In 1646 John Riley was born to William Riley.
Around 1661 John Riley [aged 15] studied under Gilbert Soest [aged 56] from whom he learned a style of portraiture which rendered his portraits noteworthy.
Before 29th January 1663. John Riley [aged 17]. Portrait of Bishop Robert Sanderson [aged 75].
Before 25th July 1667, the date he was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map], [his father] William Riley died.
Around 1670. John Riley [aged 24]. Portrait of James Scott 1st Duke Monmouth 1st Duke Buccleuch [aged 20].
Around 1680 John Riley [aged 34] was assisted by John Closterman [aged 20] who finished several of Riley's pictures after his death.
Before 16th May 1680. John Riley [aged 34] and John Closterman [aged 20]. Portrait of William Blackett 1st Baronet [aged 59].
In 1681 John Closterman [aged 21] travelled to England where he worked for John Riley [aged 35] being resposible for painting the draperies in Riley's portraits.
In 1682. John Riley [aged 36]. Portrait of Mary Morice Lady Carew [aged 11].
Mary Morice Lady Carew: In or before 1671 she was born to William Morice 1st Baronet and Gertrude Bampfylde Lady Morice. On 5th July 1681 John Carew 3rd Baronet and she were married. She by marriage Lady Carew of Antony in Cornwall. The difference in their ages was 35 years. Around June 1698 Mary Morice Lady Carew died.
Around 1682. John Riley [aged 36]. Portrait of Elias Ashmole [aged 64].
Before 21st July 1683. John Riley [aged 37]. Portrait of William Russell [aged 43].
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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Before 1685. John Riley [aged 38]. Portrait of Harbottle Grimston 2nd Baronet [aged 81].
Before 1685. John Riley [aged 38]. Portrait of Francis North 1st Baron Guildford [aged 47].
Around 1685. John Riley [aged 39]. Portrait of Alice Sherard Baroness Brownlow [aged 26].
Around 1685. John Riley [aged 39]. Believed to be a portrait of Frances Windebank [aged 39] wife of Edward Hales 3rd Baronet [aged 40].
Frances Windebank: In 1646 she was born to Francis Windebank. On 12th July 1669 Edward Hales 3rd Baronet and she were married at St Andrew's Church, Holborn [Map]. In 1693 she died.
Around 1685 John Closterman [aged 25] and John Riley [aged 39]. Portrait of William Brownlow 4th Baronet [aged 19].
Around 1685 John Closterman [aged 25] and John Riley [aged 39]. Portrait of Dorothy Mason Baroness Brownlow [aged 18].
Around 1685 John Closterman [aged 25] and John Riley [aged 39]. Portrait of John Brownlow 3rd Baronet [aged 25].
Around 1685. John Riley [aged 39]. Portrait of Charles Fanshawe 4th Viscount Fanshawe [aged 42].
Charles Fanshawe 4th Viscount Fanshawe: In 1643 he was born to Thomas Fanshawe 1st Viscount Fanshawe and Elizabeth Cockayne Viscountess Fanshawe. On 18th October 1687 Evelyn Fanshawe 3rd Viscount Fanshawe died in Aleppo, Syria. He was buried at Ware, Hertfordshire [Map]. His uncle Charles succeeded 4th Viscount Fanshawe. In 1710 Charles Fanshawe 4th Viscount Fanshawe died. His brother Simon succeeded 5th Viscount Fanshawe.
Before 16th April 1685. John Riley [aged 39]. Portrait of Thomas Otway [deceased].
In 1687. John Riley [aged 41]. Portrait of Elias Ashmole [aged 69].
Around 1687. John Riley [aged 41]. Portrait of Edmund Waller [aged 80].
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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Around 1687. John Riley [aged 41]. Portrait of Sarah Evelyn Viscountess Fanshawe and Castleton [aged 45].
In 1689. John Riley [aged 43]. Portrait of Robert Boyle [aged 62].
In 1689 John Riley [aged 43] was appointed Principal In Ordinary jointly with Godfrey Kneller [aged 42].
Before 1690. John Riley [aged 43]. Portrait of Mary Lake [aged 21]. Frequently described as 'Mary Lake Duchess of Chandos' Mary died two years before her husband James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos [aged 16] was created Duke on 19th October 1714.
Mary Lake: On 18th July 1668 she was born to Thomas Lake and Rebecca Langham. On 2nd February 1695 James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos and she were married. On 15th September 1712 Mary Lake died. She was buried at Chandos Mausoleum Church of St Lawrence Whitchurch Lane Little Stanmore.
Around 1690. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Barbara Belasyse.
Barbara Belasyse: she was born to Henry Belasyse and Grace Barton. Before 23rd January 1671 Walter Strickland and she were married. On 12th September 1708 Barbara Belasyse died.
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Orlando Bridgeman 1st Baronet.
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of John Carew 3rd Baronet [aged 55].
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Frances Cromwell Baroness Russell [aged 52].
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Catherine Vernon [aged 27].
Catherine Vernon: Around 1663 she was born to Thomas Vernon and Anne Weston. In or after 1682 George Vernon and she were married. The difference in their ages was 28 years. They were fourth cousin once removed. On 21st October 1710 Catherine Vernon died.
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Josiah Child [aged 59].
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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Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Alice Sherard Baroness Brownlow [aged 31].
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of John Dryden [aged 59].
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Henry St John 1st Viscount St John [aged 38].
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of John Sherard 1st Baronet [aged 28].
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Elizabeth Sherard [aged 11].
Elizabeth Sherard: In 1679 she was born to Bennet Sherard 2nd Baron Sherard. Before 1688 Edward Ingram 2nd Viscount Irvine and she were married. On 27th May 1696 John Noel and she were married. In 1747 Elizabeth Sherard died.
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Thomas Vernon [aged 59].
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Anne Morice Lady Pole [aged 37].
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Anne Weston [aged 50].
Anne Weston: In 1640 she was born to Henry Weston MP. On 13th December 1660 Thomas Vernon and she were married. The had six sons and nine daughters. On 24th February 1702 she died.
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of Bishop Nathaniel Crew 3rd Baron Crew [aged 57].
Before 1691. John Riley [aged 44]. Portrait of John Crewe of Utkinton [aged 49].
In March 1691 John Riley [aged 45] died of gout. He was buried in St Botolph's without Bishopgate.
After March 1691 John Closterman [aged 31] completed a number of unfinished works of John Riley [deceased] bringing him to the attention of Charles Seymour 6th Duke of Somerset [aged 28] who then commissioned him to complete a number of paintings.
