The content of the Chronicle includes a list of the abbots of St Mary’s Abbey, and a transcript of their deeds. One of Thomas’ aims was to show how the Newhouse Premonstratensians were of superior sanctity, and to praise the wealthy founders. The sources of his information were: Lady Matilda de Salicosa Mara; canons from Calke Abbey; Humfrid/Humphrey, a tenant of the Gomme and a servant of the Augustinian Canons.  Humphrey must have survived into the 1240s or later; his information was probably not first hand. When Thomas compiled the Chronicle, Humphrey was dead but still remembered; William de Hagnaby, who was prior of St Mary’s Abbey when Thomas joined, and who supplied details of events relating to the Welbeck foundation; Bertram de Grendon; and the Abbey archives for such matters as legal details and boundaries.


The Chronicle also records the early days of religious observance in Depedale, as told by Matilda de Salicosa Mara. Her surname has been anglicised as Wilmore. Matilda was the granddaughter of Ralph FitzGeremund, the daughter of William FitzRalph, and the cousin of William de Grendon. She married first William de Tilly, who died before 1194, and then Geoffrey (Galfrid) de Salicosa Mara, in about 1193. Geoffrey was possibly Norman; he seems to have owned lands there which he sold to John de Wyburvile. He later gave these six bovates to the abbey. He also owned lands in Dorset and Lincolnshire and had sided with King John (in 1216 he had letters of safe conduct for three weeks). His career is recorded in the Derbyshire Archaeological Journal of 1926, page 61. Matilda actually came from Lincolnshire, while John Grauncorth was abbot.

Matilda’s and Geoffrey’s marriage was initially childless. The couple gave Depedale to the Premonstratensians to encourage God to give them children. The ploy was successful. They eventually had four children: John, who died in 1242 without issue, Roger, who gave two bovates of land in Stanton to the Abbey in the reign of Henry III and also died without issue, Johanna, who was co-heiress, married William de Poynton and made benefactions to the Abbey in her widowhood, and Avice, co-heiress, who married William de Benniworth and also made benefactions to the Abbey in her widowhood.

As we saw earlier, there is a little doubt as to quite how Stanley came to belong to the Salicosa Maras; however, own it they did, until they gave Stanley Park to the Premonstratensians. The couple were generous benefactors: Geoffrey gave the Abbey lands in Ockbrook, Sandiacre and Alvaston and the moiety of a mill in Borrowash. When he died, Matilda gave the abbey the rest of her Alvaston lands; this must have been before 1229, when Matilda made an agreement to come to live at Dale Abbey. Geoffrey was also a benefactor of Tupholm.