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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Westminster School is in Westminster Abbey Area.
Around 1612 John Glynne [aged 10] educated at Westminster School [Map].
On 23rd December 1621 Heneage Finch 1st Earl Nottingham was born to Heneage Finch [aged 41] and Frances Bell. He was educated at Westminster School [Map] and Christ Church College, Oxford University. He married 30th July 1646 Elizabeth Harvey Baroness Finch and had issue.
Around 1625 Henry Vane "The Younger" [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1628 Henry Bennet 1st Earl Arlington [aged 10] educated at Westminster School [Map].
On or before 2nd February 1635 William Godolphin was born to William Godolphin [aged 30]. He was baptised on 2nd February 1635. He was educated at Westminster School [Map] and Christ Church College, Oxford University.
On 10th March 1638 Archbishop John Vesey was born to Rector Thomas Vesey. He was educated at Westminster School [Map] and Trinity College, Dublin. He married after 1665 Anne Muschamp and had issue.
Around 1661 Heneage Finch 1st Earl Aylesford [aged 12] educated at Westminster School [Map] and Christ Church College, Oxford University.
After 1661 Orlando Bridgeman 1st Baronet [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 13th May 1661. I heard and saw such exercises at the election of scholars at Westminster School [Map] to be sent to the University in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic, in themes and extemporary verses, as wonderfully astonished me in such youths, with such readiness and wit, some of them not above twelve or thirteen years of age. Pity it is, that what they attain here so ripely, they either do not retain, or do not improve more considerably when they come to be men, though many of them do; and no less is to be blamed their odd pronouncing of Latin, so that out of England none were able to understand, or endure it. The examinants, or posers, were, Dr. Duport, Greek Professor at Cambridge; Dr. Fell, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford; Dr. Pierson; Dr. Allestree [aged 39], Dean of Westminster Abbey, and any that would.
On 12th July 1669 Henry Boyle 1st Baron Carleton was born to Charles Boyle 3rd Baron Clifford [aged 29] and Jane Seymour [aged 32]. He was educated at Westminster School [Map].
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Around 1671 John Brownlow 3rd Baronet [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1677 James Brydges 1st Duke Chandos [aged 3] educated at Westminster School [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 10th September 1677. His lady [aged 43] (being one of the Brederode's daughters, grandchild to a natural son of Henry Frederick, Prince of Orange) [Note. Evelyn confused here. Elisabeth Nassau Beverweert Countess Arlington was the daughter of Louis Nassau Beverweert who was the illegitimate son of Prince Maurice I of Orange. Frederick Henry Orange Nassau II Prince Orange was the younger brother of Prince Maurice I of Orange.] is a good-natured and obliging woman. They love fine things, and to live easily, pompously, and hospitably; but, with so vast expense, as plunges my Lord [aged 59] into debts exceedingly. My Lord himself is given into no expensive vice but building, and to have all things rich, polite, and princely. He never plays, but reads much, having the Latin, French, and Spanish tongues in perfection. He has traveled much, and is the best bred and courtly person his Majesty [aged 47] has about him, so as the public Ministers more frequent him than any of the rest of the nobility. While he was Secretary of State and Prime Minister, he had gotten vastly, but spent it as hastily, even before he had established a fund to maintain his greatness; and now beginning to decline in favour (the Duke being no great friend of his), he knows not how to retrench. He was son of a Doctor of Laws, whom I have seen, and, being sent from Westminster School [Map] to Oxford, with intention to be a divine, and parson of Arlington, a village near Brentford, when Master of Arts the Rebellion falling out, he followed the King's Army, and receiving an HONORABLE WOUND IN THE FACE, grew into favor, and was advanced from a mean fortune, at his Majesty's Restoration, to be an Earl and Knight of the Garter, Lord Chamberlain of the Household, and first favorite for a long time, during which the King married his natural son, the Duke of Grafton [aged 13], to his only daughter [aged 9] and heiress, as before mentioned, worthy for her beauty and virtue of the greatest prince in Christendom. My Lord is, besides this, a prudent and understanding person in business, and speaks well; unfortunate yet in those he has advanced, most of them proving ungrateful. The many obligations and civilities I have received from this noble gentleman, extracts from me this character, and I am sorry he is in no better circumstances.
Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.
Around 1682 William Legge 1st Earl Dartmouth [aged 9] educated at Westminster School [Map].
On or before 8th March 1688 John Conduit was born. He was baptised on 8th March 1688 at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. In June 1701 he was admitted to Westminster School [Map]. In 1705 he was elected a Queen's scholar to Trinity College, Cambridge University [Map].
Around 1695 Henry Newport 3rd Earl Bradford [aged 12] educated at Westminster School [Map].
On 20th October 1713 James Cecil 6th Earl of Salisbury was born to James Cecil 5th Earl Salisbury [aged 22] and Anne Tufton Countess of Salisbury. He was educated at Westminster School [Map]. He married 1745 Elizabeth Keet Countess of Salisbury and had issue.
Around 1721 John Mordaunt [aged 12] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1721 William Courtenay 7th Earl Devon [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1723 Thomas Thoroton was born to Robert Thoroton of Screveton and Mary Levett. He was educated at Westminster School [Map]. He was admitted to Trinity Hall, Cambridge University on 30th December 1741. He married October 1751 Roosilia Drake, daughter of John Manners 3rd Duke Rutland, and had issue.
Around 1723 James Waldegrave 2nd Earl Waldegrave [aged 7] educated at Westminster School [Map].
In 1724 Matthew Ridley [aged 12] commenced his education at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1725 Thomas Osborne 4th Duke Leeds [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1726 John Tylney 2nd Earl Tylney [aged 13] educated at Westminster School [Map].
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.
Around 1726 Henry Reginald Courtenay [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
On 25th April 1726 Charles Gould aka Morgan 1st Baronet was born. He was educated at Westminster School [Map] and Christ Church College, Oxford University reciving BA in 1747 and MA in 1750.
Around 1735 John Hobart 2nd Earl Buckinghamshire [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1737 William Keppel [aged 9] educated at Westminster School [Map].
In 1743 Bishop Frederick Keppel [aged 14] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1747 Augustus Henry Fitzroy 3rd Duke Grafton [aged 11] was educated at Westminster School [Map].
On 17th September 1749 Thomas Brand Baron Dacre was born to Thomas Brand [aged 32] and Caroline Pierrepont [aged 33]. He was educated at Westminster School [Map]. He married 20th April 1771 his fourth cousin once removed Gertrude Trevor Roper 19th Baroness Dacre of Gilsland and had issue.
In 1755 Bishop Reginald Courtenay [aged 13] admitted at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1763 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
In 1764 Thomas Egerton 1st Earl Wilton [aged 14] educated at Westminster School [Map].
In 1765 Percy Charles Wyndham [aged 7] educated at Westminster School [Map].
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1767 Charles William Wyndham [aged 6] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1767 William Lowther 1st Earl Lonsdale [aged 9] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1768 Thomas Pelham 2nd Earl Chichester [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1774 Henry Charles Somerset 6th Duke Beaufort [aged 7] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1775 George Talbot Rice 3rd Baron Dynevor [aged 9] educated at Westminster School [Map].
In 1775 Charles Henry Hall [aged 12] was admitted to Westminster School [Map].
Around 1777 Francis Russell 5th Duke Bedford [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1777 Robert Grosvenor 1st Marquess Westminster [aged 9] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1789 William Courtenay 10th Earl Devon [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
On 10th April 1792 Charles Morgan 1st Baron Tredegar was born to Charles Gould aka Morgan 2nd Baronet [aged 32] and Mary Margaret or Magdalen Stoney. He was educated at Harrow School, Westminster School [Map] and Christ Church College, Oxford University. He married 1827 Rosamund Mundy and had issue.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 30th September 1796 John "Mad Jack" Mytton was born to John Mytton [aged 28]. He was educated at Westminster School [Map] but expelled after one year for fighting with a Master. He was then sent to Harrow School from where he was expelled after three months. He married (1) 21st May 1818 Harriet Emma Tyrwhitt-Jones, daughter of Thomas Tyrwhitt aka Tyrwhitt-Jones 1st Baronet (2) 29th October 1821 Caroline Mallet Giffard and had issue.
Around 1797 Spencer Rodney 5th Baron Rodney [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1800 Francis Russell 7th Duke Bedford [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
Around 1828 Henry Lowther 3rd Earl Lonsdale [aged 9] educated at Westminster School [Map].
In 1832 William John Butler [aged 13] became a queen's scholar at Westminster School [Map].
Henry Grey 4th Earl Stamford educated at Westminster School [Map].