On 5th January 1893 Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde was born.
1914. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 20]. Photograph of Alexandra Henrietta Louisa Haig [aged 6]. © National Portrait Gallery.
Alexandra Henrietta Louisa Haig: On 9th March 1907 she was born to Field Marshal Douglas Haig 1st Earl Haig and Dorothy Maud Vivian. In 1997 she died.
1914. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 20]. Photograph of Helen Venetia Duncombe Viscountess D'Abernon [aged 48]. © National Portrait Gallery.
Around 1925. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 31]. Photograph of Mary Borden Lady Spears [aged 38]. © National Portrait Gallery.
1930. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 36]. Photograph of Raine McCorquodale Countess Dartmouth and Spencer. © National Portrait Gallery.
1932. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 38]. Photograph of Margaret Whigham Duchess of Argyll [aged 19]. © National Portrait Gallery.
1932. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 38]. Photograph of Margaret Whigham Duchess of Argyll [aged 19]. © National Portrait Gallery.
1932. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 38]. Photograph of Helen Moira Eaton Lady Dashwood [aged 32]. © National Portrait Gallery.
Helen Moira Eaton Lady Dashwood: On 22nd September 1899 she was born. On 20th December 1922 John Lindsay Dashwood 10th Baronet and she were married. She by marriage Lady Dashwood of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. On 28th June 1989 she died.
1933. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 39]. Photograph of Adele Astaire [aged 36], Lady Charles Cavendish [aged 27]. © National Portrait Gallery.
Adele Astaire: On 10th September 1896 she was born. In 1932 Charles Arthur Francis Cavendish and she were married at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire [Map]. He the son of Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire and Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire. On 25th January 1981 she died.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
1933. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 39]. Photograph of Diana Mitford [aged 22]. © National Portrait Gallery.
1933. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 39]. Photograph of Adele Astaire [aged 36], Lady Charles Cavendish [aged 27]. © National Portrait Gallery.
1934. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 40]. Photograph on the cover of Tatler of Lady Milbanke [aged 35] i.e. Sheila Chisholm.
1935. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 41]. Photograph of Alice Christabel Montagu-Douglas-Scott Duchess Gloucester [aged 33]. © National Portrait Gallery.
1935. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 41]. Photograph of Ismay Lucretia Mary Preston [aged 52]. © National Portrait Gallery.
Ismay Lucretia Mary Preston: On 29th October 1882 she was born to Jenico Preston 14th Viscount Gormanston. On 16th June 1906 Ninian Edward Crichton-Stuart and she were married. He the son of John Crichton-Stuart 3rd Marquis of the Isle of Bute and Gwendolen Mary Anne Fitzalan Howard Marchioness Bute. On 16th February 1975 she died.
1935. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 41]. Photograph of Helen Diana Bridgeman [aged 27]. © National Portrait Gallery.
1935. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 41]. Photograph of Helen Diana Bridgeman [aged 27]. © National Portrait Gallery.
1935. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 41]. Photograph of Mary Sibell Ashley-Cooper Baroness Alington [aged 32]. © National Portrait Gallery.
1935. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 41]. Photograph of Margaret Sheila MacKellar Chisholm [aged 36] as "Penthesilea, Queen of the Amazons". © The Yevonde Portrait Archive.
1935. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 41]. Photograph of Marguerite Rose Bligh aka Tangye [aged 21]..
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
1937. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 43]. Photograph of Helen Moira Eaton Lady Dashwood [aged 37]. © National Portrait Gallery.
1943. Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 49]. Photograph of Lavinia Mary Strutt Duchess Norfolk [aged 26]..
Lavinia Mary Strutt Duchess Norfolk: In 22nd March 1916 she was born to Algernon Strutt 3rd Baron Belper and Eva Isabel Countess Rosebery. On 27th January 1937 Bernard Fitzalan 16th Duke of Norfolk and she were married. She by marriage Duchess Norfolk. She the daughter of Algernon Strutt 3rd Baron Belper and Eva Isabel Countess Rosebery. He the son of Henry Fitzalan Howard 15th Duke of Norfolk and Gwendolen Constable-Maxwell Duchess Norfolk. In 10th December 1995 Lavinia Mary Strutt Duchess Norfolk died.
On 22nd December 1975 Yevonde Cumbers aka Madame Yevonde [aged 82] died.