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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In 1690 Colonel William Cosby was born.
On 24th August 1705 Colonel William Cosby (age 15) was promoted to Cornet of the 5th Dragoon Guards.
In 1710 Colonel William Cosby (age 20) joined the army in Spain.
In 1711 Colonel William Cosby (age 21) and Grace Montagu (age 21) were married. They had five children.
After 1711 [his brother-in-law] George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax (age 27) and Mary Lumley Countess Halifax (age 20) were married. She the daughter of Richard Lumley 1st Earl Scarborough (age 61) and Frances Jones Countess Scarborough (age 43). They were fifth cousin once removed.
On 15th April 1711 Colonel William Cosby (age 21) was promoted to Captain of the 2nd Dragoon Guards, Harvey's Regiment of Horse.
In 1715 [his brother-in-law] George Montagu 1st Earl Halifax (age 31) was created 1st Earl Halifax. Mary Lumley Countess Halifax (age 24) by marriage Countess Halifax.
On 19th May 1715 Charles Montagu 1st Earl Halifax (age 54) died. Earl Halifax extinct. His nephew [his brother-in-law] George (age 31) succeeded 2nd Baron Halifax.
On 24th December 1717 Colonel William Cosby (age 27) was promoted to Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Ireland. The next year, this regiment was transferred to Menorca, in the Balearic Islands. Cosby acted as governor of Menorca from 1718.
In 1721 [his daughter] Elizabeth Cosby was born to Colonel William Cosby (age 31). She married March 1734 Augustus Fitzroy, son of Charles Fitzroy 2nd Duke Grafton and Henrietta Somerset Duchess Grafton, and had issue.
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 13th January 1732 Colonel William Cosby (age 42) was appointed "Captain General & Governor in Chief of the Provinces of New York, New Jersey and Territories depending thereon in America".
On 2nd January 1734 Colonel William Cosby (age 44) was granted 22,000 acres on the Mohawk River, in what is now Herkimer County, New York. The land was named Cosby's Manor in 1736, and sold in 1772 to Philip Schuyler and four other proprietors.
In March 1734 [his son-in-law] Augustus Fitzroy (age 17) and [his daughter] Elizabeth Cosby (age 13) were married. He the son of Charles Fitzroy 2nd Duke Grafton (age 50) and Henrietta Somerset Duchess Grafton.
On 29th September 1735 Colonel William Cosby (age 45) was promoted to Vice-Admiral.
On 30th November 1735 Colonel William Cosby (age 45) was promoted to Brigadier-General.
On 10th March 1736 Colonel William Cosby (age 46) died of tuberculosis between 1 and 2 pm, in the Governor's House at Fort George, New York, today's Battery Park, New York City. He was initially buried in a vault at Fort George's chapel. But in 1788, his remains were moved to an unmarked grave at St Paul Church's Cemetery, New York, together with the remains of the Earl of Bellomont, who served as New York governor between 1698 and 1701.
On 25th December 1767 [his former wife] Grace Montagu (age 77) died.