William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton is in St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
The oldest part of the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] was built around 1614, the eastern parts were added in 1705.
On 31st January 1615 Henry Grey 6th Earl Kent [aged 74] died. Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] to him and his wife Mary Cotton Countess Grey; she is buried at St Peter and St Paul Church, Little Gaddesden. His brother Charles succeeded 7th Earl Kent, 10th Baron Grey of Ruthyn. Susan Cotton Countess Kent [aged 63] by marriage Countess Kent.
Charles Grey 7th Earl Kent: he was born to Henry Grey and Margery St John. He was educated Trinity College. Around 1580 Charles Grey 7th Earl Kent and Susan Cotton Countess Kent were married. She by marriage Countess Kent.
Susan Cotton Countess Kent: Around 1552 she was born to Richard Cotton. In 1617 Susan Cotton Countess Kent died.
On 26th September 1623 Charles Grey 7th Earl Kent died. He was buried at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map]. His son Henry [aged 40] succeeded 8th Earl Kent, 11th Baron Grey of Ruthyn.
On 21st November 1639 Henry Grey 8th Earl Kent [aged 56] died without issue. He was buried at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map]. His second cousin once removed Anthony [aged 82] succeeded 9th Earl Kent. His nephew Charles [aged 27] succeeded 12th Baron Grey of Ruthyn.
Charles Longueville 12th Baron Grey of Ruthyn: On or before 21st April 1612, the date he was baptised, he was born to Michael Longueville and Susan Grey. Before 14th June 1643 he and Frances Neville were married. On 14th June 1643 he died. His daughter Susan succeeded 13th Baroness Grey of Ruthyn.
On 28th May 1651 Henry Grey 10th Earl Kent [aged 56] died. Monument made in 1658 at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map]. His son Anthony [aged 5] succeeded 11th Earl Kent.
On 7th December 1651 Elizabeth Talbot Countess Kent [aged 69] died at her house in Whitefriars, London. Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
Elizabeth Talbot Countess Kent: In 1582 she was born to Gilbert Talbot 7th Earl of Shrewsbury and Mary Cavendish Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford. On 16th November 1601 Henry Grey 8th Earl Kent and she were married at St Martin in the Fields Church [Map]. She by marriage Countess Kent. She the daughter of Gilbert Talbot 7th Earl of Shrewsbury and Mary Cavendish Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford. He the son of Charles Grey 7th Earl Kent and Susan Cotton Countess Kent. They were fourth cousin once removed.
On 22nd April 1671 Jane Evelyn [aged 83] died. Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
Jane Evelyn: Around 1588 she was born to John Evelyn of Godstone. Around 1601 Anthony Benn and she were married. The difference in their ages was 20 years. In or after 1618 Eustace Hart and she were married.
In 17th August 1698 Amabel Benn Countess Kent [aged 90] died. She was interred with her former husband Henry Grey 10th Earl Kent who had died some 45 and more years before at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] - see Monument.
On 4th January 1717 Henrietta de Grey [aged 13] died. Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
Henrietta de Grey: On 20th October 1703 she was born to Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent and Jemima Crew Marchioness Kent.
On 4th December 1717 Henry Grey [aged 21] died. He was buried at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
Henry Grey: Around 1696 he was born to Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent and Jemima Crew Marchioness Kent.
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.
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On 21st July 1723 Anthony Grey 3rd Baron Lucas [aged 28] died by choking on an ear of barley the beard of which stuck in his throat. Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map]. His niece Jemima succeeded 4th Baroness Lucas of Crudwell.
Anthony Grey 3rd Baron Lucas: On 21st February 1695 he was born to Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent and Jemima Crew Marchioness Kent. On 17th February 1718 Anthony Grey 3rd Baron Lucas and Mary Tufton Countess Gower were married. She the daughter of Thomas Tufton 6th Earl of Thanet and Catherine Cavendish Countess Isle Thanet. He the son of Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent and Jemima Crew Marchioness Kent. They were sixth cousins. On 8th November 1718 Anthony Grey 3rd Baron Lucas by writ of acceleration 3rd Baron Lucas of Crudwell.
On 2nd August 1726 Amabel Grey [aged 28] died. Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
On 27th July 1728 Jemima Crew Marchioness Kent [aged 53] died. Memorial on her husband's monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
On 20th September 1733 Anne Grey [aged 27] died. She was buried at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
Anne Grey: On 20th January 1706 she was born to Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent and Jemima Crew Marchioness Kent. On 9th January 1729 Charles Cavendish and she were married. She the daughter of Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent and Jemima Crew Marchioness Kent. He the son of William Cavendish 2nd Duke Devonshire and Rachel Russell Duchess Devonshire.
On 5th June 1740 Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent [aged 69] died without surviving male issue. Duke Kent, Marquess Kent, Earl Kent and Viscount Gooderich extinct. His granddaughter Jemima [aged 16] succeeded 2nd Marchioness Grey.
Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] sculpted by Edward Shepherd.
On 14th June 1741 Sophia Bentinck Duchess Kent [aged 40] died. Memorial panel on the monument to her husband Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
Sophia Bentinck Duchess Kent: On 4th April 1701 she was born to William Bentinck 1st Earl of Portland and Jane Martha Temple Countess Portland. On 24th March 1729 Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent and she were married. She by marriage Duchess Kent. The difference in their ages was 30 years. She the daughter of William Bentinck 1st Earl of Portland and Jane Martha Temple Countess Portland. He the son of Anthony Grey 11th Earl Kent and Mary Lucas Countess Kent. In 1740 Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent was created 1st Marquess Grey. She by marriage Marchioness Grey.
On 7th January 1762 Mary Grey [aged 42] died. Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Thursday 15 January 1761, p4: Last Saturday night died here, after a tedious illness, Lady Mary Gregory, Wife of the Rev Dr Gregory, Dean of Christ Church Oxford.
Mary Grey: In May 1719 she was born to Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent and Jemima Crew Marchioness Kent. Before 7th January 1762 David Gregory and she were married. The difference in their ages was 22 years. She the daughter of Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent and Jemima Crew Marchioness Kent.
On 24th March 1780 Anne Sophia Grey [aged 50] died. Memorial panel on the monument to her father Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
Anne Sophia Grey: In or after 1730 she was born to Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent and Sophia Bentinck Duchess Kent. On 21st November 1748 Bishop John Egerton and she were married. She the daughter of Henry Grey 1st Duke Kent and Sophia Bentinck Duchess Kent. He the son of Bishop Henry Egerton and Elizabeth Adriana Bentinck. They were first cousins.
On 16th May 1790 Philip Yorke 2nd Earl of Hardwicke [aged 69] died. His nephew Philip [aged 32] succeeded 3rd Earl Hardwicke, 3rd Viscount Royston. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Wimpole [Map]. Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] sculpted by Thomas Banks [aged 54]..
On 11th January 1797 Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey [aged 73] died at the family's London House, 4 Saint James' Square. Marquess Grey extinct. Her daughter Amabel [aged 45] succeeded 5th Baroness Lucas of Crudwell. She was buried at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] on 21st January 1797. Her will stated that she was to be buried in the vault "in as private a manner as may be consistent with proper decency. A Hearse with six horses, without any Ornament or Escutcheons and two Coaches with six horses each will be sufficient, without any Family Coach or Livery Servant. I would not have the Church hung with black or any Escutcheons to be used there nor any mourning rings given". It went on to give £50 to the poor of Flitton with Silsoe and of Clophill. She also gave her servant Jane Band an annuity of £40 per annum. She also stated: "It is my intention to erect a Monument in the Church at Flitton to the memory of my late Lord. If it shall happen that I do not carry this my intention into execution I then direct that one shall be placed there to his memory and mine plain and neat in the design but not magnificent or expensive and that the same be placed in the Division now empty on the right hand side of the Duke of Kent's Monument". In fact she did raise Hardwicke's monument in his lifetime as it states that she did so and 'waits to follow him'. The eulogy on the monument reads: "Her excellent & cultivated understanding, her serene & benevolent temper, her polished manners, her domestic virtues and exemplary piety will ever be revered and regretted by her children, relations and friends". In a codicil to her will she wrote: "I desire my Body to be kept as long as is proper and then buried with Lime in the Coffin to promote a speedier dissolution". She also willed "If any letters or papers are found in my handwriting which have been returned to me from Friends I correspond with not burnt (which it is my intention to do) I desire my Executrix will burn them".
Amabel Yorke Countess Grey: On 22nd February 1751 she was born to Philip Yorke 2nd Earl of Hardwicke and Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey. In 1816 Amabel Yorke Countess Grey was created 1st Countess de Grey with a special remainder to her sister Mary Jemima Yorke Baroness Grantham and her sister's male heirs.
On 31st March 1810 Thomas Philip Robinson [aged 3] died. Memorial at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map]
Thomas Philip Robinson: Around 1807 he was born to Thomas de Grey 2nd Earl de Grey and Henrietta Cole Countess de Grey.
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.
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On 9th January 1830 Mary Jemima Yorke Baroness Grantham [aged 73] died. She was buried at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map]. Memorial sculpted by W. T. Kelsey.
Mary Jemima Yorke Baroness Grantham: On 9th February 1756 she was born to Philip Yorke 2nd Earl of Hardwicke and Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey. In 1780 Thomas Robinson 2nd Baron Grantham and she were married. She by marriage Baroness Grantham. She the daughter of Philip Yorke 2nd Earl of Hardwicke and Jemima Campbell 2nd Marchioness Grey.
On 6th February 1831 Frederick William Robinson [aged 21] died. Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map]
Frederick William Robinson: Around 1810 he was born to Thomas de Grey 2nd Earl de Grey and Henrietta Cole Countess de Grey.
On 4th May 1833 Amabel Yorke Countess Grey [aged 82] died. Her nephew Thomas [aged 51] succeeded 2nd Earl de Grey, 6th Baron Lucas of Crudwell. Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map].
On 13th September 1837 Amabel Elizabeth Robinson [aged 23] died. Memorial at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map]
Amabel Elizabeth Robinson: Around 1814 she was born to Thomas de Grey 2nd Earl de Grey and Henrietta Cole Countess de Grey.
On 2nd July 1848 Henrietta Cole Countess de Grey [aged 64] died at 4 St James' Square. Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] sculpted by Terence Farrell.
Henrietta Cole Countess de Grey: On 22nd June 1784 she was born to William Willoughby Cole 1st Earl Enniskillen and Anne Lowry-Corry Countess Enniskillen. On 20th July 1805 Thomas de Grey 2nd Earl de Grey and she were married. She the daughter of William Willoughby Cole 1st Earl Enniskillen and Anne Lowry-Corry Countess Enniskillen.
On 14th November 1859 Thomas de Grey 2nd Earl de Grey [aged 77] died. His nephew George [aged 32] succeeded 3rd Earl de Grey, 4th Baron Grantham, 7th Baronet Robinson of Newby in Yorkshire. His daughter Ann [aged 53] succeeded 7th Baroness Lucas of Crudwell.
Monument at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map] sculpted by Matthew Noble [aged 42] in 1864.
Ann Florence Robinson Countess Cowper: In 1806 she was born to Thomas de Grey 2nd Earl de Grey and Henrietta Cole Countess de Grey. In 1833 George Augustus Frederick Cowper 6th Earl Cowper and she were married. She by marriage Countess Cowper. She the daughter of Thomas de Grey 2nd Earl de Grey and Henrietta Cole Countess de Grey. He the son of Peter Nassau Clavering-Cowper 5th Earl Cowper and Emily Lamb Countess Cowper. In 1880 Ann Florence Robinson Countess Cowper died. Her son Francis succeeded 8th Baron Lucas of Crudwell.
