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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Biography of Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland 1867-1955

Maternal Family Tree: Blanche Adeliza Fitzroy 1839-1933

On 13th October 1860 Charles Henry Maynard [aged 46] and [her mother] Blanche Adeliza Fitzroy [aged 21] were married. The difference in their ages was 25 years.

On 8th November 1866 [her father] Robert St Clair-Erskine 4th Earl of Rosslyn [aged 33] and [her mother] Blanche Adeliza Fitzroy [aged 27] were married.

On 20th October 1867 Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland was born to [her father] Robert St Clair-Erskine 4th Earl of Rosslyn [aged 34] and [her mother] Blanche Adeliza Fitzroy [aged 28] at Dysart House.

On 30th April 1881 [her brother-in-law] Francis Greville 5th Earl Warwick 5th Earl Brooke [aged 28] and [her half-sister] Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Maynard Countess Warwick [aged 19] were married at the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map]. See her autobiography Life's Ebb and Flow Page 38. He the son of George Greville 4th Earl Warwick 4th Earl Brooke [aged 63] and Anne Charteris Countess Warwick [aged 52]. They were fourth cousin once removed.

Life's Ebb And Flow Chapter IV. [30th April 1881]. And so the tale unfolds. Our [[her brother-in-law] Francis Greville 5th Earl Warwick 5th Earl Brooke [aged 28] and [her half-sister] Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Maynard Countess Warwick [aged 19]] marriage took place in the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey, and the newspapers of the day made much of the "most brilliant wedding of a dozen seasons." I remember my surprise as I drove from our house in Carlton Gardens to the Abbey to find the way lined with interested crowds.

Among the guests were the Prince [aged 39] and Princess of Wales [aged 36], Prince and Princess Christian, the Duke [aged 30] and Duchess of Connaught [aged 20], Princess Louise [aged 33] (Marchioness of Lorne), Princess Mary Adelaide [aged 47] (Duchess of Teck) and the Duke of Teck (parents of Queen Mary), with Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany [aged 28], as my husband's best man. The crush filled the Abbey from the choir to the door.

My twelve bridesmaids were all girl friends and relatives. They were: Blanche Maynard [aged 17], my sister (now Lady Algernon Gordon-Lennox [aged 33]), Lady Eva Greville [aged 21], my husband's only sister, my stepsisters, Millicent [aged 13], Sybil [aged 9], and Angela St. Clair Erskine [aged 4] (later Duchess of Sutherland, Countess of Westmorland, and Lady A. Forbes), Countess Feodore Gleichen [aged 19] (later a renowned sculptor), Lady Florence Bridgman [aged 22] (the present Countess of Harewood and mother of Viscount Lascelles [aged 34]), Miss Wombwell [aged 19] (Countess of Dartrey), Miss Mills, the first Lord Hillingdon's daughter, Miss Violet Lindsay [aged 25] (now Violet, Duchess of Rutland), and Miss Ethel Milner [aged 30] (later Countess of Durham).

On 20th October 1884 Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland [aged 33] and Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 17] were married; her seventeenth birthday. He the son of George Leveson-Gower 3rd Duke Sutherland [aged 55] and Anne Hay Mackenzie Duchess Sutherland [aged 55]. They were fourth cousin once removed.

On 29th August 1888 [her son] George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 5th Duke of Sutherland was born to [her husband] Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland [aged 37] and Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 20].

In 1890 [her son] Alastair Sutherland-Leveson-Gower was born to [her husband] Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland [aged 38] and Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 22]. He married before 30th March 1921 Elizabeth Demarest and had issue.

On 6th September 1890 [her father] Robert St Clair-Erskine 4th Earl of Rosslyn [aged 57] died. Memorial at the Rosslyn Chapel [Map]

Robert St Clair-Erskine 4th Earl of Rosslyn: On 2nd March 1833 he was born. On 8th November 1866 he and Blanche Adeliza Fitzroy were married.

Memoires of Jacques du Clercq

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 22nd September 1892 [her father-in-law] George Leveson-Gower 3rd Duke Sutherland [aged 63] died. His son [her husband] Cromartie [aged 41] succeeded 4th Duke Sutherland, 5th Marquess Stafford, 22nd Earl Sutherland, 6th Earl Gower, 7th Baron Gower, 11th Baronet Gower of Stittenham in Yorkshire. Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 24] by marriage Duchess Sutherland.

On 9th August 1893 [her daughter] Rosemary Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower was born to [her husband] Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland [aged 42] and Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 25]. She married 8th March 1919 William Humble Eric Ward 3rd Earl of Dudley, son of William Humble Ward 2nd Earl of Dudley and Gertrude "Gertie" Millar Countess of Dudley, and had issue.

On 2nd December 1893 George Greville 4th Earl Warwick 4th Earl Brooke [aged 75] died at Warwick Castle [Map]. His son [her brother-in-law] Francis [aged 40] succeeded 5th Earl Warwick, 5th Earl Brooke Warwick Castle, 12th Baron Brooke of Beauchamps Court in Warwickshire. [her half-sister] Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Maynard Countess Warwick [aged 31] by marriage Countess Warwick.

1898. Frederick John Jenkins [aged 26] after Ellis William Roberts [aged 37].. Heliograph of Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 30].

Before 19th November 1902 Arthur Hill 6th Marquess of Downshire [aged 31] and Katherine Mary "Kitty" Hare Marchioness Downshire [aged 30] were divorced as a consequence of her affair with Joseph Frederick Laycock [aged 35]. Laycock was also having an affair with [her half-sister] Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Maynard Countess Warwick [aged 40] with whom he possibly fathered two children: [her nephew] Maynard Greville [aged 4] and [her niece] Mercy Greville.

1904. John Singer Sargent [aged 47]. Portrait of Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 36].

1906. Lallie Martin aka Charles [aged 37]. Photograph of Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 38].

On 21st July 1910 [her sister] Sybil Mary St Clair-Erskine Countess of Westmorland [aged 38] died.

20th June 1911. Langfier. Group in fancy dress for the Shakespeare Memorial National Theatre Ball: Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 43], Sir Louis du Pan Mallet, 1864-1936, Cicely Margaret Horner seated, and Charles de la Poer Beresford 1st Baron Beresford [aged 65].

Cicely Margaret Horner: Before 1911 George Lambton and she were married. He the son of George Frederick D'Arcy Lambton 2nd Earl Durham and Beatrix Frances Hamilton Countess Durham.

On 27th June 1913 [her husband] Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland [aged 61] died. His son George [aged 24] succeeded 5th Duke Sutherland, 23rd Earl Sutherland, 7th Earl Gower, 8th Baron Gower, 12th Baronet Gower of Stittenham in Yorkshire.

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

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On 8th March 1919 [her son-in-law] William Humble Eric Ward 3rd Earl of Dudley [aged 25] and Rosemary Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower [aged 25] were married. She the daughter of Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland and Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 51]. He the son of William Humble Ward 2nd Earl of Dudley [aged 51] and Gertrude "Gertie" Millar Countess of Dudley [aged 40].

Before 30th March 1921 Alastair Sutherland-Leveson-Gower [aged 31] and Elizabeth Demarest [aged 28] were married. He the son of Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland and Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 53].

On 28th April 1921 [her son] Alastair Sutherland-Leveson-Gower [aged 31] died of malaria while taking part in a big game expedition in Rhodesia.

New York Times 29 Jul 1922. 29th July 1922. Obituary. New York Times.

Former Adele Grant of New York Stricken With Heart Attack After Dinner Party.

TRIED TO SUMMON HELP

Dowager, Once Famous Beauty, Was Model for Herkomer's "A Lady in White." [Note. This appears to be a mistake - A Lady in White]

1922 by The New York Times Company. By Wireless to The New York Times.

London, July 28. Dowager Countess Essex [deceased], who was the daughter of the late Beach Grant of New York and the second wife of the Seventh Earl of Essex, was found dead in her bath today at her home, 72 Brook Street, by one of her maids.

Lady Essex attended last night a dinner party given by the Hon. Mrs. Rupert Beckett and appeared in the best of spirits. She was driven home by Mrs. Asquith, with whom she was to have lunched today.

Apparently she took her bath before going to bed and had the seizure. She seemed to have endeavored to get help as the hanging electric bell push had been pulled into the bath. The tragedy was not discovered until this morning when Lady Essex's maid found her bed had not been slept in.

The bath room door was locked and the electric lights were full on. When the door was forced Lady Essex was found dead. She had suffered for years from a weak heart and it is presumed that she had the seizure when she could not help herself.

In her prime Lady Essex was famed for her beauty, being tall and graceful, with soft eyes and dark hair. Indeed she belonged to the group that was playfully christened "Lovely Five" and included [her half-sister] Lady Warwick [aged 60], Lady Lytton [aged 80], [her sister] Lady Westmoreland and the Duchess of Sutherland [aged 54]. She was the model for Herkomer's famous picture "A Lady in White."

A coroner's inquest into Lady Essex's death will be held on Monday.


Adele Grant. daughter of the late Beach Grant of this city, was married to the seventh Earl of Essex in St. Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map], Dec. 14 1893. Archdeacon Farrar performed the ceremony, the occasion being one of the brilliant social events of that Winter in London. There have been two children, Lady Iris Mary [aged 27] and Lady Joan Rachel [aged 23], respectively 26 and 22 years old. Presumably they will share their mother's fortune, which is not inconsiderable since her inheritance in 1915 of some $600,000 from her uncle, R. Suydam Grant, of the New York Stock Exchange.

Her husband was a widower when she married him. The present Earl [aged 38], son of his father's first marriage, did not have sufficient income to keep up the magnificent ancestral estate of Cassiobury Park, and last Fall it was offered for sale. On previous occasions it had been rented to Americans, among others to Otto H. Kahn.

An anecdote of the family that reveals the firmness of the Countess is that of her refusal of the tempting offers repeatedly made to her by Lady Meux, widow of Sir Henry Meux, the wealthy brewer. The story has it that Lady Meux, originally a "queen of burlesque" and aunt by marriage of the Earl of Essex, offered to make the Earl her heir if only the Countess would introduce her to society. But the Countess did not allow her thorough disapproval of the brewer's widow to be overcome by the bribe.

Before her marriage Adele Grant had been engaged to the late Earl Cairns, the unfortunate man who acquired the nickname of "Gumboil," thanks to his courtesy title of Lord Garmoyle. She broke off the match on the eve of the wedding owing to the prospective bridegrooms extortionate demands for a settlement. And, in 1920, after the death of her husband, she was reported, not on the highest authority, however, to be engaged to the Duke of Connaught [aged 72], brother of Edward Vll. The affair progressed no further than the circulation of the report.

During the World War the Countess did much relief work, serving with Queen Mary's Needlework Guild, on the Urban Executive Committee of the Urban Council for War Relief, and also as President of the Soldiers and Sailors Families' Association.

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21st July 1930 Meopham Air Disaster

On 21st July 1930 [her daughter] Rosemary Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower [aged 36] died in a plane crash. She was booked on a flight from Le Touquet to Croydon. A seat became available on an earlier flight which she accepted. The flight departed in clear weather. At about at 2:30 pm in poor weather over Kent the tail unit failed, causing the aircraft to stall, which in turn caused the port wing to break away and the plane to crash. All the passengers fell from the aircraft through the hole created by the wing breaking away. The Viscountess' body was found in a meadow.

An inquest was opened on 23 July where the Viscountess was identified by her brother [her son] George [aged 41]. After the formal identifications, the inquest was adjourned for the Air Ministry technical investigation to take place. The inquest was resumed on 13 August at which the jury returned a verdict "that the victims met their death falling from an aeroplane, the cause of the accident being unknown".

Rosemary Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower: On 9th August 1893 she was born to Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland and Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland. On 8th March 1919 William Humble Eric Ward 3rd Earl of Dudley and she were married. She the daughter of Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland and Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland. He the son of William Humble Ward 2nd Earl of Dudley and Gertrude "Gertie" Millar Countess of Dudley. On 25th July 1930 an Memorial Service was held for Rosemary Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map].

George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 5th Duke of Sutherland: On 29th August 1888 he was born to Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland and Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland. On 27th June 1913 Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 4th Duke of Sutherland died. His son George succeeded 5th Duke Sutherland, 23rd Earl Sutherland, 7th Earl Gower, 8th Baron Gower, 12th Baronet Gower of Stittenham in Yorkshire. On 26th September 1931 Elizabeth Demarest died. Her daughter Elizabeth Sutherland 24th Countess of Sutherland became a ward of her uncle George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 5th Duke of Sutherland. On 1st February 1963 George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower 5th Duke of Sutherland died. His third cousin once removed John succeeded 6th Duke Sutherland, 6th Marquess Stafford, 8th Earl Gower, 9th Baron Gower, 13th Baronet Gower of Stittenham in Yorkshire. Diana Evelyn Percy by marriage Duchess Sutherland.His niece Elizabeth succeeded 24th Countess Sutherland.

On 8th December 1933 [her mother] Blanche Adeliza Fitzroy [aged 94] died at Regent's Park. Memorial at the Rosslyn Chapel [Map]

Blanche Adeliza Fitzroy: On 22nd August 1839 she was born to Henry Fitzroy in Salcey Lawn, Northamptonshire and Jane Elizabeth Beauclerk. On 13th October 1860 Charles Henry Maynard and she were married. The difference in their ages was 25 years.

On 26th July 1938 [her half-sister] Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Maynard Countess Warwick [aged 76] died.

On 20th August 1955 Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland [aged 87] died.

Royal Ancestors of Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland 1867-1955

Kings Wessex: Great x 25 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Gwynedd: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd

Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 28 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth

Kings Powys: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys

Kings Godwinson: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England

Kings England: Great x 6 Grand Daughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Kings Scotland: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland

Kings Franks: Great x 31 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Kings France: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of Henry IV King France

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 29 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Ancestors of Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland 1867-1955

Father: Robert St Clair-Erskine 4th Earl of Rosslyn

Millicent Fanny St Clair-Erskine Duchess of Sutherland 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Fitzroy 2nd Duke Grafton Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 3 Grandfather: Augustus Fitzroy Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Henrietta Somerset Duchess Grafton 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Augustus Henry Fitzroy 3rd Duke Grafton 2 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: Colonel William Cosby

Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Cosby

Great x 1 Grandfather: Henry Fitzroy 3 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Wrottesley 4th Baronet 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Wrottesley 7th Baronet 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandmother: Frances Grey Lady Wrottesley 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Wrottesley Duchess Grafton 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Leveson-Gower 1st Earl Gower 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Leveson-Gower Lady Wrottesley 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Evelyn Pierrepont Baroness Gower 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

GrandFather: Henry Fitzroy 4 x Great Grand Son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland

Great x 1 Grandmother: Caroline Pigot

Mother: Blanche Adeliza Fitzroy 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland