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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Paternal Family Tree: Spencer
Maternal Family Tree: Margaret Donnington Countess Bath 1509-1561
Before October 1545 [her father] John Spencer [aged 21] and [her mother] Katherine Kitson [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Thomas Kitson and [her grandmother] Margaret Donnington Countess Bath [aged 36].
On 4th May 1549 Alice Spencer Countess Derby was born to [her father] John Spencer [aged 25] and [her mother] Katherine Kitson [aged 25] at Althorp House, Northamptonshire [Map].
On 15th August 1560 Thomas Stanley 2nd Baron Monteagle [aged 53] died at Hornby. His son [her future brother-in-law] William [aged 32] succeeded 3rd Baron Monteagle. [her sister] Anne Spencer Countess Dorset by marriage Baroness Monteagle.
On 29th December 1574 [her brother-in-law] George Carey 2nd Baron Hunsdon [aged 27] and [her sister] Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Hunsdon and Eure [aged 22] were married.
In 1576 [her future husband] Thomas Egerton 1st Viscount Brackley [aged 36] and Elizabeth Ravenscroft [aged 32] were married.
Around 1579 Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby [aged 20] and Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 29] were married. He the son of Henry Stanley 4th Earl of Derby [aged 47] and Margaret Clifford Countess Derby [aged 39].
In May 1580 [her daughter] Anne Stanley Countess Castlehaven was born to [her husband] Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby [aged 21] and Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 30] at Harefield. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She married (1) 28th February 1607 her half fourth cousin twice removed Grey Brydges 5th Baron Chandos, son of William Brydges 4th Baron Chandos and Mary Hopton Baroness Chandos, and had issue (2) 22nd July 1624 her sixth cousin Mervyn Tuchet 2nd Earl Castlehaven, son of George Tuchet 1st Earl Castlehaven and Lucy Mervyn Baroness Audley and Tuchet.
After 10th November 1581 [her brother-in-law] Henry Compton 1st Baron Compton [aged 37] and [her sister] Anne Spencer Countess Dorset were married. She by marriage Baroness Compton of Compton in Warwickshire. He the son of Peter Compton and Anne Talbot Countess Pembroke [aged 58].
In 1583 [her daughter] Frances Stanley Countess Bridgewater was born to [her husband] Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby [aged 24] and Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 33]. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She married 27th June 1602 John Egerton 1st Earl Bridgewater, son of Thomas Egerton 1st Viscount Brackley and Elizabeth Ravenscroft, and had issue.
On 8th November 1586 [her mother] Katherine Kitson [aged 62] died.
On 8th November 1586 [her father] John Spencer [aged 62] died. He was buried at St Mary and All Saints Church, Fotheringhay [Map].
On 6th January 1588 [her daughter] Elizabeth Stanley Countess Huntingdon was born to [her husband] Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby [aged 29] and Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 38] at Knowsley, Lancashire. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She married 15th January 1601 her fourth cousin Henry Hastings 5th Earl Huntingdon and had issue.
After 1591 [her former brother-in-law] William Stanley 3rd Baron Monteagle and [her sister] Anne Spencer Countess Dorset were married.
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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On 4th December 1592 [her brother-in-law] Robert Sackville 2nd Earl Dorset [aged 31] and [her sister] Anne Spencer Countess Dorset were married. He the son of Thomas Sackville 1st Earl Dorset [aged 56] and Cicely Baker Countess Dorset [aged 57].
On 25th September 1593 [her father-in-law] Henry Stanley 4th Earl of Derby [aged 62] died at Lathom, Lancashire. His son [her husband] Ferdinando [aged 34] succeeded 5th Earl Derby, 13th Baron Strange Knockin, 9th Baron Mohun of Dunster, 6th Baron Stanley. Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 44] by marriage Countess Derby.
On 16th April 1594 [her husband] Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby [aged 35] died from poisoning. His brother [her brother-in-law] William [aged 33] succeeded 6th Earl Derby. Baron Mohun of Dunster and Baron Stanley abeyant.
In 1596 [her future husband] Thomas Egerton 1st Viscount Brackley [aged 56] and Elizabeth More were married.
On 23rd July 1596 Henry Carey 1st Baron Hunsdon [aged 70] died at Somerset House [Map]. Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 62] was present. She, apparently, proposed he be made Earl of Wiltshire. He refused saying... "Madam, as you did not count me worthy of this honour in life, then I shall account myself not worthy of it in death". His son [her brother-in-law] George [aged 49] succeeded 2nd Baron Hunsdon. [her sister] Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Hunsdon and Eure [aged 44] by marriage Baroness Hunsdon.
On 20th October 1600 Thomas Egerton 1st Viscount Brackley [aged 60] and Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 51] were married.
On 15th January 1601 [her son-in-law] Henry Hastings 5th Earl Huntingdon [aged 14] and Elizabeth Stanley Countess Huntingdon [aged 13] were married. She the daughter of Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby and Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 51]. They were fourth cousins. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 27th June 1602 [her son-in-law] John Egerton 1st Earl Bridgewater [aged 23] and Frances Stanley Countess Bridgewater [aged 19] were married. She the daughter of Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby and Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 53].
On 21st July 1603 King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland [aged 37] created a number of new Baronies...
[her husband] Thomas Egerton [aged 63] was created 1st Baron Ellesmere. Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 54] by marriage Baroness Ellesmere.
Robert Spencer [aged 33] was created 1st Baron Spencer Wormleighton.
John Harrington [aged 63] was created 1st Baron Harington of Exton. Anne Keilway Baroness Harington [aged 49] by marriage Baroness Harington of Exton.
On 28th February 1607 [her son-in-law] Grey Brydges 5th Baron Chandos [aged 27] and Anne Stanley Countess Castlehaven [aged 26] were married. She the daughter of Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby and Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 57]. They were half fourth cousin twice removed. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 19th April 1608 Thomas Sackville 1st Earl Dorset [aged 72] died suddenly at the council table, having apparently suffered a stroke. His funeral was held at Westminster Abbey [Map]. He was buried in the Sackville Chapel St Michael's Church Withyham East Sussex. His son [her brother-in-law] Robert [aged 47] succeeded 2nd Earl Dorset, 2nd Baron Buckhurst. [her sister] Anne Spencer Countess Dorset by marriage Countess Dorset.
After 1612 [her brother-in-law] Ralph Eure 3rd Baron Eure [aged 53] and [her sister] Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Hunsdon and Eure [aged 59] were married. She by marriage Baroness Eure.
On 7th November 1616 [her husband] Thomas Egerton 1st Viscount Brackley [aged 76] was created 1st Viscount Brackley. Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 67] by marriage Viscountess Brackley.
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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Diary of Anne Clifford. 14th March 1617. The 14th I made an end of my Irish stitch cushion. This afternoon Basket came from London and told me that my Lord [aged 27] and my Uncle were agreed and the writings sealed.
The King set forward this day on his journey to Scotland, the Queen and Prince going with him to Thibalds1.
Note 1. The 14th being Friday my Uncle Cumberland and my Coz. Clifford came to Dorset House where my Lord and they signed and sealed the writings and made a final conclusion of my business and did what they could to cut me off from my right, but I referred my cause to GOD.
Upon this Friday or Saturday died my Lord Chancellor Egerton [aged 77], Lady Derby's [aged 67] husband.
On 15th March 1617 [her husband] Thomas Egerton 1st Viscount Brackley [aged 77] died. His son [her son-in-law] John [aged 38] succeeded 2nd Viscount Brackley, 2nd Baron Ellesmere. [her daughter] Frances Stanley Countess Bridgewater [aged 34] by marriage Viscountess Brackley.
On 25th February 1618 [her sister] Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Hunsdon and Eure [aged 65] died.
On 22nd September 1618 [her sister] Anne Spencer Countess Dorset died.
On 22nd July 1624 [her son-in-law] Mervyn Tuchet 2nd Earl Castlehaven [aged 31] and Anne Stanley Countess Castlehaven [aged 44] were married at Harefield. She by marriage Countess Castlehaven. She the daughter of Ferdinando Stanley 5th Earl of Derby and Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 75]. He the son of George Tuchet 1st Earl Castlehaven and Lucy Mervyn Baroness Audley and Tuchet. They were sixth cousins. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
In 1633 [her daughter] Elizabeth Stanley Countess Huntingdon [aged 44] died.
On 11th March 1636 Frances Stanley Countess Bridgewater [aged 53] died. She has an inscription of the Great Monument at St Peter and St Paul Church, Little Gaddesden which reads: "ln hope of a happy resurrection, here lieth the Right Honourable and Most Noble Lady Frances Countess of Bridgewater. She was second daughter and one of the coheires of the Right Honourable Ferdinando Earl of Derby, &c. wife to the Right Honourable Sir John Egerton, Knt. of the honourable Order of the Bath, Earl of Bridgewater, Viscount Brackley, Baron of Elesmere, and Lord President of Wales, and the Marches thereof, by whom she was a happy mother of fifteene children, foure sons and, eleven daughters, five of which she buryed young, viz. the Lord James Viscount Brackley, her eldest, the Lord Charles, who succeeded him in birth and honour, seco,nd sonne; the Lady Cecila Egerton, her fourth, Mrs. Alice Egerton her eighth, and the Lady Anne Egerton her tenth daughter, who lyes here jnterred, dying in the eighth yeare of her age. Seven of her daughters she married richly and honourably, viz. the Lady Frances her eldest, the Lady Arabella her second, the Lady Elizabeth her third, the Lady Mary her fifth, the Lady Penelope her sixth, the Lady Katherine her seventh, and the Lady Magdelene her ninth; one of her daughters, viz. the Lady Alice her eleventh, she left unmarried; as she likewise did two of her sonnes, the Lord John Viscount Brackley, her third, and Mr. Thomas Egerton her fourth sonne. She was unparalleled in the gifts of nature and grace, being strong of constitution, admirable for beauty, generous in carriage, of a sweet and noble disposition, wise in her affaires, cheerefull in her discourse, liberall to the poore, pious towards God, and good to all. She lived vertuously 52 yeares; she died religiously the 11th day ,of March, in the yeare of our Lord 1635; and she reigns triumphantly for ever. Psal. cxvi. 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints."
On 23rd January 1637 Alice Spencer Countess Derby [aged 87] died.
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Spencer 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Spencer
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Spencer
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Spencer
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Empson
Great x 3 Grandfather: Peter Empson
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Empson
GrandFather: William Spencer
Great x 1 Grandmother: Isabella Graunt
Father: John Spencer
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Knightley 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Knightley
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Knightley
GrandMother: Susan Knightley
GrandFather: Thomas Kitson 
Mother: Katherine Kitson
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Donnington of Stoke Newington
GrandMother: Margaret Donnington Countess Bath