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 Moray is in Earl Moray.
On 7th February 1562 James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray Regent [aged 31] was created 1st Earl Moray and 1st Earl Mar.
On 8th February 1562 James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray Regent [aged 31] and Agnes Keith Countess Moray and Mar [aged 31] were married at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh. She by marriage Countess Moray and Countess Mar. She the daughter of William Keith 4th Earl Marischal [aged 55] and Margaret Keith Countess Marischal. He the illegitmate son of King James V of Scotland and Margaret Erskine [aged 46]. They were fourth cousins. He a great grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 23rd January 1570 James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray Regent [aged 39] was assassinated at Linlithgow by James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, a supporter of Mary Queen of Scots [aged 27]. His daughter Elizabeth [aged 4] succeeded 2nd Countess Moray. As he was passing in a cavalcade in the main street below, Hamilton fatally wounded him with a carbine shot from a window of his uncle Archbishop Hamilton's [aged 57] house. He was the first head of government to be assassinated by a firearm.
On 23rd January 1581 James "The Bonnie Earl" Stewart 2nd Earl of Moray [aged 16] and Elizabeth Stewart 2nd Countess Moray [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Lord Doune. He by marriage 2nd Earl Moray. She the daughter of James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray Regent and Agnes Keith Countess Moray and Mar [aged 50]. They were third cousins. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 7th February 1592 James "The Bonnie Earl" Stewart 2nd Earl of Moray [aged 27] was murdered. His son James [aged 1] succeeded 3rd Earl Moray.
Moray, in expectation of a summons to the court, had arrived at Donibristle, a house on the Fife coast owned by his mother Margaret Campbell [deceased]. The house was suddenly beset by the followers of George Gordon 1st Marquess Huntly [aged 30], who called on him to surrender. He declined to do so, and the house was set on fire. Moray escaped but was subsequently killed.
The next day, the corpses of the earl and of Dunbar, Sheriff of Moray, who had also been killed in the attack, were brought to Leith by the earl's mother Margaret Campbell. She intended to confront King James VI [aged 25] and demand that Huntly be brought to justice. The body displayed in the St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh; a 'vendetta portrait' showing his wounds was commissioned.
The body remained on display for five years. He was eventually buried on the orders of King James.
James Stewart 3rd Earl of Moray: Before 1591 he was born to James "The Bonnie Earl" Stewart 2nd Earl of Moray and Elizabeth Stewart 2nd Countess Moray. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. On 2nd October 1607 James Stewart 3rd Earl of Moray and Anne Gordon Countess Moray were married. She by marriage Countess Moray. She the daughter of George Gordon 1st Marquess Huntly and Henrietta Stewart Marchioness Huntly. He the son of James "The Bonnie Earl" Stewart 2nd Earl of Moray and Elizabeth Stewart 2nd Countess Moray. They were half third cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. On 6th August 1638 James Stewart 3rd Earl of Moray died. His son James succeeded 4th Earl Moray.
Margaret Campbell: In 1544 she was born to Archibald Campbell 4th Earl Argyll and Margaret Graham Countess Argyll. On 10th January 1563 James Stewart 1st Lord Doune and she were married. There was a masque involving courtiers and musicians dressed in white taffeta as shepherds. She the daughter of Archibald Campbell 4th Earl Argyll and Margaret Graham Countess Argyll. They were half third cousin once removed. In February 1592 Margaret Campbell died.
On 2nd October 1607 James Stewart 3rd Earl of Moray [aged 16] and Anne Gordon Countess Moray were married. She by marriage Countess Moray. She the daughter of George Gordon 1st Marquess Huntly [aged 45] and Henrietta Stewart Marchioness Huntly [aged 34]. He the son of James "The Bonnie Earl" Stewart 2nd Earl of Moray and Elizabeth Stewart 2nd Countess Moray. They were half third cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 18th October 1627 James Stewart 4th Earl of Moray [aged 16] and Margaret Home Countess Moray were married. She by marriage Countess Moray. She the daughter of Alexander Home 1st Earl of Home and Mary Dudley Countess Home [aged 41]. He the son of James Stewart 3rd Earl of Moray [aged 36] and Anne Gordon Countess Moray. They were half third cousin twice removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 6th August 1638 James Stewart 3rd Earl of Moray [aged 47] died. His son James [aged 27] succeeded 4th Earl Moray.
On 4th March 1653 James Stewart 4th Earl of Moray [aged 42] died. His son Alexander [aged 18] succeeded 5th Earl Moray.
In 1658 Alexander Stuart 5th Earl of Moray [aged 23] and Emilia Balfour Countess Moray [aged 12] were married. She by marriage Countess Moray. He the son of James Stewart 4th Earl of Moray and Margaret Home Countess Moray.
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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On 1st November 1701 Alexander Stuart 5th Earl of Moray [aged 67] died. His son Charles [aged 18] succeeded 6th Earl Moray.
In 1735 Charles Stuart 6th Earl of Moray [aged 52] died. His brother Francis [aged 52] succeeded 7th Earl Moray.
On 11th December 1739 Francis Stuart 7th Earl of Moray [aged 56] died. His son James [aged 31] succeeded 8th Earl Moray.
On 24th April 1740 James Stuart 8th Earl of Moray [aged 32] and Margaret Wemyss Countess Moray [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Countess Moray. She the daughter of David Wemyss 4th Earl of Wemyss and Elizabeth St Clair. He the son of Francis Stuart 7th Earl of Moray. They were fifth cousins.
On 5th July 1767 James Stuart 8th Earl of Moray [aged 59] died. His son Francis [aged 30] succeeded 9th Earl Moray. Jean Gray Countess Moray [aged 24] by marriage Countess Moray.
In 1810 Francis Stuart 9th Earl of Moray [aged 73] died. His son Francis [aged 38] succeeded 10th Earl Moray. Margaret Jane Ainslie Countess Moray by marriage Countess Moray.
On 12th January 1848 Francis Stuart 10th Earl of Moray [aged 76] died. His son Francis [aged 53] succeeded 11th Earl Moray.
In 1859 Francis Stuart 11th Earl of Moray [aged 64] died. His brother John [aged 61] succeeded 12th Earl Moray.
On 8th November 1867 John Stuart 12th Earl of Moray [aged 70] died. His half brother Archibald [aged 57] succeeded 13th Earl Moray.
In 1872 Archibald Stuart 13th Earl of Moray [aged 62] died. His brother George [aged 56] succeeded 14th Earl Moray.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 19th April 1930 Morton Gray Stuart 17th Earl of Moray [aged 75] died. His son Francis [aged 37] succeeded 18th Earl Moray.