Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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Paternal Family Tree: Cecil
Maternal Family Tree: Elizabeth Milbanke Viscountess Melbourne 1751-1818
On 17th May 1887 [her father] James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury [aged 25] and [her mother] Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury [aged 19] were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Arthur Saunders Gore 5th Earl Arran [aged 48] and [her grandmother] Edith Jocelyn. He the son of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess Salisbury [aged 57] and Georgina Alderson Marchioness of Salisbury [aged 60].
On 29th July 1895 Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire was born to [her father] James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury [aged 33] and [her mother] Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury [aged 28].
On 22nd August 1903 [her grandfather] Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess Salisbury [aged 73] died. Monument at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map] by William Goscombe John [aged 43]. His son [her father] James [aged 41] succeeded 4th Marquess Salisbury in Wiltshire, 10th Earl Salisbury. [her mother] Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury [aged 36] by marriage Marchioness Salisbury in Wiltshire. Note the St George Pendant signifying his being a Knight of the Garter.
Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury: On 15th July 1867 she was born to Arthur Saunders Gore 5th Earl Arran and Edith Jocelyn. On 17th May 1887 James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury and she were married. She the daughter of Arthur Saunders Gore 5th Earl Arran and Edith Jocelyn. He the son of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess Salisbury and Georgina Alderson Marchioness of Salisbury. On 5th February 1955 Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury died.
On 26th June 1904 William Richard Ormsby-Gore 2nd Baron Harlech [aged 85] died. His son Ralph [aged 49] succeeded 3rd Baron Harlech. [her sister] Beatrice Edith Mildred Gascoyne-Cecil Baroness Harlech [aged 12] by marriage Baroness Harlech.
On 12th April 1913 [her brother-in-law] George Arthur Ormsby-Gore 4th Baron Harlech [aged 28] and [her sister] Beatrice Edith Mildred Gascoyne-Cecil Baroness Harlech [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of [her father] James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury [aged 51] and [her mother] Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury [aged 45].
On 8th December 1915 [her brother] Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil 5th Marquess Salisbury [aged 22] and [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Vere Cavendish Marchioness Salisbury [aged 20] were married. He the son of [her father] James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury [aged 54] and [her mother] Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury [aged 48].
In 1917 Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 21] and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 21] were married. She the daughter of James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury [aged 55] and Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury [aged 49]. He the son of Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire [aged 48] and Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire [aged 46].
On 10th December 1917 [her son] William Cavendish was born to [her husband] Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 22] and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 22]. He married 6th May 1944 Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, daughter of Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald.
Around 1918. James Jebusa Shannon [aged 55]. Portrait of Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 22] when Marchioness of Hartington.
On 2nd January 1920 [her son] Andrew Cavendish 11th Duke Devonshire was born to [her husband] Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 24] and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 24]. He married 19th April 1941 Deborah Vivien Mitford Duchess Devonshire, daughter of David Freeman-Mitford 2nd Baron Redesdale and Sydney Bowles Baroness Redesdale, and had issue.
On 6th November 1922 [her daughter] Mary Cavendish was born to [her husband] Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 27] and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 27]. She died aged less than one years old.
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 17th November 1922 [her daughter] Mary Cavendish died.
On 24th April 1926 [her daughter] Elizabeth Cavendish was born to [her husband] Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 30] and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 30].
On 6th November 1927 [her daughter] Anne Cavendish was born to [her husband] Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 32] and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 32].
On 28th November 1928 Henry Philip Hunloke [aged 21] and [her sister-in-law] Anne Cavendish Countess Sandwich [aged 19] were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. She the daughter of [her father-in-law] Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire [aged 60] and [her mother-in-law] Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire [aged 58].
On 6th May 1938 [her father-in-law] Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire [aged 69] died at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire [Map]. He was buried at Cavendish Plot, St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map]. His son [her husband] Edward [aged 43] succeeded 10th Duke Devonshire, 13th Earl Devonshire, 5th Earl Burlington, 13th Baron Cavendish Hardwick. Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 42] by marriage Duchess Devonshire. On 2nd April 1960 [her mother-in-law] Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire [aged 67] died. Both the Duke and Duchess were buried in the Cavendish Plot, St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map].
Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess Devonshire: On 27th August 1870 she was born to Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess Lansdowne. On 30th July 1892 Victor Christian William Cavendish 9th Duke Devonshire and she were married. She by marriage Duchess Devonshire. She the daughter of Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess Lansdowne. They were fifth cousins.
On 19th April 1941 Andrew Cavendish 11th Duke Devonshire [aged 21] and Deborah Mitford [aged 21] were married. He the son of Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 45] and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 45].
At the commencement of their honeymoon Deborah 'stopped the car when starting on her honeymoon and registered at a small Labour Exchange for National Service,' as per The Sketch.
On 6th May 1944 William Cavendish [aged 26] and Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy [aged 24] were married at Chelsea Register Office. She the daughter of Joseph Patrick Kennedy [aged 55] and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald [aged 53]. He the son of Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 49] and Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 48].
The Duke of Devonshire and the bride's eldest brother Joseph P. Kennedy Jr [aged 28], a lieutenant in the United States Navy, signed the marriage register. The Duke of Rutland [aged 24] served as best man.
The photos, from left to right, Mary, Duchess of Devonshire, the groom William, Marquess of Hartington, the bride Kathleen Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy, Edward, 10th Duke of Devonshire.
Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy: On 20th February 1920 she was born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald at Brookline Massachusetts. On 13th May 1948 Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy and William Henry Lawrence Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam 8th and 6th Earl Fitzwilliam died in a plane crash at the Plateau du Coiron, Saint-Bauzile during the course of their journey from Paris [Map] to the French Riviera for a vacation aboard a de Havilland DH.104 Dove.. His first cousin once removed Eric succeeded 9th Earl Fitzwilliam, 7th Earl Fitzwilliam, 11th Baron Fitzwilliam of Liffer in Donegal. His wealth, estimated at 45 million pounds, including half of the Wentworth Woodhouse estate, the Coolattin estate in County Wicklow, Ireland, and a large part of the Fitzwilliam art collection went to his daughter Ann Juliet Dorothea Maud Wentworth-Fitzwilliam Marchioness Bristol.
Joseph Patrick Kennedy: On 25th July 1915 he was born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald. On 12th August 1944 Joseph Patrick Kennedy was killed at Blythburgh, Suffolk when his plane exploded over the English Channel during a top-secret mission.
On 9th September 1944 [her son] William Cavendish [aged 26] was killed in action by a sniper whilst leading a company trying to capture the town of Heppen in Belgium. He was buried at the Leopoldsburg War Cemetery.
On 4th April 1947 [her father] James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury [aged 85] died. His son [her brother] Robert [aged 53] succeeded 5th Marquess Salisbury in Wiltshire, 11th Earl Salisbury. [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Vere Cavendish Marchioness Salisbury [aged 52] by marriage Marchioness Salisbury in Wiltshire.
After 13th May 1948 [her former daughter-in-law] Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy [deceased] was buried at Cavendish Plot, St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map]. Joseph Patrick Kennedy [aged 59], her father, was the only Kennedy family member to attend.
On Saturday 29th June 1963, around four in the afternoon, her grave was visited by her elder brother President John Fitzgerald Kennedy [aged 46], some five months before his assassination. He was travelling from to London for a meeting with the British Prime Minister when he made a detour landing at and then travelling by helicopter to St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map]. He laid a wreath which he had brought from Ireland. Present at the wreath laying was his sisters Eunice Mary Kennedy [aged 41] and Jean Ann Kennedy [aged 35], and the [her husband] Duke and Duchess [aged 67] of Devonshire.
On 26th November 1950 [her husband] Edward William Spencer Cavendish 10th Duke Devonshire [aged 55] died. His son Andrew [aged 30] succeeded 11th Duke Devonshire, 14th Earl Devonshire, 6th Earl Burlington, 14th Baron Cavendish Hardwick. Deborah Vivien Mitford Duchess Devonshire [aged 30] by marriage Duchess Devonshire. On 24th December 1988 Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 55] died. Both the Duke and Duchess were buried in the Cavendish Plot, St Peter's Church, Edensor [Map].
On 2nd June 1953 Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom [aged 27] was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom by Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher [aged 66] at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Her ladies in waiting were:
Mistress of the Robes: Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 57]
Maids of Honour:
Mary Baillie-Hamilton [aged 19]
Jane Antonia Frances Vane-Tempest-Stewart [aged 20]
Nancy Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby [aged 18]
Anne Veronica Coke Baroness Glenconner [aged 20]
Moyra Kathleen Hamilton [aged 23]
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On 5th February 1955 [her mother] Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury [aged 87] died.
On 23rd February 1972 [her brother] Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil 5th Marquess Salisbury [aged 78] died. His son [her nephew] Robert [aged 55] succeeded 6th Marquess Salisbury in Wiltshire, 12th Earl Salisbury.
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
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In 1980 [her sister] Beatrice Edith Mildred Gascoyne-Cecil Baroness Harlech [aged 88] died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 21 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 13 Grand Daughter of King Edward IV of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 30 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 23 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 27 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: James Cecil 5th Earl Salisbury 
10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: James Cecil 6th Earl of Salisbury 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Tufton Countess of Salisbury 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward IV of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: James Cecil 1st Marquess Salisbury 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Keet of Canterbury
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Keet Countess of Salisbury
Great x 1 Grandfather: James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil 2nd Marquess Salisbury 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Trevor Hill 1st Viscount Hillsborough
Great x 3 Grandfather: Wills Hill 1st Marquess Downshire
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary Amelia Hill Marchioness Salisbury 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Fitzgerald 19th Earl of Kildare 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaretta Fitzgerald 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary O'Brien Countess Kildare 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
GrandFather: Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess Salisbury 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Crisp Gascoyne
Great x 3 Grandfather: Bamber Gascoigne "The Elder"
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Bamber
Great x 2 Grandfather: Bamber "The Younger" Gascoyne
Great x 4 Grandfather: Issac Green of Lancashire
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Green
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Aspinwall
Great x 1 Grandmother: Frances Mary Gascoyne Marchioness Salisbury
Great x 3 Grandfather: Chase Price
Great x 2 Grandmother: Sarah Bridget Frances Price
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Evelyn Glanville
Great x 3 Grandmother: Susan Evelyn
Father: James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward IV of England
GrandMother: Georgina Alderson Marchioness of Salisbury
Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Arthur Saunders Gore 1st Earl Arran 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Arthur Saunders Gore 2nd Earl Arran 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jane Saunders
Great x 2 Grandfather: William John Gore 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Annesley 1st Viscount Glerawly 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Annesley 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Beresford 
11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Philip Gore 4th Earl Arran 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Hales 3rd Baronet 17 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Hales 4th Baronet 18 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Caroline Hales 19 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandFather: Arthur Saunders Gore 5th Earl Arran 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Francis Patrick Napier
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Marianne Napier Countess Arran
Mother: Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Jocelyn 1st Earl Roden
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Jocelyn 2nd Earl Roden 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Hamilton Countess Roden 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Jocelyn 3rd Earl Roden 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Jocelyn 11 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Stapleton 5th Baronet 
11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Stapleton 12th Baron Despencer 9 x Great Grand Son of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Fane Lady Stapleton 
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Maria Frances Catherine Stapleton Countess Roden 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Samuel Eliot of Antigua
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Eliot Baroness Despencer
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Byam
GrandMother: Edith Jocelyn 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Clavering-Cowper 2nd Earl Cowper 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George Nassau Clavering-Cowper 3rd Earl Cowper 13 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Henrietta Nassau 2nd Countess Cowper 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Peter Nassau Clavering-Cowper 5th Earl Cowper 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Charles Gore
Great x 3 Grandmother: Hannah Anna Gore 3rd Countess Cowper
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Cockerill
Great x 1 Grandmother: Frances Elizabeth Cowper 14 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Matthew Lamb 1st Baronet
Great x 3 Grandfather: Penistone Lamb 1st Viscount Melbourne
Great x 4 Grandmother: Charlotte Coke
Great x 2 Grandmother: Emily Lamb Countess Cowper 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Milbanke 5th Baronet 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Milbanke Viscountess Melbourne 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England