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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Paternal Family Tree: Legh
Maternal Family Tree: Margaret Donnington Countess Bath 1509-1561
In or before 1573 [her father] Thomas Leigh 1st Baronet (age 30) and [her mother] Katharine Spencer were married.
In 1578 Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley was born to [her father] Thomas Leigh 1st Baronet (age 36) and [her mother] Katharine Spencer at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire [Map].
Around 1591 [her future husband] Robert Dudley (age 16) and Margaret Cavendish (age 21) were married. He the illegitmate son of Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester and [her future mother-in-law] Douglas Howard Baroness Sheffield (age 49).
Life of Robert Dudley Part II. 1596. His much journeying threw Robert Dudley into communication with, other great navigators of the day, among whom was Thomas Cavendish, who had three young and charming sisters. With one of these the young sailor, fresh from his voyages, fell in love, and being a 'heretik' (i. e. protestant), and deeming himself free from Frances Vavasour, he married her [Margaret Cavendish (age 26)]. The bride died soon after, in 1596 without issue, and in the same year he married Alice (age 18) second daughter of Sir [her father] Thomas Leigh (age 54), Knight and Baronet of Stoneleigh, Warwickshire.
In 1596 Robert Dudley (age 22) and Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley (age 18) were married. He the illegitmate son of Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester and Douglas Howard Baroness Sheffield (age 54).
On or before 25th September 1597, the date she was baptised at Kenilworth, [her daughter] Alicia Douglassia Dudley was born to [her husband] Robert Dudley (age 23) and Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley (age 19).
In 1606 [her husband] Robert Dudley (age 31) and Elizabeth Southwell (age 22) were married at Lyon, France [Map]. Bigamous in his case since his second wife Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley (age 28) was alive. She the daughter of Robert Southwell and Elizabeth Howard Countess Carrick (age 41). He the illegitmate son of Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester and [her mother-in-law] Douglas Howard Baroness Sheffield (age 64). They were first cousin once removed.
In or before 1611 [her son-in-law] Gilbert Kniveton 2nd Baronet (age 28) and [her daughter] Frances Dudley were married. She the daughter of [her husband] Robert Dudley (age 36) and Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley (age 32).
In 1611 [her father] Thomas Leigh 1st Baronet (age 69) was created 1st Baronet Leigh of Stoneleigh in Warwickshire.
On 4th March 1619 [her brother-in-law] Edmund Sheffield 1st Earl Mulgrave (age 53) and Mariana Irwin Countess Mulgrave were married at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map]. She by marriage Baroness Sheffield of Butterwick in Lincolnshire.
In May 1621 [her daughter] Alicia Douglassia Dudley (age 23) died.
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
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In 1626 [her brother-in-law] Edmund Sheffield 1st Earl Mulgrave (age 60) was created 1st Earl Mulgrave. Mariana Irwin Countess Mulgrave by marriage Countess Mulgrave.
In February 1626 [her father] Thomas Leigh 1st Baronet (age 84) died at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire [Map]. His grandson Thomas (age 31) succeeded 2nd Baronet Leigh of Stoneleigh in Warwickshire.
On 23rd July 1629 [her son-in-law] Richard Leveson (age 31) and [her daughter] Catherine Dudley were married. She the daughter of [her husband] Robert Dudley (age 54) and Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley (age 51).
In January 1639 [her mother] Katharine Spencer died.
On 23rd May 1644 Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley (age 66) was created 1st Duchess Dudley by King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland (age 43) for life. Her husband [her husband] Robert Dudley (age 69) had claimed to be the legitimate son of Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester but the Star Chamber found against him. King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland disagreed with their verdict and, in compensation of her subsequent treatment, awarded her the Dukedom... See Patent of Creation.
In October 1646 [her brother-in-law] Edmund Sheffield 1st Earl Mulgrave (age 80) died. His grandson Edmund (age 34) succeeded 2nd Earl Mulgrave, 4th Baron Sheffield of Butterwick in Lincolnshire.
On 6th September 1649 [her husband] Robert Dudley (age 75) died at Villa Rinieri. He was buried at San Pancrazio.
Before 1663 [her son-in-law] Robert Holborne and [her daughter] Anne Dudley were married. She the daughter of [her former husband] Robert Dudley and Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley (age 84).
On 22nd January 1669 Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley (age 91) died in the parish St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. She was buried at Church of the Virgin Mary, Stoneleigh [Map]. Duke Dudley extinct since it was created for life only.
After 22nd January 1669. Church of the Virgin Mary, Stoneleigh [Map]. Monument to Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley (deceased) and her daughter. A large elaborate memorial in black and white marble erected in 1668. Has two recumbent female figures under a canopy supported on eight Ionic columns and on either side an angel with trumpet holding back curtains. Possibly sculpted by William Wright of Charing Cross.
[her daughter] Anne Dudley was born to Robert Dudley and Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley. She married before 1663 Robert Holborne.
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.
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[her daughter] Frances Dudley was born to Robert Dudley and Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley. She married in or before 1611 Gilbert Kniveton 2nd Baronet, son of William Kniveton 1st Baronet, and had issue.
Life of Robert Dudley Appendix VI. The Patent for creating Alice Lady Dudley a Duchess of England.
See Dugdale's Baronage, vol. II, p. 225, and the Note in the margin, which says that he copied it from the original in the possession of Catharine Lady Levison, 1670.
Charles, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc. To all Archbishops, Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts, Bishops, Barons, Knights and all other our loving subjects, to whom these our Letters shall come, greeting. Whereas in or about the beginning of the Reign of our dear father King James, of famous memory, there was a sute commenced, in our high Court of Star Chamber, against Sir Robert Dudley, Knight, and others, for pretending himself to be lawfull heir to the honours and lands of the Earldoms of Warwick and Leicester, as son and heir of the body of Robert Late Earl of Leicester, lawfully begotten upon the Lady Douglasse his mother, wife to the late Earl of Leicester, and all proceedings stayed in the Ecclesiastical Courts, in which the said sute depended, for proof of his legitimation: yet nevertheless did the said Court vouchsafe liberty to the said Sir Robert, to examine witnesses in the said Court of Star Chamber, in order to the making good of his legitimacy; divers witnesses were examined there accordingly. Whereupon, by full testimony upon oath, partly made by the said Lady Douglasse herself, and partly made by divers other persons of quality and credit, who were present at the marriage with the said late Earl of Leicester, by a lawfuU Minister, according to the form of Matrimony then by law established in the Church of England; and the said Sir Robert and his mother were owned by the said late Earl of Leicester as his lawfuU wife and son, as by many of the said depositions remaining upon record, in our said Court, still appear, which we have caused to be perused, for our better satisfation herein. But a special order being made, that the said depositions should be seal'd up and no copies thereof taken without leave, did cause him, the said Sir Robert, to leave this our kingdom; whereof his adversaries taking advantages procured a special Privy-seal to be sent unto him, commanding his return into England; which he not obeying (because his honour and lands were denied unto him), all his lands were therefore seiz'd on to the King our father's use.
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[her daughter] Catherine Dudley was born to Robert Dudley and Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley. She married 23rd July 1629 Richard Leveson.
Great x 4 Grandfather: Piers Legh
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Leigh
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Leigh
Great x 1 Grandfather: Roger Leigh
GrandFather: Thomas Leigh
Father: Thomas Leigh 1st Baronet
Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Spencer 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Spencer
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Spencer
Great x 4 Grandfather: Peter Empson
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Empson
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Spencer
Great x 2 Grandmother: Isabella Graunt
GrandFather: John Spencer
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Knightley 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Knightley
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Knightley
Great x 1 Grandmother: Susan Knightley
Mother: Katharine Spencer
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Kitson 
GrandMother: Katherine Kitson
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Donnington of Stoke Newington
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Donnington Countess Bath