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.
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Paternal Family Tree: Ponsonby
Maternal Family Tree: Anna Maria Mordaunt 1771
On 27th November 1780 [his father] Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 22] and [his mother] Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Countess Bessborough. She the daughter of [his grandfather] John Spencer 1st Earl Spencer [aged 45] and [his grandmother] Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer [aged 43]. He the son of William Ponsonby 2nd Earl Bessborough [aged 76] and Caroline Cavendish Countess Bessborough. They were fifth cousins.
On 31st July 1787 William Francis Spencer Ponsonby 1st Baron de Mauley was born to Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 29] and Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough [aged 26].
On 11th March 1793 [his grandfather] William Ponsonby 2nd Earl Bessborough [aged 89] died. His son [his father] Frederick [aged 35] succeeded 3rd Earl Bessborough, 4th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 4th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 16th November 1805 [his brother] John Ponsonby 4th Earl Bessborough [aged 24] and [his sister-in-law] Maria Fane [aged 18] were married at Berkeley Square, Mayfair. She the daughter of John Fane 10th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 46] and Sarah Anne Child Countess of Westmoreland. He the son of [his father] Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 47] and [his mother] Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough [aged 44].
On 30th March 1806 [his aunt] Georgiana Spencer Duchess Devonshire [aged 48] died at Devonshire House [Map]. She was buried at Derby Cathedral [Map]. Her husband William Cavendish 5th Duke Devonshire [aged 58], her mother [his grandmother] Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer [aged 68], her sister Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough [aged 44] and her eight months pregnant daughter Georgiana Cavendish Countess Carlisle [aged 22] were present, as was Elizabeth Christiana Hervey Duchess Devonshire [aged 48], her husband's mistress and future wife.
On 8th August 1814 William Francis Spencer Ponsonby 1st Baron de Mauley [aged 27] and Barbara Ashley-Cooper Baroness Mauley [aged 25] were married. She the daughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 5th Earl Shaftesbury and Barbara Webb Countess Shaftesbury [aged 52]. He the son of Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 56] and Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough [aged 53].
On 12th September 1815 [his son] Charles Frederick Ashley-Cooper Ponsonby 2nd Baron de Mauley was born to William Francis Spencer Ponsonby 1st Baron de Mauley [aged 28] and [his wife] Barbara Ashley-Cooper Baroness Mauley [aged 26]. He married 9th August 1838 his first cousin Maria Jane Elizabeth Ponsonby Baroness Mauley, daughter of John Ponsonby 4th Earl Bessborough and Maria Fane, and had issue.
In 1817 [his daughter] Frances Anne Georgiana Ponsonby was born to William Francis Spencer Ponsonby 1st Baron de Mauley [aged 29] and [his wife] Barbara Ashley-Cooper Baroness Mauley [aged 28].
On 11th November 1821 [his mother] Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough [aged 60] died.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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On 21st October 1824 [his brother-in-law] George Godolphin Osborne 8th Duke Leeds [aged 22] and [his illegitimate half-sister] Harriet Emma Arundel Stewart [aged 24] were married at the British Embassy, Paris. She the illegitmate daughter of Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Earl Granville [aged 51] and [his mother] Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough. They were fourth cousins.
In 1826 William Francis Spencer Ponsonby 1st Baron de Mauley [aged 38] was elected MP Poole.
On 24th June 1831 [his son] Ashley George John Ponsonby was born to William Francis Spencer Ponsonby 1st Baron de Mauley [aged 43] and [his wife] Barbara Ashley-Cooper Baroness Mauley [aged 42]. He married 1857 Frances Charlotte Gordon and had issue.
In June 1832 William Francis Spencer Ponsonby 1st Baron de Mauley [aged 44] was elected MP Knaresborough.
After June 1832 William Francis Spencer Ponsonby 1st Baron de Mauley [aged 44] was elected MP Dorset.
The London Gazette 19629. [Whitehall, June 23, 1838.] The Queen has also been pleased to direct letters patent to be passed under the Great Seal, granting the dignity of a Baron of the said United "Kingdom to the following persons, and the heirs male of theii bodies lawfully begotten:
Anthony Adrian Earl of Kintore, by the name, stile and title of Baron Kintore.
Cornelius Viscount Lismore, by the name, stile, and title of Baron Lismore, of Shanbally-castle, in the county of Tipperary.
Warner William Baron Rossmore, by the name stile, and title of Baron Rossmore, of the county of Monaghan.
Robert Shapland Baron Carew, by the name, stile and title of Baron Carew, of Castlebore, in the county of Wexford.
The Honourable William Francis Spencer Ponsonby [aged 50] by the name, stile, and title of Baron De Mauley of Canford, in ihe county of Dorset. [[his wife] Barbara Ashley-Cooper Baroness Mauley [aged 49] by marriage Baroness de Mauley.]
Sir John Wrottesley [aged 66], Bart, by the name, stile, and title of Baron Wrottesley, of Wrottesley, in the county of Stafford.
Charles Hanbury Tracy [aged 59], Esq. by the name, stile and title of Baron Sudeley, of Toddington, in the county of Gloucester.
Paul Methuen [aged 59], Esq. by the name, stile, amd title of Baron Methuen, of Corsham, in the county of Wilts.
On 9th August 1838 [his son] Charles Frederick Ashley-Cooper Ponsonby 2nd Baron de Mauley [aged 22] and [his daughter-in-law] Maria Jane Elizabeth Ponsonby Baroness Mauley [aged 19] were married. She the daughter of [his brother] John Ponsonby 4th Earl Bessborough [aged 56] and [his former sister-in-law] Maria Fane. They were first cousins.
On 3rd February 1844 [his father] Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough [aged 86] died. His son [his brother] John [aged 62] succeeded 4th Earl Bessborough, 5th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 5th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
On 5th June 1844 [his wife] Barbara Ashley-Cooper Baroness Mauley [aged 55] died. She has a monument at Saint Nicholas' Church, Hatherop.
On 16th May 1847 [his brother] John Ponsonby 4th Earl Bessborough [aged 65] died. His son [his nephew] John [aged 37] succeeded 5th Earl Bessborough, 6th Viscount Duncannon of Duncannon in Wexford, 6th Baron Bessborough of Bessborough in Kilkenny.
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel Volume 1 Chapters 1-60 1307-1342
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel offer one of the most vivid and immediate accounts of 14th-century Europe, written by a knight who lived through the events he describes, and experienced some of them first hand. Covering the early decades of the Hundred Years’ War, this remarkable chronicle follows the campaigns of Edward III of England, the politics of France and the Low Countries, and the shifting alliances that shaped medieval warfare. Unlike later historians, Jean le Bel writes with a strong sense of eyewitness authenticity, drawing on personal experience and the testimony of fellow soldiers. His narrative captures not only battles and sieges, but also the realities of military life, diplomacy, and the ideals of chivalry that governed noble society. A key source for Jean Froissart, Le Bel’s chronicle stands on its own as a compelling and insightful work, at once historical record and literary achievement. This translation builds on the 1905 edition published in French by Jules Viard, adding extensive translations from other sources Rymer's Fœdera, the Chronicles of Adam Murimuth, William Nangis, Walter of Guisborough, a Bourgeois of Valenciennes, Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke and Richard Lescot to enrich the original text and Viard's notes.
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On 15th February 1850 Francis Osborne 1st Baron Godolphin [aged 72] died. His son [his brother-in-law] George [aged 47] succeeded 2nd Baron Godolphin of Farnham Royal in Buckinghamshire. [his illegitimate half-sister] Harriet Emma Arundel Stewart [aged 49] by marriage Baroness Godolphin of Farnham Royal in Buckinghamshire.
On 28th October 1852 [his illegitimate half-sister] Harriet Emma Arundel Stewart [aged 52] died.
On 16th May 1855 William Francis Spencer Ponsonby 1st Baron de Mauley [aged 67] died. His son Charles [aged 39] succeeded 2nd Baron de Mauley. Maria Jane Elizabeth Ponsonby Baroness Mauley [aged 36] by marriage Baroness de Mauley.
Kings Wessex: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 19 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 20 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 23 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Kings Scotland: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 28 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 14 Grand Son of Charles "Beloved Mad" VI King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 26 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Ponsonby 
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Ponsonby 1st Viscount Duncannon 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Folliott 1st Baron Folliott 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Folliot 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Strode Countess Roscommon 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Brabazon Ponsonby 1st Earl Bessborough 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Moore 2nd Viscount Moore of Drogheda
Great x 3 Grandfather: Randle Moore
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Loftus Viscountess Moore 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Moore
GrandFather: William Ponsonby 2nd Earl Bessborough 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Archbishop James Margetson
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Margetson
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Bonnett
Great x 1 Grandmother: Sarah Margetson 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Caulfeild 2nd Baron Caulfeild
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Caulfeild 1st Viscount Charlemont 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary King 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Caulfeild Baroness Carpenter 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Moore 2nd Viscount Moore of Drogheda
Great x 3 Grandmother: Sarah Moore Viscountess Charlemont
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Loftus Viscountess Moore
Father: Frederick Ponsonby 3rd Earl Bessborough 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Cavendish 1st Duke Devonshire 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Cecil Countess Devonshire 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Cavendish 2nd Duke Devonshire 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Butler 1st Duke Ormonde 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Butler Duchess Devonshire 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Preston Duchess Ormonde 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Cavendish 3rd Duke Devonshire 10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Russell 1st Duke Bedford 
9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Russell 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Carr Countess of Bedford 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Rachel Russell Duchess Devonshire 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Rachel Wriothesley 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Rachel Massue Countess Southampton
GrandMother: Caroline Cavendish Countess Bessborough 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Charles Hoskins
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Hoskins of Oxted
Great x 1 Grandmother: Catherine Hoskins Duchess Devonshire
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Hale
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine Hale
William Francis Spencer Ponsonby 1st Baron de Mauley 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Spencer 1st Earl of Sunderland 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Spencer 2nd Earl of Sunderland 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Charles Spencer 3rd Earl of Sunderland 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Digby 2nd Earl Bristol 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Digby Countess Sunderland 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Russell Countess Bristol 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Spencer 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Winston Churchill 
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Drake 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Churchill Countess Sunderland 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Jennings
Great x 3 Grandmother: Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Thornhurst
GrandFather: John Spencer 1st Earl Spencer 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Philip Carteret 
13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Carteret 1st Baron Carteret 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jemima Montagu 
11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Carteret 2nd Earl Granville 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Granville 1st Earl Bath
Great x 3 Grandmother: Jane Granville Baroness Gower
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Wyche
Great x 1 Grandmother: Georgiana Caroline Carteret 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Worsley 3rd Baronet 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Worsley 4th Baronet 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Herbert Countess Gainsborough 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Frances Worsley Countess Granville 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Thynne 1st Viscount Weymouth 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Frances Thynne 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Finch Viscountess Weymouth 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Mother: Henrietta Frances Spencer Countess Bessborough 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Poyntz 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Newdigate Poyntz 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Poyntz 12 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Stephen Poyntz 13 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
GrandMother: Margaret Georgiana Poyntz Countess Spencer 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Mordaunt 1st Earl Peterborough 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Mordaunt 1st Viscount Mordaunt 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Howard Countess Peterborough 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Lewis Mordaunt 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Carey 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Carey Viscountess Mordaunt 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Smith
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anna Maria Mordaunt 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England