Paternal Family Tree: Knightley
In 1533 Richard Knightley was born to [his father] Valentine Knightley (age 38) and [his mother] Anne Ferrers (age 38).
On 12th December 1554 [his mother] Anne Ferrers (age 59) died.
Around 1555 [his son] Valentine Knightley was born to Richard Knightley (age 22) and [his future wife] Mary Fermor (age 22). He married before 9th December 1618 Anne Unton, daughter of Edward Unton and Anne Seymour Countess of Warwick, and had issue.
Around 1560 [his daughter] Dorothea Knightley was born to Richard Knightley (age 27) and [his future wife] Mary Fermor (age 27). She married in or before 1579 Edward Unton, son of Edward Unton and Anne Seymour Countess of Warwick.
Around 1562 [his son] Edward Knightley was born to Richard Knightley (age 29) and [his future wife] Mary Fermor (age 29). He married 1594 Mary Coles de Preston and had issue.
Before 1566 [his father] Valentine Knightley (age 70) and [his mother] Anne Ferrers were married.
In 1566 Richard Knightley (age 33) and Mary Fermor (age 33) were married. They had three sons and three daughters.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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On 8th May 1566 [his father] Valentine Knightley (age 71) died
1567. Attributed to Hans Eworth (age 47). Portrait of Richard Knightley (age 34).
In 1567 attrbuted to Hans Eworth (age 47). Portrait of Richard Knightley (age 34).
On 27th September 1573 [his wife] Mary Fermor (age 40) died.
In 1575 Richard Knightley (age 42) entertained Queen Elizabeth I (age 41) at Fawsley Hall, Northamptonshire [Map]. The Queen stayed in the Jane Skenard Room at Fawsley Hall, Northamptonshire [Map].
Around 1578 Richard Knightley (age 45) and Elizabeth Seymour (age 28) were married. They had seven sons and seven daughters. She the daughter of Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset and Anne Stanhope Duchess Somerset (age 81). They were fifth cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Before 1579 [his daughter] Dorothea Knightley (age 18) died.
In or before 1579 [his son-in-law] Edward Unton (age 22) and [his daughter] Dorothea Knightley (age 18) were married. There were no children from the marriage. He the son of Edward Unton (age 44) and [his sister-in-law] Anne Seymour Countess of Warwick (age 40).
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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On 15th May 1580 [his son] Seymour Knightley was born to Richard Knightley (age 47) and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour (age 30). Named for his mother's family Seymour. He married 1601 Dorothy Bedell and had issue.
On 26th May 1581 [his son] Ferdinando Knightley was born to Richard Knightley (age 48) and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour (age 31).
In 1582 [his brother-in-law] Edward Seymour 1st Earl Hertford (age 42) and Frances Howard Countess Hertford (age 28) were married. She by marriage Countess Hertford. He the son of Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset and [his mother-in-law] Anne Stanhope Duchess Somerset (age 85). They were half sixth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
Around 1583 [his son] Dudley Knightley was born to Richard Knightley (age 50) and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour (age 33).
On 24th February 1583 [his daughter] Anne Knightley died.
On 25th July 1584 [his daughter] Anne Knightley was born to Richard Knightley (age 51) and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour (age 34).
On 1585 [his son-in-law] Thomas Barnardiston of Witham Knights, Essex and [his daughter] Mary Knightley were married.
On 1st August 1585 [his son] John Knightley was born to Richard Knightley (age 52) and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour (age 35).
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 25th February 1586 [his son] Nathaniel Knightley was born to Richard Knightley (age 53) and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour (age 36).
On 8th February 1587 Mary Queen of Scots (age 44) was beheaded in the Great Hall at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire [Map].
George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 59), Henry Grey 6th Earl Kent (age 46), Richard Knightley (age 54) and Henry Wriothesley 3rd Earl of Southampton (age 13) witnessed her execution.
There are a number of extant primary sources, eye-witness accounts, describing Mary's execution:
Letter of Robert Wingfield to William Cecil, 08 Feb 1587.
The manner of the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.
The manner of the Scottish Queen's execution
Warrender Papers 167. Anonymous.
Warrender Papers 168. Anonymous. Based on the Narration of Richard Wingfield
Ashmole MS. 830, F. 18, in the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
Jebb's De vita et rebus gestis serenissimæ principis Mariæ Scotorum Reginæ published in French, attributed to her physician Dominique Bourgoin.
letter-books of Sir Amias Poulet, Keeper of Mary Queen of Scots,
the Calendar of State Papers, Spain (known as the Simancas), Volume 4, 1587-1603
Beale's sketch of the execution.
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In 1588 [his sister-in-law] Anne Seymour Countess of Warwick (age 50) died.
On 15th September 1588 [his son] Robert Knightley was born to Richard Knightley (age 55) and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour (age 38).
In 1589 Richard Knightley (age 56) was arrested for the printing of the second Marprelate Tract. He was released in Feb 1589 being fined £2000 by the Court of the Star Chamber.
On 19th January 1590 [his son] Francis Knightley was born to Richard Knightley (age 57) and [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour (age 40).
Around 1594 [his son] Edward Knightley (age 32) and [his daughter-in-law] Mary Coles de Preston (age 16) were married.
On 3rd March 1594 [his daughter] Mary Knightley died.
On 18th November 1598 [his son] Edward Knightley (age 36) died.
Around 1601 [his son] Seymour Knightley (age 20) and [his daughter-in-law] Dorothy Bedell (age 17) were married.
On 27th May 1601 [his brother-in-law] Edward Seymour 1st Earl Hertford (age 62) and Frances Howard Duchess Lennox and Richmond (age 22) were married. She by marriage Countess Hertford. The difference in their ages was 39 years. He the son of Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset and [his mother-in-law] Anne Stanhope Duchess Somerset. They were half third cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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In 1602 [his son] Nathaniel Knightley (age 15) died.
In June 1602 [his son] Dudley Knightley (age 19) died in Norton, Northamptonshire [Map]. He had been shot in the neck whilst in the defence of Ostend. Having returned home he "fell down wherwith a fever took him whereof he died".
On 3rd June 1602 [his wife] Elizabeth Seymour (age 52) died. She was buried at All Saints Church, Norton [Map] on 6th June 1603. Painted alabaster Elizabethan Period monument with recumbent praying effigy in coffered arch flanked by black marble Corinthian Columns and outer obelisks and topped by armorial panels. The monument also to [his son] Dudley Knightley (deceased).
Here Lieth ye bodie of ye Right Honorable ye ladie Elizabeth Seymour ye 4 daughter to ye High and Mightie Prince Edward Duke of Somerset Protector of England unckle to King Edward the 6. Who was also ye second wife of Sr Richard Knightley of Norton Kni. By whom he had issue 7 sons & 2 daughters (vis) Seymour, Ferdinand, Dudley, John, Nathaniel, Robert, & Francis; Ann deceased & Ann Knightley ye yonger married to Sr Euseby Andrew of Winick Knight. Wch Ladie Elizabeth died ye 3 June and dni 1602
Elizabeth Seymour: Around 1550 she was born to Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset and Anne Stanhope Duchess Somerset in the year in which her father was executed. Around 1578 Richard Knightley and she were married. They had seven sons and seven daughters. She the daughter of Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset and Anne Stanhope Duchess Somerset. They were fifth cousin once removed. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Dudley Knightley: Around 1583 he was born to Richard Knightley and Elizabeth Seymour. In June 1602 Dudley Knightley died in Norton, Northamptonshire [Map]. He had been shot in the neck whilst in the defence of Ostend. Having returned home he "fell down wherwith a fever took him whereof he died".
In 1614 [his son] John Knightley (age 28) died.
On 1st September 1615 Richard Knightley (age 82) died in Norton, Northamptonshire [Map]. He was buried in St Mary's Church, Fawsley [Map].
[his daughter] Mary Knightley was born to Richard Knightley and Elizabeth Seymour. She married 1585 Thomas Barnardiston of Witham Knights, Essex and had issue.
[his daughter] Anne Knightley was born to Richard Knightley and Elizabeth Seymour.
Kings Wessex: Great x 16 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 England: Great x 9 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 13 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 20 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Knightley 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Knightley
GrandFather: Richard Knightley
Father: Valentine Knightley
Richard Knightley 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Ferrers 4th Baron Ferrers of Groby 
3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Ferrers 5th Baron Ferrers of Groby 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Hoo Baroness Ferrers Groby
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Ferrers 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Clifford 5th Baron Clifford 
4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Philippa Clifford 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Beauchamp Baroness Clifford 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Ferrers 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Baldwin Freville
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Freville
GrandFather: Edward Ferrers 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Mother: Anne Ferrers 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England