Paternal Family Tree: Kerr
Maternal Family Tree: Elizabeth Stumpe
In 1603 [her step-father] Robert Devereux 3rd Earl Essex [aged 11] and [her mother] Frances Howard Countess Essex and Somerset [aged 12] were married. They were separated after the wedding given their young age. Essex went on a European tour from 1607 to 1609. When he returned she avoided him having fallen for Robert Carr 1st Earl Somerset [aged 16] whilst her husband was away. He was ill with smallpox. She sought an annulment with her father Robert Devereux 2nd Earl Essex and uncle Henry Howard 1st Earl of Northampton [aged 62] acting for her. She maintained the marriage had not been consummated and was examined by ten matrons and two midwives who found her hymen intact. It was widely rumoured at the time that Sir Thomas Monson's [aged 38] daughter was a substitute, which is possible because she had requested to be veiled during the examination "for modesty's sake". He maintained he was capable with other women, but was unable to consummate his marriage blaming her. She the daughter of Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 41] and Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk [aged 39]. He the son of Robert Devereux 2nd Earl Essex and Frances Walsingham Countess Essex [aged 36]. They were fourth cousins.
On 25th September 1613 [her step-father] Robert Devereux 3rd Earl Essex [aged 22] and [her mother] Frances Howard Countess Essex and Somerset [aged 23] marriage annulled by King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland [aged 47]. She married [her father] Robert Carr 1st Earl Somerset [aged 26] three months later.
On 26th December 1613 [her father] Robert Carr 1st Earl Somerset [aged 26] and [her mother] Frances Howard Countess Essex and Somerset [aged 23] were married. She by marriage Countess Somerset. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 52] and [her grandmother] Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk [aged 49].
Her marriage with her first husband [her step-father] Robert Devereux 3rd Earl Essex [aged 22] had been annulled on the grounds of his impotence three months before causing something of a scandal.
On 9th December 1615 Anne Carr Countess of Bedford was born to Robert Carr 1st Earl Somerset [aged 28] and Frances Howard Countess Essex and Somerset [aged 25].
Diary of Anne Clifford. 20th June 1616. Upon the 20th my Lord [aged 27] and I, Dr Layfield and K. Baston went up to London and the same day I passed (by fine before my Lord Hubbard) the inheritance of Westmoreland to my Lord if I had no heirs of my own body, and upon the 21st being Friday my Lord wrote his letters to my Lord William and gave directions to Mr Marsh to go with them and that the possession of Brougham Castle [Map] should be very carefully looked to, the same day he went to Horseley to see the Child at his sisters.1
Note 1. About this time I went into the Tiltyard to see my Lord Knoles where I saw [her mother] Lady Somerset's [aged 26] little Child. (Note: Afterwards Countess of Bedford. Her Portrait in the Leicester Gallery) being the 1st time I ever saw it.
Diary of Anne Clifford. 28th April 1619. The 28th my Lord [aged 30] and I, my Coz. Sackville and Lady Windsor went to the Tower to see my [her mother] Lady Somerset [aged 28], where we saw her little child [aged 3]1. My Lord went to see Earl of Northumberland [aged 55]2 and I and the Lady Windsor went to see Lady Shrewsbury [aged 63]3, and after supper my Lord and I went by water to Channel Row to see my Lord of Hertford [aged 79]4 and his Lady [aged 40] where we found my Lady Beauchamp5, my [her step-father] Lord Essex's [aged 28] Sister, then I went to Arundel House and talked with her about Lords being made Knights of the Garter.
Note 1. "Her little Child," Anne Carr, afterwards married to [her future husband] William 5th Earl and 1st Duke of Bedford [aged 2].
Note 2. Henry, 6th Earl, a Prisoner since the time of the Gunpowder Plot.
Note 3. Mary Cavendish, wife of Gilbert 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, was sent to the Tower in June 1611, at the same time with her niece the Lady Arabella Stuart first cousin of King James. Lady Arabella died, in the Tower, in 1615.
Note 4. Earl of Hertford son of Protector Somerset, and his 3rd wife Frances, d. of Thomas Viscount Howard of Bindon, widow of Henry Pranell, Esq., and married, 3rdly to Ludovick Stuart Duke of Lenox and Richmond [aged 44].
Note 5. Lady Frances Devereux [aged 19], and wife of William Lord Beauchamp [aged 31], afterwards Marquis of Hertford; daughter of Queen Elizabeth's favourite, and sister of the Parliament's General.
On 23rd August 1632 [her mother] Frances Howard Countess Essex and Somerset [aged 42] died.
Around 1635 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 35]. Portrait of Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 19].
On 11th July 1637 William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 20] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of Robert Carr 1st Earl Somerset [aged 50] and Frances Howard Countess Essex and Somerset. He the son of Francis Russell 4th Earl Bedford [aged 44] and Catherine Brydges Countess Bedford [aged 57].
In 1638 [her son] Stephen Russell 1360-1438 was born to [her husband] William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 21] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 22].
On 29th September 1639 [her son] William Russell was born to [her husband] William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 23] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 23]. He married 1669 his fifth cousin once removed John Writhe -1504, daughter of Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester and Rachel Massue Countess Southampton, and had issue.
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 9th May 1641 [her father-in-law] Francis Russell 4th Earl Bedford [aged 48] died. His succeeded son [her husband] William [aged 24] succeeded 5th Earl Bedford, 5th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 3rd Baron Russell of Thornhaugh. Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 25] by marriage Countess Bedford.
On 28th April 1642 Francis Newport 1st Earl Bradford [aged 22] and [her sister-in-law] Diana Russell Countess Bradford were married at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. She the daughter of [her father-in-law] Francis Russell 4th Earl Bedford and [her mother-in-law] Catherine Brydges Countess Bedford [aged 62].
In 1643 [her son] Stephen Russell 1360-1438 was born to [her husband] William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 26] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 27]. He married 1668 Robert Williams -1624, daughter of Robert Williams -1624.
Around 1645 [her son] Stephen Russell 1360-1438 was born to [her husband] William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 28] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 29]. He married 1690 Letitia Cheek.
On 17th July 1645 [her father] Robert Carr 1st Earl Somerset [aged 58] died without male issue. Earl Somerset, Viscount Rochester extinct.
In 1650 [her daughter] Stephen Russell 1360-1438 was born to [her husband] William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 33] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 34]. She died aged seven in 1657.
In 1651 [her son] Stephen Russell 1360-1438 was born to [her husband] William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 34] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 35]. He married in or before 1712 Elizabeth Lloyd Lady Hoghton and had issue.
On 8th February 1651 Richard Newport 1st Baron Newport [aged 63] died. His succeeded son Francis [aged 30] succeeded 2nd Baron Newport of High Ercall in Shropshire. [her sister-in-law] Diana Russell Countess Bradford by marriage Baroness Newport of High Ercall in Shropshire.
In 1652 [her son] Stephen Russell 1360-1438 was born to [her husband] William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 35] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 36]. He married in or before 1692 Mary Pendleton.
On 9th April 1652 [her daughter] Stephen Russell 1360-1438 was born to [her husband] William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 35] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 36]. She married (1) 29th August 1667 her fifth cousin once removed Richard Verney 1403-1489, son of Richard Verney 1403-1489 and Richard Wenman 1524-1573, and had issue (2) 15th July 1675 her sixth cousin William Alington 1st and 3rd Baron Alington, son of William Alington 1420-1485 and Lionel Tollemache 1545-1575, and had issue.
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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On 21st January 1653 John Digby 1st Earl Bristol [aged 72] died in Paris [Map]. His succeeded son George [aged 40] succeeded 2nd Earl Bristol. [her sister-in-law] Anne Russell Countess Bristol [aged 33] by marriage Countess Bristol.
On 31st August 1656 [her daughter] Stephen Russell 1360-1438 was born to [her husband] William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 40] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 40]. She married November 1691 her first cousin Edward Russell 1st Earl Orford.
In 1657 [her daughter] Stephen Russell 1360-1438 [aged 7] died at Woburn, Bedfordshire.
On 29th August 1667 [her son-in-law] Richard Verney 1403-1489 [aged 18] and Stephen Russell 1360-1438 [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Baroness Latimer of Corby, Baroness Willoughby Broke. She the daughter of William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 51] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 51]. They were fifth cousin once removed.
In 1668 Stephen Russell 1360-1438 [aged 25] and Robert Williams -1624 were married. He the son of William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 51] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 52].
In 1669 William Russell [aged 29] and John Writhe -1504 [aged 33] were married. She the daughter of Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester and Rachel Massue Countess Southampton. He the son of William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 52] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 53]. They were fifth cousin once removed.
On 11th March 1675 Francis Newport 1st Earl Bradford [aged 55] was created 1st Viscount Newport of Bradford in Shropshire. [her sister-in-law] Diana Russell Countess Bradford by marriage Viscountess Newport of Bradford in Shropshire.
On 15th July 1675 [her son-in-law] William Alington 1st and 3rd Baron Alington [aged 35] and Stephen Russell 1360-1438 [aged 23] were married. She by marriage Baroness Alington of Killard. She the daughter of William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 58] and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 59]. They were sixth cousins.
In 1678 [her son] Stephen Russell 1360-1438 [aged 40] died.
On 21st July 1683 [her son] William Russell [aged 43] was beheaded by Jack Ketch at Lincoln's Inn for his involvement in the Rye House Plot. The executioner was so inept that he took four axe blows to separate the head from the body. After the first failed blow his victim looked up and said "You dog, did I give you 10 guineas to use me so inhumanely?".
A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 3: Parishes: Chenies. Lord William Russell [aged 43], son of the fifth earl, is perhaps the most interesting figure in connexion with Chenies [Map]. As a member of the country party in the House of Commons he backed the Bill excluding the Duke of York from the throne. Being afterwards implicated in the Rye House Plot he was executed for treason in Lincoln's Inn Fields on 21 July 1683 and has earned for himself the name of 'patriot' or martyr of the Revolution52. He was buried at Chenies and his widow Lady Rachel Russell [aged 47] visited the church in later years, when she decided to 'make a little monument' and erected the one to the fifth earl [aged 66] and his wife [aged 67] with medallions of their children, conspicuous among which is that of Lord William Russell, ranged in rows on either side54. Chenies has remained in the Russell family until the present day55, the present Duke of Bedford being lord of the manor, but it is many years since the family ceased to use the old manor-house as a residence.
Note 53. Dict. Nat. Biog.; G.E.C. Complete Peerage.
Note 54. Froude, op. cit. iv, 517.
Note 55. 55. Feet of F. Div. Co. Mich. 8 & 9 Eliz.; Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), ccxi, 132; ccccxxxv, 118; Cal. S. P. Dom. 1581-90, p. 380; Acts of P.C. 1601-4, p. 145; Hist.MSS. Com. Rep. xii, App. v, 131; Recov. R. Hil. 11 Jas. I, m. 97; Mich. 14 Jas. I, m. 136; Mich. 6 Geo. II, m. 291; Mich. 1 Geo. III, m. 139; Trin. 49 Geo. III, m. 152; Fine R. 16 Jas. I, pt. i, no. 4; Lysons, Mag. Brit. i (3), 584.
On 10th May 1684 Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 68] died.
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel Volume 1 Chapters 1-60 1307-1342
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel offer one of the most vivid and immediate accounts of 14th-century Europe, written by a knight who lived through the events he describes, and experienced some of them first hand. Covering the early decades of the Hundred Years’ War, this remarkable chronicle follows the campaigns of Edward III of England, the politics of France and the Low Countries, and the shifting alliances that shaped medieval warfare. Unlike later historians, Jean le Bel writes with a strong sense of eyewitness authenticity, drawing on personal experience and the testimony of fellow soldiers. His narrative captures not only battles and sieges, but also the realities of military life, diplomacy, and the ideals of chivalry that governed noble society. A key source for Jean Froissart, Le Bel’s chronicle stands on its own as a compelling and insightful work, at once historical record and literary achievement. This translation builds on the 1905 edition published in French by Jules Viard, adding extensive translations from other sources Rymer's Fœdera, the Chronicles of Adam Murimuth, William Nangis, Walter of Guisborough, a Bourgeois of Valenciennes, Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke and Richard Lescot to enrich the original text and Viard's notes.
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On 7th September 1700 [her former husband] William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 84] died at Bedford House Covent Garden. His succeeded grandson Wriothesley [aged 19] succeeded 2nd Duke Bedford, 2nd Marquess Tavistock, 6th Earl Bedford, 6th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 4th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 2nd Baron Howland of Streatham.
[her daughter] Stephen Russell 1360-1438 was born to William Russell 1st Duke Bedford and Anne Carr Countess of Bedford.
Kings Wessex: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 9 Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of King Robert III of Scotland
Kings France: Great x 11 Grand Daughter of King Philip IV of France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine 820-866
Kings Spain: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon
Great x 4 Grandfather: Andrew Kerr 1405-1481
Great x 3 Grandfather: Andrew Kerr 1405-1481
Great x 2 Grandfather: Andrew Kerr 1405-1481
Great x 1 Grandfather: Andrew Kerr 1405-1481
GrandFather: Andrew Kerr 1405-1481 6 x Great Grand Son of King Robert III of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Andrew Kerr 1405-1481
Great x 3 Grandfather: Andrew Kerr 1405-1481 3 x Great Grand Son of King Robert III of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Thomas Hay of Locherworth -1399 
2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Robert III of Scotland
Great x 2 Grandfather: Andrew Kerr 1405-1481 4 x Great Grand Son of King Robert III of Scotland
Great x 1 Grandmother: Andrew Kerr 1405-1481 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Robert III of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Crichton 3 x Great Grand Son of King Robert II of Scotland
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Crichton 2nd Lord Crichton of Sanquhar 4 x Great Grand Son of King Robert II of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Walter Fitzalan 1st High Steward 1106-1177 
10 x Great Grand Daughter of King David I of Scotland
Great x 2 Grandmother: Agnes Crichton 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Robert II of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Maxwell 
10 x Great Grand Son of King David I of Scotland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Marion Margaret Maxwell 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King David I of Scotland
Father: Robert Carr 1st Earl Somerset 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Robert III of Scotland
Anne Carr Countess of Bedford 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Robert III of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Howard Earl of Surrey 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Stafford Duchess Norfolk 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Reginar "Longneck" I Duke Lorraine 850-915 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Aubrey I de Vere 1040-1112 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Colbroke
Great x 2 Grandmother: Frances Vere Countess of Surrey 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Trussell 1197-1247
Great x 3 Grandmother: William Trussell 1197-1247 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King William I of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Donne 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King William I of Scotland
GrandFather: Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Audley 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Geoffrey Audley
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Audley 1st Baron Audley Walden
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Audley Duchess Norfolk 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Grey 1st Marquess Dorset 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Grey 2nd Marquess Dorset 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Cecily Bonville Marchioness Dorset 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Grey Baroness Audley 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Nicholas Wotton 1372-1448 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Wotton Marchioness Dorset
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Belknap
Mother: Frances Howard Countess Essex and Somerset 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Knyvet 1322-1381 
8 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Knyvet 9 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Knyvet 1322-1381 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Muriel Howard Viscountess Lisle 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Knyvet 1322-1381 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Pickering 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Christopher Pickering 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Pickering 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Lewknor
Great x 3 Grandmother: Jane Lewknor 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: John Tuchet 1327-1371 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
GrandMother: Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Stumpe