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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Paternal Family Tree: Brooke Baron Cobham
Maternal Family Tree: Etienette Countess Provence and Arles
In or before 1415 [his father] Thomas Brooke Baron Cobham [aged 23] and [his mother] Joan Braybrooke 5th Baroness Cobham [aged 12] were married.
Around 1415 Edward Brooke 6th Baron Cobham was born to [his father] Thomas Brooke Baron Cobham [aged 24] and [his mother] Joan Braybrooke 5th Baroness Cobham [aged 12] at Brooke, Somerset.
In or before 1433 Edward Brooke 6th Baron Cobham [aged 17] and Elizabeth Tuchet Baroness Cobham [aged 12] were married. They were sixth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry III of England.
Around 1433 [his daughter] Elizabeth Brooke was born to Edward Brooke 6th Baron Cobham [aged 18] and [his wife] Elizabeth Tuchet Baroness Cobham [aged 13] at Brooke, Somerset. She married before 22nd February 1484 Robert Tanfield and had issue.
After 25th January 1433 Robert Ros [aged 39] and [his sister-in-law] Margaret Tuchet Countess Tankerville [aged 2] were married. The difference in their ages was 37 years. They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry III of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 13th January 1434 [his grandmother] Joan Pole 4th Baroness Cobham died. She was buried at Church of St Mary Magdalene, Cobham. Her daughter [his mother] Joan [aged 31] succeeded 5th Baroness Cobham. [his father] Thomas Brooke Baron Cobham [aged 43] by marriage Baron Cobham.
On 12th August 1439 [his father] Thomas Brooke Baron Cobham [aged 48] died.
On 24th November 1442 [his mother] Joan Braybrooke 5th Baroness Cobham [aged 39] died at Cooling Castle [Map]. Her son Edward [aged 27] succeeded 6th Baron Cobham. [his wife] Elizabeth Tuchet Baroness Cobham [aged 22] by marriage Baroness Cobham.
On 10th December 1447 [his son] John Brooke 7th Baron Cobham was born to Edward Brooke 6th Baron Cobham [aged 32] and [his wife] Elizabeth Tuchet Baroness Cobham [aged 27] at Cowling, Kent. He married before 1470 his fourth cousin Margaret Neville Baroness Cobham, daughter of Edward Neville 1st Baron Abergavenny and Katherine Howard Baroness Bergavenny, and had issue.
On 22nd May 1455 the Wars of the Roses commenced with the First Battle of St Albans. Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York [aged 43] commanded with Richard "Kingmaker" Neville Earl Warwick, 6th Earl Salisbury [aged 26], Richard Neville Earl Salisbury [aged 55], Edward Brooke 6th Baron Cobham [aged 40] and Walter Strickland [aged 44].
The Lancastrians...
Edmund Beaufort 1st or 2nd Duke of Somerset [aged 49] was killed. His son Henry [aged 19] succeeded 2nd Duke Somerset, 2nd Marquess Dorset, 5th Earl Somerset, 2nd Earl Dorset. Note his father is frequently incorrectly referred to as the second Duke and Henry as the third Duke. His father's Dukedom, however, was a new creation.
Henry Percy 2nd Earl of Northumberland [aged 62] was killed. His son Henry [aged 33] succeeded 3rd Earl of Northumberland, 6th Baron Percy of Alnwick, 14th Baron Percy of Topcliffe. Eleanor Poynings Countess Northumberland [aged 33] by marriage Countess of Northumberland.
Thomas Clifford 8th Baron Clifford [aged 41] was killed. His son John [aged 20] succeeded 9th Baron de Clifford, 9th Lord Skipton. Margaret Bromflete Baroness Clifford [aged 21] by marriage Baroness de Clifford.
William Cotton [aged 45] and Richard Fortescue [aged 41] were killed.
Humphrey Stafford 1st Duke of Buckingham [aged 52] was wounded and captured.
King Henry VI of England and II of France [aged 33], John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley [aged 54] and Edmund Sutton [aged 30] were captured.
Henry Beaufort 2nd or 3rd Duke of Somerset was wounded. James Butler 1st Earl Wiltshire 5th Earl Ormonde [aged 34] and John Wenlock 1st Baron Wenlock [aged 55] fought.
Richard Cotton of Hampstall Ridware [aged 51] and his son William Cotton of Connington in Huntingdonshire [aged 27] were killed.
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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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Before 12th January 1458 Richard Grey 3rd Earl Tankerville [aged 21] and [his sister-in-law] Margaret Tuchet Countess Tankerville [aged 27] were married. She by marriage Countess Tankerville. He the son of Henry Grey 2nd Earl Tankerville and Antigone Lancaster Countess Tankerville. They were second cousin once removed. He a great grandson of King Henry IV of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 10th July 1460 the Yorkist army led by the future King Edward IV of England [aged 18] and including Richard "Kingmaker" Neville Earl Warwick, 6th Earl Salisbury [aged 31], Archbishop George Neville [aged 28], William Neville 1st Earl Kent [aged 55], Edward Brooke 6th Baron Cobham [aged 45] and John Scrope 5th Baron Scrope of Bolton [aged 22] defeated the Lancastrian army at the 1460 Battle of Northampton.
Edmund Grey 1st Earl Kent [aged 43] had started the day as part of the Lancastrian army but did nothing to prevent the Yorkist army attacking.
King Henry VI of England and II of France [aged 38] was captured.
Humphrey Stafford 1st Duke of Buckingham [aged 57] was killed. His grandson Henry [aged 5] succeeded 2nd Duke of Buckingham, 7th Earl Stafford, 8th Baron Stafford.
John Talbot 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 42] was killed. His son John [aged 11] succeeded 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, 3rd Earl Waterford, 8th Baron Furnivall, 12th Baron Strange Blackmere, 9th Baron Talbot.
Thomas Percy 1st Baron Egremont [aged 37] was killed. [Baron Egremont of Egremont Castle in Cumberland extinct. Some authoirities state, however, that he left a son, Sir John Percy, who never assumed the title.]
John Beaumont 1st Viscount Beaumont [aged 50] was killed. His son William [aged 22] succeeded 2nd Viscount Beaumont, 7th Baron Beaumont.
William Lucy [aged 56] was killed apparently by servants of a member of the Stafford family who wanted his wife Margaret Fitzlewis [aged 21].
Thomas Tresham [aged 40] fought.
William Beaumont 2nd Viscount Beaumont and William Norreys [aged 19] were knighted.
Thomas "Bastard of Exeter" Holland was executed following the battle.
The battle was fought south of the River Nene [Map] in the grounds of Delapré Abbey.
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On 6th June 1464 Edward Brooke 6th Baron Cobham [aged 49] died at Cobham, Kent. He was buried at Cobham, Kent. His son John [aged 16] succeeded 7th Baron Cobham.
Before 8th November 1464 [his former wife] Elizabeth Tuchet Baroness Cobham [aged 44] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 13 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 16 Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 18 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 16 Grand Son of Maredudd ab Owain King Deheubarth King Powys King Gwynedd
Kings England: Great x 5 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 19 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 14 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 17 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Father: Thomas Brooke Baron Cobham 
Edward Brooke 6th Baron Cobham 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Gerard Braybrooke
Great x 1 Grandfather: Gerard Braybrooke
GrandFather: Reginald Braybrooke
Mother: Joan Braybrooke 5th Baroness Cobham 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Pole 
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Pole
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Pole
Great x 3 Grandfather: Walter Norwich
Great x 2 Grandmother: Katherine Norwich
GrandMother: Joan Pole 4th Baroness Cobham 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Cobham 1st Baron Cobham 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Cobham 2nd Baron Cobham
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Moreville
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Cobham 3rd Baron Cobham 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp Somerset 
6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Beauchamp 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Cheduit Baroness Beauchamp Somerset
Great x 1 Grandmother: Joan Cobham 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Courtenay 1st or 9th Earl Devon 5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Hugh Courtenay 2nd or 10th Earl Devon 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes St John Countess Devon 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Courtenay Baroness Cobham Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Bohun Countess Devon Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Countess Essex, Hereford and Holland 
Daughter of King Edward I of England