Around 1551 Robert "The Elder" Peake was born.
On 30th April 1565 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 14] commenced his training under Laurence Woodham at the Sign of "The Key" Goldsmith's Row Cheapside.
On 20th May 1576 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 25] became a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
After 20th May 1576 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 25] was in the pay of the Master of the Revels.
In 1582 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 31]. Portrait of Anne Knollys Baroness De La Warr [aged 26].
Anne Knollys Baroness De La Warr: On 19th June 1555 she was born to Francis Knollys and Catherine Carey. On 19th November 1571 Thomas West 2nd Baron De La Warr and she were married. On 30th December 1595 William West 1st Baron De La Warr died. His son Thomas succeeded 2nd Baron De La Warr. She by marriage Baroness De La Warr. On 30th August 1608 Anne Knollys Baroness De La Warr died.
1586 to 1590. Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 35]. Portrait of Frances Walsingham Countess Essex [aged 19]. Frances was only firmly identified as the sitter in 2023 by Elise Effmann Clifford, a conservator at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The original inscription had at some point been replaced with a false one identifying the sitter as Mary Queen of Scots. Once old overpaint and modern varnish had been removed, Elise Effmann Clifford was able to analyse traces of the original lettering and under close examination discovered that the original text read, 'The Ladie Sidney daughter/to Secretarye Walsingham.'
Around 1590. Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 39]. Portrait of Elizabeth Oldenburg [aged 16].
Elizabeth Oldenburg: On 25th August 1573 she was born to Frederick II King of Denmark and Sophie Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Denmark. On 19th April 1590 Henry Julius Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and she were married. She the daughter of Frederick II King of Denmark and Sophie Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Denmark. On 19th June 1625 Elizabeth Oldenburg died.
In 1590 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 39]. Portrait of Katherine Carey Countess Nottingham [aged 40].
Around 1597 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 46]. Portrait of Peregrine Bertie 13th Baron Willoughby [aged 41].
In 1605 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 54]. Portrait of Arabella Stewart [aged 30].
In 1607 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 56] was appointed Sarjeant Painter to King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland [aged 40] sharing the office with John Critz [aged 56].
In 1608 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 57]. Portrait of Elizabeth D'Oyly née Knightley.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 14th October 1608 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 57] was paid £7 for "pictures made by His Highness' [aged 14] command".
On 14th July 1609 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 58] was paid £3 "for a picture of His Highness [aged 15] which was given in exchange for the King's picture".
In 1610 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 59]. Portrait of Princess Elizabeth Stewart Queen Bohemia [aged 13].
In 1611 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 60] and Paul Isackson painted the cabins, carvings, and armorials on the ship the Prince Royal.
In 1611 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 60]. Portrait of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 10] in his Garter Robes and Leg Garter.
On 10th July 1613 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 62] was paid £13.6s.8d. by the vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge, "in full satisfaction for Prince Charles [aged 12] his picture", for a full-length portrait which is still in the Cambridge University Library.
In 1615 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 64]. Portrait of Elizabeth Watson Lady Penyston [aged 15]. She is wearing a draped mantle-embroidered with seed pearls in a pattern of ostrich plumes-and a matching turban. The mantle knotted on one shoulder was worn in Jacobean court masques.
Elizabeth Watson Lady Penyston: In 1600 she was born to Thomas Watson. In 1615 William Pope and she were married. He the son of William Pope 1st Earl Downe and Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth. After 1622 Thomas Penyston 1st Baronet and she were married. She by marriage Lady Penyston of Leigh in Iden in Sussex. In 1624 she died.
In 1616 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 65]. Portrait of (possibly) Frances Cotton [aged 38].
Frances Cotton: In 1578 she was born to Thomas Cotton and Elizabeth Shirley. On 24th February 1612 Edward Montagu 1st Baron Montagu and she were married at Weekley, Northamptonshire. In May 1620 Frances Cotton died.
Before 1619 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 67]. Portrait of Henry Frederick Stewart Prince of Wales in his Garter Robes and Leg Garter.
Before 1619 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 67]. Portrait of Anne Vavasour [aged 58].
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Before 1619 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 67]. Portrait of William Pope 1st Earl Downe [aged 45].
In 1619 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 68]. Portrait of Vere Egerton [aged 23].
Vere Egerton: Around 1596 she was born to Thomas Egerton and Isabella Venables. In 1619 William Booth and she were married. On 5th April 1629 Vere Egerton died. She was buried at Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon [Map] on 4th May 1629.
On 10th October 1619 Robert "The Elder" Peake [aged 68] made his will.
After 10th October 1619 Robert "The Elder" Peake [deceased] died.
On 16th October 1619 the will of Robert "The Elder" Peake [deceased] was proved.