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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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Earl Kildare is in Earl Ireland.
Before 1281 John Fitzgerald 1st Earl of Kildare (age 30) and Blanche La Roche Countess Kildare (age 25) were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare.
On 16th August 1312 Thomas Fitzgerald 2nd Earl of Kildare and Joan Burgh Countess Kildare (age 12) were married at Greencastle, County Down. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of Richard "Red Earl" Burgh 2nd Earl of Ulster (age 53) and Margaret Burgh Countess Ulster. He the son of John Fitzgerald 1st Earl of Kildare (age 62) and Blanche La Roche Countess Kildare (age 57).
On 10th September 1316 John Fitzgerald 1st Earl of Kildare (age 66) died. His son Thomas succeeded 2nd Earl Kildare.
On 9th April 1328 Thomas Fitzgerald 2nd Earl of Kildare died. His son Richard (age 11) succeeded 3rd Earl Kildare.
On 7th July 1329 Richard Fitzgerald 3rd Earl of Kildare (age 12) died. His brother Maurice (age 11) succeeded 4th Earl Kildare.
On 25th August 1390 Maurice Fitzgerald 4th Earl of Kildare (age 72) died. His son Gerald succeeded 5th Earl Kildare.
In 1427 John Fitzgerald 6th Earl of Kildare died. His son Thomas (age 6) succeeded 7th Earl Kildare.
On 16th October 1432 Gerald Fitzgerald 5th Earl of Kildare died. She was buried at Grey Abbey, County Kildare. His uncle John succeeded 6th Earl Kildare.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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On 30th March 1463 David Fleming 6th Baron Slane (age 40) died. His first cousin James (age 21) succeeded 7th Baron Slane. Elizabeth Welles Countess Kildare by marriage Countess Kildare.
On 25th March 1478 Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl of Kildare (age 57) died. His son Gerald (age 22) succeeded 8th Earl Kildare.
Before 1487 Gerald Fitzgerald 8th Earl of Kildare (age 30) and Alice Fitzeustace Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl of Kildare.
In or after 1496 Gerald Fitzgerald 8th Earl of Kildare (age 39) and Elizabeth St John Countess Kildare (age 36) were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl of Kildare.
Before 8th July 1503, the date Mrgrate Tudor left on her journet to Scotland, Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare (age 16) and Elizabeth Zouche Countess Kildare were married at Collyweston Palace [Map]. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Gerald Fitzgerald 8th Earl of Kildare (age 47) and Alice Fitzeustace Countess Kildare.
On 3rd September 1513 Gerald Fitzgerald 8th Earl of Kildare (age 57) died. His son Gerald (age 26) succeeded 9th Earl Kildare.
Around 1522 Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare (age 35) and Elizabeth Grey Countess Kildare (age 25) were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of Thomas Grey 1st Marquess Dorset and Cecily Bonville Marchioness Dorset (age 61). He the son of Gerald Fitzgerald 8th Earl of Kildare and Alice Fitzeustace Countess Kildare.
On 12th December 1534, some sources say the 13th, Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare (age 47) died whilst imprisoned at the Tower of London [Map]. He was buried at the St Peter ad Vincula Church, Tower of London [Map]. His son Thomas (age 21) succeeded 10th Earl Kildare. His son, and five of his brothers were executed just over two years later - see Execution of the Fitzgeralds.
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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Henry Machyn's Diary. 14th May 1554. The xiiij day of May was creatyd my lord Garrett (age 29) the yerle of Kyldare. [Note. This was a restoration rather than creation.]
Note. P. 63. Lord Garrett created earl of Kildare. Gerald Fitzgerald, reckoned as the eleventh earl in succession of his family. His father [Note. brother?] Thomas was executed at Tyburn, together with his five uncles, on the 2d Feb. 1535; his grandfather [Note. father?] Gerald the ninth earl having died a prisoner in the Tower of London on the 12th Dec. preceding; and was subsequently pronounced attainted by an act of Parliament in Ireland passed in May 1536. The young lord Garrett, or FitzGerald, having been educated abroad, is said to have been introduced to the court of king Edward the Sixth, and knighted by him in 1552 (Lodge's Peerage of Ireland, by Archdall, vol. i. p. 94); but we have seen (p. 334) that the latter statement is erroneous, and it is more probable that he did not return before his kinsman and patron cardinal Pole and other eminent members of the old communion. His patent of restoration was dated May 13, 1554, (Lodge,) and in the following November he returned to Ireland. He was now thirty years of age, and he died in London, Nov. 16, 1585.
On 14th May 1554 Gerald "Wizard Earl" Fitzgerald 11th Earl of Kildare (age 29) was restored 11th Earl Kildare.
On 28th May 1554 Gerald "Wizard Earl" Fitzgerald 11th Earl of Kildare (age 29) and Mabel Browne Countess Kildare (age 18) were married at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Grey Countess Kildare. They were third cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 16th November 1585 Gerald "Wizard Earl" Fitzgerald 11th Earl of Kildare (age 60) died. His son Henry (age 23) succeeded 12th Earl Kildare.
In 1589 Henry Fitzgerald 12th Earl of Kildare (age 27) and Frances Howard Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of Charles Howard 1st Earl Nottingham (age 53) and Katherine Carey Countess Nottingham (age 39). He the son of Gerald "Wizard Earl" Fitzgerald 11th Earl of Kildare and Mabel Browne Countess Kildare (age 53). They were fifth cousin once removed.
On 1st August 1597 Henry Fitzgerald 12th Earl of Kildare (age 35) died. His brother William succeeded 13th Earl Kildare.
In April 1599 William Fitzgerald 13th Earl of Kildare drowned. His first cousin Gerald succeeded 14th Earl Kildare. Elizabeth Nugent Countess Kildare by marriage Countess Kildare.
On 11th February 1612 Gerald Fitzgerald 14th Earl of Kildare died at Maynooth, County Kildare. His son Gerald (age 1) succeeded 15th Earl Kildare.
In 1620 George "Fairy Earl" Fitzgerald 16th Earl of Kildare (age 7) succeeded 16th Earl Kildare. Joan Boyle Countess Kildare (age 9) by marriage Countess Kildare.
On 29th May 1660 George "Fairy Earl" Fitzgerald 16th Earl of Kildare (age 48) died. His son Wentworth (age 26) succeeded 17th Earl Kildare. Elizabeth Holles Countess Kildare by marriage Countess Kildare.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 5th March 1664 Wentworth Fitzgerald 17th Earl of Kildare (age 30) died. His son John (age 3) succeeded 18th Earl Kildare.
Before 1683 John Fitzgerald 18th Earl of Kildare (age 21) and Mary O'Brien Countess Kildare (age 19) were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Wentworth Fitzgerald 17th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Holles Countess Kildare. They were third cousin twice removed.
On 12th June 1684 John Fitzgerald 18th Earl of Kildare (age 23) and Elizabeth Jones Countess Kildare (age 19) were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of Richard Jones 1st Earl Ranelagh (age 43) and Elizabeth Willoughby Countess Ranelagh (age 51). He the son of Wentworth Fitzgerald 17th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Holles Countess Kildare. They were second cousins.
On 9th November 1707 John Fitzgerald 18th Earl of Kildare (age 46) died. His first cousin Robert (age 32) succeeded 19th Earl Kildare.
On 7th March 1709 Robert Fitzgerald 19th Earl of Kildare (age 33) and Mary O'Brien Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of William O'Brien 3rd Earl Inchiquin (age 47) and Mary Villiers Countess Inchiquin. They were second cousin once removed.
On 20th February 1743 Robert Fitzgerald 19th Earl of Kildare (age 67) died. His son James (age 21) succeeded 20th Earl Kildare.
John Fitzgerald 1st Earl of Kildare was created 1st Earl Kildare.
Gerald Fitzgerald 5th Earl of Kildare and Margaret Rocheford Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Maurice Fitzgerald 4th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Burghesh Countess Kildare.
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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Thomas "Silken" Fitzgerald 10th Earl of Kildare and Frances Fortescue Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Zouche Countess Kildare.
Gerald Fitzgerald 5th Earl of Kildare and Agnes Darcy Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Maurice Fitzgerald 4th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Burghesh Countess Kildare. They were third cousin twice removed.
Maurice Fitzgerald 4th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Burghesh Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Thomas Fitzgerald 2nd Earl of Kildare and Joan Burgh Countess Kildare. They were fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King John of England.
John Fitzgerald 6th Earl of Kildare and Margaret Herne Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Thomas Fitzgerald 2nd Earl of Kildare and Joan Burgh Countess Kildare.