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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A Treatise on Adultery is in Victorian Books.
A Treatise on the Law of Adulterine Bastardy with a report of the Banbury case and of all other cases bearing upon the subject by Nicolas, Nicholas Harris, Sir, 1799-1848.
Towards the end of the reign of Henry the Eighth two instances occurred of women, in the highest rank of society, having children bom in adultery, whilst their husbands were within the Realm. To prevent the spurious issue from succeeding to the husbands' honours and estates, two Acts of Parliament were passed, one of which Acts not only bastardized the children, but declared that, notwithstanding they were notoriomly begotten in Adultery, they would nevertheless be inheritable; and the other expressly declared that such children "be legitimate, and will be inheritable."
The first of these cases is that of Lady Parr (age 26), in the 34th Hen. VIII.; and the Act1 states, "that for the last two years she had eloped from her husband, William Lord Parr (age 31), and had not in that time ever returned to, nor had any carnal intercourse with him, but had been gotten with child by one of her adulterers, and been delivered of such child, which child being, as is notoriously known, begotten in adultery, and born during the espousals" between her and Lord Parr, "by the law of this realm is inheritable, and may pretend to inherit all, &c.;" and the Act therefore declares the said child to be a bastard.
Note 1. The Act, which is styled in the Lords' Journals, a Bill "to bar and make base and bastards the children which be, or shall be borne in adulteiy by the Lady Anne, wife of the Lord Parr," was read a first time on the 15th March 1543, bat it appears to have been altered by the Commons. — Lords' Journalls, I., 217. 223. 224. 230. 233. In the 6th Edw. VI., 1552, a Bill passed for annulling Lord Parr's (then Marquis of Northampton) marriage with Lady Anne Bourchier, and confirming his marriage with Elisabeth, daughter of Lord Cobham, and for the legitimation of the children that shall be had between them; but the Earl of Derby, the Bishops of Norwich and Carlisle, and Lord Stourton dissented. — Ibid, p. 409.418. The Statute of the 6 Edw. VI was, however, repealed in the 1st of Mary, 1555.
In the same year, a similar Act was passed to bastardize the children of Elizabeth Lady Burgh (age 31), the widow of Sir Thomas Burgh, eldest son of Thomas Lord Burgh (age 55), who had died in the lifetime of his father. After his son's death Lord Burgh obtained an Act [See Letter and Papers], which stated, "that during the life of her husband she had lived in adultery, not regarding the company of her husband, and in that time had brought forth three children, begotten by other persons than her said husband during the espousals," &c. "as she had confessed, which children being so gotten and bom in adultery, during the said espousals, by the laws of this realm, be legitimate, and toill be inheritable and inherit, &c. after the death of the said Lord Burgh;" and the Act proceeds to declare the said three children to be bastards1.
Note 1. This Bill, which is described as "a Bill to disinherit the children, and to make base and bastards the unlawfully begotten children of the wife of the Lord Burgh's son and heir," was read a first time on the 8th March 1543. — Lords' Journals, I., 215. 217, 218.