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: Fairfax
Maternal Family Tree: Elizabeth Bettershorne 1353-1427
In or before 1498 [his father] Thomas Fairfax (age 22) and [his mother] Anne Gascoigne (age 23) were married. They were fifth cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
In 1498 Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle was born to [his father] Thomas Fairfax (age 23) and [his mother] Anne Gascoigne (age 24).
In 1504 [his mother] Anne Gascoigne (age 30) died.
Around 1516 Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle (age 18) and Jane Palmes were married. They had at least eight sons and at least four daughters.
In 1520 [his father] Thomas Fairfax (age 45) died.
In 1529 [his son] Robert Fairfax of Pockthorpe in Yorkshire was born to Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle (age 31) and [his wife] Jane Palmes at Driffield [Map].
Around 1530 [his daughter] Mary Anne Fairfax was born to Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle (age 32) and [his wife] Jane Palmes. She married 1548 Henry Curwen.
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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In or before 1531 [his son] William Fairfax was born to Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle (age 32) and [his wife] Jane Palmes. He married (1) 1545 his fifth cousin Agnes Darcy, daughter of George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston and Dorothy Melton Baroness Darcy (2) 27th April 1571 Jane Stapleton and had issue.
In 1532 [his daughter] Margaret Fairfax was born to Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle (age 34) and [his wife] Jane Palmes. She married before 14th June 1555 her sixth cousin William Bellasis of Newburgh Priory in Yorkshire and had issue.
In 1538 [his daughter] Eleanor Fairfax was born to Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle (age 40). She married before 1609 her third cousin John Vavasour, son of William Vavasour.
Before 1540 Richard Flower of Whitwell in Rutlandshire and [his future wife] Alice Harrington were married.
In 1545 [his son] William Fairfax (age 14) and [his daughter-in-law] Agnes Darcy (age 23) were married. They were fifth cousins.
In 1548 [his son-in-law] Henry Curwen (age 19) and [his daughter] Mary Anne Fairfax (age 18) were married.
Before 14th June 1555 [his son-in-law] William Bellasis of Newburgh Priory in Yorkshire (age 31) and [his daughter] Margaret Fairfax (age 23) were married. They were sixth cousins.
Before 1559 Henry Sutton of Averham in Nottinghamshire (age 55) and [his future wife] Alice Harrington were married.
On 16th April 1564 [his son] Robert Fairfax of Pockthorpe in Yorkshire (age 35) died.
Before 1570 Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle (age 71) and Alice Harrington were married.
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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In 1570 Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle (age 72) died. He was buried at the Church of the Holy Cross, Gilling East [Map].
After 1570. Church of the Holy Cross, Gilling East [Map]. Monument to Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle (deceased) and his two wives [his wife] Jane Palmes and [his wife] Alice Harrington.
Jane Palmes: she was born to Guy Palmes of Naburn. Around 1516 Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle and she were married. They had at least eight sons and at least four daughters.
Alice Harrington: she was born to John Alexander Harrington and Elizabeth Moton. Before 1540 Richard Flower of Whitwell in Rutlandshire and she were married. Before 1559 Henry Sutton of Averham in Nottinghamshire and she were married. Before 1570 Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle and she were married.
1875. Church of the Holy Cross, Gilling East [Map]. Memorial to member of the Fairfax family buried in the in or near the church, including:
Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle
[his son] Nicholas Fairfax
[his son] William Fairfax [Note. States 1595?]
Abigail Yate, wife of Charles Fairfax 5th Viscount Fairfax, daughter of John Yate 2nd Baronet.
Charles Fairfax 5th Viscount Fairfax
Charles Fairfax 6th Viscount Fairfax
William Fairfax 8th Viscount Fairfax
Mary Fairfax Viscountess Fairfax, wife of Charles Gregory Fairfax 9th Viscount Fairfax, sister of Charles Fairfax 6th Viscount Fairfax.
Their last descendant Lavinia Fairfax (age 73) of Gilling Castle, North Yorkshire [Map], onbly surviving child of Charles Gregory Fairfax place this memorial AD 1875, by which she also desires affectionately to commemorate others of her family buried here who have no memorial in this church, viz, her brother Henry Fairfax, died 1797, her sister Mary Anne Fairfax, died 1809 her grandfather Nathaniel Pigot, died 1804, and her aunt Elizabeth Goodricke died 1839.
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[his son] Nicholas Fairfax was born to Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle and Jane Palmes at Driffield [Map].
Kings Wessex: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 12 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 18 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 13 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 5 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 14 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 11 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 15 Grand Son of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 19 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Fairfax
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Fairfax
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Fairfax
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Fairfax
GrandFather: Thomas Fairfax 8 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Neville 
4 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Alexander Neville 5 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Ledes
Great x 2 Grandfather: Alexander Neville 6 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 1 Grandmother: Catherine Neville 7 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Eure
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Eure
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Grey 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Katherine Eure
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Aton 2nd Baron Aton
Great x 3 Grandmother: Katherine Aton
Father: Thomas Fairfax 9 x Great Grand Son of
Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling Castle 5 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Gascoigne
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Gascoigne 5 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Mowbray 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Gascoigne XII 6 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Gascoigne XIII 7 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Clarell of Aldwarke
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Clarell Lady of the Garter
GrandFather: William Gascoigne 4 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland 5 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Neville 4 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Stafford Baroness Neville Raby 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Neville 2 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Ferrers 
7 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary or Margery Ferrers Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Beaufort Countess of Westmoreland 
Grand Daughter of
Great x 1 Grandmother: Joan Neville 3 x Great Grand Daughter of
Mother: Anne Gascoigne 4 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Percy 1st Earl of Northumberland 2 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry "Hotspur" Percy 3 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Neville 4 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Percy 2nd Earl of Northumberland 2 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Mortimer 3rd Earl March, Earl of Ulster 
6 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Mortimer Baroness Camoys Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Philippa Plantagenet Countess March 2nd Countess Ulster 
Grand Daughter of
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Percy 3rd Earl of Northumberland 2 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Neville 3rd Baron Neville of Raby 4 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Neville 1st Earl of Westmoreland 5 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Percy Baroness Neville Raby 5 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Neville Countess Northumberland Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: John of Gaunt 1st Duke Lancaster Son of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Beaufort Countess of Westmoreland Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Katherine Swynford aka Roet Duchess Lancaster 
GrandMother: Margaret Percy 3 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Poynings 3rd Baron Poynings 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Poynings 4th Baron Poynings 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Grey Baroness Poynings 8 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Poynings 5 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Reginald Grey 3rd Baron Grey Ruthyn 5 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Grey Baroness Poynings 4 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Ros Baroness Grey Ruthyn 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 1 Grandmother: Eleanor Poynings Countess Northumberland 6 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Berkeley 8th and 3rd Baron Berkeley 
3 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Berkeley 4 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Katherine Clivedon Baroness Berkeley
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Berkeley Countess Arundel 5 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Bettershorne