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.
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Paternal Family Tree: Palk
In or before 1714 [his father] Walter Palk [aged 27] and [his mother] Frances Abraham were married.
On or before 16th December 1717 Robert Palk 1st Baronet was born to [his father] Walter Palk [aged 31] and [his mother] Frances Abraham at Lower Headborough Fram, Ashburton. He was baptised on 16th December 1717 at the Old Mission House, Ashburton.
In 1739 [his father] Walter Palk [aged 53] died.
On 7th February 1761 Robert Palk 1st Baronet [aged 43] and Anne van Sittart Lady Palk were married.
Around 1764 [his daughter] Anne Palk Lady Wrey was born to Robert Palk 1st Baronet [aged 46] and [his wife] Anne van Sittart Lady Palk at Madras aka Chennai, India. She married 14th March 1786 Bourchier Wrey 7th Baronet, son of Bourchier Wrey 6th Baronet and Ellen Thresher Lady Wrey, and had issue.
On 6th March 1766 [his son] Lawrence Palk 2nd Baronet was born to Robert Palk 1st Baronet [aged 48] and [his wife] Anne van Sittart Lady Palk. He married 15th May 1792 Dorothy Elizabeth Vaughan, daughter of Wilmot Vaughan 1st Earl Lisburne and Dorothy Shafto Countess Lisburne, and had issue.
In 1767 Robert Palk 1st Baronet [aged 49] was elected MP Ashburton.
In 1768 Robert Palk 1st Baronet [aged 50] was elected MP Wareham which seat he held until 1774.
In 1774 Robert Palk 1st Baronet [aged 56] was elected MP Ashburton which seat he held until 1787.
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 19th June 1782 Robert Palk 1st Baronet [aged 64] was created 1st Baronet Palk of Haldon House in Devon. [his wife] Anne van Sittart Lady Palk by marriage Lady Palk of Haldon House in Devon.
On 14th March 1786 [his son-in-law] Bourchier Wrey 7th Baronet [aged 29] and [his daughter] Anne Palk Lady Wrey [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Lady Wrey of Trebitch in Cornwall.
In 1788 [his wife] Anne van Sittart Lady Palk died. She was buried at St Michael's Church, Dunchideock.
On 5th September 1791 [his daughter] Anne Palk Lady Wrey [aged 27] died.
On 16th September 1791 [his daughter] Anne Palk Lady Wrey [deceased] was buried at St Peter's Church, Tawstock [Map]. Sacred to the Memory of ANNE The Lady of Sir [his former son-in-law] BOURCHIER WREY [aged 34] Baronet, and Daughter of Sir ROBERT PALK [aged 73] Baronet, of Haldon House in this County who died the 5th day of September 1791, Aged 27 Years, leaving three infant children. Her Heart was pure and her manners unaffected. Her constant study was to know her Duty, and her greatest pleasure to discharge it, An affectionate Wife, a tender Parent, gentle, friendly, and benevolent. Taken from the World in the Prime of Years by a severe and lingering illness. She submitted to the will of Heaven with patient Resignation. Learn from her example that Virtue Is the loveliest ornament of Beauty!
Sculpted by W Youngs, Barum.
Anne Palk Lady Wrey: Around 1764 she was born to Robert Palk 1st Baronet and Anne van Sittart Lady Palk at Madras aka Chennai, India. On 14th March 1786 Bourchier Wrey 7th Baronet and she were married. She by marriage Lady Wrey of Trebitch in Cornwall. On 5th September 1791 Anne Palk Lady Wrey died.
On 15th May 1792 [his son] Lawrence Palk 2nd Baronet [aged 26] and [his daughter-in-law] Dorothy Elizabeth Vaughan [aged 28] were married. She the daughter of Wilmot Vaughan 1st Earl Lisburne [aged 64] and Dorothy Shafto Countess Lisburne [aged 59].
On 29th April 1798 Robert Palk 1st Baronet [aged 80] died at Haldon House, Devon. He was buried at St Michael's Church, Dunchideock. His son Lawrence [aged 32] succeeded 2nd Baronet Palk of Haldon House in Devon.