeons, yet they have often done such a duty, at least the principal, who on coming out told the Bishop of Llandaff, her confessor, but in great secrecy as a thing which would cost his life, that he had found the body and all the internal organs as sound as possible except the heart, which was quite black and hideous, and even after he had washed it three times it did not change color. He divided it through the middle and found the interior of the same color, which also would not change on being washed, and also some black round thing which clung closely to the outside of the heart. On my man asking the physician if she had died of poison he replied that the thing was too evident by what had been said to the Bishop her confessor, and if that had not been disclosed the thing was sufficiently clear from the report and circumstances of the illness.
House of Lords Journal Volume 1 1542. MEMORANDUM, that on Saturday, the 21st day of the month of January [1542], the Lords, both Spiritual and Temporal, whose names are written below, were present:
The Most Reverend Father in Christ, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, the Lord Bishop of London, the Lord Bishop of Durham, the Lord Bishop of Winchester, the Bishop of Exeter, the Lord Bishop of Lincoln, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Lord Bishop of Ely, the Lord Bishop of Chichester, the Bishop of Norwich, the Lord Bishop of St Davids (Menevia), the Bishop of St Asaph, the Lord Bishop of Llandaff, the Bishop of Carlisle, the Lord Bishop of Salisbury, the Lord Bishop of Worcester, the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, the Lord Bishop of Hereford, the Lord Bishop of Rochester, the Lord Bishop of Westminster, the Lord Bishop of Gloucester, the Lord Bishop of Peterborough, the Lord Bishop of Chester.
The Lord Audley of Walden, Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Norfolk, Lord High Treasurer of England, the Duke of Suffolk, Lord Great Steward of the King’s Household, the Marquess of Dorset, the Earl of Southampton, Lord Privy Seal, the Earl of Sussex, Lord Great Chamberlain of England, the Earl of Oxford, the Earl of Arundel, the Earl of Westmorland, the Earl of Shrewsbury (Salop), the Earl of Derby, the Earl of Worcester, the Earl of Cumberland, the Earl of Rutland, the Earl of Huntingdon, the Earl of Bath, the Earl of Hertford, the Earl of Bridgewater.
The Lord Russell, Lord High Admiral of England, the Lord Audley, Lord Zouche, the Lord De La Warr, the Lord Morley, the Lord Dacre, the Lord Cobham, Lord Mantravers, the Lord Ferrers, the Lord Poyntz, the Lord Clinton, the Lord Stourton, the Lord Scrope, the Lord Latimer, Lord Grey of Wilton, the Lord Mountjoy, Lord Lumley, Lord Monteagle, Lord Sands, Lord Windsor, the Lord Wentworth, the Lord Burgh, Lord Mordaunt, the Lord Saint John, the Lord Parr, the Lord Cromwell.
Bill to attaint Catharine Howard late Queen of England, &c.
Today the Bill of Attainder for high treason of Katherine Howard, formerly Queen of England, Jane Lady Rochford, etc., was read the first time; and in the same Bill was read the attainder for misprision of Agnes Howard, Duchess of Norfolk, William Howard, etc.
p. Reverendissimus in Christo Pater Archiepus. Cantuarien. Archiepus. Eboracen. p. Epus. London. p. Epus. Dunelmen. p. Epus. Winton. Epus. Exon. p. Epus. Lincoln. Epus. Bath. et Wellen. p. Epus. Elien. p. Epus. Cicestren. Epus. Norwicen. p. Epus. Meneven. Epus. Assaven. p. Epus. Landaven. Epus. Carliolen. p. Epus. Sar. p. Epus. Wigorn. Epus. Coven. et Lich. p. Epus. Hereforden. p. Epus. Roffen. p. Epus. Westm. p. Epus. Gloucestr. p. Epus. Peterburgen. p. Epus. Cestren.
p. Ds. Audeley de Walden, Cancellarius. p. Dux Norff. Magnus Thesaur. Anglie. p. Dux Suff. Magnus Magister Hospitii Dni. nostri Regis. p. Marchio Dorss. p. Comes Southampton, Ds. Privati Sigilli. p. Comes Sussex, Magnus Camerarius Anglie. p. Comes Oxon. Comes Arundell. Comes Westmerland. p. Comes Salopp. p. Comes Derby. Comes Wigorn. Comes Cumbreland. p. Comes Rutland. p. Comes Huntingdon. Comes Bath. p. Comes Hertford. p. Comes Brigewater.
p. Ds. Russell, Magnus Admirallus Anglie. p. Ds. Audeley. Ds. Zouche. p. Ds. Dallawarr. p. Ds. Morley. p. Ds. Dacres. p. Ds. Cobham. Ds. Mantravers. p. Ds. Ferrers. p. Ds. Poys. p. Ds. Clinton. p. Ds. Stourton. p. Ds. Scrope. p. Ds. Latymer. Ds. Gray de Wilton. p. Ds. Mountioye. Ds. Lomeley. Ds. Mountegle. Ds. Sands. Ds. Windesore. p. Ds. Wentwoorthe. p. Ds. Burgh. Ds. Mordaunte. p. Ds. Saint John. p. Ds. Parr. p. Ds. Crumwell.
MEMORANDUM, quod die Sabbati, 21 Mensis Januarii, Proceres tam Spirituales quam Temporales, quorum nomina subscribuntur, presentes fuerunt:
HODIE 1a vice lecta est Billa Attincture de alta Proditione Katherine Haward, dudum Regine Anglie, Jane Domine Rocheford, &c. et in eadem Billa lecta est Attinctura de Misprisione Agnetis Haward, Ducisse Norff. Gulielmi Haward, &c.
On 21st January 1552, the day before his execution, Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset [aged 52], wrote an inscription on the fly-leaf of an almanac: "Fere of the lord is the b[e]genning of wisdume, Put thi trust in the lord w[i]t[h] all thine hart, Be not wise in thyne owne conseyte but fere the lord and fle frome euele [evil], frome the toware, the day before my deth, 1551 [1552]". E: Somerset.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 21st January 1560. The xxj day of January by ix of the cloke my lord mare [aged 64] and the althermen whent by water to the cowrt in skarlett, and ther he was mad knyght by the quen [aged 26].
On 21st January 1560 two Bishops were consecrated...
Bishop Nicholas Bullingham [aged 40] was consecrated Bishop of Lincoln.
Archbishop Thomas Young [aged 53] was consecrated Bishop of St David's at Lambeth Palace [Map] by Archbishop Matthew Parker [aged 55].
On 21st January 1568 Catherine Gonzaga Duchess Longueville was born to Louis Gonzaga Duke Nevers [aged 28]. She married 1st March 1588 her fifth cousin once removed Henri Valois I Duke Longueville, son of Léonor Valois I Duke Longueville and Marie Bourbon, and had issue.
Diary of Anne Clifford. 21st January 1616. Upon the 21st my Lord and I went to Church at Sevenoaks [Map] to grace the Bishop of St. David's prayers.
On 21st January 1640 Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 43] participated with King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 39] in the extravagant masque on the theme of Philogenes, royal Lover of the People.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 21st January 1660 Saturday. Up early in finishing my accounts and writing to my Lord and from thence to my Lord's [aged 34] and took leave of Mr. Sheply and possession of all the keys and the house. Thence to my office for some money to pay Mr. Sheply and sent it him by the old man. I then went to Mr Downing [aged 35] who chid me because I did not give him notice of some of his guests failed him but I told him that I sent our porter to tell him and he was not within, but he told me that he was within till past twelve o'clock. So the porter or he lied. Thence to my office where nothing to do. Then with Mr. Hawly, he and I went to Mr. Crew's [aged 62] and dined there. Thence into London, to Mr. Vernon's and I received my £25 due by bill for my troopers' pay. Then back again to Steadman's. At the Mitre, in Fleet street, in our way calling on Mr. Fage, who told me how the City have some hopes of Monk [aged 51]. Thence to the Mitre [Map], where I drank a pint of wine, the house being in fitting for Banister [aged 30] to come hither from Paget's. Thence to Mrs. Jem and gave her £5. So home and left my money and to Whitehall where Luellin and I drank and talked together an hour at Marsh's and so up to the clerks' room, where poor Mr. Cook, a black man, that is like to be put out of his clerk's place, came and railed at me for endeavouring to put him out and get myself in, when I was already in a good condition. But I satisfied him and after I had wrote a letter there to my Lord, wherein I gave him an account how this day Lenthall [aged 68] took his chair again, and [the House] resolved a declaration to be brought in on Monday next to satisfy the world what they intend to do. So home and to bed.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 21st January 1661. This morning Sir W. Batten [aged 60], the Comptroller [aged 50] and I to Westminster, to the Commissioners for paying off the Army and Navy, where the Duke of Albemarle [aged 52] was; and we sat with our hats on, and did discourse about paying off the ships and do find that they do intend to undertake it without our help; and we are glad of it, for it is a work that will much displease the poor seamen, and so we are glad to have no hand in it. From thence to the Exchequer, and took £200 and carried it home, and so to the office till night, and then to see Sir W. Pen [aged 39], whither came my Lady Batten and her daughter, and then I sent for my wife, and so we sat talking till it was late. So home to supper and then to bed, having eat no dinner to-day. It is strange what weather we have had all this winter; no cold at all; but the ways are dusty, and the flyes fly up and down, and the rose-bushes are full of leaves, such a time of the year as was never known in this world before here. This day many more of the Fifth Monarchy men were hanged.
John Evelyn's Diary. 21st January 1663. Dined at Mr. Treasurer's, of the Household, Sir Charles Berkeley's [aged 33], where were the Earl of Oxford [aged 35], Lord Bellassis [aged 48], Lord Gerard [aged 29], Sir Andrew Scrope, Sir William Coventry [aged 35], Dr. Fraser, Mr. Windham, and others.
On 21st January 1664 Colonel James Turner [aged 55] was hanged at St Mary Axe.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 21st January 1665. Thence to a Tangier Committee at White Hall, where I saw nothing ordered by judgment, but great heat and passion and faction now in behalf of my Lord Bellasses [aged 50], and to the reproach of my Lord Tiviott, and dislike as it were of former proceedings.
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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Samuel Pepys' Diary. 21st January 1667. So down to the Hall, and thence with our company to Exeter House [Map], and then did the business I have said before, we doing nothing the first time of going, it being too early. At home find Lovett, to whom I did give my Baroness Castlemayne's [aged 26] head to do. He is talking of going into Spayne to get money by his art, but I doubt he will do no good, he being a man of an unsettled head.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 21st January 1667. Here spoke with my Lord Bellasses [aged 52] about getting some money for Tangier, which he doubts we shall not be able to do out of the Poll Bill, it being so strictly tied for the Navy. He tells me the Lords have passed the Bill for the accounts with some little amendments.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 21st January 1667. Thence with them to Westminster Hall [Map], they setting me down at White Hall, where I missed of finding Sir G. Carteret [aged 57], up to the Lords' House, and there come mighty seasonably to hear the Solicitor about my Lord Buckingham's [aged 38] pretence to the title of Lord Rosse. Mr. Atturny Montagu [aged 49] is also a good man, and so is old Sir P. Ball; but the Solicitor and Scroggs after him are excellent men.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 21st January 1669. Up, and walked to the Temple [Map], it being frosty, and there took coach, my boy Tom with me, and so to White Hall to a Committee of Tangier, where they met, and by and by and till twelve at noon upon business, among others mine, where my desire about being eased of appointing and standing accountable for a Treasurer there was well accepted, and they will think of some other way. This I was glad of, finding reason to doubt that I might in this (since my Lord Sandwich [aged 43] made me understand what he had said to the Duke of York [aged 35] herein) fear to offend either the Duke of York by denying it, for he seemed on Sunday night last, when I first made known my desire to him herein to be a little amused at it, though I knew not then the reason, or else offend my Lord Sandwich by accepting it, or denying it in a manner that might not forward his desire for Sir Charles Harbord [aged 29], but I thank God I did it to my great content without any offence, I think, to either.
On 22nd October 1691 Lucius Knightley [aged 68] died in Fawsley, Northamptonshire. On 21st January 1710 Elizabeth Dent [aged 58] died. They were buried in St Mary's Church, Fawsley [Map].
Lucius Knightley: On 3rd April 1623 he was born to Richard Knightley in Fawsley, Northamptonshire. Before 22nd October 1691 Lucius Knightley and Elizabeth Dent were married.
Elizabeth Dent: On 2nd November 1632 she was born.
John Evelyn's Diary. 21st January 1694. Lord Macclesfield [deceased], Lord Warrington [deceased], and Lord Westmorland, all died within about one week. Several persons shot, hanged, and made away with themselves.
John Evelyn's Diary. 21st January 1700. Died the Duke of Beaufort [aged 71], a person of great honor, prudence, and estate.
On 21st January 1700 Henry Somerset 1st Duke Beaufort [aged 71] died at Badminton, Gloucestershire. He was buried at Beaufort Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle [Map]. His grandson Henry [aged 15] succeeded 2nd Duke Beaufort, 4th Marquess Worcester, 8th Earl Worcester, 10th Baron Herbert of Raglan.
Minutes of the Society of Antiquaries. 21st January 1719. The Society by Balloting ordered that two prints of King Richard II should be delivered to the Monthly Contributors paying their Arrears the said Monthly Contribution having been applyed by the Society to the Expense of that Plate.
At the same time it was ordered that three Prints more of the Font should be delivered to each of the Subscribers thereto.
On 21st January 1722 Charles Paulet 2nd Duke Bolton [aged 61] died. His son Charles [aged 36] succeeded 3rd Duke Bolton, 8th Marquess Winchester, 8th Earl Wiltshire, 8th Baron St John. Anne Vaughan Duchess Bolton by marriage Duchess Bolton.
On 21st January 1750 Algernon Percy 1st Earl Beverley was born to Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland [aged 34] and Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland [aged 33]. He married 8th June 1775 Isabella Susan Burrell Countess Beverley and had issue.
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 21st January 1764 Catherine Anguish Duchess Leeds was born to Thomas Anguish of Great Yarmouth. She married 1788 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds, son of Thomas Osborne 4th Duke Leeds and Mary Godolphin Duchess Leeds.
On 21st January 1773 Charlotte Finch Duchess Somerset [aged 80] died.
On 21st January 1793 Louis XVI King France [aged 38] was guillotined in Paris [Map]. His son Louis [aged 7] de jure XVII King France: Capet Valois Bourbon.
On 11th January 1797 Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey [aged 73] died at the family's London House, 4 Saint James' Square. Marquess Grey extinct. Her daughter Amabel [aged 45] succeeded 5th Baroness Lucas of Crudwell. She was buried at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] on 21st January 1797. Her will stated that she was to be buried in the vault "in as private a manner as may be consistent with proper decency. A Hearse with six horses, without any Ornament or Escutcheons and two Coaches with six horses each will be sufficient, without any Family Coach or Livery Servant. I would not have the Church hung with black or any Escutcheons to be used there nor any mourning rings given". It went on to give £50 to the poor of Flitton with Silsoe and of Clophill. She also gave her servant Jane Band an annuity of £40 per annum. She also stated: "It is my intention to erect a Monument in the Church at Flitton to the memory of my late Lord. If it shall happen that I do not carry this my intention into execution I then direct that one shall be placed there to his memory and mine plain and neat in the design but not magnificent or expensive and that the same be placed in the Division now empty on the right hand side of the Duke of Kent's Monument". In fact she did raise Hardwicke's monument in his lifetime as it states that she did so and 'waits to follow him'. The eulogy on the monument reads: "Her excellent & cultivated understanding, her serene & benevolent temper, her polished manners, her domestic virtues and exemplary piety will ever be revered and regretted by her children, relations and friends". In a codicil to her will she wrote: "I desire my Body to be kept as long as is proper and then buried with Lime in the Coffin to promote a speedier dissolution". She also willed "If any letters or papers are found in my handwriting which have been returned to me from Friends I correspond with not burnt (which it is my intention to do) I desire my Executrix will burn them".
Amabel Yorke Countess Grey: On 22nd February 1751 she was born to Philip Yorke 2nd Earl of Hardwicke and Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey. In 1816 Amabel Yorke Countess Grey was created 1st Countess de Grey with a special remainder to her sister Mary Jemima Yorke Baroness Grantham and her sister's male heirs.
On 21st January 1811 James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn was born to James Hamilton [aged 24] and Harriet Douglas Countess Aberdeen [aged 18] at Seymour Place. He married 1832 Louisa Jane Russell Duchess Abercorn, daughter of John Russell 6th Duke Bedford and Georgiana Gordon Duchess Bedford, and had issue.
On 21st January 1829 King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway was born to Oscar I King Sweden and Norway [aged 29]. He married 6th June 1857 Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway and had issue.
On 7th January 1830 Thomas Lawrence [aged 60] died. He was buried in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral on the 21st January 1830.
Archaeologia Volume 25 Section VI. Proclamation of Henry the Eighth on his Marriage with Queen Anne Boleyn; in the possession of the Corporation of Norwich: Communicated by Hudson Gurney, Esg. V.P., in a Letter to Henry Ellis [aged 54], Esq., F.R.S., Secretary.
Read 29th March, 1832.
Keswick, January 21, 1832.
On 21st January 1845 Samuel Colman [aged 65] died.
The Diary of George Price Boyce 1858. 21st January 1858. January 21. Holman Hunt [aged 30] and Martineau called on me at 7 and stayed till nearly half-past 10. After desultory chat and looking at drawings, etc., Hunt introduced the subject which principally brought him. Having in prospect to marry Annie Miller [aged 23], after that her education both of mind and manners shall have been completed, he wished to destroy as far as was possible all traces of her former occupation, viz, that of sitting to certain artists (those artists, however, being all his personal friends, Rossetti, A. Hughes, Stephens, Egg, Holliday, Millais, Collins and myself), and as mine was the only direct study of her head, as it was, he would hold it a favour if I would give it him and he in return would give me something of his doing that I might like. At first I resisted stoutly, but finding that it was a serious point with him, and that my refusing would be in some degree an obstacle in the carrying out of his wishes with regard to her (which it would be both selfish and unkind and foolish in the remotest degree to thwart) I at last reluctantly assented to give him the study, the most careful and the most interesting (to me) and which I prize the most I have ever made. He thanked me heartily for my compliance. He gave me real pleasure by telling me that she says I always behaved most kindly to her.
On 21st January 1869 John Tweed was born.
On 21st January 1871 Henry Algernon George Percy was born to Henry George Percy 7th Duke Northumberland [aged 24] and Edith Campbell Duchess Northumberland [aged 21].
On 21st January 1876 Isabella Williamson [aged 42], and her two sons James Charles Allgood [aged 13] and David Williamson Allgood [aged 11] died in a railway accident at Abbots Ripton.
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 21st January 1876 Herbert Noble [aged 19] died in a railway accident at Abbots Ripton. The Special Scotch Express train from Edinburgh to London was involved in a collision, during a blizzard, with a coal train. An express travelling in the other direction then ran into the wreckage.
The London Gazette 26551. Whitehall, January 21, 1886. THE Queen has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal, grant ing the dignity of a Baronet of the United King dom of Great Britain and Ireland, unto the undermentioned Gentlemen, namely:—
Sir Frederic Leighton [aged 55], of Holland Park-road, in the parish of St. Mary Abbots, Kensington, in the county of Middlesex, Knt., President of the Royal Academy, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten.
Sir Andrew Barclay Walker, of Gateacre Grange, in the parish of Childwall, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, and of Osmaston Manor, in the parish of Osmaston, in the county of Derby, Knt., and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten.
Claud Alexander, of Ballochmyle, in the parish of Mauchline, in the county of Ayr, Esq., Major General (retired) of Her Majesty's Forces, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten.
John Edward Dorington, of Lypiatt Park, in the parish of Stroud, in the county of Gloucester, Esq., and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten.
Francis Abraham Montefiore, of Worth Park, in the parish of Worth, in the county of Sussex, Esq., and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten.
On 21st January 1900 Francis Teck [aged 62] died. His son Adolphus [aged 31] succeeded Duke Teck. Margaret Evelyn Grosvenor Duchess Teck [aged 26] by marriage Duchess Teck.
On 21st January 1902 James Nesfield Forsyth [aged 38] and Cecilia Naylor [aged 26] were married at All Saints Church in the presence of William Adam Forsyth [aged 29] and James Forsyth [aged 74]. He the son of James Forsyth and Eliza Hastie.
1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. William Waynflete is probably the William Barbour who was ordained acolyte by Bishop Fleming of Lincoln on the 21st of April 1420 and subdeacon on the 21st of January 1421; and as "William Barbour," otherwise Waynflete of Spalding, was ordained deacon on the 15th of March 1421, and priest on the 21st of January 1426, with title from Spalding Priory. He may have been the William Waynflete who was admitted a scholar of the King's Hall, Cambridge, on the 6th of March 1428 (Exch. Q. R. Bdle. 346, no. 31), and was described as LL.B. when receiving letters of protection on the 15th of July 1429 (Proc. P. C. iii. 347) to enable him to accompany Robert FitzHugh, D.D., warden of the hall, on an embassy to Rome.
On 21st January 1917 Francesca Alexander [aged 79] died of bronchial pneumonia at Florence, Tuscany. She was buried at the Cimitero degli Allori, Florence.
On 21st January 1934 Friedrich Ferdinand Glücksburg Duke Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Glücksburg [aged 78] died. His son Wilhelm [aged 42] succeeded Duke Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Glücksburg. Marie Melita Hohenlohe Langenburg Duchess Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Glücksburg [aged 35] by marriage Duchess Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Glücksburg.
On 21st January 1940 Henry Robin Ian Russell 14th Duke Bedford was born to John Ian Robert Russell 13th Duke Bedford [aged 22] and Clare Bridgman [aged 37] at Ritz Hotel. He married 20th June 1961 Henrietta Joan Tiarks Duchess Bedford and had issue.
After 21st January 1946. Monument to Warrant Office Basil Thomas Parsons. Royal Air Force Service Number: 357411. Son of Thomas and Jane Parsons; husband of A. Kenwyn E. (Bridget) Parsons, of Fulbeck. Passed away suddenly at Rauceby R.A.F. Hospital.
On 21st January 1955 Anne Mary Somerset was born to David Fitzroy 11th Duke Beaufort [aged 26] and Caroline Jane Thynne 11th Duchess Beaufort [aged 27].
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 21st January 1967 Dorothea Maria Saxe Coburg Gotha Duchess Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Augustenburg [aged 85] died.
On 21st January 1970 Constance Edwina "Shelagh" Cornwallis-West Duchess Westminster [aged 92] died. She was buried at St Mary's Church, Eccleston [Map] where there is a commemorative plaque with the inscription: 'Constance Edwina Westminster Nee Cornwallis-West of Ruthin Castle. Mother of Lady Ursula Vernon [aged 67], Edward George Hugh Grosvenor, Lady Mary Grosvenor [aged 59]. Born 16 May 1877. Died 21 Jan 1971.'
On 21st January 1264 Alexander Dunkeld Prince Scotland was born to King Alexander III of Scotland [aged 22] and Margaret Queen of Scotland [aged 23] at Jedburgh. He a grandson of King Henry III of England. He married 14th November 1282 his half third cousin once removed Margaret Dampierre Countess Guelders, daughter of Guy Dampierre Count Flanders and Isabelle Luxemburg Countess Flanders.
On 21st January 1300 Roger Clifford 2nd Baron Clifford was born to Robert Clifford 1st Baron Clifford [aged 25] and Maud Clare Baroness Clifford Baroness Welles [aged 24]. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.
On 21st January 1352 John Berkeley was born to Thomas Berkeley 8th and 3rd Baron Berkeley [aged 56] and Katherine Clivedon Baroness Berkeley [aged 42] at Corston, Leicestershire. He a great x 4 grandson of King John of England. He married (1) before 16th March 1367 Eleanor Assheton (2) before 13th October 1374 Elizabeth Bettershorne and had issue.
On 21st January 1568 Catherine Gonzaga Duchess Longueville was born to Louis Gonzaga Duke Nevers [aged 28]. She married 1st March 1588 her fifth cousin once removed Henri Valois I Duke Longueville, son of Léonor Valois I Duke Longueville and Marie Bourbon, and had issue.
On 21st January 1579 Mary Herbert was born to Henry Herbert 2nd Earl Pembroke [aged 41] and Mary Sidney Countess Pembroke [aged 17].
On 21st January 1630 John Bourchier was born to Edward Bourchier 4th Earl Bath [aged 39] and Dorothy St John Countess Bath. Coefficient of inbreeding 1.56%. He died aged one in 1631.
On 21st January 1674 Edward Bagot 4th Baronet was born to Walter Bagot 3rd Baronet [aged 29] and Jane Salusbury. He married before 3rd August 1702 Frances Wagstaffe.
On 21st January 1702 Dorothea Franziska Agnes Salm was born to Louis Otto Salm Count Salm Salm [aged 27] and Albertine Johannette Nassau Hadamar Countess Salm [aged 27]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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On 21st January 1721 Frances Lee was born to George Henry Lee 2nd Earl Lichfield [aged 30] and Frances Hales Countess Lichfield [aged 24]. She a great granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland. She married 9th November 1737 Henry Hyde, son of Henry Hyde 2nd Earl Rochester 4th Earl Clarendon and Jane Leveson-Gower Countess Rochester and Clarendon.
On 21st January 1733 William Digby was born to Edward Digby [aged 40] and Charlotte Fox [aged 27]. He married 14th April 1766 Charlotte Cox and had issue.
On 21st January 1746 Elizabeth Venables-Vernon Countess Harcourt was born to George Venables-Vernon 1st Baron Vernon [aged 36] and Martha Harcourt Baroness Vernon of Kinderton [aged 30]. She married 26th September 1765 her first cousin George Harcourt 2nd Earl Harcourt, son of Simon Harcourt 1st Earl Harcourt and Rebecca Samborne Le Bass.
On 21st January 1750 Algernon Percy 1st Earl Beverley was born to Hugh Percy 1st Duke Northumberland [aged 34] and Elizabeth Seymour Duchess Northumberland [aged 33]. He married 8th June 1775 Isabella Susan Burrell Countess Beverley and had issue.
On 21st January 1750 William Ward 3rd Viscount Dudley and Ward was born to John Ward 1st Viscount Dudley and Ward [aged 45].
On 21st January 1764 Catherine Anguish Duchess Leeds was born to Thomas Anguish of Great Yarmouth. She married 1788 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds, son of Thomas Osborne 4th Duke Leeds and Mary Godolphin Duchess Leeds.
On 21st January 1769 Charlotta Louisa Lawless was born to Nicholas Lawless 1st Baron Cloncurry [aged 33] and Margaret Browne Baroness Cloncurry [aged 33]. She married 20th June 1803 Edward Wadding Plunkett 14th Baron Dunsany, son of Randall Plunkett 13th Baron Dunsany, and had issue.
On 21st January 1772 Amelia Hume Baroness Farnborough was born to Abraham Hume 2nd Baronet [aged 22] and Amelia Egerton [aged 20] at Wormley, Hertfordshire. She married 1793 Charles Long 1st Baron Farnborough.
On 21st January 1800 William Aloysius Clavering 9th Baronet was born to Thomas John Clavering 8th Baronet [aged 28].
On 21st January 1811 James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn was born to James Hamilton [aged 24] and Harriet Douglas Countess Aberdeen [aged 18] at Seymour Place. He married 1832 Louisa Jane Russell Duchess Abercorn, daughter of John Russell 6th Duke Bedford and Georgiana Gordon Duchess Bedford, and had issue.
On 21st January 1812 Reverend Delves Boughton was born to Henry Delves Broughton 8th Baronet [aged 35] and Mary Pigott Lady Broughton [aged 24].
On 21st January 1829 King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway was born to Oscar I King Sweden and Norway [aged 29]. He married 6th June 1857 Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway and had issue.
On 21st January 1855 Ralph Ormsby-Gore 3rd Baron Harlech was born to William Richard Ormsby-Gore 2nd Baron Harlech [aged 35] and Emily Charlotte Seymour-Conway Baroness Harlech. He married 25th July 1881 Margaret Ethel Gordon Baroness Harlech, daughter of Charles Gordon 10th Marquess Huntly and Maria Antoinetta Pegus Marchioness Huntly, and had issue.
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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On 21st January 1869 John Tweed was born.
On 21st January 1871 Henry Algernon George Percy was born to Henry George Percy 7th Duke Northumberland [aged 24] and Edith Campbell Duchess Northumberland [aged 21].
On 21st January 1878 George Vivian 4th Baron Vivian was born to Hussey Vivian 3rd Baron Vivian [aged 43] at Connaught Place, Bayswater. He married (1) 1st August 1903 Barbara Cicely Fanning Baroness Vivian and had issue (2) 5th January 1911 Nancy Lycett Green Baroness Vivian, daughter of Edward Lycett Green 2nd Baronet and Ethel Mary Wilson Lady Green, and had issue.
On 21st January 1892 Rachel Beatrice Lyttelton Lady Riddell was born to Charles Lyttelton 8th Viscount Cobham [aged 49] and Mary Susan Cavendish Viscountess Cobham [aged 38] She married 1919 Walter Robert Buchanan Riddell 12th Baronet.
On 21st January 1940 Henry Robin Ian Russell 14th Duke Bedford was born to John Ian Robert Russell 13th Duke Bedford [aged 22] and Clare Bridgman [aged 37] at Ritz Hotel. He married 20th June 1961 Henrietta Joan Tiarks Duchess Bedford and had issue.
On 21st January 1955 Anne Mary Somerset was born to David Fitzroy 11th Duke Beaufort [aged 26] and Caroline Jane Thynne 11th Duchess Beaufort [aged 27].
On 21st January 1690 Gregory Page 1st Baronet [aged 21] and Mary Trotman Lady Turner [aged 18] were married.
On 21st January 1844 Sholto Douglas 18th Earl Morton [aged 26] and Helen Watson were married. He the son of George Sholto Douglas 17th Earl Morton [aged 54] and Frances Theodora Rose Countess of Morton [aged 45].
On 21st January 1902 James Nesfield Forsyth [aged 38] and Cecilia Naylor [aged 26] were married at All Saints Church in the presence of William Adam Forsyth [aged 29] and James Forsyth [aged 74]. He the son of James Forsyth and Eliza Hastie.
On 21st January 1904 Reginald Herbert 15th Earl Pembroke 12th Earl Montgomery [aged 23] and Beatrice Eleanor Paget Countess Pembroke and Montgomery [aged 20] were married. He the son of Sidney Herbert 14th Earl Pembroke 11th Earl Montgomery [aged 50] and Beatrix Louisa Lambton Countess Pembroke and Montgomery [aged 45]. They were third cousin once removed.
On 21st January 1956 Michael David Hogg 8th Baronet [aged 30] and Elizabeth Anne Thérèse Falkiner Lady Hogg [aged 26] were married.
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 21st January 1397 Albert Wittelsbach II Duke Bavaria Straubing [aged 28] died.
On 21st January 1398 Frederick Hohenzollern V Burgrave Nuremburg [aged 64] died. His son John [aged 29] succeeded III Burgrave Nuremberg.
On 21st January 1495 Magdalena Valois Countess Foix [aged 51] died.
On 21st January 1524 Alexander Gordon 3rd Earl Huntley died at Perth [Map]. His grandson George [aged 10] succeeded 4th Earl Huntley.
On 21st January 1582 Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Lennox [aged 26] died.
On 21st January 1590 Agnes Drummond Countess Eglinton [aged 67] died.
On 21st January 1645 Susan Rowe Countess Warwick [aged 63] died.
On 21st January 1653 John Digby 1st Earl Bristol [aged 72] died in Paris [Map]. His son George [aged 40] succeeded 2nd Earl Bristol. Anne Russell Countess Bristol [aged 33] by marriage Countess Bristol.
On 21st January 1683 Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl Shaftesbury [aged 61] died. His son Anthony [aged 31] succeeded 2nd Earl Shaftesbury, 2nd Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles, 3rd Baronet Cooper of Rockbourne in Southampton. Dorothy Manners Countess Shaftesbury [aged 27] by marriage Countess Shaftesbury.
On 21st January 1683 Elizabeth Garrard Lady Gould [aged 39] died.
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.
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On 21st January 1700 Henry Somerset 1st Duke Beaufort [aged 71] died at Badminton, Gloucestershire. He was buried at Beaufort Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle [Map]. His grandson Henry [aged 15] succeeded 2nd Duke Beaufort, 4th Marquess Worcester, 8th Earl Worcester, 10th Baron Herbert of Raglan.
On 21st January 1702 James Annesley 3rd Earl Anglesey [aged 27] died. His brother John [aged 26] succeeded 4th Earl Anglesey, 5th Viscount Valentia, 4th Baron Annesley Newport Pagnell Buckinghamshire.
On 21st January 1709 Nathaniel Napier 2nd Baronet [aged 73] died. His son Nathaniel [aged 41] succeeded 3rd Baronet Napier of Middle Marsh in Dorset. Catherine Alington Lady Napier [aged 24] by marriage Lady Napier of Middle Marsh in Dorset.
On 21st January 1710 John Ashburnham 1st Baron Ashburnham [aged 54] died at Southampton Street, Bloomsbury Square. His son William [aged 30] succeeded 2nd Baron Ashburnham of Ashburnham in Sussex. Catherine Taylor by marriage Baroness Ashburnham of Ashburnham in Sussex.
On 21st January 1722 Charles Paulet 2nd Duke Bolton [aged 61] died. His son Charles [aged 36] succeeded 3rd Duke Bolton, 8th Marquess Winchester, 8th Earl Wiltshire, 8th Baron St John. Anne Vaughan Duchess Bolton by marriage Duchess Bolton.
On 21st January 1744 John Rogers 2nd Baronet [aged 67] died. He was buried at St Michael's Church, Cornwood [Map]. His son John [aged 35] succeeded 3rd Baronet Rogers of Wisdome in Devon.
On 21st January 1765 Hugh Willoughby 15th Baron Willoughby of Parham died unmarried. His fourth cousin Henry [aged 69] succeeded 16th Baron Willoughby Parham. He had a better claim to the title than the 15th Baron being descended from the second son but no action was taken until the death of the 15th Baron when he succeeded to the title. By law the 11th to 15th Barons should be considered a new creation.
On 21st January 1773 Charlotte Finch Duchess Somerset [aged 80] died.
On 21st January 1775 John Browne 5th Baronet died. Baronet Browne of Caversham extinct.
On 21st January 1783 Mary Chambers Baroness Spencer [aged 69] died.
On 21st January 1793 Louis XVI King France [aged 38] was guillotined in Paris [Map]. His son Louis [aged 7] de jure XVII King France: Capet Valois Bourbon.
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 11th January 1797 Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey [aged 73] died at the family's London House, 4 Saint James' Square. Marquess Grey extinct. Her daughter Amabel [aged 45] succeeded 5th Baroness Lucas of Crudwell. She was buried at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] on 21st January 1797. Her will stated that she was to be buried in the vault "in as private a manner as may be consistent with proper decency. A Hearse with six horses, without any Ornament or Escutcheons and two Coaches with six horses each will be sufficient, without any Family Coach or Livery Servant. I would not have the Church hung with black or any Escutcheons to be used there nor any mourning rings given". It went on to give £50 to the poor of Flitton with Silsoe and of Clophill. She also gave her servant Jane Band an annuity of £40 per annum. She also stated: "It is my intention to erect a Monument in the Church at Flitton to the memory of my late Lord. If it shall happen that I do not carry this my intention into execution I then direct that one shall be placed there to his memory and mine plain and neat in the design but not magnificent or expensive and that the same be placed in the Division now empty on the right hand side of the Duke of Kent's Monument". In fact she did raise Hardwicke's monument in his lifetime as it states that she did so and 'waits to follow him'. The eulogy on the monument reads: "Her excellent & cultivated understanding, her serene & benevolent temper, her polished manners, her domestic virtues and exemplary piety will ever be revered and regretted by her children, relations and friends". In a codicil to her will she wrote: "I desire my Body to be kept as long as is proper and then buried with Lime in the Coffin to promote a speedier dissolution". She also willed "If any letters or papers are found in my handwriting which have been returned to me from Friends I correspond with not burnt (which it is my intention to do) I desire my Executrix will burn them".
Amabel Yorke Countess Grey: On 22nd February 1751 she was born to Philip Yorke 2nd Earl of Hardwicke and Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey. In 1816 Amabel Yorke Countess Grey was created 1st Countess de Grey with a special remainder to her sister Mary Jemima Yorke Baroness Grantham and her sister's male heirs.
On 21st January 1811 Elizabeth Harcourt Lady Lee [aged 71] died.
On 21st January 1822 Buckworth Buckworth-Herne-Soame 6th Baronet [aged 59] died. His son Peter [aged 28] succeeded 7th Baronet Buckworth-Herne-Soame of Sheen in Surrey.
On 7th January 1830 Thomas Lawrence [aged 60] died. He was buried in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral on the 21st January 1830.
On 21st January 1845 Walter Aston 9th Baronet [aged 75] died. Baronet Aston of Tixall extinct.
On 21st January 1845 Samuel Colman [aged 65] died.
On 21st January 1858 Emily Anne Bennet Elizabeth Cecil Marchioness Westmeath [aged 68] died.
On 21st January 1867 Robert King 4th Earl Kingston [aged 70] died unmarried. His brother James [aged 66] succeeded 5th Earl Kingston.
On 21st January 1887 Henry Edwyn Chandos Scudamore Stanhope 9th Earl of Chesterfield [aged 65] died at Victoria Hotel. His son Edwyn [aged 32] succeeded 10th Earl Chesterfield, 10th Baron Stanhope of Shelford in Nottinghamshire, 4th Baronet Stanhope of Stanwell.
On 21st January 1894 Emma Barnett died one week after the death of her husband William John Butler [deceased].
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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On 21st January 1900 Francis Teck [aged 62] died. His son Adolphus [aged 31] succeeded Duke Teck. Margaret Evelyn Grosvenor Duchess Teck [aged 26] by marriage Duchess Teck.
On 21st January 1917 Francesca Alexander [aged 79] died of bronchial pneumonia at Florence, Tuscany. She was buried at the Cimitero degli Allori, Florence.
On 21st January 1923 Major-General Hugh Richard Dawnay 8th Viscount Downe [aged 78] died. His son John [aged 51] succeeded 9th Viscount Downe.
On 21st January 1934 Friedrich Ferdinand Glücksburg Duke Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Glücksburg [aged 78] died. His son Wilhelm [aged 42] succeeded Duke Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Glücksburg. Marie Melita Hohenlohe Langenburg Duchess Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Glücksburg [aged 35] by marriage Duchess Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Glücksburg.
On 21st January 1951 Geoffrey Cornewall 6th Baronet [aged 81] died. His brother William [aged 79] succeeded 7th Baronet Amyand aka Cornewall of Moccas Court in Herefordshire.
On 21st January 1967 Dorothea Maria Saxe Coburg Gotha Duchess Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Augustenburg [aged 85] died.
On 21st January 1970 Constance Edwina "Shelagh" Cornwallis-West Duchess Westminster [aged 92] died. She was buried at St Mary's Church, Eccleston [Map] where there is a commemorative plaque with the inscription: 'Constance Edwina Westminster Nee Cornwallis-West of Ruthin Castle. Mother of Lady Ursula Vernon [aged 67], Edward George Hugh Grosvenor, Lady Mary Grosvenor [aged 59]. Born 16 May 1877. Died 21 Jan 1971.'
On 21st January 1976 Marie Henrietta Keppel Countess of Romney [aged 85] died.
On 21st January 1978 Edward Robert Blount 11th Baronet [aged 93] died. His son Walter [aged 60] succeeded 12th Baronet Blount of Sodington.
On 21st January 1999 Robert Byng Morris 10th Baronet [aged 85] died. His son Allan [aged 37] succeeded 11th Baronet Morris of Clasemont in Glamorganshire.