The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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Baron Craven is in Baronies of England Alphabetically.
Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire is also in Baronies of England Chronologically, Extinct Baronies of England.
Summary
12th March 1627. William Craven 1st Earl Craven (age 18) created.
9th April 1697. William Craven 1st Earl Craven extinct.
On 12th March 1627 William Craven 1st Earl Craven (age 18) was created 1st Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire with a special remainder to his brothers John (age 16), who was later created Baron Craven of Ryton, and Thomas, both of whom predeceased William, rendering the remainder ineffective.
On 9th April 1697 William Craven 1st Earl Craven (age 88) died. Earl Craven in Yorkshire, Viscount Craven of Uffington in Berkshire and Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire extinct. His half first cousin three times removed William (age 28) succeeded 2nd Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
Baron Craven of Ryton in Shropshire is also in Baronies of England Chronologically, Extinct Baronies of England.
Summary
21st March 1643. John Craven 1st Baron Craven (age 32) created.
1648. John Craven 1st Baron Craven extinct.
On 21st March 1643 John Craven 1st Baron Craven (age 32) was created 1st Baron Craven of Ryton in Shropshire. Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Craven (age 26) by marriage Baroness Craven of Ryton in Shropshire.
In 1648 John Craven 1st Baron Craven (age 37) died. Baron Craven of Ryton in Shropshire extinct.
Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire is also in Baronies of England Chronologically, Extant Baronies of England.
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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Summary
1665. William Craven 1st Earl Craven (age 56) created.
9th April 1697. Half First Cousin Three times Removed William Craven 2nd Baron Craven (age 28) succeeded.
9th October 1711. Son William Craven 3rd Baron Craven (age 11) succeeded.
10th August 1739. Brother Fulwar Craven 4th Baron Craven succeeded.
10th November 1764. Nephew William Craven 5th Baron Craven (age 59) succeeded.
17th March 1769. Grandson William Craven 6th Baron Craven (age 30) succeeded.
26th September 1791. Son William Craven 1st Earl Craven (age 20) succeeded.
30th July 1825. Son William Craven 2nd Earl Craven (age 15) succeeded.
25th August 1866. Son George Grimston Craven 3rd Earl Craven (age 25) succeeded.
7th December 1883. Son William Craven 4th Earl Craven (age 14) succeeded.
10th July 1921. Son William Craven 5th Earl Craven (age 23) succeeded.
15th September 1932. Son William Craven 6th Earl Craven (age 15) succeeded.
27th January 1965. Son Thomas Craven 7th Earl Craven (age 7) succeeded.
22nd October 1983. Brother Simon Craven 8th Earl Craven (age 22) succeeded.
30th August 1990. Son Benjamin Craven 9th Earl Craven (age 1) succeeded.
In 1665 William Craven 1st Earl Craven (age 56) was created 1st Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire with a special remainder to his cousin William Craven (age 26).
On 9th April 1697 William Craven 1st Earl Craven (age 88) died. Earl Craven in Yorkshire, Viscount Craven of Uffington in Berkshire and Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire extinct. His half first cousin three times removed William (age 28) succeeded 2nd Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 12th October 1697 William Craven 2nd Baron Craven (age 28) and Elizabeth Skipwith Baroness Craven (age 20) were married. She by marriage Baroness Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 9th October 1711 William Craven 2nd Baron Craven (age 42) died. His son William (age 11) succeeded 3rd Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 10th August 1739 William Craven 3rd Baron Craven (age 39) died. His brother Fulwar succeeded 4th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 10th November 1764 Fulwar Craven 4th Baron Craven died. His nephew William (age 59) succeeded 5th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 17th March 1769 William Craven 5th Baron Craven (age 63) died. His grandson William (age 30) succeeded 6th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire. Elizabeth Berkeley Margrave Brandenburg-Ansbach (age 18) by marriage Baroness Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
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 26th September 1791 William Craven 6th Baron Craven (age 53) died at Lausanne, Switzerland. His son William (age 20) succeeded 7th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire. His son William succeeded 8th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 30th July 1825 William Craven 1st Earl Craven (age 54) died. His son William (age 15) succeeded 2nd Earl Craven in Yorkshire, 2nd Viscount Uffington, 8th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 25th August 1866 William Craven 2nd Earl Craven (age 57) died. His son George (age 25) succeeded 3rd Earl Craven in Yorkshire, 3rd Viscount Uffington, 9th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 7th December 1883 George Grimston Craven 3rd Earl Craven (age 42) died. His son William (age 14) succeeded 4th Earl Craven in Yorkshire, 4th Viscount Uffington, 10th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 10th July 1921 William Craven 4th Earl Craven (age 52) drowned having fallen overboard during Cowes Week. His body washed ashore two days later. His son William (age 23) succeeded 5th Earl Craven in Yorkshire, 5th Viscount Uffington, 11th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire. Mary Williamina George Countess Craven by marriage Countess Craven in Yorkshire.
On 15th September 1932 William Craven 5th Earl Craven (age 35) died of peritonitis at Pau, France. His son William (age 15) succeeded 6th Earl Craven in Yorkshire, 6th Viscount Uffington, 12th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 27th January 1965 William Craven 6th Earl Craven (age 47) died. His son Thomas (age 7) succeeded 7th Earl Craven in Yorkshire, 7th Viscount Uffington, 13th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 22nd October 1983 Thomas Craven 7th Earl Craven (age 26) shot himself. His brother Simon (age 22) succeeded 8th Earl Craven in Yorkshire, 8th Viscount Uffington, 14th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
Montreal Gazette: "Earl of Craven fears olf curse and kills himself. Eastbourne, England (AP). The seventh Earl of Craven — who lived in fear of a curse that all the males of his family would die young — has killed himself at age 26, police said. Thomas Robert Douglas Craven fatally shot himself at the home of his mother, Countess Elizabeth Craven, police reported. His body was found Saturday. None of Craven's direct ancestors going back to the 17th century reached the age of 60. His father, the sixth earl, drowned at age 47 when he fell off a yacht during a party in 1965. Leukemia killed his grandfather, the fifth earl, at age 35. The reputed curse says that all Craven boys will die before their mothers, Residents in the earl's village of Hampstead Marshall, Berkshire, said it was uttered by a village mother whose daughter was made pregnant by a Craven ancestor. 'They were a family that over the years never mixed closely in village affairs and I think the curse developed because of the antagonism between them and the local folk,' said one elderly man. The young earl was unmarried. Anne Nicholson, his former girlfriend and mother of their seven-year-old son, Thomas, was quoted last year as saying: 'The curse of the Cravens does worry him (the earl) a lot. He rarely discusses it, but it's at the back of his mind most of the time. It's an awful thing because it seems tp have come true in the past. It makes me worry about our little Tommy.' The earl's only son will not inherit the earldom because he is illegitimate. The title passes to the earl's 22-year-old brother, Simon George Craven, The Cravens can trace their line back to William the Conqueror, who invaded England and won its crown in 1066. The Craven estates were once among the largest in Britain, embracing 8,000 hectares in Berkshire alone, but they have dwindled to a few properties."
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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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On 30th August 1990 Simon Craven 8th Earl Craven (age 29) died in a car accident. His son Benjamin (age 1) succeeded 9th Earl Craven in Yorkshire, 9th Viscount Uffington, 15th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.