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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28 May is in May.
1265 Prince Edward's Escape from Kenilworth Castle
1327 Execution of the Despencers
1445 Coronation of Queen Margaret of Anjou
1550 Visit of the French Ambassadors
On 28th May 812 William Poitiers Duke Toulose (age 57) died.
On 28th May 1023 Archbishop Wulfstan died.
On 28th May 1187 Urraca Ivrea Queen Consort Portugal was born to Alfonso VIII King Castile (age 31) and Eleanor Plantagenet Queen Consort Castile (age 25). She a granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. She married 1206 her second cousin once removed Alfonso "Fat" II King Portugal, son of Sancho "Populator" I King Portugal and Dulce Barcelona Queen Consort Portugal, and had issue.
On 28th May 1262 King Philip III of France (age 17) and Isabella Barcelona Queen Consort France (age 14) were married. She the daughter of James I King Aragon (age 54) and Violant Árpád Queen Consort Aragon. He the son of King Louis IX of France (age 48) and Margaret Provence Queen Consort France (age 41). They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 2 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.
On 28th May 1265 King Edward I of England (age 25), with the help of Roger Leybourne (age 50), escaped from Kenilworth Castle [Map] whilst on a hunting trip. He had been held there as a hostage following the Battle of Lewes as a condition of the Mise of Lewes (the now lost peace treaty).
Annals of Dunstable. At the fourth county court of Bedford, in the week of Pentecost [28th May 1284] in the aforesaid year, the said Christiana came and pursued her appeal, etc. They, when called a fourth time, did not come. But John, Walter, and John were mainprised by R, W, and S; and therefore a day was given to the aforesaid Christiana from that day to one month hence.
Ad quartum comitatum Bedefordiæ in septimana Pentecostes, anno prædicto, dicta Cristiana venit, et secuta fuit appellum, etc. Qui quarto interrogati non venerunt. Sed Johannes, Walterus, Johannes manucapti fuerunt per R. W. S., et ideo datus est dies prædictæ Cristianæ a die isto usque in unum mensem.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke [-1360]. Master Robert de Baldock,1 after enduring many humiliations, was handed over to the bishop of Hereford's prison, where he lived a most miserable life until the next feast of the Purification. At that time, the Bishop of Hereford, architect of all this evil, had him brought to London. Once there, the Londoners, with the bishop's tacit approval, seized him and threw him into Newgate prison [Map], seeking cause to accuse him of treason, that they might have him drawn, hanged, and numbered among the dead. But after many investigations, they found no stain of treason or other felony in him. Nevertheless, they treated him so inhumanely that he died from torment not long after Easter [28th May 1327] of the same year.2
Set magister Robertus de Baldok, post multas contumelias, carceri episcopi Herefordensis fuit mancipatus, ubi nimis dolorosam egit vitam usque ad proximum sequens festum Purificacionis. Tunc siquidem episcopus Herefordensis, omnis huius mali architector, fecit ipsum ad se Londonias adduci; quo deductum Londonienses, non sine dissimulante consensu episcopi, rapuerunt et apud Neugate incarceraverunt, querentes occasionem contra ipsum, tamquam proditorem, ut possent distractum suspensumque mortuis adnumerare; set tandem, post multas inquisiciones in ipso non invenientes maculam prodicionis nec alius felonie, ita inhumaniter ipsum tractaverunt, quod eodem anno cito post Pasca obiit in tormentis.
Note 1. Annales Paulini 334.
Scriptores 10.2763: Among the charges which were brought against Orleton in 1334, he states the first to be: "That I ordered and sacrilegiously dared to lay rash and violent hands upon Master Robert de Baldock, and caused him to be seized against his will in the month of November, in the year of our Lord 1326, in the city of Hereford." His answer is: "I state and affirm that Lord Robert de Baldock, in the month of November, as a public enemy of the king and the realm, and guilty of the crime of lèse-majesté, was captured together with the late Lord Hugh Despenser by the peers of the realm, and was brought to Hereford. There, before a secular judge, together with the said Hugh, he was convicted by the peers of the realm according to law. I, then Bishop of Hereford, claimed him as an ecclesiastical person under the liberties of the Church, and according to custom he was handed over to me and committed to ecclesiastical custody, where he remained until the provincial council held in London in the month of January. At that council, convened by order of the lord king and his mother, the queen, and especially at the urging and initiative of the venerable father Lord John, then Bishop of Winchester and Treasurer of England, now elected Archbishop of Canterbury, along with many of the leading nobles of the land, I caused the aforesaid Robert to be brought up and, in good faith and without deceit, received him into my episcopal residence and kept him under diligent guard, until he might be conveniently presented before the said council, to receive, by its sentence and judgment, what he had deserved for his misdeeds, so public and notorious that they could not be concealed by any evasion. And although it was not credible that, with the king, prelates, earls, and other great men of the realm then gathered and present in London for the administration of justice in Parliament, within whose sacred company no one could or should rightly fear harm, anyone should suffer violence or coercion, yet through the power of certain armed men, and against the will of the guards I had assigned him, the said Robert was seized by the citizens of London and kept imprisoned until death, lest, as they claimed, being regarded as a public enemy of the realm, he might be freed through the intervention of certain of his friends and household then present in the city of London, by plea, or bribery, or gifts and promises of reward."
Note 2. The Annales Paulini 320 St Mary Mounthaw or Mounthaut was a parish church originally built as a chapel for the house of the Norfolk Mounthaunt family, from Norfolk in Old Fish Street Hill in Queenhithe Ward of the City of London. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and not rebuilt. In around 1234 the house and the patronage of the church were bought by Ralph de Maydenstone, Bishop of Hereford after which it remained in the ownership of the Hereford See.
Thomas Walsingham [~1422]. [28th May 1327] On the same day, Simon of Reading was drawn and hanged on the same gallows where Hugh Despenser was hanged, but ten feet lower. He had been of the king's household and had frequently hurled insults at the queen. Now, by his own example, he showed how dangerous it is to blaspheme the king or queen. These acts were carried out on a Monday, as vengeance for the death of Lord Thomas of Lancaster, who had also suffered on a Monday. Robert de Baldock, after enduring many humiliations, was released to the custody of the Bishop of Hereford, where he remained until the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Then the Bishop of Hereford had him brought to London ... But the Londoners, having gathered together, seized him from the bishop's custody (it was believed with the bishop's consent), and imprisoned him in Newgate, where they treated him with such inhumanity that he later died in torment, around the time of the Feast of the Ascension.
Eodem die Symon de Redinge tractus fuit et suspensus in cadem furca qua Hugo suspendebatur, sed inferius per decem pedes. Hic de familia Regis fuerat, et plura convitia irrogaverat sæpe Reginæ; unde jam suo docuit exemplo, quam periculosum est regem vel reginam blasphemare. Acta sunt autem hae diebus Lunæ in ultionem necis Domini Thoma Lancastrim, qui passus fuerat die Lunæ. Robertus de Baldok, post multas contumelias, fuit carceri Episcopi Herefordiæ liberatus, ubi mansit usque ad Festum Purificationis Beatæ Mariæ; et tunc Episcopus Herefordensis fecit enm duci Londonias ad eundem .... Londonienses vero conglomerati ipsum de custodia Episcopi, (ut putabatur, consentientis), rapuerunt et apud Newgate incarceraverunt, ef inhumaniter tractaverunt; adeo quod postmodum circa festum Ascensionis Domini obiit in tormentis.
Annales Paulini. In the same year, on the 28th May 1327, Master Robert de Baldock, canon of St Paul's Church, Archdeacon of Middlesex, and formerly Chancellor to Lord King Edward, died in the prison of Newgate, in great hardship and chains, in extreme filth and misery. From the prison, on the vigil of Pentecost, that is on the 30th May 1327, he was brought to St Paul's Church in London. The canons and other ministers of the said church, showing all honour and solemnity appropriate to a fellow canon, buried him in the canons' cemetery.
Eodem anno v kalendas Junii, magister Robertus de Baldok, canonicus in ecclesia Sancti Pauli, archidiaconus Middelsexiæ et aliquando cancellarius domini regis Edwardi, in carcere de Neugate in magna angaria et vinculis, in nimio squalore et miseria obiit, et de carcere ad ecclesiam Sancti Pauli Londoniensis delatus, in vigilia Penthecostes, videlicet iiio kalendas Junii, canonici et ceteri ministri ecclesiæ prædictæ, omni honore et sollempnitate quibus decebat concanonico exhibito, in cimiterio canonicorum sepulturæ tradiderunt.
Rymer's Fœdera Volume 2. Concerning the aforesaid Thomas, to be delivered to the mayor of Bayonne.
To the sheriffs [or aldermen/judges] of Bayonne, concerning the aforesaid examination.
The King, to the noble man, Sir John de Leynham, knight, chamberlain of the lord King of Spain, his dearest friend, greeting and the sincere affection of love.
By your freely given letters of friendship, directed to us, we have clearly learned that Thomas de Gournay, knight, who has been defamed of sedition against the person of the lord Edward, late King of England of celebrated memory, our father, and of conspiracy in his death, and who, on that account, fled judgment and secretly departed our realm, has been arrested by you within the kingdom of Spain and is held under prison custody. For this we give you special thanks, asking that you will order the said Thomas to be brought under safe and secure custody as far as our city of Bayonne, there to be delivered to the mayor, jurats, and good men of the said city, to whom we have commanded that they receive the same Thomas from you, to be further conveyed to us, as our beloved valet Egidius of Spain will more fully explain to them on our behalf.
Given at the town of Bury St Edmunds, the 28th day of May [1331].
To the mayor, etc., of Bayonne, concerning the receiving of the aforesaid Thomas from the aforesaid John.
Given as above. [28th day of May 1331]
De præfato Thoma, majori Baiona liberando.
Ad scabinos de Burgo, super præfatá examinatione.
Rex, nobili viro, domino Johanni de Leynham militi, domini Regis Ispanniæ camerario, amico suo carissimo, salutem, & sincera dilectionis affectum.
Per literas amicitiæ vestræ gratuitas, nobis directas, concepimus evidenter quod Thomas de Gournay, miles, qui de seditione contra personam celebris memoriæ, domini E. nuper Regis Angliæ, patris nostri, & in conspiratione in mortem ejusdem diffamatus, eâ occasione judicium diffugiens, clandestinè regnum nostrum exiit;
Per vos infra regnum Ispanniæ arestatus, & sub carcerali custodia detentus existit, de quo vobis grates referimus speciales, rogantes quatinus dictum Thomam sub salvâ & securâ custodiâ usque civitatem nostram Baioniæ duci præcipere velitis, majori, juratis, & probis hominibus, civitatis prædictæ ibidem liberandum, quibus mandaverimus quod ipsum Thomam à vobis recipiant, ulterius ad nos, prout dilectus vallettus noster Egidius de Ispanniâ, eis plenius exponet, ex parte nostrâ deducendum.
Data apud villam de Sancto Edmundo, xxviii. die Maii.
Ad majorem, &c. Baiona, de præfato Thoma à prædicto Johanne recipiendo.
Dat' ut supra.
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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Rymer's Fœdera Volume 2. To the King of Castile, concerning the arrest of Thomas de Gournay.
To the magnificent prince, Lord Alfonso, by the grace of God King of Castile, León, Toledo, Galicia, Seville, Córdoba, Murcia, Jaén, and the Algarve, and Lord of the County of Molina, his dearest kinsman, Edward, by the same grace, King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine, sends greeting, and wishes for prosperous and happy successes according to your desires. Recently, from the report of certain of our faithful subjects, we learned that Thomas de Gourney, knight, who has been accused of sedition against the person of the late Lord Edward, lately King of England, our father, of celebrated memory, and of conspiracy in his death, and who, on that account, fled from justice and secretly left our kingdom, was arrested in the city of Burgos within your dominion, and was placed under arrest by your order. For this, we return our particular thanks to your magnificence. We had earlier asked your highness that you order the said Thomas to be delivered to our beloved and faithful John de Hausted, our Seneschal of Gascony, or to those he might appoint, to bring him to us, as we had instructed that Seneschal to do. And because we wish to be fully informed concerning certain matters touching this business, we have judged it proper to make repeated request to your royal excellence that you order the aforesaid Thomas to be examined by the magistrates, aldermen, and consuls of the aforesaid city, or by others whom you wish to appoint for this purpose, in the presence of our beloved sergeant-at-arms Bernard Pelegrym, whom we send to you for this reason. The said Thomas should be questioned on what he may be willing to disclose concerning the aforementioned sedition and conspiracy, and also about the consent, instigation, or procurement thereof, and by whom, and in what way and manner. His confession is to be taken down in writing by a public notary and delivered under the common seal of the aforesaid city to our said sergeant, to be brought to us as quickly as possible. For we are ready and will be, in all occasions, to gratify your wishes in every way in our power. Given at the town of Bury St Edmunds, the 28th day of May [1331].
Ad Regem Castellæ, super arestatione Thomæ de Gournay.
Magnifico principi, domino Alfonso, Dei gratiâ, Castellæ, Legionis, Toleti, Galiciæ, Sibiliæ, Cordubiæ, Murciæ, Jehennæ, atque Algarbiæ Regi, ac comitatûs Molinæ domino, consanguineo suo carissimo, Edwardus, eâdem gratiæ, Rex Angliæ, dominus Hiberniæ, & des Aquitaniæ, salutem, &, ad vota, successus prosperos & fœlices. Cum nuper, ex quorumdam fidellum nostrorum relatibus, intelligentes quod Thomas de Gourney miles, de seditione contra personam celebris memoriæ, domini E. nuper Regis Angliæ, patris nostri, & conspiratione in morte ejusdem diffamatus, & eo prætextu judicium fugiens & clandestinè exiens regnum nostrum, apud civitatem de Burgh, infra dominium vestrum, arestatus, & carcerali custodiæ, de mandato vestro, extitit mancipatus, de quo magnificentie vestræ grates & gratias referimus speciales, serenitatem vestram rogaverimus cum oe quatenùs eundem Thomam, dilecto & fideli nostro Johanni de Haustede, senescallo nostro Vasconie, vel illis quos ad hoc deputaret, jubere velletis liberari, ducendum ad nos, prout eidem senescallo duximus injungendum: Et quia, super aliquibus dictum negotium tangentibus, cupimus plenils informari, vestram regiam excellentiam, iteratis precibus duximus requirendum, quatenis prefatum Thomam, per magistros, scabinos, & consules civitatis predict, seu alios, quos ad hoe volueritis deputari, in presentid dilecti servientis nostri ad arma, Bernardi Pelegrym, quem ad vos ex hac causd transmittimus, jubere velitis examinari, & confessionem ejusdem Thome de hiis, que coram eis detegere voluerit super seditione & conspiratione memoratis, necnon de assensu, instigatione, seu procuratione, super hoc factis, & per quos, & qualiter, & quo modo, audiri, confessionemque hojusmodi in seriptis sub manu public redigl, & eam sub sigillo communi civitatis predict prefato servienti nostro liberari, ad nos cum celeritate ull poterit deferendam; parati enim sumus & erimus vestris penes nos Qesidori in cunctis oportunitatibus complacere. Data apud villam de Sancto Edmundo, xxviii. die Maii.
On 28th May 1357 Alfonso "Brave" IV King Portugal (age 66) died. His son Peter (age 37) succeeded I King Portugal.
On 28th May 1363 John Harrington 2nd Baron Harington (age 35) died at Gleaston Castle [Map]. His son Robert (age 7) succeeded 3rd Baron Harington. Given his young age Robert Harrington 3rd Baron Harington became a ward of King Edward III of England (age 50) who granted his wardship to his daughter Isabella Countess Bedford and Soissons (age 30) and her husband Enguerrand de Coucy 1st Earl Bedford 1st Count Soissons (age 23).
On 28th May 1371 John "Fearless" Valois Duke Burgundy was born to Philip "Bold" Valois II Duke Burgundy (age 29) and Margaret Dampierre Duchess Burgundy (age 23). He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. Coefficient of inbreeding 1.61%. He married his third cousin Margaret Wittelsbach Duchess Burgundy, daughter of Albert Wittelsbach I Duke Lower Bavaria and Margaret of Silesia Duchesa Lowwer Bavaria, and had issue.
On 28th May 1427 Eric Brunswick Grubenhagen 1st Duke Brunswick Grubenhagen (age 44) died.
On 28th May 1444 the Treaty of Tours was concluded. The terms included the marriage of King Henry VI of England and II of France (age 22) and Margaret of Anjou (age 14) in return for which England ceded the strategically important French County of Maine to France; she brought no dowry. The Treaty was negotiated by William de la Pole Duke of Suffolk (age 47). The cessation of Maine subsequently came as something of surprise to Edmund Beaufort Earl Somerset (age 38) who was its Governor. He, Somerset, was offered the Governorship of Normandy instead leading to a further rift between Somerset and Richard Duke of York (age 32) who had already been offered Normandy. These seeds of the Wars of the Roses were falling on fertile ground.
Chronicle of Gregory [1400-1467]. 28th May 1445. And a-pon the morowe, the Satyrday, she was brought thoroughe London syttyng in a lytter by twyne ij [2] goode and nobylle stedys i-trappyd with whyte satton, and sche was conveyyde unto Westemyster. And apon the morowe the Sonday was the coronacyon, and ij [2] dayes aftyr there was grette revylle of justys of pes in the sayntewery at Westemyster, &c.
On 28th May 1533 Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk (age 60) was appointed Earl Marshal.
Chronicle of Greyfriars. 28th May 1541. Item the 28th day of May was the Countess of Salisbury (deceased) behedyd within the tower.
Diary of Edward VI. 28th May 1550. The same went to see Hampton court [Map], where thei did hunt4, and the same night retourne to Durasme place.
Note 4. "Wednesday, they were conveyed by me, the marquess of Northampton (age 38), to Hampton court, where they dined, hunted, and that night returned." (Ibid.)
Henry Machyn's Diary. 28th May 1557. [The xxviij day of May Thomas Stafford (age 24) was beheaded on Tower hill [Map], by nine of the clock, master Wode being his] gostly father; and after ther wher iij more [drawn from the To] wre, and thrugh London unto Tyburne [Map], and ther [they were] hangyd and quartered; and the morow after was master [Stafford] quartered, and hangyd on a care, and so to Nuwgatt to [boil.]
On 28th May 1557 Thomas Stafford (age 24) was beheaded at Tower Hill [Map].
Henry Machyn's Diary. 28th May 1557. The xxvij day of May, the wyche was the Assensyon day, the Kynges (age 30) and the Quen('s) (age 41) grace rod unto Westmynster with all the lords and knyghtes and gentyllmen, and ther graces whent a prossessyon abowt the clowster, and so thay hard masse.
Note. P. 137. Celebration of Ascension day. On this occasion in the preceding year (1556) the church wardens of St. Margaret's Westminster made the following payments: "Item, payde for breade, wyne, ale, and beere, upon th'Ascension evyn and day, agaynst my lord abbot and his covent cam in procession, and for strewyng erbes the same day, vijs. jd."
On 28th May 1562 Johann Wilhelm La Marck Duke Cleves was born to William La Marck Duke of Jülich Cleves Berg (age 45) and Maria Habsburg Spain Duchess Cleves (age 31).
John Evelyn's Diary. 24th May 1641, I returned to Wotton; and, on the 28th of June, I went to London with my sister Jane, and the day after sat to one Vanderborcht for my picture in oil, at Arundel House [Map], whose servant that excellent painter was, brought out of Germany when the Earl returned from Vienna (whither he was sent Ambassador-extraordinary, with great pomp and charge, though without any effect, through the artifice of the Jesuited Spaniard, who governed all in that conjuncture). With Vanderborcht, the painter, he brought over Winceslaus Hollar, the sculptor, who engraved not only this unhappy Deputy's trial in Westminster Hall, but his decapitation; as he did several other historical things, then relating to the accidents happening during the Rebellion in England, with great skill, besides many cities, towns, and landscapes, not only of this nation, but of foreign parts, and divers portraits of famous persons then in being; and things designed from the best pieces of the rare paintings and masters of which the Earl of Arundel was possessor, purchased and collected in his travels with incredible expense; so as, though Hollar's were but etched in aqua-fortis, I account the collection to be the most authentic and useful extant. Hollar was the son of a gentleman near Prague, in Bohemia, and my very good friend, perverted at last by the Jesuits at Antwerp to change his religion; a very honest, simple, well-meaning man, who at last came over again into England, where he died. We have the whole history of the King's (age 40) reign, from his trial in Westminster-hall and before, to the restoration of King Charles II, represented in several sculptures, with that also of Archbishop Laud (age 67), by this indefatigable artist, besides innumerable sculptures in the works of Dugdale, Ashmole, and other historical and useful works. I am the more particular upon this for the fruit of that collection, which I wish I had entire.
On 28th May 1651 Henry Grey 10th Earl Kent (age 56) died. Monument made in 1658 at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map]. His son Anthony (age 5) succeeded 11th Earl Kent.
John Evelyn's Diary. 28th May 1656. The Earl of Southampton (age 49) (since Treasurer) and Mr. Spencer (age 27), brother to the Earl of Sunderland, came to see my garden.
John Evelyn's Diary. 28th May 1656. Came to visit me the old Marquis of Argyle (age 49) (since executed), Lord Lothian, and some other Scotch noblemen, all strangers to me. Note, the Marquis took the turtle-doves in the aviary for owls.
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 28th May 1660 King George I was born to Ernest Augustus Hanover Elector Brunswick-Lüneburg (age 30) and Electress Sophia Palatinate Simmern (age 29). He a great grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. He married (1) 21st November 1682 his first cousin Sophia Dorothea of Celle, daughter of George Wilhelm Hanover Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg and Eleonore Esmier D'Olbreuse Duchess Brunswick-Lüneburg, and had issue.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 28th May 1665. Lord's Day. By water to the Duke of Albemarle (age 56), where I hear that Nixon is condemned to be shot to death, for his cowardice, by a Council of War.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 28th May 1665. Thence to my Lady Sandwich's (age 40), where, to my shame, I had not been a great while before. Here, upon my telling her a story of my Lord Rochester's (age 18) running away on Friday night last with Mrs. Mallett (age 14), the great beauty and fortune of the North, who had supped at White Hall with Mrs. Stewart (age 17), and was going home to her lodgings with her grandfather, my Lord Haly (age 57), by coach; and was at Charing Cross [Map] seized on by both horse and foot men, and forcibly taken from him, and put into a coach with six horses, and two women provided to receive her, and carried away. Upon immediate pursuit, my Lord of Rochester (for whom the King (age 34) had spoke to the lady often, but with no successe) was taken at Uxbridge; but the lady is not yet heard of, and the King mighty angry, and the Lord sent to the Tower [Map]. Hereupon my Lady did confess to me, as a great secret, her being concerned in this story. For if this match breaks between my Lord Rochester and her, then, by the consent of all her friends, my Lord Hinchingbrooke (age 17) stands fair, and is invited for her. She is worth, and will be at her mother's (age 35) death (who keeps but a little from her), £2500 per annum. Pray God give a good success to it! But my poor Lady, who is afeard of the sickness, and resolved to be gone into the country, is forced to stay in towne a day or two, or three about it, to see the event of it.
On 28th May 1672 Philip Carteret (age 31) and Winston Churchill were killed at Solebay, Southwold [Map].
Edward Montagu 1st Earl Sandwich (age 46) was killed. His son Edward (age 24) succeeded 2nd Earl Sandwich.
George Legge 1st Baron Dartmouth (age 25) fought.
Charles Harbord (age 32) was killed. The inscription on his. Monument in Westminster Abbey [Map] reads... Sr. Charles Harbord Knt. his Majesties Surveyor General, and First Lieutenant of the Royall James, under the most noble and illustrious captain Edward, Earle of Sandwich, Vice Admirall of England, which after a terrible fight maintained to admiration against a squadron of the Holland fleet for above six houres, neere the Suffolk coast, having put off two fireships, at last being utterly dissabled and few of her men remaining unhurt, was by a third unfortunately set on fire: but he (though he swam well) neglected to save himselfe as some did, and out of the perfect love to that worthy lord (whom for many yeares he had constantly accompanyed in all his honourable imployments, and in all the engagements of the former warr) dyed with him at the age of XXXIII, much bewailed of his father whom he never offended, and much beloved of all for his knowne piety, vertue, loyalty, fortitude and fidelity.
Captain John Cox was killed in action.
Admiral John Holmes (age 32) fought as commander of Rupert.
The Gloucester took part.
On 28th May 1672 Freschville Holles (age 29) died at the Battle of Solebay at which he was in command of the Cambridge. He was buried at the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map] in an unmarked grave.
John Evelyn's Diary. 31st May 1672. I received another command to repair to the seaside; so I went to Rochester, Kent [Map], where I found many wounded, sick, and prisoners, newly put on shore after the engagement on the 28th, in which the Earl of Sandwich (deceased), that incomparable person and my particular friend, and divers more whom I loved, were lost. My Lord (who was Admiral of the Blue) was in the "Prince", which was burnt, one of the best men-of-war that ever spread canvas on the sea. There were lost with this brave man, a son of Sir Charles Cotterell (age 57) (Master of the Ceremonies), and a son (age 32) of Sir Charles Harbord (his Majesty's (age 42) Surveyor-General), two valiant and most accomplished youths, full of virtue and courage, who might have saved themselves; but chose to perish with my Lord, whom they honored and loved above their own lives.
John Evelyn's Diary. 28th May 1682. At the Rolls' chapel preached the famous Dr. Burnet (age 38) on 2 Peter 1:10, describing excellently well what was meant by election; viz, not the effect of any irreversible decree, but so called because they embraced the Gospel readily, by which they became elect, or precious to God. It would be very needless to make our calling and election sure, were they irreversible and what the rigid Presbyterians pretend. In the afternoon, to St. Lawrence's church, a new and cheerful pile.
Memorial at the Church of St Lawrence, Whitwell [Map] to Richard Bacon of Sheffield who married Mary, daughter of William Clayton, died 28th May 1701.
On 28th May 1706 Christian Wilhelm Saxe Coburg Altenburg was born to Frederick Saxe Coburg Altenburg II Duke Saxe Gotha Altenburg (age 29) and Magdalena Augusta Anhalt-Zerbst Duchess Saxe Gotha Altenburg at Gotha. He married 27th May 1743 Luise Reuss Schleiz.
On 28th May 1718 Wilhelmina Caroline Murray was born to John Murray 1st Duke Atholl (age 58) and Mary Ross Duchess Atholl (age 30). She died aged one in 1720.
On 28th May 1745 Johnathan "The Elder" Richardson (age 78) died in Bloomsbury.
On 28th May 1747 Elizabeth Boscawen Duchess Beaufort was born to Edward Boscawen (age 35) and Frances Evelyn Evelyn (age 27) in Falmouth, Cornwall. She married 2nd January 1766 her fifth cousin once removed Henry Somerset 5th Duke Beaufort, son of Charles Noel Somerset 4th Duke Beaufort and Elizabeth Berkeley Duchess Beaufort, and had issue.
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 28th May 1823 George Sutherland Leveson-Gower 2nd Duke Sutherland (age 36) and Harriet Elizabeth Georgiana Howard Duchess Sutherland (age 17) were married. She the daughter of George Howard 6th Earl Carlisle (age 49) and Georgiana Cavendish Countess Carlisle (age 39). He the son of George Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Duke Sutherland (age 65) and Elizabeth Sutherland Duchess Sutherland 19th Countess Sutherland (age 58). They were first cousin once removed.
On 28th May 1836 George Gordon 5th Duke Gordon (age 66) died without legitimate issue at Belgrave Square, Belgravia. Duke Gordon, Baron Mordaunt extinct. His fourth cousin once removed George (age 74) succeeded 9th Marquess Huntly, 14th Earl Huntley.
Thomas Bateman 1845. The first tumulus opened this year in Staffordshire was a barrow [Note. Possibly Wetton aka Taylor's Low [Map] but it is less than half a mile from Wetton.] about a mile from Wetton, commonly known as Taylor's Lowe and it furnished the subject of the frontispiece of "Barrow-digging, by a Barrow-knight" which is a faithful delineation of the scene on the 28th of May, 1845. About two feet from the surface of the barrow was a cist, formed of thin, flat limestones, containing the skeleton of a young person, probably a female, the knees, as is frequently the case in the more ancient barrows, being contracted. About eighteen inches from the surface, on the north side of the tumulus, was another skeleton; deeper down a small octagonal cist, containing a simple deposit of burnt human bones, was erected over a human skeleton, which lay in a large square cist, cut in the rock, thus presenting the anomalous appearance of a cist within a cist. There was nothing found with any of these interments; a few flint instruments and a small piece of an urn only occurring promiscuously. The most remarkable circumstance attending this barrow was, that although each skeleton was quite undisturbed, yet all the heads which lay towards the interior of the mound had been destroyed, by the central part of the tumulus having been some years ago removed, in order form a limekiln.
Thomas Bateman 1845. On the afternoon of the same day, a barrow [Map] at New Inns was opened; it is situated upon a ridge of high ground immediately overlooking the secluded hamlet of Alsop-in-the-Dale [Map]. The centre of the tumulus being reached, the original interment was discovered lying upon the rocky floor, upon its left side, with the knees contracted, and the face towards the south, without being inclosed in any kind of cist or vault; close to the back of the head was a beautiful brass dagger of the usual form, but with smaller rivets than common, which the appearance of the surrounding mould denoted to have been buried in a wooden sheath; about the knees two small brass rivets were found entirely unconnected, and as on a strict scrutiny nothing else was discovered, it is most probable that they had riveted some article of perishable material, wood for instance which had so completely decayed as to leave no trace. In the course of this excavation were found part of another haman skeleton, some animal teeth, and two instruments of flint, which had all been previously disturbed.
On 28th May 1847 Henry Hoppner Meyer (age 66) died.
On 28th May 1853 Frederick Sandes (age 24) and Georgiana Creed (age 28) were married at St Pancras Old Church [Map]. He the son of Anthony Sands (age 47) and Mary Ann Brown.
The London Gazette 27318. 28th May 1901. To be Knight Commanders.
Horace Brand Townsend (age 57), Lord Farquhar.
Frederick Treves, Esq., C.B.
On 28th May 1910 Stuart Piggott was born at Petersfield, Hampshire. He married 12th November 1936 Celia Margaret Preston.
On 28th May 1912 Alonso María Orléans Galliera was born to Alfonso Orléans Galliera Duke Galliera (age 25) and Beatrice Windsor Duchess Galliera (age 28) at Madrid [Map]. He a great grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
The London Gazette 29175. 28th May 1915. The undermentioned to be Second Lieutenants (on probation). Dated 29th May, 1915:
Charles Eliott Hamilton, 3rd Battalion, East Kent Regiment.
William Peirce Waddington, 3rd Battalion, Royal Lancaster Regiment.
Wilfred Justice Judge, 5th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers.
George Bertram Ashworth, 3rd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment.
Reginald Townley Edwards, 3rd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment.
Vivian Hayton Maasdorp, 3rd Battalion. Royal Scots Fusiliers.
Siefried Lorraine Sassoon (age 28), 3rd Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Arthur Charles Walsh, 4th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
John Christopher Wilson, 5th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment.
Margetts Mitchell, 3rd Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment.
Archibald Valentine Maunder, 3rd Battalion, West Riding Regiment.
On 28th May 1919 Charles John Robert Manners 10th Duke Rutland was born to John Henry Montagu Manners 9th Duke Rutland (age 32) and Kathleen Tennant Duchess Rutland (age 24). He married (1) 27th April 1946 Anne Bairstow Cumming Bell Duchess of Rutland (2) 15th May 1958 Frances Helen Sweeny Duchess of Rutland, daughter of Charles Francis Sweeny and Margaret Whigham Duchess of Argyll, and had issue.
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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Wessex from the Air Plates 39 and 40. 28th May 1928. Reference Nos. 15. and 17. County. Wilts. 54 SE. (122; D. 6). Parish. Amesbury. Latitude. 51° 10' 53" N. Longitude. 1° 48' 46" W. Height above Sea-level. About 300 ft. (91 metres). Geological Formation. Upper Chalk. Time and Date of Photograph. 10.9 a.m., 28th May. Height of Aeroplane. 2,500 ft. (762 metres). Speed of Shutter. 1/180th of a second.
On 28th May 1940 Captain Heneage Michael Charles Finch 9th Earl of Aylesford (age 31) was killed in action. His uncle Charles (age 53) succeeded 10th Earl Aylesford.
On 28th May 1940 Frederick Charles I King Finland (age 72) died.
On 28th May 1948 Unity Valkyrie Mitford (age 33) died of meningitis caused by the cerebral swelling around the bullet that had lodged in her brain after she had shot herself in December 1939.
On 28th May 1959 Robert Anthony Innes-Kerr was born to George Victor Robert John Innes-Kerr 9th Duke Roxburghe (age 45) and Margaret Elizabeth Mcconnel Duchess Roxburghe (age 40).
On 28th May 1972 King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (age 77) died. He was buried at Royal Burial Ground Frogmore Estate Home Park Windsor, Berkshire.
On 28th May 1187 Urraca Ivrea Queen Consort Portugal was born to Alfonso VIII King Castile (age 31) and Eleanor Plantagenet Queen Consort Castile (age 25). She a granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. She married 1206 her second cousin once removed Alfonso "Fat" II King Portugal, son of Sancho "Populator" I King Portugal and Dulce Barcelona Queen Consort Portugal, and had issue.
On 28th May 1371 John "Fearless" Valois Duke Burgundy was born to Philip "Bold" Valois II Duke Burgundy (age 29) and Margaret Dampierre Duchess Burgundy (age 23). He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. Coefficient of inbreeding 1.61%. He married his third cousin Margaret Wittelsbach Duchess Burgundy, daughter of Albert Wittelsbach I Duke Lower Bavaria and Margaret of Silesia Duchesa Lowwer Bavaria, and had issue.
On 28th May 1423 Katherine Percy was born to Henry Percy 2nd Earl of Northumberland (age 30) and Eleanor Neville Countess Northumberland (age 26). She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England. Coefficient of inbreeding 3.49%. She married before 1440 her half second cousin Edmund Grey 1st Earl Kent, son of John Grey and Constance Holland Countess Norfolk and Nottingham, and had issue.
On 28th May 1562 Johann Wilhelm La Marck Duke Cleves was born to William La Marck Duke of Jülich Cleves Berg (age 45) and Maria Habsburg Spain Duchess Cleves (age 31).
On 28th May 1660 King George I was born to Ernest Augustus Hanover Elector Brunswick-Lüneburg (age 30) and Electress Sophia Palatinate Simmern (age 29). He a great grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. He married (1) 21st November 1682 his first cousin Sophia Dorothea of Celle, daughter of George Wilhelm Hanover Duke Brunswick-Lüneburg and Eleonore Esmier D'Olbreuse Duchess Brunswick-Lüneburg, and had issue.
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.
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On 28th May 1679 Francis Seymour-Conway 1st Baron Conway was born to Edward Seymour 4th Baronet (age 46) and Letitia Popham Baroness Seymour. He married (1) 17th February 1704 his fourth cousin once removed Mary Hyde, daughter of Lawrence Hyde 1st Earl Rochester and Henrietta Boyle Countess Rochester, and had issue (2) 1709 Jane Bowden and had issue (3) July 1716 Charlotte Shorter and had issue.
On 28th May 1689 Maximillian Hesse-Kassel was born to Charles I Landgrave Hesse-Kassel (age 34) and Maria Amalia of Courland Landgravine Hesse-Kassel (age 35). Coefficient of inbreeding 6.66%.
On 28th May 1706 Christian Wilhelm Saxe Coburg Altenburg was born to Frederick Saxe Coburg Altenburg II Duke Saxe Gotha Altenburg (age 29) and Magdalena Augusta Anhalt-Zerbst Duchess Saxe Gotha Altenburg at Gotha. He married 27th May 1743 Luise Reuss Schleiz.
On 28th May 1716 Robert Burdett 4th Baronet was born to Robert Burdett and Elizabeth Tracy (age 36) posthumously. He married (1) 6th November 1739 Elizabeth Sedley Lady Burdett, daughter of Charles Sedley 1st Baronet, and had issue (2) 17th July 1753 his half sixth cousin Caroline Manners Lady Harpur and Burdett, daughter of John Manners 2nd Duke Rutland and Lucy Sherard Duchess Rutland.
On 28th May 1718 Wilhelmina Caroline Murray was born to John Murray 1st Duke Atholl (age 58) and Mary Ross Duchess Atholl (age 30). She died aged one in 1720.
On 28th May 1747 Elizabeth Boscawen Duchess Beaufort was born to Edward Boscawen (age 35) and Frances Evelyn Evelyn (age 27) in Falmouth, Cornwall. She married 2nd January 1766 her fifth cousin once removed Henry Somerset 5th Duke Beaufort, son of Charles Noel Somerset 4th Duke Beaufort and Elizabeth Berkeley Duchess Beaufort, and had issue.
On 28th May 1748 Frederick Howard 5th Earl Carlisle was born to Henry Howard 4th Earl Carlisle (age 53) and Isabella Byron Countess Carlisle (age 26). He married 22nd March 1770 his fourth cousin once removed Margaret Caroline Leveson-Gower Countess Carlisle, daughter of Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Marquess Stafford and Louisa Egerton Countess Gower, and had issue.
On 28th May 1759 William "The Younger" Pitt was born to William "The Elder" Pitt 1st Earl Chatham (age 50) and Hester Granville Countess Chatham (age 38).
On 28th May 1775 Thomas North Graves 2nd Baron Graves was born to Admiral Thomas Graves 1st Baron Graves (age 49) and Elizabeth Williams. He married 1803 Mary Paget Baroness Graves, daughter of Henry Bayly-Paget 1st Earl Uxbridge and Jane Champagné Countess Uxbridge, and had issue.
On 28th May 1776 Isabella Anne Beresford was born to George de la Poer Beresford 1st Marquess Waterford (age 41) and Elizabeth Monck Marchioness Waterford (age 34). She married 1st April 1812 John William Head Brydges and had issue.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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On 28th May 1802 Charlotte Sophia Eliot was born to William Eliot 2nd Earl St Germans (age 35) and Georgiana Augusta Leveson-Gower (age 33). She married July 1825 Reverend George Martin and had issue.
On 28th May 1810 Harriet Emily Mary Milner was born to William Mordaunt Sturt Milner 4th Baronet (age 30) and Harriet Elizabeth Cavendish-Bentinck (age 23). She married before 9th April 1830 George Savile Foljambe and had issue.
On 28th May 1828 Son Ponsonby was born to John Ponsonby 4th Earl Bessborough (age 46) and Maria Fane (age 41). He died aged less than one years old.
On 28th May 1835 Susan Harriet Pitt-Rivers was born to George Pitt-Rivers 4th Baron Rivers (age 24) and Susan Georgiana Leveson-Gower Baroness Rivers (age 25).
On 28th May 1838 Lionel Tollemache was born to John Jervis Tollemache 1st Baron Tollemache (age 32) and Georgiana Louisa Best (age 29). Coefficient of inbreeding 6.25%. He married 25th January 1870 Beatrix Lucia Egerton, daughter of Wilbraham Egerton 1st Baron Egerton Tatton and Charlotte Elizabeth Loftus Baroness Egerton Tatton.
On 28th May 1839 Mary Emily Fitzgerald Lady Molyneux was born. She married 13th January 1863 Capel Molyneux 7th Baronet, son of George Molyneux 6th Baronet and Emma Green Lady Molyneux.
On 28th May 1840 Frederick Dutton 5th Baron Sherborne was born to James Henry Legge Dutton 3rd Baron Sherborne (age 35) and Elizabeth Howard (age 37) at Bibury, Gloucestershire [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 6.25%.
On 28th May 1840 Louisa Mary Berkeley 15th Baroness Berkeley was born to Craven FitzHardinge Berkeley (age 35). She married 3rd April 1872 Major-General Gustavus Hamilton Lockwood Milman and had issue.
On 28th May 1863 Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Cavendish-Bentinck was born to Lieutenant-General Arthur Cavendish Bentinck (age 44) and Augusta Mary Elizabeth Browne 1st Baroness Bolsover (age 28). He married 27th January 1892 his fourth cousin once removed Olivia Caroline Amelia Taylour.
On 28th May 1866 Henry Alfred Doughty-Tichborne 12th Baronet was born to Alfred Joseph Doughty-Tichborne 11th Baronet and Theresa Mary Arundell. He married 8th September 1887 his half second cousin once removed Mary Gwendoline Petre and had issue.
On 28th May 1867 Rhona Ankaret Estrange Countess Carlisle was born to Colonel Paget Walter L'Estrange. She married 17th April 1894 Charles James Stanley Howard 10th Earl Carlisle, son of George Howard 9th Earl Carlisle and Rosalind Frances Stanley Countess Carlisle, and had issue.
On 28th May 1869 Gerald Oakley Cadogan 6th Earl Cadogan was born to George Cadogan 5th Earl Cadogan (age 29) and Beatrix Jane Craven Countess Cadogan (age 24).
On 28th May 1878 Reginald Guy Graham 9th Baronet was born to Reginald Henry Graham 8th Baronet (age 43) and Annie Mary Shiffner Lady Graham.
On 28th May 1885 Guy Montagu George Finch-Hatton 9th Earl Nottingham 14th Earl Winchilsea was born to Henry Finch-Hatton 8th Earl Nottingham 13th Earl Winchilsea (age 32).
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 28th May 1889 Violet Mary Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound Baroness Astor was born to Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound 4th Earl Minto (age 43) and Mary Caroline Grey Countess Minto (age 31). She married (1) 20th January 1909 Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice, son of Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess Lansdowne and Maud Evelyn Hamilton Marchioness Lansdowne, and had issue (2) 28th August 1916 John Jacob Astor 1st Baron Astor, son of William Waldorf Astor 1st Viscount Astor and Mary Dahlgren Paul, and had issue.
On 28th May 1891 George Jessel 2nd Baronet was born to Charles James Jessel 1st Baronet (age 31) and Edith Goldsmid Lady Jessel. He married before 29th December 1924 Muriel Gladys Chapline Lady Jessel and had issue.
On 28th May 1904 Christian Herbert 6th Earl of Powis was born to Colonel Edward William Herbert.
On 28th May 1904 William Thomas Wentworth-Fitzwilliam 10th and 8th Earl Fitzwilliam was born to George Charles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (age 38) and Daisy Evelyn Lyster (age 37).
On 28th May 1908 John Lionel Reginald Blunt 10th Baronet was born to John Harvey Blunt 9th Baronet (age 35).
On 28th May 1910 Stuart Piggott was born at Petersfield, Hampshire. He married 12th November 1936 Celia Margaret Preston.
On 28th May 1912 Alonso María Orléans Galliera was born to Alfonso Orléans Galliera Duke Galliera (age 25) and Beatrice Windsor Duchess Galliera (age 28) at Madrid [Map]. He a great grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
On 28th May 1919 Charles John Robert Manners 10th Duke Rutland was born to John Henry Montagu Manners 9th Duke Rutland (age 32) and Kathleen Tennant Duchess Rutland (age 24). He married (1) 27th April 1946 Anne Bairstow Cumming Bell Duchess of Rutland (2) 15th May 1958 Frances Helen Sweeny Duchess of Rutland, daughter of Charles Francis Sweeny and Margaret Whigham Duchess of Argyll, and had issue.
On 28th May 1932 Charles John Buckworth-Herne-Soame 12th Baronet was born to Charles Burnett Buckworth-Herne-Soame 11th Baronet (age 37).
On 28th May 1959 Robert Anthony Innes-Kerr was born to George Victor Robert John Innes-Kerr 9th Duke Roxburghe (age 45) and Margaret Elizabeth Mcconnel Duchess Roxburghe (age 40).
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 28th May 1963 Randle Baker Wilbraham 9th Baronet was born to Richard Baker Wilbraham 8th Baronet (age 29).
On 28th May 1262 King Philip III of France (age 17) and Isabella Barcelona Queen Consort France (age 14) were married. She the daughter of James I King Aragon (age 54) and Violant Árpád Queen Consort Aragon. He the son of King Louis IX of France (age 48) and Margaret Provence Queen Consort France (age 41). They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 2 grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England.
On 28th May 1554 Gerald "Wizard Earl" Fitzgerald 11th Earl of Kildare (age 29) and Mabel Browne Countess Kildare (age 18) were married at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. She by marriage Countess Kildare. He the son of Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Grey Countess Kildare. They were third cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 28th May 1604 Thomas Gower 1st Baronet (age 20) and Anne Doyley Baroness Gower were married.
On 28th May 1763 George Grey 5th Earl Stamford 1st Earl Warrington (age 25) and Henrietta Bentinck Countess Stamford and Warrington (age 26) were married. She by marriage Countess Stamford. She the daughter of William Bentinck 2nd Duke Portland and Margaret Cavendish Harley 2nd Duchess Portland (age 48). He the son of Henry Grey 4th Earl Stamford (age 47) and Mary Booth Countess Stamford (age 59).
On 28th May 1767 John Fane 9th Earl of Westmoreland (age 39) and Susan Gordon Countess of Westmoreland (age 15) were married. The difference in their ages was 23 years. She the daughter of Cosmo George Gordon 3rd Duke Gordon and Catherine Gordon Duchess Gordon (age 49). He the son of Thomas Fane 8th Earl of Westmoreland (age 66) and Elizabeth Swymmer Countess Westmoreland.
On 28th May 1783 Edward Pellew 1st Viscount Exmouth (age 26) and Susan Frowde Viscountess Exmouth (age 27) were married.
On 28th May 1809 William Mordaunt Sturt Milner 4th Baronet (age 29) and Harriet Elizabeth Cavendish-Bentinck (age 22) were married.
On 28th May 1823 George Sutherland Leveson-Gower 2nd Duke Sutherland (age 36) and Harriet Elizabeth Georgiana Howard Duchess Sutherland (age 17) were married. She the daughter of George Howard 6th Earl Carlisle (age 49) and Georgiana Cavendish Countess Carlisle (age 39). He the son of George Granville Leveson-Gower 1st Duke Sutherland (age 65) and Elizabeth Sutherland Duchess Sutherland 19th Countess Sutherland (age 58). They were first cousin once removed.
On 28th May 1824 William Harris 2nd Baron Harris (age 42) and Isabella Helana Handcock-Temple of Waterstown in Westmeath were married.
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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On 28th May 1832 Richard Boyle 4th Earl Shannon (age 23) and Emily Henrietta Seymour-Conway Countess Shannon were married. He the son of Henry Boyle 3rd Earl Shannon (age 60).
On 28th May 1853 Frederick Sandes (age 24) and Georgiana Creed (age 28) were married at St Pancras Old Church [Map]. He the son of Anthony Sands (age 47) and Mary Ann Brown.
On 28th May 1892 Anthony Fane 13th Earl of Westmoreland (age 32) and Sybil Mary St Clair-Erskine Countess of Westmorland (age 20) were married. She by marriage Countess of Westmoreland. He the son of Francis William Henry Fane 12th Earl of Westmoreland and Adelaide Ida Curzon Howe Countess of Westmoreland (age 57).
On 28th May 812 William Poitiers Duke Toulose (age 57) died.
On 28th May 1023 Archbishop Wulfstan died.
On 28th May 1327 Robert de Baldock died in Newgate Prison, London [Map]; see
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker, Annales Paulini, 334
On 28th May 1357 Alfonso "Brave" IV King Portugal (age 66) died. His son Peter (age 37) succeeded I King Portugal.
On 28th May 1363 John Harrington 2nd Baron Harington (age 35) died at Gleaston Castle [Map]. His son Robert (age 7) succeeded 3rd Baron Harington. Given his young age Robert Harrington 3rd Baron Harington became a ward of King Edward III of England (age 50) who granted his wardship to his daughter Isabella Countess Bedford and Soissons (age 30) and her husband Enguerrand de Coucy 1st Earl Bedford 1st Count Soissons (age 23).
On 28th May 1381 William Latimer 4th Baron Latimer of Corby (age 51) died. He was buried at Guisborough Priory [Map]. His daughter Elizabeth (age 24) succeeded 5th Baroness Latimer of Corby.
On 28th May 1420 William Bourchier 1st Count of Eu (age 46) died at Troyes, France [Map]. He was buried at Llanthony Secunda Priory, Gloucestershire [Map]. His son Henry (age 16) succeeded 2nd Count Eu.
On 28th May 1427 Eric Brunswick Grubenhagen 1st Duke Brunswick Grubenhagen (age 44) died.
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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On 28th May 1626 Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk (age 64) died at Charing Cross [Map]. He was buried at Waldon Priory and Abbey [Map]. His son Theophilus (age 43) succeeded 2nd Earl Suffolk. Elizabeth Home Countess Suffolk (age 27) by marriage Countess Suffolk.
On 28th May 1651 Henry Grey 10th Earl Kent (age 56) died. Monument made in 1658 at the De Grey Mausoleum, St John the Baptist Church, Flitton [Map]. His son Anthony (age 5) succeeded 11th Earl Kent.
On 28th May 1672 Philip Carteret (age 31) and Winston Churchill were killed at Solebay, Southwold [Map].
Edward Montagu 1st Earl Sandwich (age 46) was killed. His son Edward (age 24) succeeded 2nd Earl Sandwich.
George Legge 1st Baron Dartmouth (age 25) fought.
Charles Harbord (age 32) was killed. The inscription on his. Monument in Westminster Abbey [Map] reads... Sr. Charles Harbord Knt. his Majesties Surveyor General, and First Lieutenant of the Royall James, under the most noble and illustrious captain Edward, Earle of Sandwich, Vice Admirall of England, which after a terrible fight maintained to admiration against a squadron of the Holland fleet for above six houres, neere the Suffolk coast, having put off two fireships, at last being utterly dissabled and few of her men remaining unhurt, was by a third unfortunately set on fire: but he (though he swam well) neglected to save himselfe as some did, and out of the perfect love to that worthy lord (whom for many yeares he had constantly accompanyed in all his honourable imployments, and in all the engagements of the former warr) dyed with him at the age of XXXIII, much bewailed of his father whom he never offended, and much beloved of all for his knowne piety, vertue, loyalty, fortitude and fidelity.
Captain John Cox was killed in action.
Admiral John Holmes (age 32) fought as commander of Rupert.
The Gloucester took part.
On 28th May 1727 Henry Moore 4th Earl of Drogheda (age 26) died. His brother Edward (age 26) succeeded 5th Earl Drogheda, 7th Viscount Moore of Drogheda, 7th Baron Moore of Mellefont in Louth.
On 28th May 1740 Mary Fisher Countess Aylesford (age 50) died.
On 28th May 1743 Henry Northcote 5th Baronet (age 32) died. His son Stafford (age 7) succeeded 6th Baronet Northcote of Hayne in Devon.
On 28th May 1743 John Paulett 1st Earl Paulett (age 75) died. His son John (age 35) succeeded 2nd Earl Poulett, 5th Baron Poulett.
On 28th May 1745 Johnathan "The Elder" Richardson (age 78) died in Bloomsbury.
On 28th May 1753 Henry Hyde (age 42) died at Paris [Map]. Baron Hyde of Hindon in Wiltshire 1660 extinct. Or the title possibly reverted to his father Henry Hyde 2nd Earl Rochester 4th Earl Clarendon (age 80).
On 28th May 1796 Henry Thomas Cary 8th Viscount Falkland (age 30) died unmarried at the White Lion Inn. His brother Charles (age 27) succeeded 9th Viscount Falkland.
On 28th May 1803 Charlotte Read Lady Rycroft (age 32) died.
On 28th May 1814 William Eden 1st Baron Auckland (age 69) died. His son George (age 29) succeeded 2nd Baron Auckland of West Auckland.
On 28th May 1819 George Grey 5th Earl Stamford 1st Earl Warrington (age 81) died at Enville Hall, Staffordshire. His son George (age 53) succeeded 6th Earl Stamford, 2nd Earl Warrington, 7th Baron Grey of Groby, 2nd Baron Delamer. Henrietta Charteris Countess Stamford and Warrington by marriage Countess Stamford, Countess Warrington.
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.
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On 28th May 1825 Catherine Sophia Manners Lady Heathcote died.
On 28th May 1835 Thomas Pakenham 2nd Earl Longford (age 61) died. His son Edward (age 18) succeeded 3rd Earl Longford, 4th Baron Longford, 2nd Baron Silchester of Silchester in Hampshire.
On 28th May 1836 George Gordon 5th Duke Gordon (age 66) died without legitimate issue at Belgrave Square, Belgravia. Duke Gordon, Baron Mordaunt extinct. His fourth cousin once removed George (age 74) succeeded 9th Marquess Huntly, 14th Earl Huntley.
On 28th May 1847 Henry Hoppner Meyer (age 66) died.
On 28th May 1874 Frances Vere Loraine Lady Blackett (age 73) died.
On 28th May 1878 John Russell 1st Earl Russell (age 85) died. His grandson Frank (age 12) succeeded 2nd Earl Russell of Kingston Russell in Dorset.
On 28th May 1902 Walter John Pelham 4th Earl Chichester (age 63) died at Stanmer House Stanmer Park Falmer Brighton. He was buried at Stanmer Church Stanmer Park Falmer Brighton. His brother Francis (age 57) succeeded 5th Earl Chichester, 6th Baron Pelham of Stanmer in Sussex and 10th Baronet Pelham of Laughton. Alice Carr Glyn Countess Chichester by marriage Countess Chichester.
On 28th May 1913 John Lubbock 1st Baron Avebury (age 79) died. His son John (age 54) succeeded 2nd Baron Avebury of Avebury in Wiltshire, 5th Baronet Lubbock of Lammas in Norfolk.
On 28th May 1922 Digby Wentworth Bayard Willoughby 9th Baron Middleton (age 77) died. His brother Godfrey (age 75) succeeded 10th Baron Middleton, 11th Baronet Willoughby of Wollaton.
On 28th May 1940 Captain Heneage Michael Charles Finch 9th Earl of Aylesford (age 31) was killed in action. His uncle Charles (age 53) succeeded 10th Earl Aylesford.
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 28th May 1940 Frederick Charles I King Finland (age 72) died.
On 28th May 1972 King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (age 77) died. He was buried at Royal Burial Ground Frogmore Estate Home Park Windsor, Berkshire.
On 28th May 1975 Patrick Plunket 7th Baron Plunket (age 51) died. His brother Robin (age 49) succeeded 8th Baron Plunket of Newtown in County Cork.