William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Biography of Spencer Compton 8th Earl of Northampton 1738-1796

Paternal Family Tree: Compton

Maternal Family Tree: Jane Sneyd 1546-1616

On 16th August 1738 Spencer Compton 8th was born to [his father] Charles Compton (age 46) and [his mother] Mary Lucy (age 28).

After 16th August 1752 [his brother-in-law] John Perceval 2nd Earl Egmont (age 41) and [his sister] Catherine Compton Countess Egmont (age 21) were married. She by marriage Countess Egmont. The difference in their ages was 20 years. He the son of John Perceval 1st Earl Egmont and Catherine Parker Countess Egmont.

On 20th November 1755 [his father] Charles Compton (age 63) died.

In 1758 Spencer Compton 8th (age 19) and Jane Lawton Countess Northampton were married.

On 6th December 1758 [his uncle] George Compton 6th Earl of Northampton (age 66) died. His nephew [his brother] Charles (age 21) succeeded 7th Earl of Northampton. [his future sister-in-law] Anne Somerset Countess Northampton (age 17) by marriage Countess of Northampton.

On 13th September 1759 [his brother] Charles Compton 7th Earl of Northampton (age 22) and [his sister-in-law] Anne Somerset Countess Northampton (age 18) were married. She the daughter of Charles Noel Somerset 4th Duke Beaufort and Elizabeth Berekeley Duchess Beaufort (age 46). They were third cousin once removed.

On 24th March 1760 [his son] Charles Compton 1st Marquess Northampton was born to Spencer Compton 8th (age 21) and [his wife] Jane Lawton Countess Northampton. He married 18th August 1787 Maria Smith Marchioness Northampton.

In 1761 Spencer Compton 8th (age 22) was elected MP Northampton.

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.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

On 18th October 1763 [his brother] Charles Compton 7th Earl of Northampton (age 26) died. His brother Spencer (age 25) succeeded 8th Earl of Northampton. [his wife] Jane Lawton Countess Northampton by marriage Countess of Northampton.

On 26th November 1767 [his wife] Jane Lawton Countess Northampton died.

On 23rd May 1770 [his sister] Catherine Compton Countess Egmont (age 38) was created 1st Baroness Arden of Lohort Castle in County Cork.

On 11th June 1784 [his sister] Catherine Compton Countess Egmont (age 53) died at Langley, Buckinghamshire. Her son [his nephew] Charles (age 27) succeeded 2nd Baron Arden of Lohort Castle in County Cork.

On 18th August 1787 [his son] Charles Compton 1st Marquess Northampton (age 27) and [his daughter-in-law] Maria Smith Marchioness Northampton (age 21) were married. He the son of Spencer Compton 8th Earl of Northampton (age 49) and [his former wife] Jane Lawton Countess Northampton.

On 7th April 1796 Spencer Compton 8th (age 57) died. His son Charles (age 36) succeeded 9th Earl of Northampton. [his daughter-in-law] Maria Smith Marchioness Northampton (age 30) by marriage Countess of Northampton.

[his father] Charles Compton and [his mother] Mary Lucy were married. He the son of [his grandfather] George Compton 4th Earl of Northampton and [his grandmother] Jane Fox Countess Northampton.

Floor tiles at Church of St Mary Magdalen, Castle Ashby [Map]: Here lies the bodies of Jane the first wife of Spencer Compton 8th , [his son] Charles Compton 1st Marquess Northampton, Mary his wife also of [his grandson] Spencer Second Marquis of Northampton and [his granddaughter-in-law] Margaret his wife and also his grandchildren.

Jane Lawton Countess Northampton: In 1758 Spencer Compton 8th and she were married. On 18th October 1763 Charles Compton 7th Earl of Northampton died. His brother Spencer succeeded 8th Earl of Northampton. She by marriage Countess of Northampton. On 26th November 1767 she died.