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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17 May is in May.
1220 Westminster Coronation of Henry III
1521 Trial and Execution of the Duke of Buckingham
1535 Execution of the Carthusians
1536 Execution of George Boleyn, Brereton, Norris, Smeaton and Weston
The Second Battle of Ramla was foight on 17th May 1102 between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Fatimids of Egypt at which the Crusader army defeated the army of Sharaf al-Ma'ali.
Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. The barons of England defied their king and renounced their homage to him; after seizing Northampton, they attacked certain of the king's castles and boldly plundered his lands. Then, having made alliances through envoys with the citizens of London, and with the earl of Salisbury coming to London, on the sixteenth day before the Kalends of June [17th May 1215], on Sunday morning, they advanced in ranks to the city, and, while the citizens were occupied in divine service, they entered without resistance. Having entered, they seized the king's supporters whom they found, and plundered their goods; they invaded the houses of the Jews, broke open the shops and coffers, and, long after their purses had been emptied in this religious expedition, they abundantly refilled them. Then Robert fitzWalter, marshal of the army of God and Holy Church, and Geoffrey de Mandeville, earl of Essex and Gloucester, zealously applied themselves every day to rebuilding the city walls with the stone houses of the Jews; but the Tower of London they did not capture, though a few within resisted bravely. And when it spread far and wide throughout the kingdom that the barons had occupied the royal metropolis, all (except the earls of Warenne, Arundel, Chester, Pembroke, Ferrers, and Salisbury, and the barons William Brewer and a few others, although, in fact, the knights of both those earls and those barons had all gone over to the barons' side), all the rest, I say, day by day flocked in crowds into the army of God, until four very powerful armies were organized throughout England, and so great a terror beset the king that he no longer dared go anywhere beyond Windsor.
Barones Angliæ regem suum diffidant et ei homagia sua resignant; occupata Norhantona, quædam castella regis invadunt, prædas ex prædiis ejus viriliter diripiunt. Inde, pactis confoederationibus per internuncios cum civibus Londoniæ, et comite Saresberiæ adveniente Londoni, XVI kalendas Junii, die Dominica mane, dispositis agminibus ad civitatem accedunt, et civibus ad officium divinum occupatis, sine contradictione irruptionem faciunt. Ingressi vero, regios fautores quos invenerunt, ceperunt et eorum bona diripuerunt ; Judæorum domos invaserunt; apothecas et scrinia confregerunt, et exhaustas multo tempore in hac expeditione religiosa crumenas abunde refarcierunt. Inde Robertus filius Walteri, marescallus exercitus Domini et sanctæ ecclesiæ, et Gaufridus de Mandaville, comes Estsexiæ et Glowecestriæ, instaurandis muris civitatis ex lapideis domibus Judæorum quotidie vigilanter intendunt; turrem tamen Londoniæ non acceperunt, paucis licet intus viriliter resistentibus. Cumque per regnum longe lateque percrebuisset quod barones regiam metropolim occupassent, omnes, (exceptis comitibus Warennæ, Arundelli, Cestriæ, Penbroc, Ferrariis, et Saresberiæ, et baronibus Willelmo Briwere aliisque paucis, quorum tamen, tam comitum quam baronum, milites omnes in partem baronum transierant,) cæteri, inquam omnes, de die in diem catervatim in exercitum Dei transierunt, donec ordinarentur per Angliam quatuor fortissimi exercitus, tantusque terror egem obsideret, ut jam extra Windleshoram nusquam progredi auderet.
On 17th May 1220 Henry (age 12) was crowned III King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map] since the Pope didn't consider the earlier Gloucester Coronation of Henry III to have been performed correctly. Archbishop Stephen Langton (age 70) presided.
Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. In the same year [1220], on the day of Pentecost, namely the sixteenth day before the Kalends of June [17th May 1220], Henry, king of England, the son of King John, was crowned1 at Westminster by Lord Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence of Lord Pandulf the legate, and of bishops and other prelates and earls and magnates of England. By that same archbishop it was there proclaimed that the taking of the cross should be preached, and that the canonization of Saint Hugh the bishop should be celebrated on the fifteenth day before the Kalends of December [17th November 1220].
Eodem anno, die Pentecosten, videlicet XVI kalendarum Junii, coronatur Henricus rex Angliæ, filius regis Johannis, apud Westmonasterium, a domno Stephano de Langetune, Cantuariensi archiepiscopo, præsentibus domno Pandulfo legato, et episcopis et aliis prælatis et comitibus et majoribus Angliæ; a quo archiepiscopo prædicatur ibidem crucis signatio, et Sancti Hugonis episcopi canonizatio celebranda, XV kalendas Decembris.
Note 1. King Henry III's second coronation. His first had taken place at Gloucester in October 1216, officiated by Cardinal Guala Bicchieri (age 70), the papal legate, when London was held by rebels.
Roger of Wendover: "In the year of our Lord 1220, King Henry was at Christmas at Marlborough, still under the guardianship of Peter, Bishop of Winchester. In that same year the same king was crowned at Westminster, on the holy day of Pentecost, by Stephen, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence of the clergy and people of the whole realm, on the sixteenth day before the Kalends of June (that is, May 17), in the fifth year of his reign. In testimony and memory of this event there went forth a royal command and proclamation that everyone, except those in holy orders, should wear garlands of flowers."
On 17th May 1296 Agnes Přemyslid Duchess Austria (age 26) died.
Archaeologia Volume 35 1853 XXXIII. On the 17th [May 1358], a memorandum is made, that the Queen of Scotland (age 36) was with the King at Haveryng.
A few visitors arrived between the 20th and the 23rd of May, but the injury to the manuscript has effaced their names.
On 17th May 1365 Louis "The Roman" Wittelsbach VI Duke Upper Bavaria (age 37) died.
On 17th May 1395 Mary Hungary I Queen Hungary (age 24) died.
On 17th May 1443 Edmund York 1st Earl of Rutland was born to Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York (age 31) and Cecily "Rose of Raby" Neville Duchess York (age 28) at Rouen, France [Map]. He a great x 2 grandson of King Edward III of England. Coefficient of inbreeding 2.42%.
Chronicle of Gregory [1400-1467]. 17th May 1464. At the Newecastelle [Map], the xvij day of May, he let to be smete of the heddys, as the namys of them done appere here aftyr in wrytynge: first, the hedde of the Lord Hungerforde (age 33), the Lord Roos (deceased), Syr Thomas Fyndorne, Barnarde de la Mare, Nycholas Massam.
A Brief Latin Chronicle. 17th May 1464 On the seventeenth day of the month of May, at Newcastle, were beheaded Lord Hungerford, Lord Roos, Lord Thomas Fynderne, Edward de la Mare, and Nicholas Massam.
Decimo septimo die mensis Maii apud Novum Castrum decapitati sunt dominus de Hungarford, dominus Roos, dominus Thomas Fynderne, Edwardus de la Mare, Nicholaus Massam.
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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On 17th May 1490 Albert "The Elder" Hohenzollern I Duke Prussia was born to Frederick Hohenzollern I Margrave Brandenburg-Ansbach (age 30) and Sophia Jagiellon Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach (age 26). He married (1) 1526 his half first cousin once removed Dorothea Oldenburg, daughter of King Frederick I of Denmark and Anna of Brandenburg, and had issue (2) 1550 his fifth cousin Anna Maria Guelph Duchess Prussia, daughter of Eric "The Elder" Guelph I Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg, and had issue.
On 17th May 1500 Federico Gonzaga II Duke Mantua was born to Francesco Gonzaga II Marquess of Mantua (age 33) and Isabella Este (age 25). He married Margaret Palaeologina Duchess Mantua, daughter of William IX Marquis of Montferrat and Anne Valois Marchioness of Montferrat, and had issue.
On 17th May 1521 Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham (age 43) was beheaded at Tower Hill [Map]. Duke of Buckingham, Earl Stafford and Baron Stafford forfeit.
He was executed for no specific reason other than his having a significant amount of Plantagenet blood and was, therefore, considered a threat by Henry VIII (age 29). He was posthumously attainted by Act of Parliament on 31 July 1523, disinheriting his children. He was buried at St Peter's Church, Britford [Map].
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 17th May 1521. This yeare, on Fridaye before Whitsonday, beinge the 17 day of Maye, Edward Duke of Buckingham (age 43)a was beheaded at Tower Hill [Map].
Note a. Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, was restored in 1486 by Henry VII. to his honours and estates. He commanded the select guard of Henry VIII (age 29) in the battle of the Spurs, 1613, but his observation, that the "Field of the Cloth of Gold" entailed ruin on the English nobles, so irritated the King that he determined on his ruin. It is also asserted that the King was jealons of his descent from Thomas of Woodstock and Edward III.
From 10th May 1533 to 17th May 1533 John Bell served as proctor for the king at the trial at Dunstable Abbey [Map] which definitively nullified Henry's first marriage in time for the coronation of Anne Boleyn.
Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1535. 17th May 1535. 726. The Duke of Norfolk (age 62) with other English gentlemen and about 300 horses were to start on the 12th. In place of Cromwell, who cannot leave, having the control of everything in his hands, Lord Rochford (age 32), the brother of the new Queen (age 34), or a bishop, her almoner, will come.
News has come of the capture, by the king of the Romans, of the prothonotary Casale, who was sent to king John on the part of England.
Hol., pp. 13. Copy. Headed: A M. Ambrogio da Carlemesnel, alli 17 di Maggio, ritenuta fino alli 18, &c.
Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1535. 17th May 1535. 726. There is strange news here of the cruelty of the king of England to certain religious men. He caused them to be ripped up in each other's presence, their arms torn off (con farli scarpar le braccia), their hearts cut out and rubbed upon their mouths and faces; and this for having caused remorse (per haver fatto coscienza) to certain ecclesiastics who had sworn that the King was Head of the English Church, and not the Pope. Has seen a letter of the 5th from London, saying that on the 4th a prior of one of the three Charterhouses, two friars of the Order, a prior of Sion, and a priest, who refused to swear to the King's supremacy, were hanged without degradation, as rebels. They were dragged through the streets in carts, their heads and feet were to be placed on the public gates, and the rest of their bodies burnt. The whole city is displeased, as they were of exemplary and holy life. It was thought that 10 or 12 priests now in the Tower would be also executed for the same cause. The same letter states that this "Gherardo" (Fitzgerald) in Ireland has lost a strong castle, and retired with 50 horse to the bogs, where he is safe while the wet weather lasts; but when it changes it will be easy for the King to take him dead or alive, for most of his followers have returned to their allegiance.
On 17th May 1536 George Boleyn Viscount Rochford (age 33), Henry Norreys (age 54), Francis Weston (age 25), William Brereton and Mark Smeaton (age 24) were beheaded at Tower Hill [Map]. They were buried at St Peter ad Vincula Church, Tower of London [Map].
Chronicle of Edward Hall [1496-1548]. 17th May 1536. And all the gentlemen were beheaded on the scaffold at the Tower hyll.
Memorial of George Constantyne. 17th May 1536 ... And Weston sayed (age 25), I had thought to haue lyved in abhominacion yet this twenty or thrittie yeres & then to haue made amendes. I thought little it wold haue come to this: willinge all other to take example at hym. And Markes (age 24) sayed: Masters I pray you all praye for me, for I haue deserved the deeth. And the Quene (age 35) sayed: I do not entende to reason my cause, but I committe me to Christ wholy, in whome ys my whole trust, desirynge you all to praye for the Kynges maiestie that he maye longe regne over you, for he ys a veraye noble prince and full gently hath handled me.
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 17th May 1536. Allso the 17th day of May, beinge Weddensday, the Lord of Rochforde (age 33), Mr. Norys (age 54), Mr. Bruton, Sir Francis Weston (age 25), and Markys (age 24), were all beheaded [Note. Smeaton was hanged] at the Tower-hill [Map]; and the Lord of Rocheforde, brother to Queene Anne, sayde these wordes followinge on the scaffolde to the people with a lowde voyce: Maisters all, I am come hither not to preach and make a sermon, but to dye, as the lawe hath fownde me, and to the lawe I submitt me, desiringe you all, and speciallie you my maisters of the Courte, that you will trust on God speciallie, and not on the vanities of the worlde, for if I had so done, I thincke I had bene alyve as yee be now; allso I desire you to helpe to the settinge forthe of the true worde of God; and whereas I am sclaundered by it, I have bene diligent to reade it and set it furth trulye; but if I had bene as diligent to observe it, and done and lyved thereafter, as I was to read it and sett it forthe, I had not come hereto, wherefore I beseche you all to be workers and lyve thereafter, and not to reade it and lyve not there after. As for myne offences, it can not prevayle you to heare them that I dye here for, but I beseche God that I may be an example to you all, and that all you may be wayre by me, and hartelye I require you all to pray for me, and to forgive me if I have offended you, and I forgive you all, and God save the Kinge. Their bodies with their heades were buried within the Tower of London [Map]; the Lord of Rochfordes bodie and head within the chappell of the Tower [Map], Mr. Weston and Norys in the church yeard of the same [Map] in one grave, Mr. Bruton and Markes in another grave in the same churche yerde within the Tower of London.
Letters and Papers. 17th May 1536. 908. Chapuys (age 46) to Charles V.
Today1 Rochford (age 33) has been beheaded before the Tower, and the four others above named, notwithstanding the intercession of the Bishop of Tarbes, the French ambassador resident, and the sieur de Tinteville, who arrived the day before yesterday, in behalf of one named Weston (age 25). The Concubine (age 35) saw them executed from the Tower, to aggravate her grief. Rochford disclaimed all that he was charged with, confessing, however, that he had deserved death for having been so much contaminated and having contaminated others with these new sects, and he prayed everyone to abandon such heresies. The Concubine will certainly be beheaded tomorrow, or on Friday at the latest, and I think the King feels the time long that it is not done already. The day before the putain's condemnation he sent for Mrs. Semel [Jane Seymour (age 27)] by the Grand Esquire and some others, and made her come within a mile of his lodging, where she is splendidly served by the King's cook and other officers. She is most richly dressed. One of her relations, who dined with her on the day of the said condemnation, told me that the King sent that morning to tell her that he would send her news at 3 o'clock of the condemnation of the putain, which he did by Mr. Briant, whom he sent in all haste. To judge by appearances, there is no doubt that he will take the said Semel [Jane Seymour] to wife; and some think the agreements and promises are already made.
Note 1. This part of the letter was written on the 17th. See further on, at the beginning of the last paragraph.
Memorial of George Constantyne. 17th May 1536. But at his [William Brereton's] deeth these were his wordes: "I haue deserved to dye if it were a thousande deethes, But the cause wherfore I dye judge not: But yf ye judge, judge the best." This he spake iij or foure tymes. If he were gyltie, I saye therfore that he dyed worst of them all.
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.
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Memorial of George Constantyne. 17th May 1536. George. The lorde of Ratchforde (age 33), after many wordes, to the effecte sayed this. I desyre you that no man wilbe discoraged from the Gospell for my fall. For if I had lyved accordinge to the gospel as I loved it, and spake of it, I had never come to this. Wherfore sayed he Syrs for Gods love, leave not the gospel, but speake lesse and lyve better. For I had rather have one good lyver accordinge to the gospel then ten bablers.
Spanish Chronicle Chapter 30. 17th May 1536. How the Duke, and Norris, and Brereton, and Mark were beheaded the next day1.
Excerpta Historica Page 260. [17th May 1536]. When that sorrowful day came, which was to bring their last hour to those unhappy wretches who had bought a brief pleasure with a dreadful peril, even the peril of their life and honour, a scaffold was built up before the Tower of London, on a Wednesday, which was the 17th day of May. And then they led out of the Tower wherein they had been imprisoned, the Queen's brother and the four accused gentlemen, all closely guarded as they are wont to guard those guilty of such things. And my Lord of Reujafort, [Rochford,] for that was the name of the Queen's brother, said, three several times, with a loud voice, to the whole city there gathered together — "O ye gentlemen and Christians, I was born under the law, and I die under the law, forasmuch as it is the law which hath condemned me." And then he proceeded to speak in this wise. "Ye gentlemen here present, I come not hither to preach unto you, but to die. Nor do I now seek for any thing, in the sorrowful plight in which I here stand, save that I may soon bathe my dry and parched lips in the living fountain of God's everlasting and infinite mercy. And I beseech you all, in his holy name, to pray unto him for me, confessing truly that I deserve death, even though I had a thousand lives — yea even to die with far more and worse shame and dishonour than hath ever been heard of before. For I am a miserable sinner, who have grievously and often times offended; nay and in very truth, I know not of any more perverse or wicked sinner than I have been up until now. Nevertheless, I mean not openly now to relate what my many sins may have been, since in sooth it can yield you no profit, nor me any pleasure here to reckon them up; enough be it that God knoweth them all. And ye, Gentlemen of the Court, mine especial and ancient familiars, I beseech you, of all love, that ye take heed not to fall into the error of my ways, and that ye be warned by my example; and I pray to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Three Persons in One God, that ye may wisely profit by the same, and that from my mishap ye may learn not to set your thoughts upon the vanities of this world, and least of all, upon the flatteries of the Court, and the favours and treacheries of Fortune, which only raiseth men aloft that with so much the greater force she may dash them again upon the ground. She in truth it is who is the cause that, as ye all witness, my miserable head is now to be dissevered from my neck; or rather, in greater truth, the fault is mine, and it is I who ought to be blamed for having adventured to lean on Fortune, who hath proved herself fickle and false unto me, and who now maketh me a sad example to you all and to the whole world. And do ye all, Sirs, take notice, that in this my sorrowful condition, I pray for the mercy of God Almighty, and that I do moreover forgive all men, with all my heart and mind, even as truly as I hope that the Lord God will forgive me. And if so be that I should in aught have offended any man not now here present, do ye entreat him, when ye chance to meet him, that he also may of his charity forgive me; for, having lived the life of a sinner, I would fain die the death of a Christian man.
Nor must I fail (while it be yet time) to tell you all, gentle and simple, now hearkening to me, that I was a great reader and a mighty debater of the Word of God, and one of those who most favoured the Gospel of Jesu Christ.2 Wherefore, lest the Word of God should be brought into reproach on my account, I now tell you all, Sirs, that if I had, in very deed, kept his holy Word, even as I read and reasoned about it with all the strength of my wit, certain am I that I should not be in the piteous condition wherein I now stand. Truly and diligently did I read the Gospel of Christ Jesu, but I turned not to profit that which I did read; the which had I done, of a surety I had not fallen into so great errors. Wherefore I do beseech you all, for the love of our Lord God, that ye do at all seasons, hold by the truth, and speak it, and embrace it; for beyond all peradventure, better profiteth he who readeth not and yet doeth well, than he who readeth much and yet liveth in sin."
Having made an end of speaking, he knelt down upon his knees, and his head was stricken off. And so befell it likewise to the other four gentlemen; one was called Monsire Nestorn [Weston]; another Breton, [Brereton]; another Norris, Chamberlain to the King's Majesty; and the fourth of this sorrowful company was Mark [Smeton]; the which said no more than that they besought the bystanders to pray for them, and that they yielded themselves to death with joy and exceeding gladness of heart.
Note 1. E daquelle q' mais com emveija e ciumes q' amor q' tivesse ha El Rey, descubryo ho malvado segredo.
Note 2. Que eu fuy grande ledor e argumentador da palavra de Ds. e eu fuy hū daquelles q' mto favorecerao ho Evangello de I. C.
Letters and Papers. 19th May 1536. Vienna Archives. 911. Anne Boleyn (age 35), Rochford (deceased), &c.
"Execution criminal hecha en Inglatierra el 16 de Mayo 15361."
The count (Viscount) Rochefort, brother of the Queen (unjustly so called) Anne Boleyn, was beheaded with an axe upon a scaffold before the Tower of London. He made a very catholic address to the people, saying he had not come thither to preach, but to serve as a mirror and example, acknowledging his sins against God and the King, and declaring he need not recite the causes why he was condemned, as it could give no pleasure to hear them. He first desired mercy and pardon of God, and afterwards of the King and all others whom he might have offended, and hoped that men would not follow the vanities of the world and the flatteries of the Court, which had brought him to that shameful end. He said if he had followed the teachings of the Gospel, which he had often read, he would not have fallen into this danger, for a good doer was far better than a good reader. In the end, he pardoned those who had condemned him to death, and asked the people to pray for his soul. After him Norris (age 54) was beheaded, then Weston (age 25) and Brereton, and Marc (age 24), the player on the spinnet, who said scarcely anything except to cry mercy of God and the King, and beg people to pray for their souls. Brereton and Marc were afterwards quartered.
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. And the same day, in the after-noone, at a solemne court kept at Lambeth by the Lord Archbishoppe of Canterburie (age 46) and the doctors of the lawe, the King was divorced from his wife Queene Anne (age 35), and there at the same cowrte was a privie contract approved that she had made to the Earle of Northumberlande (age 34) afore the Kings tyme; and so she was discharged, and was never lawfull Queene of England, and there it was approved the same.
Letters and Papers. 17 May [1536]. Wilkins, iii. 803. 896. Anne Boleyn (age 35).
Sentence pronounced by the archbishop of Canterbury of the nullity of the marriage between the King and Anne Boleyn, in the presence of Sir Thomas Audeley, Chancellor, Charles Duke of Suffolk (age 52), John Earl of Oxford (age 65), and others, at Lambeth, 17 May 1536.
Memorandum.—This was sealed on the 10th June, and subscribed by both Houses of Convocation on the 28th.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 17th May 1551. The xvij day my lade Marie (age 35) rod thrugh from Saynt [John's through] Flettstrett unto the court to Westmynster [with many] nobull men of lordes and knyghtes and gentyllmen and ladies and gentyllwomen, and at the court gatte she a-lyttyd, and M. [Wingfield] (age 64), the comtroller of the kynges howse, and mony lordes and [knights], and so she was browth thrught the halle unto the cham[ber of] pressens; and so she tared there and ade a goodly ba[nquet] ij owrs, and sone after she toke her horse and rod unto Sy[nt John's;] and ther she laie alle nyght, and on the morowe her [Grace] rod to Nuw Hall in Exsex, and ther byd yn grasse with honor, thanke be God and the kyng her brodur.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 17th May 1555. The xvij day of May was bered the contesse of Vestmerland (deceased) at Sordyche [Map], for ther was a goodly hersse with iiij banars of emages, and iiij banars-rolles, and mony mornars, and ther was master Garter and Ruge-crosse, and after all done a gret dener.
Note. Page 88. Funeral of the countess of Westmerland. Katharine, daughter of Edward Stafford, duke of Buckingham, K.G. and wife of Ralph earl of Westmerland. A letter from her to the earl of Shrewsbury, 25 Apr. 1544, has been published in Miss Wood's Letters of Ladies, iii. 182. She died at Holywell, the house of her son-in-law the earl of Rutland (age 28), in the parish of Shoreditch, on Tuesday, May 14, 1555. (MS. Harl. 897, fol. 78b, 80.) In that church was erected a joint monument, with four kneeling effigies, representing Elinor (Paston) countess of Rutland, who died in 1551; this countess of Westmerland; her daughter Margaret countess of Rutland, who died 1560 (see Note hereafter to p. 215); and lady Katharine Constable, who died 1591, a granddaughter of the first; which see engraved in Ellis's Shoreditch, p. 56, or Nichols's Leicestershire, vol. ii. pl. xii.
On 16th May 1568 Mary Queen of Scots (age 25) escaped across the Solway Firth into England. The following day, 17th May 1568 she wrote to her cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (age 34) from Workington Hall [Map]. The letter states...
describes the treasonable actions of her enemies, who 'have robbed me of everything I had in the world' and expresses her confidence in Elizabeth 'not only for the safety of my life, but also to aid and assist me in my just quarrel'. Describing herself as Elizabeth's 'very faithful and affectionate good sister, cousin and escaped prisoner, Mary begs for an audience; 'I entreat you to send to fetch me as soon as you possibly can', for 'I am', she bemoans, 'in a pitiable condition, not only for a queen, but for a gentlewoman, for I have nothing in the world but what I had on my person when I made my escape, travelling sixty miles across the country the first day, and not having since ever ventured to proceed except by night, as I hope to declare before you if it pleases you to have pity, as I trust you will, upon my extreme misfortune.''
On 17th May 1569 George Dacre 5th Baron Dacre Gilsland 9th Baron Greystoke (age 8) died. Baron Greystoke abeyant. There was a dispute as to whether his uncle Leonard Dacre should inherit Baron Dacre Gilsland which would be the case if it was created by letters patent, or whether the Barony was in abeyance between the 5th Baron's three sisters which would be the case of the barony had been created through a writ of summons. Such decisions would normally be referred to the Duke of Norfolk (age 33) in his capacity as Earl Marshal but he, Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk, had married Elizabeth Leybourne Duchess Norfolk, the mother of the three daughters although she had died in the meantime; he was not impartial - the three daughters were now his step-daughters. The matter was referred to Commissioners who decided the Barony had been created by writ between and was, therefore, abeyant between the three daughters who were now the step-daughters of Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk. He, Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk subsequently married his eldest son Philip Howard 13th or 20th Earl of Arundel (age 11) to his eldest step-daughter Anne Dacre Countess Arundel (age 12). After Thomas Howard's execution in 1572 the two remaining daughters, Mary Dacre (age 5) and Elizabeth Dacre (age 4) were married to his two remaining sons Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk (age 7) and William Howard (age 5) respectively ensuring all of the Dacre and Greystoke wealth and estates in Cumberland, Yorkshire and Northumberland would become the property of the Howard family.
On 17th May 1575 Archbishop Matthew Parker (age 70) died.
On 17th May 1581 William Cordell (age 59) died. Monument at Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford [Map].
William Cordell: Around 1522 he was born. In 1554 William Cordell bought the manor of Long Melford and other lands, formerly owned by Bury St Edmunds Abbey, from the crown and started building Melford Hall, Long Melford [Map]. He entertained Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland there in 1578/ Before 17th May 1581 he and Mary Clopton were married.
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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Diary of Anne Clifford. 17th May 1616. Upon the 17th my Lord (age 27) and I after supper had some talk about these businesses, Matthew being in the room where we all fell out and so parted for that night.
Diary of Anne Clifford. 17th May 1617. The 17th the Steward came from London and told me my Lord (age 28) was much discontented with me, for not doing this business, because he must be fain to buy land for the payment of the money which will much encumber his estate.
Diary of Anne Clifford. 17th May 1619. The 17th my Lord (age 30) and I and all the household came down to Knole. I took my leave also of the two tenants and gave them gold and silver. The 24, 25, 26, and 27th I went abroad with my Brother Sackville, sometimes early in the morning and sometimes after supper he and I being kind and having better correspondence than we have had.
On 17th May 1633 Penelope Noel (age 22) died of blood poisoning after having pricked herself with a needle whilst sewing with silk thread. Monument in St James' Church, Chipping Campden [Map]. Sculpted by John Christmas (age 34) or possibly his brother Mathias. The material held in her left hand may represent the material she was sewing
"The most exquisite model of natures best workmanship, ye richest magazine of all divine and moral vertues, Penelope Noel having added to the nobilitie of her birth, a brighter shyne of true noblesnesse, ye exemplary sweetness of her conversation, he contempt of earthly vanities and her zealous affection towards heaven, after 22 yeares devotions, commended her virgin sowle into ye hands of its true brydegroome Jesus Christ, May 17th AD 1633 over whose pretious dust here reserved, her sad parents Edward Lord Noel, Viscount Campden and the Lady Julian his wife, dropt theyr teares and erected this marble to the deare memorie of theyre unvaluable losse - Superata tellus Sidera donat i.e. The earth, once conquered, grants the stars."
Penelope Noel: On 22nd August 1610 she was born to Edward Noel 2nd Viscount Campden and Juliana Hicks Viscountess Campden.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 17th May 1660. Up early to write down my last two days' observations. Dr. Clerke came to me to tell me that he heard this morning, by some Dutch that are come on board already to see the ship, that there was a Portuguese taken yesterday at the Hague, that had a design to kill the King. But this I heard afterwards was only the mistake upon one being observed to walk with his sword naked, he having lost his scabbard. Before dinner Mr. Edw. Pickering (age 42) and I, W. Howe, Pim, and my boy (age 12), to Scheveling, where we took coach, and so to the Hague, where walking, intending to find one that might show us the King incognito, I met with Captain Whittington (that had formerly brought a letter to my Lord from the Mayor of London) and he did promise me to do it, but first we went and dined at a French house, but paid 16s. for our part of the club. At dinner in came Dr. Cade, a merry mad parson of the King's (age 29). And they two after dinner got the child and me (the others not being able to crowd in) to see the King, who kissed the child very affectionately. Then we kissed his, and the Duke of York's, and the Princess Royal's hands. The King seems to be a very sober man; and a very splendid Court he hath in the number of persons of quality that are about him, English very rich in habit. From the King to the Lord Chancellor1, who did lie bed-rid of the gout: he spoke very merrily to the child and me. After that, going to see the Queen of Bohemia, I met with Dr. Fullers whom I sent to a tavern with Mr. Edw. Pickering, while I and the rest went to see the Queen (age 50), who used us very respectfully; her hand we all kissed. She seems a very debonaire, but plain lady. After that to the Dr.'s, where we drank a while or so. In a coach of a friend's of Dr. Cade we went to see a house of the Princess Dowager's (age 28)2 in a park about half-a-mile or a mile from the Hague, where there is one, the most beautiful room for pictures in the whole world. She had here one picture upon the top, with these words, dedicating it to the memory of her husband:-"Incomparabili marito, inconsolabilis vidua".
Note 1. On January 29th, 1658, Charles II entrusted the Great Seal to Sir Edward Hyde (age 51), with the title of Lord Chancellor, and in that character Sir Edward accompanied the King to England.
Note 2. Mary, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of Charles I, and widow of William of Nassau, Prince of Orange. She was not supposed to be inconsolable, and scandal followed her at the court of Charles II, where she died of small-pox, December 24th, 1660.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 17th May 1662. So to Whitehall and there met Mr. Moore, and I walked long in Westminster Hall [Map], and thence with him to the Wardrobe to dinner, where dined Mrs. Sanderson, the mother of the maids, and after dinner my Lady and she and I on foot to Pater Noster Row [Map] to buy a petticoat against the Queen's (age 23) coming for my Lady, of plain satin, and other things; and being come back again, we there met Mr. Nathaniel Crew (age 29)1 at the Wardrobe with a young gentleman, a friend and fellow student of his, and of a good family, Mr. Knightly, and known to the Crews, of whom my Lady privately told me she hath some thoughts of a match for my Lady Jemimah. I like the person very well, and he hath £2000 per annum.
Note 1. Nathaniel Crew, born 1633, fifth son of John, first Lord Crew; he himself became third Lord Crew in 1697. Sub-Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford, 1659. Took orders in 1664, and was Rector of Lincoln College in 1668; Dean of Chichester, 1669; Bishop of Oxford, 1671; Bishop of Durham, 1674; sworn of the Privy Council in 1676. He was very subservient to James II, and at the Revolution was excepted from the general pardon of May, 1690, but he was allowed to keep possession of the bishopric of Durham.
On 17th May 1662 William Wettin Duke Saxe Weimar (age 64) died at Weimar.
John Evelyn's Diary. 17th May 1663. I saluted the old Bishop of Durham, Dr. Cosin (age 68), to whom I had been kind, and assisted in his exile; but which he little remembered in his greatness.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 17th May 1665. Thence home, and after dinner to the office, where late, and so home to supper and to bed. Sir J. Minnes (age 66) and I had an angry bout this afternoon with Commissioner Pett (age 54) about his neglecting his duty and absenting himself, unknown to us, from his place at Chatham, Kent [Map], but a most false man I every day find him more and more, and in this very full of equivocation. The fleete we doubt not come to Harwich, Essex [Map] by this time. Sir W. Batten (age 64) is gone down this day thither, and the Duchesse of Yorke (age 28) went down yesterday to meet the Duke (age 31).
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 17th May 1668. By and by Gayet goes away, being a Catholick, to her devotions, and Mercer to church; but we continuing an hour or two singing, and so parted; and I to Sir W. Pen's (age 47), and there sent for a Hackney-coach; and he and she [Lady Pen (age 44)] and I out, to take the gyre. We went to Stepney, and there stopped at the Trinity House, Deptford [Map], he to talk with the servants there against to-morrow, which is a great day for the choice of a new Master, and thence to Mile End [Map], and there eat and drank, and so home; and I supped with them-that is, eat some butter and radishes, which is my excuse for not eating any other of their victuals, which I hate, because of their sluttery: and so home, and made my boy read to me part of Dr. Wilkins's (age 54) new book of the "Real Character"; and so to bed.
John Evelyn's Diary. 17th May 1671. Dined at Mr. Treasurer's (age 40) with the Earl of Arlington (age 53), Carlingford, Lord Arundel of Wardour (age 63), Lord Almoner to the Queen, a French Count and two abbots, with several more of French nobility; and now by something I had lately observed of Mr. Treasurer's conversation on occasion, I suspected him a little warping to Rome.
After 17th May 1679. Church of St Peter and St Paul, Easton Maudit [Map]. Monument to Charles Yelverton 14th Baron Grey of Ruthyn (deceased).
Charles Yelverton 14th Baron Grey of Ruthyn: On 21st August 1657 he was born to Henry Yelverton Baron Grey of Ruthyn and Susan Longueville 13th Baroness Grey of Ruthyn. On 30th October 1670 Henry Yelverton Baron Grey of Ruthyn died. He was buried at the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Easton Maudit [Map]. His son Charles succeeded 3rd Baronet Yelverton of Easton Maudit in Northamptonshire. On 28th January 1676 Susan Longueville 13th Baroness Grey of Ruthyn died. She was buried at the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Easton Maudit [Map]. Her son Charles succeeded 14th Baron Grey of Ruthyn. On 17th May 1679 Charles Yelverton 14th Baron Grey of Ruthyn died. His brother Henry succeeded 15th Baron Grey of Ruthyn, 4th Baronet Yelverton of Easton Maudit in Northamptonshire. Barbara Talbot Viscountess Longueville by marriage Baroness Grey of Ruthyn.
John Evelyn's Diary. 17th May 1701. Very plentiful showers, the wind coming west and south. The Bishops and Convocation at difference concerning the right of calling the assembly and dissolving. Atterbury (age 38) and Dr. Wake writing one against the other.
On 17th May 1711 William Henry Granville 3rd Earl of Bath (age 19) died of smallpox. Earl Bath, Baron Granville of Kilkhampton and Biddeford extinct.
On 17th May 1714 Anne Charlotte Lorraine was born to Leopold Duke of Lorraine (age 34) and Élisabeth Charlotte Bourbon Duchess Lorraine (age 37). She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 17th May 1731 Charles Noel Somerset 4th Duke Beaufort (age 21) was elected MP Monmouthshire at a by-election.
On 17th May 1765 John Vardy (age 47) died.
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.
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On 17th May 1767 Sarah Hussey (age 80) died. She was buried at the Church of St John the Baptist, Great Hale [Map].
Sarah Hussey: Around 1687 she was born to Edward Hussey 3rd Baronet and Charlotte Brevint. Before 18th October 1728 Robert Cawdron and she were married.
On 17th May 1768 Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England was born to Charles William Ferdinand Brunswick Bevern (age 32) and Princess Augusta Charlotte Hanover (age 30). She a great granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland. She married 8th April 1795 her first cousin King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland, son of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland and Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England, and had issue.
On 17th May 1802 Sophia Antonia Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Duchess Saxe Coburg Saalfeld (age 78) died.
On 17th May 1822 Duke Augustus of Saxe Coburg Altenburg (age 49) died. His brother Duke (age 47) succeeded IV Duke Saxe Gotha Altenburg.
On 17th May 1845 Algernon St Maur 14th Duke of Somerset (age 31) and Horatia Isabella Harriet Morier Duchess Somerset (age 25) were married. He the son of Edward Seymour 11th Duke of Somerset (age 70) and Charlotte Hamilton Duchess Somerset.
On 17th May 1852 Montagu Lowther Chapman 3rd Baronet (age 43) died at sea unmarried when the vessel in which he was sailing disappeared without trace. His brother Benjamin (age 42) succeeded 4th Baronet Chapman of Killua Castle.
On 17th May 1869 Alice Susan Godolphin Osborne was born to George Godolphin Osborne 9th Duke Leeds (age 40) and Fanny Georgiana Pitt-Rivers Duchess Leeds (age 32). Coefficient of inbreeding 3.94%. She married her half third cousin William Francis Leveson-Gower and had issue.
On 17th May 1869 Edward Richardson (age 57) died at Melbury Terrace, Marylebone.
On 17th May 1876 Corisande Emma Bennet Countess Malmesbury (age 68) died. Memorial in Christchurch Priory [Map] sculpted by Gaetano Trentanove (age 18).
Sacred To The Memory Of Corisande Emma Countess Of Malmesbury, Daughter Of Charles Fifth Earl Of Tankerville, And Corisande, Daughter Of The Duke De Gramont. Born Aug. 19, 1807. Died May 17, 1876.
From her it never was our fate to find a deed ungentle or a word unkind, the mildes manners with the bravest mind."
Corisande Emma Bennet Countess Malmesbury: On 10th August 1807 she was born to Charles Augustus Bennet 5th Earl Tankerville and Corisande Armandine Sophie Léonie Hélène Gramont Countess Tankerville. On 13th May 1830 James Harris 3rd Earl Malmesbury and she were married. She by marriage Countess Malmesbury. She the daughter of Charles Augustus Bennet 5th Earl Tankerville and Corisande Armandine Sophie Léonie Hélène Gramont Countess Tankerville. He the son of James Edward Harris 2nd Earl Malmesbury and Harriet Susan Dashwood.
On 17th May 1882 William Richard Percy was born to Henry George Percy 7th Duke Northumberland (age 35) and Edith Campbell Duchess Northumberland (age 32).
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 25th November 1885 Alfonso XII King Spain (age 27) died. On 17th May 1886 His son Alfonso succeeded posthumously XIII King Spain when he was born some seven months later.
On 17th May 1886 Alfonso XIII King Spain was born to Alfonso XII King Spain and Maria Christina of Austria Queen Consort Spain (age 27) at Madrid [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 3.57%. He married 1906 his fifth cousin once removed Victoria Eugénie Mountbatten Queen Consort Spain and had issue.
On 17th May 1891 Princess Alexandra Duff Duchess Fife was born to Alexander Duff 1st Duke Fife (age 41) and Louise Windsor Duchess Fife (age 24). She a granddaughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. She married 15th October 1913 her first cousin once removed Prince Arthur of Connaught, son of Prince Arthur Windsor 1st Duke Connaught and Strathearn and Luise Margarete Hohenzollern Duchess Connaught, and had issue.
After 17th May 1921. Memorial at St Mary the Virgin Church, Ingestre [Map] to Charles Chetwynd-Talbot 20th Earl of Shrewsbury 5th Earl Talbot (deceased) commissioned by his sister Muriel Frances Louisa Chetwynd-Talbot (age 61).
After 17th May 1996. Monument to Iain J Pellett died 17 May 1996 aged twenty-three.
On 17th May 1443 Edmund York 1st Earl of Rutland was born to Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York (age 31) and Cecily "Rose of Raby" Neville Duchess York (age 28) at Rouen, France [Map]. He a great x 2 grandson of King Edward III of England. Coefficient of inbreeding 2.42%.
On 17th May 1490 Albert "The Elder" Hohenzollern I Duke Prussia was born to Frederick Hohenzollern I Margrave Brandenburg-Ansbach (age 30) and Sophia Jagiellon Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach (age 26). He married (1) 1526 his half first cousin once removed Dorothea Oldenburg, daughter of King Frederick I of Denmark and Anna of Brandenburg, and had issue (2) 1550 his fifth cousin Anna Maria Guelph Duchess Prussia, daughter of Eric "The Elder" Guelph I Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg, and had issue.
On 17th May 1500 Federico Gonzaga II Duke Mantua was born to Francesco Gonzaga II Marquess of Mantua (age 33) and Isabella Este (age 25). He married Margaret Palaeologina Duchess Mantua, daughter of William IX Marquis of Montferrat and Anne Valois Marchioness of Montferrat, and had issue.
On 17th May 1663 William Glynne 2nd Baronet was born to William Glynne 1st Baronet (age 25) and Penelope Anderson Lady Bicester aka Bisseter. He married 5th July 1688 Mary Evelyn Lady Bicester aka Bisseter, daughter of Edward Evelyn 1st Baronet, and had issue.
On 17th May 1698 John Major 1st Baronet was born to John Major and Elizabeth Tennant at Bridlington. He married 1724 Elizabeth Dale and had issue.
On 17th May 1714 Anne Charlotte Lorraine was born to Leopold Duke of Lorraine (age 34) and Élisabeth Charlotte Bourbon Duchess Lorraine (age 37). She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 17th May 1718 Robert Darcy 4th Earl Holderness was born to Robert Darcy 3rd Earl Holderness (age 36) and Frederica Schomberg Countess Holderness and Fitzwalter (age 31). He a great x 3 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 17th May 1719 Robert Cunliffe 2nd Baronet was born to Foster Cunliffe (age 37). He married 1752 Mary Wright Lady Cunliffe and had issue.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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On 17th May 1758 John St Aubyn 5th Baronet was born to John St Aubyn 4th Baronet (age 31) and Elizabeth Wingfield Lady St Aubyn at Golden Square Soho.
On 17th May 1768 Henry William Paget 1st Marquess Anglesey was born to Henry Bayly-Paget 1st Earl Uxbridge (age 23) and Jane Champagné Countess Uxbridge (age 26). He married (1) 5th July 1795 Caroline Elizabeth Villiers Duchess Argyll, daughter of George Bussy Villiers 4th Earl Jersey and Frances Twysden, and had issue (2) after 19th December 1810 Charlotte Cadogan Marchioness Anglesey, daughter of Charles Sloane Cadogan 1st Earl Cadogan and Mary Churchill Countess Cadogan, and had issue.
On 17th May 1768 Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England was born to Charles William Ferdinand Brunswick Bevern (age 32) and Princess Augusta Charlotte Hanover (age 30). She a great granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland. She married 8th April 1795 her first cousin King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland, son of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland and Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England, and had issue.
On 17th May 1775 John Beckett 2nd Baronet was born to John Beckett 1st Baronet (age 32) and Mary Wilson Lady Beckett (age 26). Educated at Leeds Grammar School, Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1791; BA 1795; MA 1798), Inner Temple (admitted 1795; bencher, 1840) and Middle Temple (admitted 1799; called 1803). Barrister-at-law on the Northern Circuit. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, 1797-1816. He married 20th January 1817 Anne Lowther Lady Beckett, daughter of William Lowther 1st Earl Lonsdale and Augusta Fane Countess Lonsdale.
On 17th May 1790 Lucy Juliana Byng Lady Morris was born to John Byng 5th Viscount Torrington (age 47) and Bridget Forrest Viscountess Byng (age 41). She married 5th October 1809 John Morris 2nd Baronet, son of John Morris 1st Baronet and Henrietta Musgrave Lady Morris, and had issue.
On 17th May 1791 George Shiffner 3rd Baronet was born to George Shiffner 1st Baronet (age 28) and Mary Bridger.
On 17th May 1792 Anne Isabella Noel Baroness Byron 11th Baroness Wentworth was born to Ralph Milbanke aka Noel 6th Baronet (age 44) and Judith Noel (age 41) at Elemore Hall, County Durham. She married 2nd January 1815 George "Lord Byron" 6th Baron Byron and had issue.
On 17th May 1792 Edmund Antrobus 2nd Baronet was born to John Antrobus (age 31).
On 17th May 1794 Richard Butler was born to Richard Butler 1st Earl Glengall (age 18).
On 17th May 1797 William Bligh was born to John Bligh 4th Earl Darnley (age 29). He died aged ten in 1807.
On 17th May 1801 William Heathcote 5th Baronet was born to Reverend William Heathcote (age 29). He married (1) 8th November 1825 Caroline Frances Perceval Lady Heathcote, daughter of Charles George Perceval 1st and 2nd Baron Arden and Margaretta Elizabeth Wilson Baroness Arden, and had issue (2) 18th May 1841 Selina Shirley Lady Heathcote.
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
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On 17th May 1801 Frances Charlotte Chetwynd-Talbot Countess Dartmouth was born to Charles Chetwynd-Talbot 2nd Earl Talbot (age 24) and Frances Thomasina Lambart Countess Talbot (age 29). She married 5th April 1820 William Legge 4th Earl Dartmouth, son of George Legge 3rd Earl Dartmouth and Frances Finch Countess Dartmouth, and had issue.
On 17th May 1821 Laura Waldegrave Countess Selborne was born to William Waldegrave 8th Earl Waldegrave (age 32) in Cardington, Bedfordshire. She married 2nd February 1848 Roundell Palmer 1st Earl Selborne and had issue.
On 17th May 1823 Emily Augusta Lambton was born to John "Radical Jack" Lambton 1st Earl Durham (age 31) and Louisa Elizabeth Grey Countess Durham (age 26). She married her third cousin once removed William Henry Frederick Cavendish and had issue.
On 17th May 1859 Randolph Seaton Gordon was born to Charles Gordon 10th Marquess Huntly (age 67) and Maria Antoinetta Pegus Marchioness Huntly (age 38). He died aged less than one years old.
On 17th May 1863 Arthur George Egerton 5th Earl Wilton was born to Seymour Egerton 4th Earl Wilton (age 24) and Laura Caroline Russell Countess Wilton (age 21). He married 28th August 1895 Mariota Thellusson Countess Wilton, daughter of Frederick Thellusson 5th Baron Rendlesham and Egidia Montgomerie Baroness Rendlesham, and had issue.
On 17th May 1869 Alice Susan Godolphin Osborne was born to George Godolphin Osborne 9th Duke Leeds (age 40) and Fanny Georgiana Pitt-Rivers Duchess Leeds (age 32). Coefficient of inbreeding 3.94%. She married her half third cousin William Francis Leveson-Gower and had issue.
On 17th May 1882 William Richard Percy was born to Henry George Percy 7th Duke Northumberland (age 35) and Edith Campbell Duchess Northumberland (age 32).
On 17th May 1886 Alfonso XIII King Spain was born to Alfonso XII King Spain and Maria Christina of Austria Queen Consort Spain (age 27) at Madrid [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 3.57%. He married 1906 his fifth cousin once removed Victoria Eugénie Mountbatten Queen Consort Spain and had issue.
On 17th May 1886 William Frederick Williams 4th Baronet was born to William Robert Williams 3rd Baronet (age 26).
On 17th May 1891 Princess Alexandra Duff Duchess Fife was born to Alexander Duff 1st Duke Fife (age 41) and Louise Windsor Duchess Fife (age 24). She a granddaughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. She married 15th October 1913 her first cousin once removed Prince Arthur of Connaught, son of Prince Arthur Windsor 1st Duke Connaught and Strathearn and Luise Margarete Hohenzollern Duchess Connaught, and had issue.
On 17th May 1894 Alec Hardinge 2nd Baron Hardinge was born to Charles Hardinge 1st Baron Penshurt (age 35) and Winifred Selina Sturt (age 26). Coefficient of inbreeding 7.81%. He married 8th February 1921 Helen Mary and had issue.
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.
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On 17th May 1899 Henry Wilmot Chamberlain 5th Baronet was born to Henry Hamilton Erroll Chamberlain 4th Baronet (age 41).
On 17th May 1900 John Campbell 5th Earl Cawdor was born to Hugh Campbell 4th Earl Cawdor (age 30) and Joan Emily Thynne Countess Cawdor (age 27).
On 17th May 1901 Vere Hobart-Hampden 9th Earl of Buckinghamshire was born to Arthur Ernest Hobart-Hampden (age 36).
On 17th May 1912 Richard Bellingham Graham 10th Baronet was born to Reginald Guy Graham 9th Baronet (age 33).
On 17th May 1912 Lieutenant Christopher Furness was born to Marmaduke Furness 1st Viscount Furness (age 28) and Ada "Daisy" Hogg Viscountess Furness.
On 17th May 1953 Nicholas Bacon 15th and 14th Baronet was born to Edmund Castell Bacon 14th and 13th Baronet (age 50) and Priscilla Dora Ponsonby (age 40).
On 17th May 1558 James Blount 6th Baron Mountjoy (age 25) and Catherine Leigh Baroness Mountjoy (age 26) were married. She by marriage Baroness Mountjoy.
On 17th May 1724 Bussy Mansel 4th Baron Mansel (age 3) and Elizabeth Hervey (age 26) were married. The difference in their ages was 23 years; she, unusually, being older than him. She the daughter of John Hervey 1st Earl Bristol (age 58) and Elizabeth Felton Countess Bristol (age 47).
On 17th May 1748 William Dolben 3rd Baronet (age 21) and Judith English Lady Dolben were married. She a wealthy heiress who brought a considerable fortune.
On 17th May 1750 Jacob Garrard Downing 4th Baronet (age 33) and Margaret Price were married. She by marriage Lady Downing of East Hatley in Cambridgeshire.
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.
On 17th May 1820 George Bishopp 9th Baronet (age 28) and Catherine Elizabeth Sproule were married. The had three sons and three daughters.
On 17th May 1845 Algernon St Maur 14th Duke of Somerset (age 31) and Horatia Isabella Harriet Morier Duchess Somerset (age 25) were married. He the son of Edward Seymour 11th Duke of Somerset (age 70) and Charlotte Hamilton Duchess Somerset.
On 17th May 1884 John Lubbock 1st Baron Avebury (age 50) and Alice Lane Fox-Pitt Baroness Avebury (age 22) were married. She by marriage Lady Lubbock of Lammas in Norfolk. The difference in their ages was 27 years. She the daughter of Augustus Henry Fox Pitt-Rivers (age 57) and Alice Margaret Stanley (age 56).
On 17th May 1887 James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury (age 25) and Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury (age 19) were married. She the daughter of Arthur Saunders Gore 5th Earl Arran (age 48) and Edith Jocelyn. He the son of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess Salisbury (age 57) and Georgina Alderson Marchioness of Salisbury (age 60).
On 17th May 1933 David George Arbuthnot (age 28) and Elisabeth Kemeys-Tynte 10th Baroness Wharton (age 27) were married.
On 17th May 1296 Agnes Přemyslid Duchess Austria (age 26) died.
On 17th May 1341 Maud Burnell Baroness Lovel and Burnell (age 51) died.
On 17th May 1365 Louis "The Roman" Wittelsbach VI Duke Upper Bavaria (age 37) died.
On 17th May 1395 Mary Hungary I Queen Hungary (age 24) died.
On 17th May 1521 Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham (age 43) was beheaded at Tower Hill [Map]. Duke of Buckingham, Earl Stafford and Baron Stafford forfeit.
He was executed for no specific reason other than his having a significant amount of Plantagenet blood and was, therefore, considered a threat by Henry VIII (age 29). He was posthumously attainted by Act of Parliament on 31 July 1523, disinheriting his children. He was buried at St Peter's Church, Britford [Map].
On 17th May 1569 George Dacre 5th Baron Dacre Gilsland 9th Baron Greystoke (age 8) died. Baron Greystoke abeyant. There was a dispute as to whether his uncle Leonard Dacre should inherit Baron Dacre Gilsland which would be the case if it was created by letters patent, or whether the Barony was in abeyance between the 5th Baron's three sisters which would be the case of the barony had been created through a writ of summons. Such decisions would normally be referred to the Duke of Norfolk (age 33) in his capacity as Earl Marshal but he, Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk, had married Elizabeth Leybourne Duchess Norfolk, the mother of the three daughters although she had died in the meantime; he was not impartial - the three daughters were now his step-daughters. The matter was referred to Commissioners who decided the Barony had been created by writ between and was, therefore, abeyant between the three daughters who were now the step-daughters of Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk. He, Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk subsequently married his eldest son Philip Howard 13th or 20th Earl of Arundel (age 11) to his eldest step-daughter Anne Dacre Countess Arundel (age 12). After Thomas Howard's execution in 1572 the two remaining daughters, Mary Dacre (age 5) and Elizabeth Dacre (age 4) were married to his two remaining sons Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk (age 7) and William Howard (age 5) respectively ensuring all of the Dacre and Greystoke wealth and estates in Cumberland, Yorkshire and Northumberland would become the property of the Howard family.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 17th May 1573 Reginald Grey 5th Earl Kent (age 33) died. His brother Henry (age 32) succeeded 6th Earl Kent, 9th Baron Grey of Ruthyn.
On 17th May 1575 Archbishop Matthew Parker (age 70) died.
On 17th May 1633 Penelope Noel (age 22) died of blood poisoning after having pricked herself with a needle whilst sewing with silk thread. Monument in St James' Church, Chipping Campden [Map]. Sculpted by John Christmas (age 34) or possibly his brother Mathias. The material held in her left hand may represent the material she was sewing
"The most exquisite model of natures best workmanship, ye richest magazine of all divine and moral vertues, Penelope Noel having added to the nobilitie of her birth, a brighter shyne of true noblesnesse, ye exemplary sweetness of her conversation, he contempt of earthly vanities and her zealous affection towards heaven, after 22 yeares devotions, commended her virgin sowle into ye hands of its true brydegroome Jesus Christ, May 17th AD 1633 over whose pretious dust here reserved, her sad parents Edward Lord Noel, Viscount Campden and the Lady Julian his wife, dropt theyr teares and erected this marble to the deare memorie of theyre unvaluable losse - Superata tellus Sidera donat i.e. The earth, once conquered, grants the stars."
Penelope Noel: On 22nd August 1610 she was born to Edward Noel 2nd Viscount Campden and Juliana Hicks Viscountess Campden.
On 17th May 1662 William Wettin Duke Saxe Weimar (age 64) died at Weimar.
On 17th May 1675 Andrew Henley 1st Baronet (age 53) died. His son Robert (age 20) succeeded 2nd Baronet Henley of Henley in Somerset.
On 17th May 1679 Charles Yelverton 14th Baron Grey of Ruthyn (age 21) died. His brother Henry succeeded 15th Baron Grey of Ruthyn, 4th Baronet Yelverton of Easton Maudit in Northamptonshire. Barbara Talbot Viscountess Longueville (age 14) by marriage Baroness Grey of Ruthyn.
On 17th May 1711 William Henry Granville 3rd Earl of Bath (age 19) died of smallpox. Earl Bath, Baron Granville of Kilkhampton and Biddeford extinct.
On 17th May 1731 Bishop Samuel Bradford (age 78) died in the Deanery, Westminster Abbey [Map]. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 17th May 1749 Judith Tichborne Countess Sunderland (age 64) died.
On 17th May 1765 John Vardy (age 47) died.
On 17th May 1774 Margaret Verney Lady Cave died.
On 17th May 1777 Thomas Maude 1st Baron Montalt (age 50) died unmarried. Baron Montalt of Hawarden in Tipperary extinct. His brother Cornwallis (age 47) succeeded 3rd Baronet of Dundrum in Tipperary. Anne Isabella Monck Viscountess Hawarden (age 18) by marriage Lady of Dundrum in Tipperary.
On 17th May 1794 Thomas Dyke Acland 9th Baronet (age 42) died. His son Thomas (age 7) succeeded 10th Baronet Acland of Columb John in Devon.
On 17th May 1802 Sophia Antonia Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Duchess Saxe Coburg Saalfeld (age 78) died.
On 17th May 1808 John Delaval 1st Baron Delaval (age 80) died without surviving male issue. Baron Delaval of Redford in County Wicklow and Baron Delaval of Seaton Delaval in Northumberland extinct. He was buried at Chapel of St Paul, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Edward Hussey Delaval (age 79) inherited Doddington Hall [Map].
On 17th May 1810 Alexander Ramsay 1st Baronet (age 53) died. His son Alexander (age 25) succeeded 2nd Baronet Ramsay of Balmain in Kincardineshire.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 17th May 1814 George Onslow 1st Earl Onslow (age 82) died. His son Thomas (age 60) succeeded 2nd Earl Onslow, 2nd Viscount Cranley, 5th Baron Onslow, 6th Baronet Onslow of West Clandon in Surrey, 7th Baronet Foote of London.
On 17th May 1822 Duke Augustus of Saxe Coburg Altenburg (age 49) died. His brother Duke (age 47) succeeded IV Duke Saxe Gotha Altenburg.
On 17th May 1852 Montagu Lowther Chapman 3rd Baronet (age 43) died at sea unmarried when the vessel in which he was sailing disappeared without trace. His brother Benjamin (age 42) succeeded 4th Baronet Chapman of Killua Castle.
On 17th May 1869 Edward Richardson (age 57) died at Melbury Terrace, Marylebone.
On 17th May 1874 Harry Meysey-Thompson 1st Baronet (age 65) died. His son Henry (age 28) succeeded 2nd Baronet Meysey-Thompson of Kirby Hall in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
On 17th May 1876 Corisande Emma Bennet Countess Malmesbury (age 68) died. Memorial in Christchurch Priory [Map] sculpted by Gaetano Trentanove (age 18).
Sacred To The Memory Of Corisande Emma Countess Of Malmesbury, Daughter Of Charles Fifth Earl Of Tankerville, And Corisande, Daughter Of The Duke De Gramont. Born Aug. 19, 1807. Died May 17, 1876.
From her it never was our fate to find a deed ungentle or a word unkind, the mildes manners with the bravest mind."
Corisande Emma Bennet Countess Malmesbury: On 10th August 1807 she was born to Charles Augustus Bennet 5th Earl Tankerville and Corisande Armandine Sophie Léonie Hélène Gramont Countess Tankerville. On 13th May 1830 James Harris 3rd Earl Malmesbury and she were married. She by marriage Countess Malmesbury. She the daughter of Charles Augustus Bennet 5th Earl Tankerville and Corisande Armandine Sophie Léonie Hélène Gramont Countess Tankerville. He the son of James Edward Harris 2nd Earl Malmesbury and Harriet Susan Dashwood.
On 17th May 1884 Ellen Frances Horden Lady Lubbock died.
On 25th November 1885 Alfonso XII King Spain (age 27) died. On 17th May 1886 His son Alfonso succeeded posthumously XIII King Spain when he was born some seven months later.
On 17th May 1889 James Harris 3rd Earl Malmesbury (age 82) died. His nephew Edward (age 47) succeeded 4th Earl Malmesbury, 4th Viscount Fitz-Harris of Hurn Court in Hampshire, 4th Baron Malmesbury. Sylvia Georgina Stewart Countess of Malmesbury by marriage Countess Malmesbury.
On 17th May 1914 Florence Ann Cole Baroness Delamere (age 36) died.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 17th May 1914 Harriet Stonor Viscountess Clifden (age 78) died.
On 17th May 1920 Charles Rawdon-Hastings 11th Earl Loudon (age 65) died. Baron Botreaux, Baron Hungerford, Baron Moleyns and Baron Hastings abeyant. His niece Edith (age 37) succeeded 12th Countess Loudon. His brother Gilbert (age 60) succeeded 3rd Baron Donington of Dongington Park in Leicestershire.
On 17th May 1921 Anthony Charles Abdy 3rd Baronet (age 72) died. His brother Henry (age 67) succeeded 4th Baronet Abdy of Albyns in Essex.
On 17th May 1921 Charles Chetwynd-Talbot 20th Earl of Shrewsbury 5th Earl Talbot (age 60) died. On 7th May 1921 His grandson John (age 6) succeeded 21st Earl of Shrewsbury, 21st Earl Waterford, 6th Earl Talbot, 6th Viscount Ingestre, 8th Baron Talbot of Hensol in Glamorganshire.
On 17th May 1937 Julia Charlotte Sophia Stewart-Mackenzie Marchoness Tweedale (age 90) died.
On 17th May 1937 Emily Thicknesse-Touchet died. Her sister Mary (age 78) abeyance terminated 22nd Baroness Audley of Heighley in Staffordshire.
On 17th May 1939 Charlotte Jane Fallon Marchioness of Huntly died.
On 17th May 1958 Mathew Richard Henry Wilson 4th Baronet (age 82) died. His son Mathew (age 51) succeeded 5th Baronet Wilson of Eshton Hall in Yorkshire.
On 17th May 1962 Henry Edmund Fitzalan Howard 2nd Viscount Fitzalan Derwent Derby (age 78) died. Viscount Fitzalan Derwent Derby extinct.
On 17th May 1977 Alexander Bowyer Spearman 4th Baronet (age 60) died. His son Alexander (age 8) succeeded 5th Baronet Spearman of Hanwell in Middlesex.
On 17th May 2012 June Wendy Pelham (age 87) died. Her sister Diana (age 91) abeyance terminated 15th Baroness Conyers, 9th Baroness Fauconberg
On 17th May 2017 Eustace Gibbs 3rd Baron Wraxall (age 87) died. His son Antony (age 59) succeeded 4th Baron Wraxall of Clyst St George in Devon.