Biography of Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough 1641-1689

Paternal Family Tree: Noel

Maternal Family Tree: Hester Wotton Viscountess Campden 1615-1655

On 25th December 1632 [his father] Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 21] and Anne Feilding were married. She the daughter of William Feilding 1st Earl Denbigh [aged 45] and Susan Villiers Countess Denbigh [aged 49].

Around June 1636 [his father] Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 25] and Ann Lovett Countess Bath [aged 19] were married.

On 21st December 1639 [his father] Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 28] and [his mother] Hester Wotton Viscountess Campden [aged 24] were married.

In 1641 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough was born to [his father] Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 30] and [his mother] Hester Wotton Viscountess Campden [aged 26].

On 8th March 1643 [his grandfather] Edward Noel 2nd Viscount Campden [aged 61] died. His son [his father] Baptist [aged 32] succeeded 3rd Viscount Campden, 3rd Baron Hicks of Ilmington in Warwickshire. [his mother] Hester Wotton Viscountess Campden [aged 28] by marriage Viscountess Campden.

After 1655 [his mother] Hester Wotton Viscountess Campden [deceased] died.

On 6th July 1655 [his father] Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 44] and [his step-mother] Elizabeth Bertie Viscountess Campden [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Viscountess Campden. The difference in their ages was 29 years. She the daughter of Montagu Bertie 2nd Earl Lindsey [aged 47] and Martha Cockayne Countess Holderness. They were second cousin twice removed.

In 1661 [his daughter] Frances Noel Baroness Digby was born to Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 20] and [his wife] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 15]. She married 27th August 1683 her fifth cousin Simon Digby 4th Baron Digby, son of Kildare Digby 2nd Baron Digby, and had issue.

Around 1661 [his son] Wriothesley Baptist Noel 2nd Earl Gainsborough was born to Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 20] and [his wife] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 15]. He married 30th December 1687 Catherine Greville Duchess Buckingham and Normandby, daughter of Fulke Greville 5th Baron Brooke and Sarah Dashwood Baroness Brooke, and had issue.

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.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Around 1661 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 20] and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 15] were married. She the daughter of Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester [aged 53] and Elizabeth Leigh Countess Southampton. They were third cousin once removed.

On 23rd December 1662 Josceline Percy 11th Earl of Northumberland [aged 18] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Northumberland [aged 16] were married. She by marriage Countess of Northumberland. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester [aged 55] and Elizabeth Leigh Countess Southampton. He the son of Algernon Percy 10th Earl of Northumberland [aged 60] and Elizabeth Howard Countess Northumberland [aged 39]. They were third cousins.

On 30th July 1664 [his brother-in-law] William Alington 1st and 3rd Baron Alington [aged 24] and [his sister] Juliana Noel Baroness Alington [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Baroness Alington of Killard.

In 1666 Henry Worsley 2nd Baronet [aged 53] died. His son Robert [aged 23] succeeded 3rd Baronet Worsley of Appuldurcombe. [his future wife] Mary Herbert Countess Gainsborough by marriage Lady Worsley of Appuldurcombe.

On 14th September 1667 [his sister] Juliana Noel Baroness Alington [aged 22] died.

In 1668 Robert Worsley 3rd Baronet [aged 25] and [his future wife] Mary Herbert Countess Gainsborough were married. They were fourth cousins.

In 1673 Ralph Montagu 1st Duke Montagu [aged 34] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Northumberland [aged 27] were married. She the wealthy daughter of [his father-in-law] Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester who had died six years previously. She the daughter of Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester and Elizabeth Leigh Countess Southampton. They were third cousin once removed.

On 8th January 1673 [his brother-in-law] John Manners 1st Duke Rutland [aged 34] and [his half-sister] Catherine Noel Duchess Rutland [aged 16] were married. He the son of John Manners 8th Earl of Rutland [aged 68] and Frances Montagu Countess Rutland. They were half first cousin twice removed.

In February 1676 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 35] was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.

On 16th August 1677 [his brother-in-law] Charles Berkeley 2nd Earl Berkeley [aged 28] and [his sister] Elizabeth Noel Countess Berkeley [aged 23] were married. He the son of George Berkeley 1st Earl Berkeley [aged 49] and Elizabeth Massingberd Couness Berkeley.

Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.

In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

On 29th September 1679 John Manners 8th Earl of Rutland [aged 75] died at Nether Haddon, Derbyshire [Map]. He was buried at St Mary the Virgin Church, Bottesford, Leicestershire [Map]. His son [his brother-in-law] John [aged 41] succeeded 9th Earl of Rutland. [his half-sister] Catherine Noel Duchess Rutland [aged 22] by marriage Countess of Rutland.

On 29th October 1682 [his father] Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden [aged 71] died. His son Edward [aged 41] succeeded 4th Viscount Campden, 4th Baron Hicks of Ilmington in Warwickshire. Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 36] by marriage Viscountess Campden. He was buried at Church of St Peter and St Paul, Exton, Rutlandshire [Map].

A huge monument in black and white marble, with a tall base on which stand obelisks, on balls capped by two black urns and a large open pediment. Within, are the Viscount and his fourth wife Elizabeth Bertie Viscountess Campden [aged 42] in effigy and various low reliefs, depicting his previous wives and nineteen children, in Roman dress, completed by Grinling Gibbons [aged 34].

Elizabeth Bertie Viscountess Campden: In 1640 she was born to Montagu Bertie 2nd Earl Lindsey and Martha Cockayne Countess Holderness. On 6th July 1655 Baptist Noel 3rd Viscount Campden and she were married. She by marriage Viscountess Campden. The difference in their ages was 29 years. She the daughter of Montagu Bertie 2nd Earl Lindsey and Martha Cockayne Countess Holderness. They were second cousin twice removed. In 1683 Elizabeth Bertie Viscountess Campden died.

/_PHOTOS/20190216-Exton_Rutlandshire/20190216-143946.jpg

On 1st December 1682 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 41] was created 1st Earl Gainsborough. [his wife] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 36] by marriage Countess Gainsborough.

On 26th April 1683 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 42] and Mary Herbert Countess Gainsborough were married. She by marriage Countess Gainsborough. They were fourth cousins.

On 27th August 1683 [his son-in-law] Simon Digby 4th Baron Digby [aged 26] and Frances Noel Baroness Digby [aged 22] were married. She the daughter of Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 42] and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 37]. They were fifth cousins.

On or before 4th October 1684, the date she was buried at the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Coleshill [Map], [his daughter] Frances Noel Baroness Digby [aged 23] died in childbirth.

In 1686 [his son-in-law] William Digby 5th Baron Digby [aged 24] and Jane Noel Baroness Digby were married. She by marriage Baroness Digby of Geashill in County Offaly. She the daughter of Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 45] and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 40]. They were fifth cousins.

On 30th December 1687 Wriothesley Baptist Noel 2nd Earl Gainsborough [aged 26] and Catherine Greville Duchess Buckingham and Normandby were married. He the son of Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 46] and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 41].

In January 1689 Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough [aged 48] died. His son Wriothesley [aged 28] succeeded 2nd Earl Gainsborough, 5th Viscount Campden, 5th Baron Hicks of Ilmington in Warwickshire. Catherine Greville Duchess Buckingham and Normandby by marriage Countess Gainsborough.

On 19th September 1690 [his former wife] Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough [aged 44] died.

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.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

On 9th April 1693 [his former wife] Mary Herbert Countess Gainsborough died. She was buried at St Andrew's Chuch, Minterne Magna [Map] where she has a memorial.

[his daughter] Jane Noel Baroness Digby was born to Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough. She married 1686 her fifth cousin William Digby 5th Baron Digby, son of Kildare Digby 2nd Baron Digby, and had issue.

[his daughter] Juliana Noel was born to Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough.

[his daughter] Elizabeth Noel was born to Edward Noel 1st Earl Gainsborough and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Gainsborough. She married Richard Norton.