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: Howard
Before December 1762 [his father] Henry Howard (age 26) and Catherine Carlton were married.
On 6th November 1766 [his father] Henry Howard (age 30) and [his mother] Mary Mackenzie were married.
On 29th November 1767 Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham was born to [his father] Henry Howard (age 31) and [his mother] Mary Mackenzie.
On 27th May 1800 Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 32) and Charlotte Primrose Countess Effingham (age 24) were married. She by marriage Baroness Howard of Effingham. She the daughter of Neil Primrose 3rd Earl Rosebery (age 71) and Mary Vincent Countess Rosebery (age 48). They were first cousin once removed.
On 30th October 1803 [his daughter] Charlotte Howard was born to Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 35) and [his wife] Charlotte Primrose Countess Effingham (age 27). Coefficient of inbreeding 3.12%.
On 23rd August 1806 [his son] Henry Howard 2nd Earl of Effingham was born to Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 38) and [his wife] Charlotte Primrose Countess Effingham (age 30). Coefficient of inbreeding 3.12%. He married 1832 Eliza Drummond Baroness Howard and had issue.
On 6th December 1807 [his son] Charles Howard was born to Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 40) and [his wife] Charlotte Primrose Countess Effingham (age 31). Coefficient of inbreeding 3.12%.
In 1808 [his brother-in-law] Archibald Primrose 4th Earl Rosebery (age 24) and Harriett Bouverie Countess Camden (age 17) were married. He the son of [his father-in-law] Neil Primrose 3rd Earl Rosebery (age 79) and [his mother-in-law] Mary Vincent Countess Rosebery (age 55).
On 25th January 1809 [his daughter] Arabella Georgina Howard Baroness Northbrook was born to Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 41) and [his wife] Charlotte Primrose Countess Effingham (age 33). Coefficient of inbreeding 3.12%. She married 1841 Francis Baring 1st Baron Northbrook, son of Thomas Baring 2nd Baronet and Mary Ursula Sealy Lady Baring, and had issue.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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On 10th September 1811 [his father] Henry Howard (age 75) died.
In 1814 [his father-in-law] Neil Primrose 3rd Earl Rosebery (age 85) died. His son [his brother-in-law] Archibald (age 30) succeeded 4th Earl Rosebery. Harriett Bouverie Countess Camden (age 23) by marriage Countess Rosebery.
On 23rd April 1815 [his son] William Howard was born to Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 47) and [his wife] Charlotte Primrose Countess Effingham (age 39). Coefficient of inbreeding 3.12%.
On 11th December 1816 Richard Howard 4th Earl of Effingham (age 68) died. Earl of Effingham extinct. His third cousin Kenneth (age 49) succeeded 11th Baron Howard of Effingham.
In 1819 [his brother-in-law] Archibald Primrose 4th Earl Rosebery (age 35) and Anna Margaret Anson Countess Camden (age 22) were married. She by marriage Countess Camden. He the son of [his father-in-law] Neil Primrose 3rd Earl Rosebery and [his mother-in-law] Mary Vincent Countess Rosebery (age 66).
On 8th September 1831 King William IV of the United Kingdom (age 66) was crowned IV King Great Britain and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 63) attended as Deputy Earl Marshal as a result of Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard being ill.
Thomas William Anson 1st Earl Lichfield (age 35) was created 1st Earl Lichfield. Louisa Barbara Catherine Phillips Countess Lichfield (age 31) by marriage Countess Lichfield.
On 19th July 1821 Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 53) attended as Deputy Earl Marshal as a result of Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard (age 54) being ill at Westminster Abbey [Map] during the Coronation of William IV.
On 19th July 1821 King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland (age 58) was crowned IV King Great Britain and Ireland.
King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland barred Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England (age 53) from attending the Coronation. She attempted to attend but was turned away at the doors of Westminster Abbey. Refused entry at both the doors to the East Cloister and the doors to the West Cloister, Caroline attempted to enter via Westminster Hall, where many guests were gathered before the service began. A witness described how the Queen stood at the door fuming as bayonets were held under her chin until the deputy lord chamberlain had the doors slammed in her face. Henry Brougham recorded his distaste.1. She died three weeks later.
William Cavendish 6th Duke Devonshire (age 31) carried the Orb at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 53) attended as Deputy Earl Marshal as a result of Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard (age 54).
See Creevy Papers.
On 29th January 1826 [his mother] Mary Mackenzie died.
In 1832 [his son] Henry Howard 2nd Earl of Effingham (age 25) and [his daughter-in-law] Eliza Drummond Baroness Howard (age 21) were married. He the son of Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 64) and [his wife] Charlotte Primrose Countess Effingham (age 56).
In 1837 Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 69) was created 1st Earl of Effingham. [his wife] Charlotte Primrose Countess Effingham (age 61) by marriage Countess of Effingham.
In 1841 [his son-in-law] Francis Baring 1st Baron Northbrook (age 44) and [his daughter] Arabella Georgina Howard Baroness Northbrook (age 31) were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. She the daughter of Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 73) and [his wife] Charlotte Primrose Countess Effingham (age 65).
On 13th February 1845 Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham (age 77) died. His son Henry (age 38) succeeded 2nd Earl of Effingham, 12th Baron Howard of Effingham. [his daughter-in-law] Eliza Drummond Baroness Howard (age 34) by marriage Countess of Effingham.
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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On 17th September 1864 [his former wife] Charlotte Primrose Countess Effingham (age 88) died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 20 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 18 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 19 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 13 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 17 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 20 Grand Son of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 24 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: William aka Francis Howard 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Francis Howard 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Gouldwell
Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Howard 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Monson 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Jane Monson
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Howard 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Courthope
Great x 2 Grandmother: Frances Courthope
GrandFather: Lieutenenant-General Thomas Howard 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Kidder
Great x 1 Grandmother: Ann Kidder
Father: Henry Howard 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Moreton
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Moreton
Great x 1 Grandfather: Bishop William Moreton
GrandMother: Mary Moreton
Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
GrandFather: Kenneth Mackenzie Lord Fortrose
Mother: Mary Mackenzie