Paternal Family Tree: Cecil
Maternal Family Tree: María González Henestrosa Lady Villagera -1356
In January 1589 [her father] William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 23] and Elizabeth Manners 15th Baroness Ros of Helmsley [aged 14] were married at Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire [Map]. She the daughter of Edward Manners 3rd Earl of Rutland and Isabel Holcroft Countess Rutland [aged 39]. He the son of [her grandfather] Thomas Cecil 1st Earl Exeter [aged 46] and [her grandmother] Dorothy Neville Countess Exeter [aged 41]. They were fifth cousins.
After 1591 [her father] William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 25] and [her mother] Elizabeth Drury Countess Exeter [aged 12] were married. He the son of [her grandfather] Thomas Cecil 1st Earl Exeter [aged 48] and [her grandmother] Dorothy Neville Countess Exeter [aged 43]. They were third cousin once removed.
Around 1596 Diana Cecil Countess of Oxford and Elgin was born to William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 30] and Elizabeth Drury Countess Exeter [aged 17].
On 24th June 1604 Edward de Vere 17th Earl of Oxford [aged 54] died at his home in King Street Covent Garden. His son [her future husband] Henry [aged 11] succeeded 18th Earl of Oxford.
In 1614 [her brother-in-law] Thomas Howard 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 26] and [her sister] Elizabeth Cecil Countess Berkshire [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of [her father] William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 48] and [her mother] Elizabeth Drury Countess Exeter [aged 35]. He the son of Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 52] and Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk [aged 50]. They were fourth cousins.
Around 1615 William Larkin [aged 33]. Portrait of Diana Cecil Countess of Oxford and Elgin [aged 19].
On 12th February 1615 [her half-brother] William Cecil 16th Baron Ros Helmsley [aged 24] and [her sister-in-law] Anne Lake Baroness Ros of Helmsley [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Baroness Ros Helmsley. See Diary of Anne Clifford. He the son of [her father] William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 49] and Elizabeth Manners 15th Baroness Ros of Helmsley.
On 27th June 1618 [her half-brother] William Cecil 16th Baron Ros Helmsley [aged 28] died. His first cousin once removed Francis [aged 40] succeeded 17th Baron Ros Helmsley. Cecily Tufton Countess Rutland by marriage Baroness Ros Helmsley.
On 19th July 1620 [her brother-in-law] Henry Grey 1st Earl Stamford [aged 21] and [her sister] Anne Cecil [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Baroness Grey of Groby. She the daughter of [her father] William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 54] and [her mother] Elizabeth Drury Countess Exeter [aged 42]. They were fourth cousins.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1621 [her brother-in-law] Thomas Howard 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 33] was created 1st Viscount Andover in Hampshire, 1st Baron Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire. [her sister] Elizabeth Cecil Countess Berkshire [aged 25] by marriage Baroness Howard of Charlton in Wiltshire.
On 4th July 1622 [her future husband] Thomas Bruce 1st Earl Elgin [aged 23] and Anne Chichester [aged 17] were married at Holy Trinity Church, Minories [Map].
On 8th February 1623 [her grandfather] Thomas Cecil 1st Earl Exeter [aged 80] died. He was buried at Chapel of St John the Baptist, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son [her father] William [aged 57] succeeded 2nd Earl Exeter, 3rd Baron Burghley. [her mother] Elizabeth Drury Countess Exeter [aged 45] by marriage Countess Exeter.
On 1st January 1624 Henry de Vere 18th Earl of Oxford [aged 30] and Diana Cecil Countess of Oxford and Elgin [aged 28] were married. She by marriage Countess of Oxford. She the daughter of William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 58] and Elizabeth Drury Countess Exeter [aged 45]. He the son of Edward de Vere 17th Earl of Oxford and Elizabeth TrenthamCountess of Oxford. They were fifth cousin once removed.
In June 1625 [her husband] Henry de Vere 18th Earl of Oxford [aged 32] died. His second cousin Robert [aged 49] succeeded 19th Earl of Oxford.
On 7th February 1626 [her brother-in-law] Thomas Howard 1st Earl Berkshire [aged 38] was created 1st Earl Berkshire. [her sister] Elizabeth Cecil Countess Berkshire [aged 30] by marriage Countess Berkshire.
In March 1628 [her brother-in-law] Henry Grey 1st Earl Stamford [aged 29] was created 1st Earl Stamford. [her sister] Anne Cecil Countess Stamford [aged 32] by marriage Countess Stamford.
On 12th November 1629 Thomas Bruce 1st Earl Elgin [aged 30] and Diana Cecil Countess of Oxford and Elgin [aged 33] were married. She the daughter of William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 63] and Elizabeth Drury Countess Exeter [aged 51].
On 21st June 1633 [her husband] Thomas Bruce 1st Earl Elgin [aged 34] was created 1st Earl Elgin. Diana Cecil Countess of Oxford and Elgin [aged 37] by marriage Countess Elgin.
1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Diana Cecil Countess of Oxford and Elgin [aged 42].
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 6th July 1640 [her father] William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter [aged 74] died. His nephew David [aged 40] succeeded 3rd Earl Exeter, 4th Baron Burghley. Elizabeth Egerton Countess Exeter by marriage Countess Exeter.
Before March 1645 [her step-son] Robert Bruce 2nd Earl Elgin 1st Earl Ailesbury [aged 18] and [her niece] Diana Grey Countess Elgin and Ailesbury [aged 15] were married. She the daughter of [her brother-in-law] Henry Grey 1st Earl Stamford [aged 46] and [her sister] Anne Cecil Countess Stamford [aged 49]. He the son of [her husband] Thomas Bruce 1st Earl Elgin [aged 46] and Anne Chichester. They were fifth cousins.
On 26th February 1654 Diana Cecil Countess of Oxford and Elgin [aged 58] died. She was buried at the Ailesbury Mausoleum, St Mary's Church, Maulden [Map] which her husband Thomas Bruce 1st Earl Elgin [aged 55] commissioned.
On 21st December 1663 [her former husband] Thomas Bruce 1st Earl Elgin [aged 64] died. His son [her former step-son] Robert [aged 37] succeeded 2nd Earl Elgin, 2nd Baron Bruce of Whorlton in Yorkshire. [her niece] Diana Grey Countess Elgin and Ailesbury [aged 33] by marriage Countess Elgin.
Kings Wessex: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 13 Grand Daughter of King William I of Scotland
Kings France: Great x 10 Grand Daughter of King Philip IV of France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 21 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Kings Spain: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Cecil 
Great x 3 Grandfather: David Cecil
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Cecil
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Dicons
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Heckington
Great x 2 Grandmother: Jane Heckington
Grandfather: Thomas Cecil 1st Earl Exeter
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Cheke
Great x 2 Grandfather: Peter Cheke
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mary Cheke
father: William Cecil 2nd Earl Exeter 7 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Neville 
2 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Neville 2nd Baron Latimer of Snape 3 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Bourchier 
2 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Neville 3rd Baron Latimer 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Stafford 
10 x Great Grandson of King David I of Scotland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Stafford Baroness Latimer 11 x Great Granddaughter of King David I of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Fray
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Neville 4th Baron Latimer of Snape 5 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John de Vere 12th Earl of Oxford 
6 x Great Grandson of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: George de Vere 6 x Great Grandson of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Howard Countess of Oxford 
5 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Dorothy de Vere 7 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Stafford 9 x Great Grandson of King David I of Scotland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Stafford 8 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Chideocke 7 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Grandmother: Dorothy Neville Countess Exeter 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Beaufort 2nd or 3rd Duke of Somerset 
2 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Charles Somerset 1st Earl of Worcester 3 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Hill 15 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward "Elder" of the Anglo Saxons
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Somerset 2nd Earl of Worcester 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Herbert 2nd Earl Pembroke 1st Earl Huntingdon 
9 x Great Grandson of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Herbert 3rd Baroness Herbert Raglan 7 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Woodville Countess Pembroke and Huntingdon 
6 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Lucy Somerset Baroness Latimer Snape 5 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Browne 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Anthony Browne 6 x Great Grandson of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Fitzalan 
5 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Browne Countess of Worcester 4 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Neville 1st Marquess Montagu 2 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Lucy Neville 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Ingaldsthorpe 5 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England
Diana Cecil Countess of Oxford and Elgin 8 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Drury of Hawstead in Suffolk
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Drury
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Drury 8 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Calthorpe 
8 x Great Grandson of King William I of Scotland
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Calthorpe 7 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Stapleton 
6 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Drury 9 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Sothill of Stoke Faston
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Sothill
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Sothill
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Empson
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Empson
Grandfather: William Drury 10 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Rich 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Rich
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Rich 1st Baron Rich
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Dinley
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Dinley
Great x 1 Grandmother: Audrey Rich
Great x 4 Grandfather: Rowland Jenks
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Jenks
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Jenks Baroness Rich
mother: Elizabeth Drury Countess Exeter 7 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Stafford 9 x Great Grandson of King David I of Scotland
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Stafford 10 x Great Grandson of King David I of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Aylesbury 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Humphrey Stafford 11 x Great Grandson of King David I of Scotland
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Fray
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Fray
Great x 4 Grandmother: Agnes Danvers Baroness Wenlock 
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Stafford 12 x Great Grandson of King David I of Scotland
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Fogge
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Fogge
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Haute
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Haute
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Woodville
Grandmother: Elizabeth Stafford 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Stafford 2nd Duke of Buckingham 3 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Woodville Duchess Buckingham and Bedford 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Stafford 1st Baron Stafford 5 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Percy 4th Earl of Northumberland 3 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Percy Duchess Buckingham 4 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Herbert Countess Northumberland 9 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Dorothy Stafford 5 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Geoffrey Pole 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Pole 8 x Great Grandson of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Edith St John 
7 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Ursula Pole 4 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George York 1st Duke of Clarence 
2 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret York aka Pole Countess of Salisbury 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Neville Duchess Clarence 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England