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: Dering
On 26th November 1619 [his father] Edward Dering 1st Baronet [aged 21] and Elizabeth Tufton were married at St Dionis Backchurch. She the daughter of Nicholas Tufton 1st Earl of Thanet [aged 41] and Frances Cecil Countess Isle Thanet [aged 38].
After 24th January 1622 [his father] Edward Dering 1st Baronet [aged 24] and [his mother] Anne Ashburnham Lady Dering [aged 17] were married. She a second-cousin once-removed of the King's favourite George Villiers 1st Duke of Buckingham [aged 29].
On 8th November 1625 Edward Dering 2nd Baronet was born to [his father] Edward Dering 1st Baronet [aged 27] and [his mother] Anne Ashburnham Lady Dering [aged 20] at Surrenden Dering, Pluckley.
On or before 17th April 1628 [his mother] Anne Ashburnham Lady Dering [aged 23] died. She was buried on 17th April 1628.
After 16th April 1629 [his father] Edward Dering 1st Baronet [aged 31] and [his step-mother] Unton Gibbs Lady Dering were married. She by marriage Lady Dering of Surrenden Dering in Kent.
In 1640 Edward Dering 2nd Baronet [aged 14] was admitted as as a fellow-commoner to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University.
In 1642 Edward Dering 2nd Baronet [aged 16] transferred to Emmanuel College, Cambridge University. He was awarded BA in 1643.
In 1644 [his father] Edward Dering 1st Baronet [aged 46] died. His son Edward [aged 18] succeeded 2nd Baronet Dering of Surrenden Dering in Kent.
In 1648 [his daughter] Elizabeth Dering was born to Edward Dering 2nd Baronet [aged 22] and [his future wife] Mary Harvey Lady Dering [aged 18]. She married before 19th March 1665 Robert Southwell and had issue.
On 5th April 1648 Edward Dering 2nd Baronet [aged 22] and Mary Harvey Lady Dering [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Lady Dering of Surrenden Dering in Kent. They had seventeen children, of whom 10 survived to adulthood.
On 18th April 1650 [his son] Edward Dering 3rd Baronet was born to Edward Dering 2nd Baronet [aged 24] and [his wife] Mary Harvey Lady Dering [aged 20]. He married before 23rd June 1679 Elizabeth Cholmley Lady Dering, daughter of William Cholmley 2nd Baronet and Katherine Savile Lady Cholmley, and had issue.
In April 1660 Edward Dering 2nd Baronet [aged 34] was elected MP Kent.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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Before 19th March 1665 [his son-in-law] Robert Southwell [aged 29] and [his daughter] Elizabeth Dering [aged 17] were married.
In 1670 Edward Dering 2nd Baronet [aged 44] was elected MP East Retford.
In 1679 and 1681 Edward Dering 2nd Baronet [aged 53] was elected MP Hythe.
Before 23rd June 1679 [his son] Edward Dering 3rd Baronet [aged 29] and [his daughter-in-law] Elizabeth Cholmley Lady Dering [aged 15] were married.
John Evelyn's Diary. 1st May 1680. This afternoon came to visit me Sir Edward Deering [aged 54], of Surrendon, in Kent, one of the Lords of the Treasury, with his daughter [aged 32], married to my worthy friend, Sir Robert Southwell [aged 44], Clerk of the Council, now Extraordinary-Envoy to the Duke of Brandenburgh, and other Princes in Germany, as before he had been in Portugal, being a sober, wise, and virtuous gentleman.
In 1681 [his daughter] Elizabeth Dering [aged 33] died.
Before 12th July 1683 [his son-in-law] John Perceval 3rd Baronet [aged 23] and [his daughter] Catherine Dering were married. A sibling marriage. John's sister Helena Perceval [aged 28] was married to, or would marry, Catherine's brother Daniel Dering.
On 24th June 1684 Edward Dering 2nd Baronet [aged 58] died. His son Edward [aged 34] succeeded 3rd Baronet Dering of Surrenden Dering in Kent. Elizabeth Cholmley Lady Dering [aged 20] by marriage Lady Dering of Surrenden Dering in Kent.
On 7th February 1704 [his former wife] Mary Harvey Lady Dering [aged 74] died.
[his son] Daniel Dering was born to Edward Dering 2nd Baronet and Mary Harvey Lady Dering. He married Helena Perceval, daughter of John Perceval 1st Baronet and Catherine Southwell.
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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[his daughter] Catherine Dering was born to Edward Dering 2nd Baronet and Mary Harvey Lady Dering. She married before 12th July 1683 John Perceval 3rd Baronet, son of John Perceval 1st Baronet and Catherine Southwell, and had issue.
[his daughter] Mary Dering was born to Edward Dering 2nd Baronet and Mary Harvey Lady Dering. She married before 1712 Thomas Knatchbull 3rd Baronet, son of Norton Knatchbull 1st Baronet and Dorothy Westrow, and had issue.
Kings Wessex: Great x 20 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 17 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 23 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 18 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 27 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 20 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 24 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Father: Edward Dering 1st Baronet
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Bell
GrandMother: Frances Bell
Great x 3 Grandfather: Nicholas Beaupre of Beaupre Hall in Outwell
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edmonde Beaupré of Beaupré Hall Norfolk
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Fotheringay
Great x 1 Grandmother: Dorothie Beaupré
Edward Dering 2nd Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Ashburnham
GrandFather: John Ashburnham
Mother: Anne Ashburnham Lady Dering 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Beaumont 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Beaumont 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Bassett 
13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Nicholas Beaumont of Coleorton in Leicestershire 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Clarke
Great x 3 Grandmother: Collette Clarke
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Beaumont 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Saunders of Welford in Northamptonshire
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Saunders
GrandMother: Elizabeth Beaumont 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Farnham
Great x 1 Grandmother: Katherine Farnham