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Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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Maternal Family Tree: Margaret Donnington Countess Bath 1509-1561
In 1509 Margaret Donnington Countess Bath was born to [her father] John Donnington of Stoke Newington.
Before 1511 Thomas Kitson (age 25) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 1) were married. The difference in their ages was 24 years.
In 1511 [her daughter] Elizabeth Kitson was born to [her husband] Thomas Kitson (age 26) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 2). She married before 12th June 1540 Edmund Croftes and had issue.
Before 1515 [her future husband] John Bourchier 2nd Earl Bath (age 15) and Elizabeth Hungerford were married. He the son of John Bourchier 1st Earl Bath (age 44) and Cecily Daubeney Baroness Fitzwarin (age 40). They were sixth cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward III of England.
In 1524 [her daughter] Katherine Kitson was born to [her husband] Thomas Kitson (age 39) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 15). She married before October 1545 John Spencer and had issue.
Before 25th May 1524 [her future husband] John Bourchier 2nd Earl Bath (age 25) and Eleanor Manners Countess Bath (age 21) were married at Hengrave Hall, Bury St Edmunds. He the son of John Bourchier 1st Earl Bath (age 53) and Cecily Daubeney Baroness Fitzwarin (age 50). They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
In 1535 [her daughter] Anne Elizabeth Kitson was born to [her husband] Thomas Kitson (age 50) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 26). She married in or before 1566 William Spring and had issue.
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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On 30th April 1539 John Bourchier 1st Earl Bath (age 68) died. He was buried at St Brannock's Church, Braunton. His son [her future husband] John (age 40) succeeded 2nd Earl Bath, 4th Count Eu, 12th Baron Fitzwarin. Eleanor Manners Countess Bath (age 36) by marriage Countess Bath.
On 13th March 1540 Henry Bourchier 2nd Earl Essex 3rd Count of Eu died. Earl Essex, Viscount Bourchier extinct. His daughter Anne (age 23) succeeded 7th Baroness Bourchier. His second cousin once removed [her future husband] John (age 41) succeeded 2nd Count Eu. Neither he or his descendants used the title.
Before 12th June 1540 [her son-in-law] Edmund Croftes (age 20) and [her daughter] Elizabeth Kitson (age 29) were married. She the daughter of [her husband] Thomas Kitson (age 55) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 31).
On 11th September 1540 [her husband] Thomas Kitson (age 55) died.
On 15th October 1540 [her son] [her former husband] Thomas Kitson was born to Thomas Kitson (deceased) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 31). He married before 7th May 1567 Elizabeth Cornwallis and had issue.
Around 1541 [her daughter] Jane Long was born to [her husband] Richard Long (age 47) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 32).
In 1541 Richard Long (age 47) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 32) were married.
In 1542 [her son] Henry Long was born to [her husband] Richard Long (age 48) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 33).
Around 1543 [her daughter] Mary Long was born to [her husband] Richard Long (age 49) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 34).
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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Before October 1545 [her son-in-law] John Spencer (age 21) and [her daughter] Katherine Kitson (age 21) were married. She the daughter of [her former husband] Thomas Kitson and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 36).
Around 1546 [her daughter] Catherine Long was born to [her husband] Richard Long (age 52) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 37).
On 29th September 1546 [her husband] Richard Long (age 52) died.
On 8th April 1548 Henry Daubeney 1st Earl Bridgewater (age 54) died. Earl Bridgewater extinct. His nephew [her future husband] John (age 49) succeeded 3rd Baron Daubeney.
On 4th December 1548 a double wedding of a father and son, and a mother and daughter, was celebrated at Hengrave Hall, Bury St Edmunds.
John Bourchier 2nd Earl Bath (age 49) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 39) were married. She by marriage Countess Bath. He the son of John Bourchier 1st Earl Bath and Cecily Daubeney Baroness Fitzwarin.
John Bourchier (age 19) and Frances Kitson were married. She the daughter of Thomas Kitson and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath. He the son of John Bourchier 2nd Earl Bath and Eleanor Manners Countess Bath.
Around September 1557 [her son-in-law] William Barnaby and [her daughter] Frances Kitson were married. He was land agent to her former father-ine-law the [her husband] John Bourchier 2nd Earl Bath (age 58); the marriage as a consequence gave great offence to her friends. She the daughter of [her former husband] Thomas Kitson and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 48).
On 10th February 1561 [her husband] John Bourchier 2nd Earl Bath (age 62) died. He was buried on 10th March 1561 at the Church of St John Lateran, Hengrave. His grandson [her grandson] William (age 3) succeeded 3rd Earl Bath, 13th Baron Fitzwarin, 4th Baron Daubeney
On 12th December 1561 Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 52) died at Stoke Newington [Map]. She was buried on 11th January 1562 at the Church of St John Lateran, Hengrave; see Henry Machyn's Diary.
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.
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Henry Machyn's Diary. 20th December 1561. The xx day of Desember my lade the contes of Bayth (deceased) ded at here plase at Nuwhyngtun, late the wyff of ser [her former husband] Thomas Kyttsun and to ser [her former husband] Recherd Longe and wyff to the [her former husband] yerle of Bayth latt dissessyd, and she had a vj baners-rolles and a gret baner of armes and a x dosen of skochyons and vj of sylke.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 10th January 1562. The x day of January was cared in-to the contrey, to be bered by her hosband the yerle and her hosband ser [her former husband] Thomas Kyttsun, the contes of Bathe.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 11th January 1562. The xj day of January was bered in Suffoke my lade contes of Bayth wedow, and the last wyff to the [her former husband] sed erle, and late the wyff of ser [her former husband] Thomas Cutsun, and late to ser [her former husband] Recherd Longe knyght; with a grett banar of armes and vj banar-rolles of all mareges [marriages], and a x dosen skochyons of armes, and vj of sylke wrought with fyne gold.
Note. P. 275. Funeral of the countess of Bath. Margaret, only child of [her father] John Donnington, of Stoke Newington in Middlesex, married successively to sir Thomas Kytson, sir Richard Long, and John Bourchier earl of Bath. The last died in 1560. Her monument in Hengrave church, Suffolk, with recumbent effigies of herself and her three husbands, is engraved in Gage's History of that parish, 1822, 4to. p. 65; and in the same volume are several letters to and from her, an inventory of her property, her will, and an account of her funeral expenses, &c.
[her daughter] Frances Kitson was born to Thomas Kitson and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath. She married (1) John Bourchier, son of John Bourchier 2nd Earl Bath and Eleanor Manners Countess Bath, and had issue (2) September 1557 William Barnaby.