Paternal Family Tree: Knightley
In 1533 Richard Knightley was born to Valentine Knightley [aged 38] and Anne Ferrers [aged 38].
On 12th December 1554 [his mother] Anne Ferrers [aged 59] died.
Around 1555 [his son] Valentine Knightley was born to Richard Knightley [aged 22] and [his future wife] Mary Fermor [aged 22]. He married before 9th December 1618 Anne Unton, daughter of Edward Unton and Anne Seymour Countess of Warwick, and had issue.
Around 1560 [his daughter] Dorothea Knightley was born to Richard Knightley [aged 27] and [his future wife] Mary Fermor [aged 27]. She married in or before 1579 Edward Unton, son of Edward Unton and Anne Seymour Countess of Warwick.
Around 1562 [his son] Edward Knightley was born to Richard Knightley [aged 29] and [his future wife] Mary Fermor [aged 29]. He married 1594 Mary Coles de Preston and had issue.
Before 1566 [his father] Valentine Knightley [aged 70] and [his mother] Anne Ferrers were married.
In 1566 Richard Knightley [aged 33] and Mary Fermor [aged 33] were married. They had three sons and three daughters.
On 8th May 1566 [his father] Valentine Knightley [aged 71] died
1567. Attributed to Hans Eworth [aged 47]. Portrait of Richard Knightley [aged 34].
In 1567 attrbuted to Hans Eworth [aged 47]. Portrait of Richard Knightley [aged 34].
On 27th September 1573 [his wife] Mary Fermor [aged 40] died.
In 1575 Richard Knightley [aged 42] entertained Queen Elizabeth I [aged 41] at Fawsley Hall, Northamptonshire [Map]. The Queen stayed in the Jane Skenard Room at Fawsley Hall, Northamptonshire [Map].
Around 1578 Richard Knightley [aged 45] and Elizabeth Seymour [aged 28] were married. They had seven sons and seven daughters. She the daughter of Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset and Anne Stanhope Duchess Somerset [aged 81]. They were fifth cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Before 1579 [his daughter] Dorothea Knightley [aged 18] died.
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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In or before 1579 [his son-in-law] Edward Unton [aged 22] and [his daughter] Dorothea Knightley [aged 18] were married. There were no children from the marriage. He the son of Edward Unton [aged 44] and [his sister-in-law] Anne Seymour Countess of Warwick [aged 40].
On 15th May 1580 [his son] Seymour Knightley was born to Richard Knightley [aged 47] and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour [aged 30]. Named for his mother's family Seymour. He married 1601 Dorothy Bedell and had issue.
On 26th May 1581 [his son] Ferdinando Knightley was born to Richard Knightley [aged 48] and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour [aged 31].
In 1582 [his brother-in-law] Edward Seymour 1st Earl Hertford [aged 42] and Frances Howard Countess Hertford [aged 28] were married. She by marriage Countess Hertford. He the son of Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset and [his mother-in-law] Anne Stanhope Duchess Somerset [aged 85]. They were half sixth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
On 16th September 1582 Edward Unton [aged 48] died. He was buried at All Saints' Church, Faringdon. The inscription on his monument ... Here lyeth Sir Edward Unton, Knight of the Noble Order of the Bathe, whoe married [his sister-in-law] Anne Countess of Warwick [aged 44], daughter of Edwarde Seymer Duke of Somersett and Protector of England, by whome he had ffive sonnes, whereof 3 died younge in the life of their father; Two, namelye [his former son-in-law] Edwarde [aged 26] and Henry [aged 24] onely, survyved and succeeded him, the one after the other in their father's inheritance; and two daughters, [his future daughter-in-law] Anne [aged 27] married to Sir Valentine Knightley [aged 27], Knight, and Scissil [aged 21] married to John Wentworth [aged 18], Esquire.
Around 1583 [his son] Dudley Knightley was born to Richard Knightley [aged 50] and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour [aged 33].
On 24th February 1583 [his daughter] Anne Knightley died.
On 25th July 1584 [his daughter] Anne Knightley was born to Richard Knightley [aged 51] and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour [aged 34].
On 1585 [his son-in-law] Thomas Barnardiston of Witham Knights, Essex and [his daughter] Mary Knightley were married.
On 1st August 1585 [his son] John Knightley was born to Richard Knightley [aged 52] and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour [aged 35].
On 25th February 1586 [his son] Nathaniel Knightley was born to Richard Knightley [aged 53] and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour [aged 36].
On 8th February 1587 Mary Queen of Scots [aged 44] was beheaded in the Great Hall at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire [Map].
George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 59], Henry Grey 6th Earl Kent [aged 46], Richard Knightley [aged 54] and Henry Wriothesley 3rd Earl of Southampton [aged 13] witnessed her execution.
There are a number of extant primary sources, eye-witness accounts, describing Mary's execution:
Letter of Robert Wingfield to William Cecil, 08 Feb 1587.
The manner of the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.
The manner of the Scottish Queen's execution
Warrender Papers 167. Anonymous.
Warrender Papers 168. Anonymous. Based on the Narration of Richard Wingfield
Ashmole MS. 830, F. 18, in the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
Jebb's De vita et rebus gestis serenissimæ principis Mariæ Scotorum Reginæ published in French, attributed to her physician Dominique Bourgoin.
letter-books of Sir Amias Poulet, Keeper of Mary Queen of Scots,
the Calendar of State Papers, Spain (known as the Simancas), Volume 4, 1587-1603
Beale's sketch of the execution.
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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In 1588 [his sister-in-law] Anne Seymour Countess of Warwick [aged 50] died.
On 15th September 1588 [his son] Robert Knightley was born to Richard Knightley [aged 55] and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour [aged 38].
In 1589 Richard Knightley [aged 56] was arrested for the printing of the second Marprelate Tract. He was released in Feb 1589 being fined £2000 by the Court of the Star Chamber.
On 19th January 1590 [his son] Francis Knightley was born to Richard Knightley [aged 57] and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour [aged 40].
Around 1594 [his son] Edward Knightley [aged 32] and [his daughter-in-law] Mary Coles de Preston [aged 16] were married.
On 3rd March 1594 [his daughter] Mary Knightley died.
On 18th November 1598 [his son] Edward Knightley [aged 36] died.
Around 1601 [his son] Seymour Knightley [aged 20] and [his daughter-in-law] Dorothy Bedell [aged 17] were married.
On 27th May 1601 [his brother-in-law] Edward Seymour 1st Earl Hertford [aged 62] and Frances Howard Duchess Lennox and Richmond [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Countess Hertford. The difference in their ages was 39 years. He the son of Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset and [his mother-in-law] Anne Stanhope Duchess Somerset. They were half third cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
In 1602 [his son] Nathaniel Knightley [aged 15] died.
In June 1602 [his son] Dudley Knightley [aged 19] died in Norton, Northamptonshire [Map]. He had been shot in the neck whilst in the defence of Ostend. Having returned home he "fell down wherwith a fever took him whereof he died".
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 3rd June 1602 Elizabeth Seymour [aged 52] died. She was buried at All Saints Church, Norton [Map] on 6th June 1603. Painted alabaster Elizabethan Period monument with recumbent praying effigy in coffered arch flanked by black marble Corinthian Columns and outer obelisks and topped by armorial panels. The monument also to Dudley Knightley [deceased].
Inscriptions: "Here Lieth ye bodie of ye Right Honorable ye ladie Elizabeth Seymour ye 4 daughter to ye High and Mightie Prince Edward Duke of Somerset Protector of England unckle to King Edward the 6. Who was also ye second wife of Sr Richard Knightley of Norton Kni. By whom he had issue 7 sons & 2 daughters (vis) Seymour, Ferdinand, Dudley, John, Nathaniel, Robert, & Francis; Ann deceased & Ann Knightley ye yonger married to Sr Euseby Andrew of Winick Knight. Wch Ladie Elizabeth died ye 3 June and dni 1602."
"Lo here she lies, whose life was never staind with any crime, or unrespected care whose noble hart, truth love & faith unfaimd did ever rule, with other virtues rare the rich, ye poor, ye sick, ye lame, ye blinde did knowey ye cures, & vertue of her hand her servants did her honorable minde: by woord, and deede, & favour understand so for reward, time hath comaunded fame: above all praise. to eterniz her name."
"By true descent, of famous princes line this ladie here, entoombed, is derived whose praises while, ye sun & moone, do shine by tracte of time, shall never be contrived her hart was humble yet her place was high quite voi of pride, & all disdainfull hate she never did the poore, her helpe denie thus now translated. to a better state she leaves alive a well reported fame a blessed soule: a memorable name."
Elizabeth Seymour: Around 1550 she was born to Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset and Anne Stanhope Duchess Somerset in the year in which her father was executed. Around 1578 Richard Knightley and she were married. They had seven sons and seven daughters. She the daughter of Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset and Anne Stanhope Duchess Somerset. They were fifth cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Dudley Knightley: Around 1583 he was born to Richard Knightley and Elizabeth Seymour. In June 1602 Dudley Knightley died in Norton, Northamptonshire [Map]. He had been shot in the neck whilst in the defence of Ostend. Having returned home he "fell down wherwith a fever took him whereof he died".
In 1614 [his son] John Knightley [aged 28] died.
On 1st September 1615 Richard Knightley [aged 82] died in Norton, Northamptonshire [Map]. He was buried in St Mary's Church, Fawsley [Map].
[his daughter] Mary Knightley was born to Richard Knightley and Elizabeth Seymour. She married 1585 Thomas Barnardiston of Witham Knights, Essex and had issue.
[his daughter] Anne Knightley was born to Richard Knightley and Elizabeth Seymour.
Kings Wessex: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 12 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 18 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 13 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 9 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 13 Grand Son of King David I of Scotland
Kings France: Great x 16 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 20 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Kings Spain: Great x 13 Grand Son of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Knightley 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Knightley
Grandfather: Richard Knightley
father: Valentine Knightley
Richard Knightley 9 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Ferrers 4th Baron Ferrers of Groby 
3 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Ferrers 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Hoo Baroness Ferrers Groby
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Ferrers 5 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Clifford 5th Baron Clifford 
4 x Great Grandson of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Philippa Clifford 5 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Beauchamp Baroness Clifford 
5 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Ferrers 6 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Baldwin Freville
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Freville
Grandfather: Edward Ferrers 7 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
mother: Anne Ferrers 8 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England