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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Comptroller of the Household is in Comptroller.
In 1540 John Gage [aged 60] was appointed Comptroller of the Household.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 25th December 1557. The xxv day of Desember wher dyvers [courtiers] was removyd unto he-her [higher] rommys; as ser Edward Hastynges [aged 36], master of the quen's hors, was mad lord chamburlayn; and ser Thomas Cornwalles comptroller; ser Hare Jarnyngham [aged 45] the master of the hors; and ser Hare Benefeld [aged 48] fee-chamburlayn and captayn of the gard.
On 25th December 1557 Thomas Cornwallis was appointed Comptroller of the Household.
In 1568 Edward Rogers [aged 70] was appointed Comptroller of the Household which position he held for the remainder of his life.
In 1617 Henry Carey 1st Viscount Falkland [aged 42] was appointed Comptroller of the Household and to the Privy Council.
In 1639 Thomas Jermyn [aged 66] was appointed Comptroller of the Household.
John Evelyn's Diary. 3rd August 1661. Came my Lord Hatton [aged 56], Comptroller of his Majesty's household to visit me.
John Evelyn's Diary. 27th November 1666. Sir Hugh Pollard [aged 63], Comptroller of the Household, died at Whitehall [Map], and his Majesty [aged 36] conferred the white staff on my brother Commissioner for sick and wounded, Sir Thomas Clifford [aged 36], a bold young gentleman, of a small fortune in Devon, but advanced by Lord Arlington [aged 48], Secretary of State, to the great astonishment of all the Court. This gentleman was somewhat related to me by the marriage of his mother to my nearest kinsman, Gregory Coale, and was ever my noble friend, a valiant and daring person, but by no means fit for a supple and flattering courtier.
In 1672 William Maynard 2nd Baron Maynard [aged 49] was appointed Comptroller of the Household.
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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John Evelyn's Diary. 18th August 1673. My Lord Clifford [aged 43], being about this time returned from Tunbridge [Map], and preparing for Devonshire, I went to take my leave of him at Wallingford House; he was packing up pictures, most of which were of hunting wild beasts and vast pieces of bull-baiting, bear-baiting, etc. I found him in his study, and restored to him several papers of state, and others of importance, which he had furnished me with, on engaging me to write the "History of the Holland War", with other private letters of his acknowledgments to my Lord Arlington [aged 55], who from a private gentleman of a very noble family, but inconsiderable fortune, had advanced him from almost nothing. The first thing was his being in Parliament, then knighted, then made one of the Commissioners of sick and wounded, on which occasion we sat long together; then, on the death of Hugh Pollard, he was made Comptroller of the Household and Privy Councillor, yet still my brother Commissioner; after the death of Lord Fitz-Harding, Treasurer of the Household, he, by letters to Lord Arlington, which that Lord showed me, begged of his Lordship to obtain it for him as the very height of his ambition. These were written with such submissions and professions of his patronage, as I had never seen any more acknowledging. The Earl of Southampton then dying, he was made one of the Commissioners of the Treasury. His Majesty [aged 43] inclining to put it into one hand, my Lord Clifford, under pretense of making all his interest for his patron, my Lord Arlington, cut the grass under his feet, and procured it for himself, assuring the King that Lord Arlington did not desire it. Indeed, my Lord Arlington protested to me that his confidence in Lord Clifford made him so remiss and his affection to him was so particular, that he was absolutely minded to devolve it on Lord Clifford, all the world knowing how he himself affected ease and quiet, now growing into years, yet little thinking of this go-by. This was the great ingratitude Lord Clifford showed, keeping my Lord Arlington in ignorance, continually assuring him he was pursuing his interest, which was the Duke's [aged 39] into whose great favour Lord Clifford was now gotten; but which certainly cost him the loss of all, namely, his going so irrevocably far in his interest.
John Evelyn's Diary. 17th February 1685. This morning his Ma* [aged 51] restor'd the staffe and key to Lord Arlington [aged 67], Chamberlaine; to Mr. Savell [aged 43], Vice-chamberlaine; to Lords Newport [aged 64] and Malnard [aged 62], Treasurer and Comptroler of the Household; Lord Godolphin [aged 39] made Chamberlaine to ye Queene [aged 26]; Lord Peterborow [aged 63] Groome of ye Stole in place of the Earle of Bath [aged 56]; the Treasurer's staff to the Earle of Rochester [aged 42]; and his brother the Earle of Clarendon Lord Privie Seale in place of the Marquis of Halifax [aged 51], who was made President of the Council; the Secretarys of State remaining as before.
In 1688 Francis Newport 1st Earl Bradford [aged 67] was appointed Comptroller of the Household.
In 1702 Edward Seymour 4th Baronet [aged 69] was appointed Comptroller of the Household.
In 1708 Hugh Cholmondeley 1st Earl Cholmondeley [aged 46] was appointed Comptroller of the Household.
In 1755 John Hobart 2nd Earl Buckinghamshire [aged 31] was appointed Comptroller of the Household.
In 1797 Charles Henry Somerset [aged 29] was appointed Comptroller of the Household.
In 1851 George Phipps 2nd Marquess Normanby [aged 31] was appointed Comptroller of the Household by John Russell 1st Earl Russell [aged 58].
The London Gazette 28270. Board of Green Cloth, BucKingham Palace, July 13, 1909.
The King has been pleased to make the following appointment in His Majesty's Household:—
Arthur William de Brito Savile [aged 39], Earl of Liverpool, M.V.O., to be Comptroller of His Majesty's Household, in the room of Alexander William Charles Oliphant, Master of Elibank, M.P., resigned.
The London Gazette 28659. Board of Green Cloth, November 1st, 1912.
The King has been pleased to make the following appointment to His Majesty's Household:—
Geoffrey Cecil, Lord Saye and Sele [aged 54], to be Comptroller of the Household, in the room of Arthur William de Brito Savile [aged 42], Earl of Liverpool, K.C.M.G., M.V.O., resigned.