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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Paternal Family Tree: Boyle
Maternal Family Tree: Catherine Fenton Countess Cork 1585-1629
On 25th July 1603 [his father] Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork [aged 36] and [his mother] Catherine Fenton Countess Cork [aged 18] were married.
On 20th October 1612 Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington was born to [his father] Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork [aged 46] and [his mother] Catherine Fenton Countess Cork [aged 27] at The College, Youghal, Cork.
In 1620 [his future brother-in-law] George "Fairy Earl" Fitzgerald 16th Earl of Kildare [aged 7] succeeded 16th Earl Kildare. [his sister] Joan Boyle Countess Kildare [aged 9] by marriage Countess Kildare.
On 26th October 1620 [his father] Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork [aged 54] was created 1st Earl Cork. [his mother] Catherine Fenton Countess Cork [aged 35] by marriage Countess Cork.
On 16th February 1629 [his mother] Catherine Fenton Countess Cork [aged 44] died.
In 1630 [his brother-in-law] Arthur Jones 2nd Viscount Ranelagh [aged 20] and [his sister] Katherine Boyle Viscountess Ranelagh [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of [his father] Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork [aged 63] and [his mother] Catherine Fenton Countess Cork.
On 15th August 1630 [his brother-in-law] George "Fairy Earl" Fitzgerald 16th Earl of Kildare [aged 18] and [his sister] Joan Boyle Countess Kildare [aged 19] were married. She the daughter of [his father] Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork [aged 63] and [his mother] Catherine Fenton Countess Cork.
In or before 1631 [his brother-in-law] Robert Digby 1st Baron Digby [aged 31] and [his sister] Sarah Boyle Baroness Digby [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Baroness Digby of Geashill in County Offaly. She the daughter of [his father] Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork [aged 64] and [his mother] Catherine Fenton Countess Cork.
In 1631 [his brother-in-law] David Barry 1st Earl Barrymore [aged 26] and [his sister] Alice Boyle Countess Barrymore [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Countess Barrymore. She the daughter of [his father] Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork [aged 64] and [his mother] Catherine Fenton Countess Cork.
In 1633 [his sister] Sarah Boyle Baroness Digby [aged 24] died.
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.
On 5th July 1635 Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 22] and Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 21] were married at Skipton Castle [Map]. She by marriage Countess Burlington. She the daughter of Henry Clifford 5th Earl of Cumberland [aged 44] and Frances Cecil Countess Cumberland [aged 42]. He the son of Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork [aged 68] and Catherine Fenton Countess Cork.
On or before 12th December 1639, the date he was baptised, [his son] Charles Boyle 3rd Baron Clifford was born to Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 27] and [his wife] Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 26]. He married (1) 7th May 1661 his half sixth cousin Jane Seymour, daughter of William Seymour 2nd Duke of Somerset and Frances Devereux Duchess of Somerset, and had issue (2) 1679 his fifth cousin once removed Arethusa Berkeley Baroness Clifford, daughter of George Berkeley 1st Earl Berkeley and Elizabeth Massingberd Couness Berkeley, and had issue.
On 26th December 1639 [his brother] Lewis Boyle 1st Viscount Boyle [aged 20] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Feilding Countess Guildford were married at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall Palace. She the daughter of William Feilding 1st Earl Denbigh [aged 52] and Susan Villiers Countess Denbigh [aged 56]. He the son of [his father] Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork [aged 73] and [his mother] Catherine Fenton Countess Cork.
On 21st July 1641 [his brother-in-law] Charles Rich 4th Earl Warwick [aged 26] and [his sister] Mary Boyle Countess Warwick [aged 15] were married at the Church of St Nicholas Shepperton. Her father strongly disapproved due to her husband's lack of fortune. She the daughter of Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork [aged 74] and Catherine Fenton Countess Cork. He the son of Robert Rich 2nd Earl Warwick [aged 54] and Frances Hatton Countess Warwick.
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 29].
In 2nd September 1642 [his brother-in-law] David Barry 1st Earl Barrymore [aged 37] led a regiment at the Battle of Liscarroll.
Lewis Boyle 1st Viscount Boyle [aged 23] was killed. His brother Richard [aged 29] succeeded 2nd Viscount Boyle of Kinalmeaky.
In 1643 Roger Jones 1st Viscount Ranelagh [aged 54] died. His son [his brother-in-law] Arthur [aged 33] succeeded 2nd Viscount Ranelagh. [his sister] Katherine Boyle Viscountess Ranelagh [aged 27] by marriage Viscountess Ranelagh.
On 15th September 1643 [his father] Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork [aged 76] died. His son Richard [aged 30] succeeded 2nd Earl Cork.
On 11th December 1643 [his father-in-law] Henry Clifford 5th Earl of Cumberland [aged 52] died. Earl of Cumberland extinct. His daughter [his wife] Elizabeth [aged 30] succeeded 2nd Baroness Clifford.
Anne Clifford Countess Dorset and Pembroke [aged 53] regained the estates she had been legally entitled to since her father died in 1605.
On 29th September 1644 [his daughter] Mary Anne Boyle was born to Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 31] and [his wife] Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 31]. She married before 17th March 1668 her half fifth cousin once removed Edward Montagu 2nd Earl Sandwich, son of Edward Montagu 1st Earl Sandwich and Jemima Crew Countess Sandwich, and had issue.
In 1646 [his daughter] Henrietta Boyle Countess Rochester was born to Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 33] and [his wife] Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 32]. She married 1665 Lawrence Hyde 1st Earl Rochester, son of Edward Hyde 1st Earl Clarendon and Frances Aylesbury Countess Clarendon, and had issue.
Before 1650 [his brother] Francis Boyle 1st Viscount Shannon [aged 26] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Killigrew Viscountess Shannon [aged 27] were married. He the son of [his father] Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork and [his mother] Catherine Fenton Countess Cork.
In 1657 [his sister] Joan Boyle Countess Kildare [aged 46] died.
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.
On 29th May 1659 Robert Rich 3rd Earl Warwick [aged 47] died. His brother [his brother-in-law] Charles [aged 44] succeeded 4th Earl Warwick, 6th Baron Rich of Leez. [his sister] Mary Boyle Countess Warwick [aged 33] by marriage Countess Warwick.
In 1660 Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 47] lived at 1 Tavistock Row Covent Garden.
On 7th May 1661 Charles Boyle 3rd Baron Clifford [aged 21] and Jane Seymour [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of William Seymour 2nd Duke of Somerset and Frances Devereux Duchess of Somerset [aged 61]. He the son of Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 48] and Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 47]. They were half sixth cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
In April 1662 [his son-in-law] Wentworth Dillon 4th Earl Roscommon [aged 24] and Frances Boyle were married. She the daughter of Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 49] and Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 48]. He the son of James Dillon 3rd Earl Roscommon and Elizabeth Wentworth.
In 1664 Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 51] was created 1st Earl Burlington.
On 11th April 1664 [his son-in-law] Nicholas Tufton 3rd Earl of Thanet [aged 32] and Elizabeth Boyle Countess Isle Thanet were married. She by marriage Countess of Thanet. She the daughter of Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 51] and Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 50]. He the son of John Tufton 2nd Earl of Thanet [aged 55] and Margaret Sackville Countess Isle Thanet [aged 49]. They were third cousins.
In 1665 [his son-in-law] Lawrence Hyde 1st Earl Rochester [aged 22] and Henrietta Boyle Countess Rochester [aged 19] were married. She the daughter of Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 52] and Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 51]. He the son of Edward Hyde 1st Earl Clarendon [aged 55] and Frances Aylesbury Countess Clarendon [aged 47].
On 3rd June 1665 at the Battle of Lowestoft an English fleet commanded by King James II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 31], Prince Rupert Palatinate Simmern 1st Duke Cumberland [aged 45] and Edward Montagu 1st Earl Sandwich [aged 39] defeated a Dutch Fleet.
Richard Boyle was killed.
Charles Maccarthy Viscount Muskerry was killed.
Charles Berkeley 1st Earl Falmouth [aged 35] was killed by a cannonball aboard the Royal Charles. Earl Falmouth extinct, Baron Botetourt Langport in Somerset extinct. His father Charles [aged 65] succeeded 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge of Berehaven in Kerry. Penelope Godolphin Viscountess Fitzhardinge by marriage Viscountess Fitzhardinge of Berehaven in Kerry. Possibly the only occasion when a father has succeeded his son.
Charles Weston 3rd Earl of Portland [deceased] was killed by a cannon shot. On 13th June 1665 His uncle Thomas [aged 55] succeeded 4th Earl of Portland, 4th Baron Weston of Nayland in Suffolk.
Thomas Allin 1st Baronet [aged 53] was present.
Admiral Jeremy Smith commanded the Mary.
Captain George Batts fought. He was assigned to Sir George Ayscue's [aged 49] division in the Blue Squadron.
James Ley 3rd Earl Marlborough [aged 47] was killed at the Battle of Lowestoft commanding Old James attempting to recover a captured ship. His half brother William [aged 53] succeeded 4th Earl Marlborough.
Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.
In 1667 [his sister] Alice Boyle Countess Barrymore [aged 60] died.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 29th April 1667. After dinner Sir G. Carteret [aged 57] and I alone in his closet an hour or more talking of my Lord Sandwich's [aged 41] coming home, which, the peace being likely to be made here, he expects, both for my Lord's sake and his own (whose interest he wants) it will be best for him to be at home, where he will be well received by the King [aged 36]; he is sure of his service well accepted, though the business of Spain do fall by this peace. He tells me my Lord Arlington [aged 49] hath done like a gentleman by him in all things. He says, if my Lord [Sandwich] were here, he were the fittest man to be Lord Treasurer [aged 60] of any man in England; and he thinks it might be compassed; for he confesses that the King's matters do suffer through the inability of this man, who is likely to die, and he will propound him to the King. It will remove him from his place at sea, and the King will have a good place to bestow. He says to me, that he could wish, when my Lord comes, that he would think fit to forbear playing, as a thing below him, and which will lessen him, as it do my Lord St. Albans [aged 62], in the King's esteem: and as a great secret tells me that he hath made a match for my [his future son-in-law] Lord Hinchingbrooke [aged 19] to a daughter [aged 22] of my Lord Burlington's [aged 54], where there is a great alliance, £10,000 portion; a civil family, and relation to my Chancellor [aged 58], whose son [aged 5] hath married one of the daughters [aged 4]; and that my Chancellor do take it with very great kindness, so that he do hold himself obliged by it. My Lord Sandwich hath referred it to my Lord Crew [aged 69], Sir G. Carteret, and Mr. Montagu [aged 49], to end it. My Lord Hinchingbrooke and the lady know nothing yet of it. It will, I think, be very happy. Very glad of this discourse, I away mightily pleased with the confidence I have in this family, and so away, took up my wife, who was at her mother's, and so home, where I settled to my chamber about my accounts, both Tangier and private, and up at it till twelve at night, with good success, when news is brought me that there is a great fire in Southwarke [Map]: so we up to the leads, and then I and the boy down to the end of our, lane, and there saw it, it seeming pretty great, but nothing to the fire of London, that it made me think little of it. We could at that distance see an engine play-that is, the water go out, it being moonlight.
Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 9th May 1667. Mightily pleased with the noblenesse of this house, and the brave furniture and pictures, which indeed is very noble, and, being broke up, I with Sir G. Carteret [aged 57] in his coach into Hide Park, to discourse of things, and spent an hour in this manner with great pleasure, telling me all his concernments, and how he is gone through with the purchase for my Lady Jemimah and her husband [aged 26]; how the Treasury is like to come into the hands of a Committee; but that not that, nor anything else, will do our business, unless the King [aged 36] himself will mind his business, and how his servants do execute their parts; he do fear an utter ruin in the state, and that in a little time, if the King do not mind his business soon; that the King is very kind to him, and to my Lord Sandwich [aged 41], and that he doubts not but at his coming home, which he expects about Michaelmas, he will be very well received. But it is pretty strange how he began again the business of the intention of a marriage of my [his future son-in-law] Lord Hinchingbrooke [aged 19] to a daughter of my Lord Burlington's [aged 54] to my Chancellor [aged 58], which he now tells me as a great secret, when he told it me the last Sunday but one; but it may be the poor man hath forgot, and I do believe he do make it a secret, he telling me that he has not told it to any but myself, end this day to his daughter my Lady Jemimah, who looks to lie down about two months hence.
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.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15th May 1667. So with utmost content I away with Sir G. Carteret [aged 57] to London, talking all the way; and he do tell me that the business of my [his future son-in-law] Lord Hinchingbrooke [aged 19] his marriage with my Lord Burlington's [aged 54] daughter [aged 22] is concluded on by all friends; and that my Lady is now told of it, and do mightily please herself with it; which I am mighty glad of.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 5th June 1667. Here they talked of my [his future son-in-law] Lord Hinchingbroke's [aged 19] match with Lord Burlington's [aged 54] daughter [aged 22], which is now gone a pretty way forward, and to great content, which I am infinitely glad of.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 28th June 1667. After dinner Sir G. Carteret [aged 57] come in, and I to him and my Lady, and there he did tell me that the business was done between him and my Lord Anglesey [aged 52]; that himself is to have the other's place of Deputy Treasurer of Ireland, which is a place of honour and great profit, being far better, I know not for what reason, but a reason there is, than the Treasurer's, my Lord of Corke's [aged 54], and to give the other his, of Treasurer of the Navy; that the King [aged 37], at his earnest entreaty, did, with much unwillingness, but with owning of great obligations to him, for his faithfulness and long service to him and his father, and therefore was willing to grant his desire. That the Duke of York [aged 33] hath given him the same kind words, so that it is done with all the good manner that could be, and he I perceive do look upon it, and so do I, I confess, as a great good fortune to him to meet with one of my Lord Anglesey's quality willing to receive it at this time. Sir W. Coventry [aged 39] he hath not yet made acquainted with it, nor do intend it, it being done purely to ease himself of the many troubles and plagues which he thinks the perverseness and unkindness of Sir W. Coventry and others by his means have and is likely every day to bring upon him, and the Parliament's envy, and lastly to put himself into a condition of making up his accounts, which he is, he says, afeard he shall never otherwise be. My Chancellor [aged 58], I perceive, is his friend in it.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 23rd October 1667. Thence to Mrs. Martin's, and there staid till two o'clock, and drank and talked, and did give her £3 to buy my goddaughter her first new gowne.... [Missing text: "and I did hazer algo con her;"] and so away homeward, and in my way met Sir W. Pen [aged 46] in Cheapside [Map], and went into his coach, and back again and to the King's playhouse, and there saw "The Black Prince" again: which is now mightily bettered by that long letter being printed, and so delivered to every body at their going in, and some short reference made to it in heart in the play, which do mighty well; but, when all is done, I think it the worst play of my [his brother] Lord Orrery's [aged 46]. But here, to my great satisfaction, I did see my [his future son-in-law] Lord Hinchingbrooke [aged 19] and his [his daughter] mistress [aged 23], with her father [aged 55] and [his wife] mother [aged 54]; and I am mightily pleased with the young lady, being handsome enough-and, indeed, to my great liking, as I would have her. I could not but look upon them all the play; being exceeding pleased with my good hap to see them, God bring them together! and they are now already mighty kind to one another, and he is as it were one of their family. The play done I home, and to the office a while, and then home to supper, very hungry, and then to my chamber, to read the true story, in Speed, of the Black Prince, and so to bed. This day, it was moved in the House that a day might be appointed to bring in an impeachment against the Chancellor [aged 58], but it was decried as being irregular; but that, if there was ground for complaint, it might be brought to the Committee for miscarriages, and, if they thought good, to present it to the House; and so it was carried. They did also vote this day thanks to be given to the Prince and Duke of Albemarle [aged 58], for their care and conduct in the last year's war, which is a strange act; but, I know not how, the blockhead Albemarle hath strange luck to be loved, though he be, and every man must know it, the heaviest man in the world, but stout and honest to his country. This evening late, Mr. Moore come to me to prepare matters for my Lord Sandwich's [aged 42] defence; wherein I can little assist, but will do all I can; and am in great fear of nothing but the damned business of the prizes, but I fear my Lord will receive a cursed deal of trouble by it.
Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 17th January 1668. Up, and by coach to White Hall to attend the Council there, and here I met first by Mr. Castle [aged 39] the shipwright, whom I met there, and then from the whole house the discourse of the duell yesterday between the Duke of Buckingham [aged 39], Holmes, and one Jenkins, on one side, and my Lord of Shrewsbury [aged 45], Sir John Talbot [aged 37], and one Bernard Howard [aged 27], on the other side: and all about my Lady Shrewsbury [aged 25]1, who is a whore, and is at this time, and hath for a great while been, a whore to the Duke of Buckingham. And so her husband challenged him, and they met yesterday in a close near Barne-Elmes, and there fought: and my Lord Shrewsbury is run through the body, from the right breast through the shoulder: and Sir John Talbot all along up one of his armes; and Jenkins killed upon the place, and the rest all, in a little measure, wounded. This will make the world think that the King [aged 37] hath good councillors about him, when the Duke of Buckingham, the greatest man about him, is a fellow of no more sobriety than to fight about a whore. And this may prove a very bad accident to the Duke of Buckingham, but that my Baroness Castlemayne [aged 27] do rule all at this time as much as ever she did, and she will, it is believed, keep all matters well with the Duke of Buckingham: though this is a time that the King will be very backward, I suppose, to appear in such a business. And it is pretty to hear how the King had some notice of this challenge a week or two ago, and did give it to my Lord Generall [aged 59] to confine the Duke, or take security that he should not do any such thing as fight: and the Generall trusted to the King that he, sending for him, would do it, and the King trusted to the Generall; and so, between both, as everything else of the greatest moment do, do fall between two stools. The whole House full of nothing but the talk of this business; and it is said that my Lord Shrewsbury's case is to be feared, that he may die too; and that may make it much the worse for the Duke of Buckingham: and I shall not be much sorry for it, that we may have some sober man come in his room to assist in the Government. Here I waited till the Council rose, and talked the while, with Creed, who tells me of Mr. Harry Howard's' [aged 39] giving the Royal Society a piece of ground next to his house, to build a College on, which is a most generous act. And he tells me he is a very fine person, and understands and speaks well; and no rigid Papist neither, but one that would not have a Protestant servant leave his religion, which he was going to do, thinking to recommend himself to his master by it; saying that he had rather have an honest Protestant than a knavish Catholique. I was not called into the Council; and, therefore, home, first informing myself that my [his future son-in-law] Lord Hinchingbrooke [aged 20] hath been married this week to my Lord Burlington's [aged 55] daughter [aged 23]; so that that great business is over; and I mighty glad of it, though I am not satisfied that I have not a Favour sent me, as I see Attorney Montagu [aged 50] and the Vice-Chamberlain have [aged 58]. But I am mighty glad that the thing is done.
Note 1. Anna Maria, daughter of Robert Brudenel, second Earl of Cardigan [aged 60]. Walpole says she held the Duke of Buckingham's horse, in the habit of a page, while he was fighting the duel with her husband. She married, secondly, George Rodney Bridges, son of Sir Thomas Bridges of Keynsham, Somerset [aged 51], Groom of the Bedchamber to Charles IL, and died April 20th, 1702. A portrait of the Countess of Shrewsbury, as Minerva, by Lely.
Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.
Before 17th March 1668 [his son-in-law] Edward Montagu 2nd Earl Sandwich [aged 20] and Mary Anne Boyle [aged 23] were married. She the daughter of Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 55] and Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 54]. He the son of Edward Montagu 1st Earl Sandwich [aged 42] and Jemima Crew Countess Sandwich [aged 43]. They were half fifth cousin once removed.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 25th March 1668. Up, and walked to White Hall, there to wait on the Duke of York [aged 34], which I did: and in his chamber there, first by hearing the Duke of York call me by my name, my Lord Burlington [aged 55] did come to me, and with great respect take notice of me and my relation to my Lord Sandwich [aged 42], and express great kindness to me; and so to talk of my Lord Sandwich's concernments.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 28th September 1668. Thence to my Lord Burlington's [aged 55] houses the first time I ever was there, it being the house built by Sir John Denham [aged 53], next to Clarendon House; and here I visited my [his son-in-law] Lord Hinchingbrooke [aged 20] and his lady; Mr. Sidney Montagu [aged 18] being come last night to town unexpectedly from Mount's Bay, where he left my Lord well, eight days since, so as we may now hourly expect to hear of his arrival at Portsmouth, Hampshire [Map]. Sidney is mighty grown; and I am glad I am here to see him at his first coming, though it cost me dear, for here I come to be necessitated to supply them with £500 for my Lord. He sent him up with a declaration to his friends, of the necessity of his being presently supplied with £2000; but I do not think he will get one. However, I think it becomes my duty to my Lord to do something extraordinary in this, and the rather because I have been remiss in writing to him during this voyage, more than ever I did in my life, and more indeed than was fit for me.
On 24th September 1671 [his daughter] Mary Anne Boyle [aged 26] died.
In 1678 [his sister] Mary Boyle Countess Warwick [aged 52] died.
In 1679 Charles Boyle 3rd Baron Clifford [aged 39] and Arethusa Berkeley Baroness Clifford [aged 15] were married. The difference in their ages was 24 years. She the daughter of George Berkeley 1st Earl Berkeley [aged 51] and Elizabeth Massingberd Couness Berkeley. He the son of Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 66] and Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 65]. They were fifth cousin once removed.
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.
On 16th October 1679 [his brother] Roger Boyle 1st Earl Orrery [aged 58] died. His son [his nephew] Roger [aged 33] succeeded 2nd Earl Orrery. Mary Sackville Countess Orrery [aged 31] by marriage Countess Orrery.
On 12th April 1687 [his daughter] Henrietta Boyle Countess Rochester [aged 41] died.
John Evelyn's Diary. 30th October 1688. Visited Mr. Boyle, when came in the Duke of Hamilton [aged 53] and Earl of Burlington [aged 76]. The Duke told us many particulars of Mary Queen of Scots, and her amours with the Italian favorite, etc.
John Evelyn's Diary. 18th June 1690. I afterward went with him to Mr. Boyle [aged 77] and Lady Ranelagh [aged 75] his sister, to whom he explained the necessity of it so fully, and so learnedly made out, with what events were immediately to follow, viz, the French King's ruin, the calling of the Jews to be near at hand, but that the Kingdom of Antichrist would not yet be utterly destroyed till thirty years, when Christ should begin the Millenium, not as personally and visibly reigning on earth, but that the true religion and universal peace should obtain through all the world. He showed how Mr. Brightman, Mr. Mede, and other interpreters of these events failed, by mistaking and reckoning the year as the Latins and others did, to consist of the present calculation, so many days to the year, whereas the Apocalypse reckons after the Persian account, as Daniel did, whose visions St. John all along explains as meaning only the Christian Church.
On 6th January 1691 [his wife] Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 77] died. Her son Charles [aged 51] succeeded 3rd Baron Clifford.
On 3rd December 1691 [his sister] Katherine Boyle Viscountess Ranelagh [aged 76] died.
On 12th October 1694 Charles Boyle 3rd Baron Clifford [aged 54] died. His son Charles [aged 26] succeeded 4th Baron Clifford.
On 15th January 1698 Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 85] died. His grandson Charles [aged 30] succeeded 2nd Earl Burlington, 3rd Viscount Boyle of Kinalmeaky.
[his daughter] Frances Boyle was born to Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington and Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington. She married April 1662 Wentworth Dillon 4th Earl Roscommon, son of James Dillon 3rd Earl Roscommon and Elizabeth Wentworth.
[his daughter] Elizabeth Boyle Countess Isle Thanet was born to Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington and Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington. She married 11th April 1664 her third cousin Nicholas Tufton 3rd Earl of Thanet, son of John Tufton 2nd Earl of Thanet and Margaret Sackville Countess Isle Thanet.
[his son] Richard Boyle was born to Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington and Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington.
Father: Richard Boyle 1st Earl Cork 
Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Fenton
GrandFather: Geoffrey Fenton
Mother: Catherine Fenton Countess Cork