Paternal Family Tree: Sackville
In 1612 [his father] Edward Sackville 4th Earl Dorset [aged 21] and [his mother] Mary Curzon Countess Dorset [aged 22] were married. He the son of [his grandfather] Robert Sackville 2nd Earl Dorset and [his grandmother] Margaret Howard.
On 16th September 1622 Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset was born to Edward Sackville 4th Earl Dorset [aged 31] and Mary Curzon Countess Dorset [aged 32] at Dorset House.
On 28th March 1624 [his uncle] Richard Sackville 3rd Earl Dorset [aged 35] died at Dorset House. He was buried in the Sackville Chapel St Michael's Church Withyham East Sussex. His brother [his father] Edward [aged 33] succeeded 4th Earl Dorset, 4th Baron Buckhurst. [his mother] Mary Curzon Countess Dorset [aged 34] by marriage Countess Dorset.
Before 1637 Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 14] and Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 61] and Anne Brett Countess Middlesex. He the son of Edward Sackville 4th Earl Dorset [aged 45] and Mary Curzon Countess Dorset [aged 46].
In 1640 Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 17] was elected MP East Grinstead which seat he held until 1643.
In 1642 Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 19] was arrested and subsequently fined £1500 in 1644.
On 24th January 1643 [his son] Charles Sackville 6th Earl Dorset 1st Earl Middlesex was born to Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 20] and [his wife] Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 21]. He married 1. June 1674 Mary Bagot Countess Falmouth and Dorset 2. 7th March 1685 his sixth cousin Mary Compton Countess Dorset and Middlesex, daughter of James Compton 3rd Earl of Northampton and Mary Noel Countess Northampton, and had issue.
On 16th May 1645 [his mother] Mary Curzon Countess Dorset [aged 55] died.
On 6th August 1645 [his father-in-law] Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 70] died. His son [his brother-in-law] James [aged 24] succeeded 2nd Earl Middlesex, 2nd Baron Cranfield of Cranfield in Bedfordshire.
On 3rd March 1646 [his brother-in-law] James Cranfield 2nd Earl Middlesex [aged 25] and Anne Bourchier Countess Middlesex [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Countess Middlesex. She the daughter of Edward Bourchier 4th Earl Bath and Dorothy St John Countess Bath. He the son of [his father-in-law] Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex and [his mother-in-law] Anne Brett Countess Middlesex.
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 4th February 1648 [his daughter] Mary Sackville Countess Orrery was born to Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 25] and [his wife] Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 26]. She married 1665 her third cousin Roger Boyle 2nd Earl Orrery, son of Roger Boyle 1st Earl Orrery and Margaret Howard Countess Orrery, and had issue.
Around 1650. Robert Walker [aged 51]. Portrait of Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 27].
On 17th June 1650 [his daughter] Anne Sackville Countess Home was born to Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 27] and [his wife] Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 28]. She married 19th April 1671 Alexander Home 4th Earl of Home, son of James Home 3rd Earl of Home and Jean Douglas Countess Home.
On 16th September 1651 [his brother-in-law] James Cranfield 2nd Earl Middlesex [aged 30] died. His brother Lionel [aged 26] succeeded 3rd Earl Middlesex, 3rd Baron Cranfield of Cranfield in Bedfordshire.
On 17th July 1652 [his father] Edward Sackville 4th Earl Dorset [aged 61] died. His son Richard [aged 29] succeeded 5th Earl Dorset, 5th Baron Buckhurst. [his wife] Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 30] by marriage Countess Dorset.
On 1st May 1655 [his brother-in-law] Lionel Cranfield 3rd Earl Middlesex [aged 30] and Rachael Fane Countess Bath and Middlesex [aged 42] were married at St Bride's Church, Fleet Street. She by marriage Countess Middlesex. She the daughter of Francis Fane 1st Earl of Westmoreland and Mary Mildmay Countess of Westmoreland. He the son of [his father-in-law] Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex and [his mother-in-law] Anne Brett Countess Middlesex.
In 1660 Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 37] was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 9th February 1660. Thence to Westminster Hall, where I heard an action very finely pleaded between my Lord Dorset [aged 37] and some other noble persons, his [his wife] lady [aged 38] and other ladies of quality being here, and it was about; £330 per annum, that was to be paid to a poor Spittal, which was given by some of his predecessors; and given on his side.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 20th February 1660. Monday. In the morning at my lute. Then to my office, where my partner and I made even our balance. Took him home to dinner with me, where my brother John [aged 19] came to dine with me. After dinner I took him to my study at home and at my Lord's, and gave him some books and other things against his going to Cambridge. After he was gone I went forth to Westminster Hall [Map], where I met with Chetwind, Simons, and Gregory. And with them to Marsh's at Whitehall to drink, and staid there a pretty while reading a pamphlet1 well writ and directed to General Monk [aged 51], in praise of the form of monarchy which was settled here before the wars. They told me how the Speaker Lenthall [aged 68] do refuse to sign the writs for choice of new members in the place of the excluded; and by that means the writs could not go out to-day. In the evening Simons and I to the Coffee Club, where nothing to do only I heard Mr. Harrington [aged 49], and my Lord of Dorset [aged 37] and another Lord, talking of getting another place as the Cockpit [Map], and they did believe it would come to something. After a small debate upon the question whether learned or unlearned subjects are the best the Club broke up very poorly, and I do not think they will meet any more. Hence with Vines, &c. to Will's, and after a pot or two home, and so to bed.
Note 1. This pamphlet is among the Thomason Collection of Civil War Tracts (British Museum), and dated in MS. this same day, February 20th- "A Plea for Limited Monarchy as it was established in this Nation before the late War. In an Humble Address to his Excellency General Monck. By a Zealot for the good old Laws of his Country, before any Faction or Caprice, with additions". "An Eccho to the Plea for Limited Monarchy, &c"., was published soon afterwards.
On 13th June 1661 [his brother-in-law] Lionel Cranfield 3rd Earl Middlesex [aged 36] and Rachael Fane Countess Bath and Middlesex [aged 48] were divorced by decree of the Court of Arches having previously obtained a royal warrant dated 19 Mar 1661 to retain her precedency as Countess of Bath.
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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Hudibras On Samuel Butler Author of Hudibras. Lord Dorset [aged 40] is said to have first introduced Hudibras to court. November 11, 1662, the author obtained an imprimatur, signed J. Berkenhead, for printing his poem; accordingly in the following year he published the first part, containing 125 pages. Sir Roger L'Estrange granted an imprimatur for the second part of Hudibras, by the author of the first, November 5, 1663, and it was printed by T. R. for John Martin, 1664.
In 1665 Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 42] was elected Fellow of the Royal Society.
In 1665 [his son-in-law] Roger Boyle 2nd Earl Orrery [aged 18] and Mary Sackville Countess Orrery [aged 16] were married. She the daughter of Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 42] and Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 43]. He the son of Roger Boyle 1st Earl Orrery [aged 43] and Margaret Howard Countess Orrery [aged 42]. They were third cousins.
John Evelyn's Diary. 18th October 1666. This night was acted my Lord Broghill's [aged 45] tragedy, called "Mustapha", before their Majesties [aged 36] [Note. and Catherine of Braganza Queen Consort England [aged 27]] at Court, at which I was present; very seldom going to the public theatres for many reasons now, as they were abused to an atheistical liberty; foul and indecent women now (and never till now) permitted to appear and act, who inflaming several young noblemen and gallants, became their misses, and to some, their wives. Witness the Earl of Oxford [aged 39], Sir R. Howard [aged 40], Prince Rupert [aged 46], the Earl of Dorset [aged 44], and another greater person than any of them, who fell into their snares, to the reproach of their noble families, and ruin of both body and soul. I was invited by my Lord Chamberlain [aged 64] to see this tragedy, exceedingly well written, though in my mind I did not approve of any such pastime in a time of such judgments and calamities.
After 1671 [his son-in-law] George Lane 1st Viscount Lanesborough [aged 51] and Frances Sackville Viscountess Lanesborough were married. She the daughter of Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 48] and Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 49].
On 19th April 1671 [his son-in-law] Alexander Home 4th Earl of Home and Anne Sackville Countess Home [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Countess of Home. She the daughter of Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 48] and Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 49]. He the son of James Home 3rd Earl of Home and Jean Douglas Countess Home.
On 22nd August 1672 [his daughter] Anne Sackville Countess Home [aged 22] died.
John Evelyn's Diary. 25th July 1673. In my way, I saw my Lord of Dorset's [aged 50] house at Knowle, near Sevenoaks, a great old-fashioned house.
In June 1674 Charles Sackville 6th Earl Dorset 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 31] and Mary Bagot Countess Falmouth and Dorset [aged 29] were married. He the son of Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 51] and Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 52].
On 26th October 1674 [his brother-in-law] Lionel Cranfield 3rd Earl Middlesex [aged 49] died without issue. Earl Middlesex, Baron Cranfield of Cranfield in Bedfordshire extinct.
On 27th August 1677 Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset [aged 54] died. His son Charles [aged 34] succeeded 6th Earl Dorset, 6th Baron Buckhurst. Mary Bagot Countess Falmouth and Dorset [aged 32] by marriage Countess Dorset.
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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In 1687 [his former wife] Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 65] died.
Letters of Horace Walpole. 5th August 1752. From Sevenoaks [Map] we went to Knowle. The park is sweet, with much old beech, and an immense sycamore before the great gate, that makes me more in love than ever with sycamores. The house is not near so extensive as I expected:330 the outward court has a beautiful decent simplicity that charms one. The apartments are many, but not large. The furniture throughout, ancient magnificence; loads of portraits, not good nor curious; ebony cabinets, embossed silver in vases, dishes, etc. embroidered beds, stiff chairs, and sweet bags lying on velvet tables, richly worked in silk and gold. There are two galleries, one very small; an old hall, and a spacious great drawing-room. There is never a good staircase. The first little room you enter has sundry portraits of the times; but they seem to have been bespoke by the yard, and drawn all by the same painter; One should be happy if they were authentic; for among them there is Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, Gardiner of Winchester, the Earl of Surry, the poet, when a boy, and a Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, but I don't know which. The only fine picture is of Lord Goring and Endymion Porter by Vandyke. There is a good head of the Queen of Bohemia, a whole-length of Duc d'Espernon, and another good head of the Clifford, Countess of Dorset, who wrote that admirable haughty letter to Secretary Williamson, when he recommended a person to her for member for Appleby: "I have been bullied by an usurper, I have been neglected by a court, but I won't be dictated to by a subject: your man shan't stand. Ann Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery." In the chapel is a piece of ancient tapestry: Saint Luke in his first profession is holding an urinal. Below stairs is a chamber of poets and players, which is proper enough in that house; for the first Earl wrote a play331, and the last Earl was a poet332, and I think married a player333 Major Mohun and Betterton are curious among the latter, Cartwright and Flatman among the former. The arcade is newly enclosed, painted in fresco, and with modern glass of all the family matches. In the gallery is a whole-length of the unfortunate Earl of Surry, with his device, a broken column, and the motto Sat superest. My father had one of them, but larger, and with more emblems, which the Duke of Norfolk bought at my brother's sale. There is one good head of henry VIII, and divers of Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, the citizen who came to be lord treasurer, and was very near coming to be hanged.334 His Countess, a bouncing kind of lady-mayoress, looks pure awkward amongst so much good company. A visto cut through the wood has a delightful effect from the front: but there are some trumpery fragments of gardens that spoil the view from the state apartments.
Note 329. Only son of Dr. Richard Bentley, the celebrated Divine and classical scholar. He was educated at Trinity College, under his father. Cumberland, who was his nephew, describes him as a man of various and considerable accomplishments; possessing a fine genius, great wit, and a brilliant imagination; "but there was," he adds, "a certain eccentricity and want of prudence in his character, that involved him in distresses, and reduced him to situations uncongenial with his feelings, and unpropitious to the cultivation and encouragement of his talents."-E.
Note 330. Evelyn in his Diary for July 25, 1673, says, "In my way I visited my Lord of Dorset's house at Knowle, near Sevenoaks, a greate old-fashion'd house."-E.
Note 331. Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, while a student in the Temple, wrote his tragedy of Gordobuc, which was played before Queen Elizabeth, at Whitehall, in 1561. He was created Earl of Dorset by James the First, in 1604.-E.
Note 332. Charles Sackville, sixth Earl of Dorset. On the day previous to the naval engagement with the Dutch, in 1665, he is said to have composed his celebrated song, "to all you Ladies now on Land."-E.
Note 333. On the contrary, he married the Lady Frances, daughter of the Earl of Middlesex, who survived him.-E. [Note. This appears to be a mistake insofar as Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset married Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset who was the daughter of Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex. Charles Sackville 6th Earl Dorset 1st Earl Middlesex married firstly Mary Bagot Countess Falmouth and Dorset and secondly Mary Compton Countess Dorset and Middlesex. There, however, references to his marrying an actress Alice Lee with whom he appear to have had a daughter Mary Sackville Countess Orrery.]
Note 334. Lionel Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, married two wives: the first was the daughter of a London citizen; the second, the daughter of James Brett, Esq. and half-sister of Mary Beaumont, created Countess of Buckingham. To this last alliance, Lord Middlesex owed his extraordinary advancement.-E.
[his daughter] Frances Sackville Viscountess Lanesborough was born to Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset and Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset. She married after 1671 George Lane 1st Viscount Lanesborough and had issue.
Kings Wessex: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 14 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 20 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 15 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 9 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 13 Grand Son of King William I of Scotland
Kings France: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Philip IV of France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 22 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Kings Spain: Great x 14 Grand Son of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Sackville of Buckhurst 
7 x Great Grandson of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Sackville 8 x Great Grandson of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Digges
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Sackville 7 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Boleyn 
8 x Great Grandson of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Boleyn 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Butler 
5 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Sackville 1st Earl Dorset 8 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Brydges
Great x 2 Grandmother: Winifred Brydges Marchioness Winchester
Great x 3 Grandmother: Agnes Ayloffe
Grandfather: Robert Sackville 2nd Earl Dorset 9 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Baker
Great x 1 Grandmother: Cicely Baker Countess Dorset
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Dinley
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Dinley
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Dinley
father: Edward Sackville 4th Earl Dorset 8 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk 
5 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk 6 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey 
8 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Howard Earl of Surrey 6 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham 
4 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Stafford Duchess Norfolk 5 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Percy Duchess Buckingham 4 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk 7 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John de Vere 
4 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford 5 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Colbroke
Great x 2 Grandmother: Frances Vere Countess of Surrey 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Trussell
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Trussell Countess of Oxford 8 x Great Granddaughter of King William I of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Donne 7 x Great Granddaughter of King William I of Scotland
Grandmother: Margaret Howard 7 x Great Granddaughter 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 Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Grey 1st Marquess Dorset 
6 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Grey 2nd Marquess Dorset 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Cecily Bonville Marchioness Dorset 
3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Grey Baroness Audley 5 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Wotton Marchioness Dorset
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Belknap
Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset 9 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Curzon
Grandfather: George Curzon 12 x Great Grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Babington 
15 x Great Grandson of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Babington of Dethick 16 x Great Grandson of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Bradbourne
Great x 2 Grandfather: Rowland Babington 10 x Great Grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Fitzherbert 8 x Great Grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Edith Fitzherbert 9 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Marshall
Great x 1 Grandmother: Katherine Babington 11 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jane Ridge
mother: Mary Curzon Countess Dorset 13 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England