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Joseph Mallord William Turner is in Painters.
On 23rd April 1775 Joseph Mallord William Turner was born to [his father] William Turner (age 30) and [his mother] Mary Marshall at Maiden Lane, Covent Garden. He was baptised on 14th May 1775 at the St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. His father was a barber and wig maker.
Around 1785 [his mother] Mary Marshall, mother of Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 9), showed signs of mental disturbance from 1785 and was admitted to St Luke's Hospital for Lunatics in Old Street in 1799. She was moved in 1800 to Bethlem Hospital, a mental asylum, where she died in 1804.
1787. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 11). "View of Nuneham Courtenay from the Thames".
1787. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 11). "Eton College [Map] from the Thames".
1787. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 11). "Folly Bridge, Oxford and Bacon's Tower, Oxford".
After 1788. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 12). Walton Bridges [Map].
1789. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 13). "Radley Hall, Oxfordshire from the North-West".
In 1789 Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 13) studied at the Royal Academy of Arts, enrolling when he was 14, and exhibited his first work there at 15.
1792. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 16). Tintern Abbey [Map]
1792. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 16). "The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent's Rock, Bristol".
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.
1793-4. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 17). St Briavels Castle [Map].
1795. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 19). Lincoln Cathedral [Map]
1798. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 22). Norham Castle [Map]: Sunrise.
Around 1799. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 23). Self-portrait.
1799. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 23). Notebook sketch of Stonehenge
1799. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 23). Notebook sketch of Stonehenge
1799. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 23). Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map]
Around 1800. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 24). Painting of Easby Abbey, Yorkshire [Map].
Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1804 [his mother] Mary Marshall died at Bethlem Hospital. Her son Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 28) was sent to his maternal uncle, Joseph Mallord William Marshall, a butcher in Brentford, where Turner attended school.
1805. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 29). Kew Bridge [Map] and the River Thames, with Brentford Eyot in the Foreground and Strand-on-Green Seen through the Arches: Low Tide. From the Thames sketchbooks c.1804-14.
1810. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 34). "Cockermouth Castle [Map]".
1817. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 41). Raby Castle, County Durham [Map].
Around 1822. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 46). Norham Castle [Map], on the River Tweed.
1828. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 52). Stonehenge
In 1829 [his father] William Turner (age 84) died.
After 7th January 1830. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 54). "Funeral of Sir Thomas Lawrence (deceased): A Sketch from Memory". The day after the funeral he wrote to a friend: 'It is something to feel that gifted talent can be acknowledged by the many who yesterday waded up to their knees in snow and muck to see the funeral pomp swelled up by carriages of the great'.
Around 1834. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 58). Flint Castle [Map]
1838. John Linnell (age 45). Portrait of Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 62).
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.
1845. Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 69). Norham Castle [Map]: Sunrise.
Around 1850. The house in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden where Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 74) was born.
On 19th December 1851 Joseph Mallord William Turner (age 76) died of 'natural decay' at the home of Sophia Caroline Booth at his cottage 119 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea aka Davis Place, Cremorne Road. He was buried in St Paul's Cathedral.
The Diary of George Price Boyce 1851. 30th December 1851. Called for John Seddon (age 24) at 10 0'clock, who accompanied me to St. Paul's Cathedral to witness Turner's (deceased) funeral. We first looked over the Cathedral and criticised the wretched taste of the greater part of the monuments, one by Behnes (age 56) seemed to be almost the only one that was simple, grand, and characteristic. The mourners, consisting of the Members of the Royal Academy and many personal friends, alighted at the west entrance and advanced slowly to the choir preceded by the choristers, etc. Seddon and I obtained a central place in the choir, close to the coffin. The beautiful and awe-striking service for the dead was then gone through, its influence being much augmented by the sublimity of the scene. The body was then conveyed into the vaults, followed by the mourners. Father, who had brought Joanna (age 20), bought a ticket which admitted us all three into the vaults. I remained to see the stone rolled over him and to assist in adjusting the same—they first threw a basket full of human bones on and beside the coffin before rolling the stone over it. It was placed between the resting places of James Barry, the painter (next to which was that of Sir Joshua Reynolds), and Constantia, the great grand-daughter of Sir Christopher Wren, next to the tomb of Sir Christopher himself.