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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Paternal Family Tree: Churchill
Maternal Family Tree: Susanna Temple 1600-1669
On 1st October 1678 [her father] John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough (age 28) and [her mother] Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough (age 18) were married.
On 15th July 1689 Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu was born to [her father] John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough (age 39) and [her mother] Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough (age 29).
In March 1698 [her brother-in-law] Francis Godolphin 2nd Earl Godolphin (age 19) and [her sister] Henrietta Churchill 2nd Duchess of Marlborough (age 16) were married. She the daughter of [her father] John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough (age 47) and [her mother] Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough (age 37). He the son of Sidney Godolphin 1st Earl Godolphin (age 52) and Margaret Blagge.
Before 2nd December 1700 [her brother-in-law] Charles Spencer 3rd Earl of Sunderland (age 25) and [her sister] Anne Churchill Countess Sunderland (age 17) were married. She the daughter of [her father] John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough (age 50) and [her mother] Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough (age 40). He the son of Robert Spencer 2nd Earl of Sunderland (age 59) and Anne Digby Countess Sunderland (age 54).
On 28th September 1702 Robert Spencer 2nd Earl of Sunderland (age 61) died at Althorp House, Northamptonshire [Map]. His son [her brother-in-law] Charles (age 27) succeeded 3rd Earl of Sunderland, 5th Baron Spencer Wormleighton. [her sister] Anne Churchill Countess Sunderland (age 19) by marriage Countess of Sunderland.
In December 1702 [her father] John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough (age 52) was created 1st Duke Marlborough, 1st Marquess of Blandford. [her mother] Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough (age 42) by marriage Duchess Marlborough.
In December 1702 [her father] John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough (age 52) was appointed 512th Knight of the Garter by Queen Anne of England Scotland and Ireland (age 37).
On 9th February 1703 [her brother-in-law] Scroop Egerton 1st Duke Bridgewater (age 21) and [her sister] Elizabeth Churchill Countess Bridgewater (age 15) were married. She by marriage Countess Bridgewater. She the daughter of [her father] John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough (age 52) and [her mother] Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough (age 42). He the son of John Egerton 3rd Earl Bridgewater and Jane Paulet Countess Bridgewater (age 47).
In 1705 John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu (age 15) and Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu (age 15) were married. She the daughter of John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough (age 54) and Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough (age 44). He the son of Ralph Montagu 1st Duke Montagu (age 66) and Elizabeth Wriothesley Countess Northumberland. They were third cousins.
Around 1706 [her daughter] Isabella Montagu Duchess Manchester was born to [her husband] John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu (age 16) and Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu (age 16). She married (1) before 21st October 1739 her fourth cousin William Montagu 2nd Duke Manchester, son of Charles Montagu 1st Duke Manchester and Doddington Greville Duchess Manchester (2) 1743 Edward Hussey-Montagu 1st Earl Beaulieu.
In 1706 [her son] John Montagu was born to [her husband] John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu (age 16) and Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu (age 16). He died aged five in 1711.
On 9th March 1709 [her father-in-law] Ralph Montagu 1st Duke Montagu (age 70) died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son [her husband] John (age 19) succeeded 2nd Duke Montagu, 4th Baron Montagu of Boughton in Northamptonshire. Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu (age 19) by marriage Duchess Montagu.
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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Around 1711 [her daughter] Mary Montagu Duchess of Montagu was born to [her husband] John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu (age 21) and Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu (age 21). She married 7th July 1730 her fourth cousin once removed George Brudenell aka Montagu 1st Duke Montagu, son of George Brudenell 3rd Earl Cardigan and Elizabeth Bruce 3rd Countess Cardigan, and had issue.
In 1711 [her son] John Montagu (age 5) died.
On 15th September 1712 Sidney Godolphin 1st Earl Godolphin (age 67) died. His son [her brother-in-law] Francis (age 34) succeeded 2nd Earl Godolphin, 2nd Viscount Rialton, 2nd Baron Godolphin of Rialton in Cornwall. [her sister] Henrietta Churchill 2nd Duchess of Marlborough (age 31) by marriage Countess Godolphin.
On 22nd March 1714 [her sister] Elizabeth Churchill Countess Bridgewater (age 27) died. She was buried at St Peter and St Paul Church, Little Gaddesden on 29th March 1714.
On 15th April 1716 [her sister] Anne Churchill Countess Sunderland (age 33) died.
In 1719 [her husband] John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu (age 29) was appointed 532nd Knight of the Garter by King George I (age 58).
On 16th June 1722 [her father] John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough (age 72) died at Cranbourne Lodge, Windsor. His daughter [her sister] Henrietta (age 40) succeeded 2nd Duchess Marlborough, 2nd Marchioness of Blandford, 2nd Countess of Marlborough, 2nd Baroness Churchill of Sandridge in Hertfordshire. [her brother-in-law] Francis Godolphin 2nd Earl Godolphin (age 43) by marriage Duke Marlborough.
On 24th November 1722 [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Percy Duchess Somerset (age 55) died.
On 27th December 1725 [her son] Edward Montagu was born to [her husband] John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu (age 35) and Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu (age 36). He died aged one in 1727.
In May 1727 [her son] Edward Montagu (age 1) died.
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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On 7th July 1730 [her son-in-law] George Brudenell aka Montagu 1st Duke Montagu (age 17) and [her daughter] Mary Montagu Duchess of Montagu (age 19) were married. She the daughter of [her husband] John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu (age 40) and Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu (age 40). He the son of George Brudenell 3rd Earl Cardigan (age 44) and Elizabeth Bruce 3rd Countess Cardigan (age 41). They were fourth cousin once removed.
On 24th October 1733 [her sister] Henrietta Churchill 2nd Duchess of Marlborough (age 52) died. Her nephew [her nephew] Charles (age 26) succeeded 3rd Duke Marlborough, 3rd Marquess of Blandford, 3rd Earl of Marlborough, 3rd Baron Churchill of Sandridge in Hertfordshire. Elizabeth Trevor Duchess of Marlborough (age 20) by marriage Duchess Marlborough.
Around 1735 Gavin Hamilton (age 12). Portrait of [her husband] John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu (age 45) and Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu (age 45), and [her daughter] Mary Montagu Duchess of Montagu (age 24).
Before 21st October 1739 [her son-in-law] William Montagu 2nd Duke Manchester (age 39) and [her daughter] Isabella Montagu Duchess Manchester (age 33) were married. She by marriage Duchess Manchester. She the daughter of [her husband] John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu (age 49) and Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu (age 50). He the son of Charles Montagu 1st Duke Manchester and Doddington Greville Duchess Manchester. They were fourth cousins.
On 29th January 1740 Richard Lumley 2nd Earl Scarborough (age 53) committed suicide by shooting himself through the roof of the mouth possibly as a result of his having told the [her daughter] Dowager Duchess of Manchester (age 34), who he had intended to marry the following day, a state secret which she then shared with her grandmother [her mother] Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough (age 79) who shared it with William Pulteney 1st Earl Bath (age 55) who shared it with everyone else. His brother Thomas (age 49) succeeded 3rd Earl of Scarborough, 4th Viscount Lumley, 3rd Baron Lumley. Frances Hamilton Countess Scarborough by marriage Countess of Scarborough. He left his estates to his youngest brother James Lumley (age 34).
On 4th February 1740 Richard Lumley 2nd Earl Scarborough was buried at the Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair.
In 1743 [her son-in-law] Edward Hussey-Montagu 1st Earl Beaulieu (age 22) and [her daughter] Isabella Montagu Duchess Manchester (age 37) were married. She the daughter of [her husband] John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu (age 53) and Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu (age 53).
On 18th October 1744 [her mother] Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough (age 84) died.
On 6th July 1749 [her husband] John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu (age 59) died without surviving male issue. Duke Montagu extinct. His estates were inherited by his daughter [her daughter] Mary (age 38) and her husband [her son-in-law] George Brudenell aka Montagu 1st Duke Montagu (age 36) who changed his name to Montagu from Brudenell. Monument in St Edmund's Church, Warkton [Map]. Sculpted by Louis Francois Roubiliac (age 46). Erected by his widow, Mary Churchill (age 59), the daughter of the 1st Duke of Marlborough, who stands at the left hand side of the monument.
On 14th May 1751 Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu (age 61) died. Monument in St Edmund's Church, Warkton [Map]. Sculpted by Louis Francois Roubiliac (age 48). Erected by her Daughter, Lady Mary Montagu. The monument is adorned with figures representing the three fates of Clotho, Atropos and Lachesis, arranged to show the cutting of Mary's life thread, and Lachesis' dismay at it being cut short. Three putti also figure on the monument, one of whom holds the spindle from which the thread was cut.
Clotho: Clotho is one of the Three Fates. She spins the thread of human life.
Atropos: Atropos is one of the Three Fates. She cuts the thread of human life.
Lachesis: Lachesis is one of the Three Fates. She measures the thread of human life.
[her son] George Montagu was born to John Montagu 2nd Duke Montagu and Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu.
Kings Wessex: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 25 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 29 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 27 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
GrandFather: Winston Churchill 
Father: John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John "The Elder" Drake
Great x 3 Grandfather: Bernard Drake
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Drake
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Drake
GrandMother: Elizabeth Drake 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Boteler 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Boteler 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Griselda Roche
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Boteler 1st Baron Boteler 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Waller
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Waller
Great x 1 Grandmother: Helen Boteler 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Villiers of Brooksby Leicestershire 
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Villiers of Brokesby
Great x 4 Grandmother: Collette Clarke
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Villiers Baroness Boteler Brantfield
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Saunders of Harrington Northamptonshire
Great x 3 Grandmother: Audrey Saunders
Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Jennings
GrandFather: Richard Jennings
Mother: Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough
Great x 1 Grandfather: Gifford Thornhurst 1st Baronet
GrandMother: Frances Thornhurst
Great x 4 Grandfather: Peter Temple of Stowe 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Temple
Great x 2 Grandfather: Alexander Temple
Great x 1 Grandmother: Susanna Temple