Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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Paternal Family Tree: Brudenell
Around 1583 Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Cardigan was born to [his father] Robert Brudenell of Doddington in Huntingdonshire (age 47).
On 4th July 1599 [his father] Robert Brudenell of Doddington in Huntingdonshire (age 63) died.
Before 5th March 1607 Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Cardigan (age 24) and Mary Tresham Countess Cardigan were married.
On 5th March 1607 [his son] Robert Brudenell 2nd Earl Cardigan was born to Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Cardigan (age 24) and [his wife] Mary Tresham Countess Cardigan. He married (1) after 5th March 1607 his half third cousin Mary Constable Countess Cardigan, daughter of Henry Constable 1st Viscount Dunbar and Mary Tufton Viscountess Dunbar, and had issue (2) before 1642 Anna Savage Countess Cardigan, daughter of Thomas Savage 1st Viscount Savage and Elizabeth Darcy 1st Countess Rivers, and had issue.
After 5th March 1607 Robert Brudenell 2nd Earl Cardigan and Mary Constable Countess Cardigan were married. He the son of Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Cardigan (age 24) and Mary Tresham Countess Cardigan. They were half third cousins.
In 1611 Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Cardigan (age 28) was knighted.
On 26th February 1628 Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Cardigan (age 45) was created 1st Baron Brudenell of Stonton in Leicestershire. [his wife] Mary Tresham Countess Cardigan by marriage Baroness Brudenell of Stonton in Leicestershire.
Before January 1637 [his son-in-law] John Constable 2nd Viscount Dunbar (age 22) and Mary Brudenell Viscountess Dunbar were married. She the daughter of Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Cardigan (age 54) and Mary Tresham Countess Cardigan. They were half third cousins.
Before 1642 Robert Brudenell 2nd Earl Cardigan (age 34) and Anna Savage Countess Cardigan were married. She by marriage Countess Cardigan. She the daughter of Thomas Savage 1st Viscount Savage and Elizabeth Darcy 1st Countess Rivers (age 60). He the son of Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Cardigan (age 58) and Mary Tresham Countess Cardigan.
John Evelyn's Diary. 22nd April 1661. Was the splendid cavalcade of his Majesty (age 30) from the Tower of London to Whitehall, when I saw him in the Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace [Map] create six Earls, and as many Barons, viz:
Edward Lord Hyde, Lord Chancellor (age 52), Earl of Clarendon; supported by the Earls of Northumberland (age 58) and Sussex (age 14); the Earl of Bedford (age 44) carried the cap and coronet, the Earl of Warwick (age 46), the sword, the Earl of Newport (age 64), the mantle.
Next, was Capel, created Earl of Essex.
Brudenell, Cardigan;.
Valentia, Anglesea;.
Greenvill, Bath;.
Howard, Earl of Carlisle.
The Barons were: Denzille Holles; Cornwallis; Booth; Townsend; Cooper; Crew; who were led up by several Peers, with Garter and officers of arms before them; when, after obedience on their several approaches to the throne, their patents were presented by Garter King-at-Arms, which being received by the Lord Chamberlain (age 59), and delivered to his Majesty, and by him to the Secretary of State, were read, and then again delivered to his Majesty, and by him to the several Lords created; they were then robed, their coronets and collars put on by his Majesty, and they were placed in rank on both sides of the state and throne; but the Barons put off their caps and circles, and held them in their hands, the Earls keeping on their coronets, as cousins to the King.
I spent the rest of the evening in seeing the several archtriumphals built in the streets at several eminent places through which his Majesty was next day to pass, some of which, though temporary, and to stand but one year, were of good invention and architecture, with inscriptions.
Notes:
Arthur Capell 1st Earl Essex (age 29) was created 1st Earl Essex. Elizabeth Percy Countess Essex (age 25) by marriage Countess Essex.
Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Cardigan (age 78) was created 1st Earl Cardigan. [his wife] Mary Tresham Countess Cardigan by marriage Countess Cardigan.
Arthur Annesley 1st Earl Annesley (age 46) was created 1st Earl Anglesey, 1st Baron Annesley Newport Pagnell Buckinghamshire. Elizabeth Altham Countess Anglesey (age 41) by marriage Countess Anglesey.
John Granville 1st Earl Bath (age 32) was created 1st Earl Bath, 1st Baron Granville of Kilkhampton and Biddeford.
Charles Howard 1st Earl Carlisle (age 32) was created 1st Earl Carlisle.
Denzil Holles 1st Baron Holles (age 61) was created 1st Baron Holles. Jane Shirley Baroness Holles by marriage Baroness Holles.
Frederick Cornwallis 1st Baron Cornwallis (age 50) was created 1st Baron Cornwallis.
George Booth 1st Baron Delamer (age 38) was created 1st Baron Delamer. Elizabeth Grey Baroness Delamer (age 39) by marriage Baroness Delamer.
Horatio Townshend 1st Viscount Townsend (age 30) was created 1st Baron Townshend of Lynn Regis in Norfolk.
Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl Shaftesbury (age 39) was created 1st Baron Ashley of Wimborne St Giles.
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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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On 16th September 1663 Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Cardigan (age 80) died. His son Robert (age 56) succeeded 2nd Earl Cardigan, 2nd Baron Brudenell of Stonton in Leicestershire. Mary Constable Countess Cardigan by marriage Countess Cardigan.
On 13th October 1664 [his former wife] Mary Tresham Countess Cardigan died.
Adeline Horsey Recollections. [his grandfather] Sir Thomas, who was a hospitable and generous man, died in 1549, and Deene [Map] passed to his son [his uncle] Edmund, who married Agnes Bussey, a member of the great Lincolnshire family. Sir Edmund Brudenell carried out extensive building operations at Deene, and the numerous initials of E. and A. and the many shields with the Brudenell and Bussey arms show that he considered his alliance with their family an important one. Camden mentions that Sir Edmund had literary and antiquarian tastes, which were also possessed by his nephew Thomas, who succeeded to the estates in 1606. He also built largely, but the great Tower was not finished until about 1628. Sir Thomas was a staunch cavalier, who raised soldiers for the King's garrisons, and he was made a Baron by Charles I. After the Royal cause was lost he suffered the penalty of his loyalty and was imprisoned in the Tower [Map] for twenty years. The brave old cavalier kept a most interesting diary during his imprisonment, which is still preserved in the library at Deene; it consists of about 30 or 40 volumes of MS., which give interesting details of his confinement and the principal events of the time.
Adeline Horsey Recollections. In 1661, Charles II rewarded his father's faithful adherent by creating him Earl of Cardigan on April 22, but the old man did not live long to enjoy his new honours, for he died at Deene [Map] in 1663, aged eighty.
[his daughter] Mary Brudenell Viscountess Dunbar was born to Thomas Brudenell 1st Earl Cardigan and Mary Tresham Countess Cardigan. She married before January 1637 her half third cousin John Constable 2nd Viscount Dunbar, son of Henry Constable 1st Viscount Dunbar and Mary Tufton Viscountess Dunbar, and had issue.
A History of the County of Leicestershire: Volume 5 Gartree Hundred: Stonton Wyville. Recognition of Stonton Wyville as the oldest of the Brudenell estates was made in 1628 when Thomas Brudenell was created Baron Brudenell of Stonton. An attempt to re-name the village Stonton Brudenell was made in the 17th century, and this name was used as late as the 19th, although it was never common.
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Brudenell 
GrandFather: Thomas Brudenell
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Entwhistle
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Entwhistle