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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Paternal Family Tree: Courtenay
Maternal Family Tree: Frances Clack Countess Devon 1782
On 7th May 1762 [his father] William Courtenay 8th Earl Devon (age 19) and [his mother] Frances Clack Countess Devon were married. He the son of [his grandfather] William Courtenay 7th Earl Devon (age 53) and [his grandmother] Frances Finch Countess Devon.
On 30th July 1768 William "Kitty" Courtenay 9th was born to [his father] William Courtenay 8th Earl Devon (age 25) and [his mother] Frances Clack Countess Devon. She was baptised on the 30th August 1768.
On 25th March 1782 [his mother] Frances Clack Countess Devon died.
After 1784 William Beckford (age 23) lived life as a recluse after his correspondence with William "Kitty" Courtenay 9th (age 15) were publicised by the earl's uncle.
On 14th October 1788 [his father] William Courtenay 8th Earl Devon (age 45) died. His son William (age 20) de jure 9th Earl Devon, 3rd Viscount Courtenay.
On 3rd September 1790 [his brother-in-law] George Annesley 2nd Earl Mountnorris (age 19) and [his sister] Anne Courtenay Countess Mountnorris (age 16) were married. She by marriage Countess Mountnorris of Mountnorris Castle in Armagh. She the daughter of [his father] William Courtenay 8th Earl Devon and [his mother] Frances Clack Countess Devon. He the son of Arthur Annesley 1st Earl Mountnorris (age 46) and Lucy Lyttelton Baronet.
On 9th May 1797 [his brother-in-law] George Thynne 2nd Baron Carteret (age 27) and [his sister] Harriet Courtenay Baroness Carteret (age 25) were married. She by marriage Baroness Carteret of Hawnes. She the daughter of [his father] William Courtenay 8th Earl Devon and [his mother] Frances Clack Countess Devon. He the son of Thomas Thynne 1st Marquess of Bath and Elizabeth Bentinck Marchioness Bath (age 61).
On 2nd August 1798 [his brother-in-law] John Vaughan 3rd Earl Lisburne (age 29) and [his sister] Lucy Courtenay Countess Lisburne (age 28) were married. She the daughter of [his father] William Courtenay 8th Earl Devon and [his mother] Frances Clack Countess Devon. He the son of Wilmot Vaughan 1st Earl Lisburne (age 70) and Dorothy Shafto Countess Lisburne (age 65). They were half fourth cousin once removed.
On 6th May 1820 Wilmot Vaughan 2nd Earl Lisburne (age 64) died at Shillingthorpe Hall, unmarried. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Enfield. His half brother [his brother-in-law] John (age 51) succeeded 3rd Earl Lisburne, 4th Viscount Lisburne. [his sister] Lucy Courtenay Countess Lisburne (age 49) by marriage Countess Lisburne.
On 27th January 1822 [his sister] Lucy Courtenay Countess Lisburne (age 51) 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 14th April 1826 [his sister] Harriet Courtenay Baroness Carteret (age 54) died.
In 1831 it was decided that the Earldom of Devon had been created in 1553 for "heirs male forever", rather than to the "heirs male of his body" so William Courtenay 2nd Earl Devon should have succeeded his cousin Edward Courtenay 1st Earl Devon. William "Kitty" Courtenay 9th (age 62) was granted 9th Earl Devon.
On 6th January 1835 [his sister] Anne Courtenay Countess Mountnorris (age 60) died.
On 26th May 1835 William "Kitty" Courtenay 9th (age 66) died at Paris [Map]. His second cousin William (age 57) succeeded 10th Earl Devon. Viscount Courtenay extinct. Henrietta Leslie Pepys Countess Devon (age 57) by marriage Countess Devon.
On 12th June 1835 William "Kitty" Courtenay 9th (deceased) was buried at Powderham, Devon.
Kings Wessex: Great x 22 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 20 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 25 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 21 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 23 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 13 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 18 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 22 Grand Son of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 26 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Courtenay 4th Earl Devon 7 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Courtenay 5th Earl Devon 8 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Pole
Great x 2 Grandfather: Francis Courtenay 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Waller 7 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Waller Countess Devon 8 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Reynell
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Courtenay 6th Earl Devon 10 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Andreas Boevey
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Boevey
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Boevey
GrandFather: William Courtenay 7th Earl Devon 11 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey 
8 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Montagu Bertie 2nd Earl Lindsey 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey 
10 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandfather: James Bertie 1st Earl of Abingdon 10 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Wray 10 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Bridget Wray Countess Lindsey 9 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Norreys 3rd Baroness Norreys Rycote 8 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne Bertie Countess Devon 11 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Henry Lee 2nd Baronet
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Lee 3rd Baronet 10 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne St John Countess Rochester 
9 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Lee Countess Abingdon 11 x Great Grand Daughter of
Father: William Courtenay 8th Earl Devon 12 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Heneage Finch 
8 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Heneage Finch 1st Earl Nottingham 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Bell 8 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandfather: Heneage Finch 1st Earl Aylesford 10 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Daniel Harvey
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Harvey Baroness Finch
Great x 1 Grandfather: Heneage Finch 2nd Earl Aylesford 11 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Caleb Banks of Maidstone in Kent
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Banks 1st Baronet
Great x 4 Grandmother: Martha Dann
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Banks Countess Aylesford
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Dethick
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Dethick
Great x 4 Grandmother: Martha Travers
GrandMother: Frances Finch Countess Devon 12 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Fisher 1st Baronet
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Fisher
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tyringham
Great x 2 Grandfather: Clement Fisher 3rd Baronet
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Fisher Countess Aylesford
William "Kitty" Courtenay 9th Earl Devon 13 x Great Grand Son of
Mother: Frances Clack Countess Devon