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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Maternal Family Tree: Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon 1748-1812
In 1748 Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon was born to [her father] William Maxwell.
On 5th August 1752 Cosmo George Gordon 3rd Duke Gordon [aged 32] died. His son [her future husband] Alexander [aged 9] succeeded 4th Duke Gordon, 7th Marquess Huntly, 12th Earl Huntley.
On 18th October 1767 Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 24] and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Duchess Gordon. He the son of Cosmo George Gordon 3rd Duke Gordon and Catherine Gordon Duchess Gordon [aged 49].
On 20th September 1768 [her daughter] Charlotte Gordon Duchess Richmond was born to [her husband] Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 25] and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 20]. She married 9th September 1789 her sixth cousin Charles Lennox 4th Duke Richmond and had issue.
On 25th November 1771 Thomas Fane 8th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 70] died. His son John [aged 43] succeeded 9th Earl of Westmoreland. [her sister-in-law] Susan Gordon Countess of Westmoreland [aged 19] by marriage Countess of Westmoreland.
Henry Fane of Fulbeck [aged 32] inherited Fulbeck Hall.
In 1772 [her daughter] Madelaine Gordon was born to [her husband] Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 28] and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 24].
1772 Angelica Kauffmann [aged 30]. Portrait of Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 24].
On 27th December 1776 [her daughter] Louisa Gordon Marchioness Cornwallis was born to [her husband] Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 33] and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 28]. She married 17th April 1795 Charles Cornwallis 2nd Marquess Cornwallis, son of Charles Cornwallis 1st Marquess Cornwallis and Jemima Tullekin Jones Countess Cornwallis, and had issue.
Around 1778 George Romney [aged 43]. Portrait of Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 30] and her son George Gordon 5th Duke Gordon [aged 7].
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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Around 1780 Daniel Gardner [aged 30]. Portrait of Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 32] wearing a green riding habit.
On 18th July 1781 [her daughter] Georgiana Gordon Duchess Bedford was born to [her husband] Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 38] and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 33]. She married 23rd June 1803 her sixth cousin John Russell 6th Duke Bedford and had issue.
In 1785 [her son] Alexander Gordon was born to [her husband] Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 41] and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 37].
On 9th September 1789 [her son-in-law] Charles Lennox 4th Duke Richmond [aged 25] and Charlotte Gordon Duchess Richmond [aged 20] were married at Gordon Castle, Fochabers. She the daughter of Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 46] and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 41]. They were sixth cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 7th October 1793 [her son-in-law] William Montagu 5th Duke Manchester [aged 21] and Susan Gordon Duchess Manchester were married at Edinburgh. She by marriage Duchess Manchester. She the daughter of Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 50] and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 45]. He the son of George Montagu 4th Duke Manchester and Elizabeth Dashwood Duchess Manchester [aged 53].
On 17th April 1795 [her son-in-law] Charles Cornwallis 2nd Marquess Cornwallis [aged 20] and Louisa Gordon Marchioness Cornwallis [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 51] and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 47]. He the son of Charles Cornwallis 1st Marquess Cornwallis [aged 56] and Jemima Tullekin Jones Countess Cornwallis.
On 23rd June 1803 [her son-in-law] John Russell 6th Duke Bedford [aged 36] and Georgiana Gordon Duchess Bedford [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Duchess Bedford. She the daughter of Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 60] and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 55]. They were sixth cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 8th January 1808 [her son] Alexander Gordon [aged 23] died.
On 14th April 1812 Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon [aged 64] died.
On 17th June 1827 [her former husband] Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon [aged 83] died. His son George [aged 57] succeeded 5th Duke Gordon, 8th Marquess Huntly, 13th Earl Huntley, 13th Baron Mordaunt. Elizabeth Brodie Duchess Gordon [aged 32] by marriage Duchess Gordon.
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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Diary of the Times of George IV Volume 1 Section 1. London is very full, and the Duchess of Gordon has had some good assemblies. The Princess of Wales lives quietly; never has above four or five people at dinner, and has quite given up going to the play, though she owns, she considers this is a very great privation. I have been teased into promising to put together some showy spectacle for Covent-Garden; and the Princess insists on its not being produced before Easter Monday, as she says that till then she has no hopes of being allowed to visit the theatre.
[her daughter] Susan Gordon Duchess Manchester was born to Alexander Gordon 4th Duke Gordon and Jane Maxwell Duchess Gordon. She married 7th October 1793 William Montagu 5th Duke Manchester, son of George Montagu 4th Duke Manchester and Elizabeth Dashwood Duchess Manchester, and had issue.