Paternal Family Tree: Gresham
In 1495 John Gresham was born to John Gresham at Holt, Norfolk.
In 1507 John Gresham [aged 12] admitted as Worshipful Company of Mercers.
In 1512 [his son] William Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 17] and [his future wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 17]. He married Beatrice Guymon and had issue.
In 1521 John Gresham [aged 26] and Mary Ipswell [aged 26] were married.
On 17th August 1523 [his daughter] Mary Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 28] and [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 28].
In 1524 [his daughter] Catherine Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 29] and [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 29]. She died aged one in 1525.
Around 1525 [his daughter] Catherine Gresham [aged 1] died.
On 18th July 1526 [his son] James Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 31] and [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 31].
On 12th August 1530 [his son] Edmund Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 35] and [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 35].
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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On 27th January 1531 [his son] Anthony Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 36] and [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 36].
On 24th May 1533 [his daughter] Ellen Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 38] and [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 38]. She married 8th May 1545 William Uvedale and had issue.
In 1534 [his daughter] Ursula Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 39] and [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 39]. She married before 21st March 1555 Thomas Leveson and had issue.
On 12th February 1535 [his daughter] Cecily Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 40] and [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 40].
In 1537 John Gresham [aged 42] was appointed Sheriff of London and Middlesex.
On 19th November 1537 [his daughter] Elizabeth Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 42] and [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 42].
In 1538 [his son] Richard Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 43] and [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 43].
Before 1539 Edward Dormer and [his future wife] Katherine Sampson [aged 42] were married.
On 13th March 1539 [his son] John Gresham was born to John Gresham [aged 44] and [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 44]. He married 17th July 1553 Elizabeth Dormer.
On 21st September 1539 [his wife] Mary Ipswell [aged 44] died.
On 7th November 1541 Catherine Howard [aged 18] was first interrogated by Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury [aged 52] and John Gresham Lord Mayor [aged 46].
On 8th May 1545 [his son-in-law] William Uvedale [aged 17] and [his daughter] Ellen Gresham [aged 11] were married.
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 1547 John Gresham [aged 52] was appointed Lord Mayor of London.
Before 1548 [his son] Anthony Gresham [aged 16] died.
On 21st February 1549 [his brother] Richard Gresham [aged 64] died.
Diary of Edward VI. 8th March 1551. Sir Jhon Yorke hade great losse, about 2,000 pounde weight of silver, by treason of English men, wich he brought for provision of the mintes. Also Judd [aged 58]1 1,500; also Tresham (Gresham2) 500: so the hole came to 4,000 pound.
Note 1. Sir Andrew Judde, an alderman of London, the founder of Tunbridge school.
Note 2. Sir John Gresham [aged 56], another alderman, uncle of the celebrated sir [his nephew] Thomas [aged 32].
Before 1552 [his son] James Gresham [aged 25] died.
On 15th July 1553 John Gresham [aged 58] and Katherine Sampson [aged 57] were married.
On 17th July 1553 [his son] John Gresham [aged 14] and [his daughter-in-law] Elizabeth Dormer were married.
In 1555 John Gresham [aged 60] founded as Muscovy Company.
In 1555 John Gresham [aged 60] founded at Gresham's School, Holt.
Before 21st March 1555 [his son-in-law] Thomas Leveson [aged 23] and [his daughter] Ursula Gresham [aged 21] were married.
On 23rd October 1556 John Gresham [aged 61] died. He was buried at St Michael Bassishaw.
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel Volume 2 Chapters 61-109 1342-1361
The Chronicle of Jean le Bel, Volume 2 continues one of the most important fourteenth-century accounts of the early Hundred Years’ War. Written by the Liège chronicler Jean le Bel, this vivid narrative follows the fortunes of Edward III, Jean II of France, the Black Prince, the great nobles of France and England, and the soldiers, captains and companies who shaped the conflict. This volume covers some of the most dramatic events of the period, including the battles of Crécy and Poitiers, the siege and capture of Calais, the captivity of King John, the rise of the Jacquerie, the turmoil in Paris under Étienne Marcel and Charles of Navarre, the devastation caused by the free companies, Edward III’s great campaign of 1359–1360, and the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Brétigny. Jean le Bel’s chronicle is especially valuable for its lively detail, its interest in chivalry, warfare, politics and reputation, and its influence on later chroniclers, most famously Froissart. This English translation presents the text in clear, readable British English while preserving the force and character of the original narrative. The translation includes extensive notes to help the reader better understand Jean le Bel's text. Volume 2 also includes translated appendices drawn from royal and administrative records, many from the English Record Office, which illuminate Edward III’s campaigns in Brittany, the siege and occupation of Calais, naval preparations, military finance, appointments, safe conducts and related affairs.
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Henry Machyn's Diary. 30th October 1556. The xxx day of October was bered ser [John] Gressem [deceased], knyght and merser, and marchand of the [staple] of Callys, and marchand venterer, and late mere [and alderman] of London; with a standard and a penon of armes, [cote-] armur of damask, and iiij pennons of armes ... a elmett, a targett and a sword, mantylles, and ys .... and a goodly hersse of wax and x dosen of [pensels] and xij dosen of skochyons; and he gayff a c blake g[owns] unto pore men and powre women of fyne blake [cloth]; iiij dosen of grett stayffe torchys, and a dosen of .. longe torches; and he gayff a C. d. of fyne blake .... ij unto the mare and the old mare, and to ser Rowland Hylle and to ser Andrew Jude and to boyth the chamburlayns, and to master of Blakwelle, and to master the common huntt and ys man, and to the porters that longes to the stapull, and to all ys farmers and ys tenantts; and all the chyrche hangyd and the strett with blake and armes grett store; and morow iij goodly masses song, on of the Trenete, and a-nodur of owre Lade, and the iij of requiem, and a goodly sermon; master Harpfeld dyd pryche; and after as grett a dener as has bene sene for a fysse-day, for alle that cam to dener, for ther laket nothyng dere.
Note. P. 116. Funeral of alderman sir John Gresham. Uncle to the celebrated sir [his nephew] Thomas [aged 37]. Biographical notices of him will be found in Burgon's Life of sir Thomas Gresham, vol. i. pp. 11, et seq. He was sheriff in 1537-8, and lord mayor in 1547-8. He was buried at St. Michael Bassishaw and his epitaph is given by Stowe. Sir Rowland Hill and sir Andrew Judd were made overseers of his will. (Ibid. p. 19.) "He dwelled where sir Leonard Holiday now dwelleth." (Wm. Smith, Rouge-dragon.)
The death of so many old persons at this period is attributed by Stowe to "the hot burning fevers [Note. Possibly a reference to the Sweating Sickness]." Seven aldermen died within ten months, - Hardson, Dobbs, Laxton, Hobblethorne, Champneys, Ayloffe, and Gresham: they have all been noticed in these pages.
On 9th January 1576 [his former wife] Katherine Sampson [aged 80] died.
Grandfather: James Gresham 
father: John Gresham