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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Original Chronicle of Scotland by Andrew of Wyntoun is in Late Medieval Books.
[24th February 1303] That thare wes thretty full thowsand [30,000],
That come in Scotland wyth Confrere ,
The Kyng off Inglandis Tresorere ;
And bot ten thowsand Scottis men ,
That gaddryd war agayne thame then .
In othir Cornykyllis twa I fand,
That thai ware twenty full thowsand,
That come in Scotland off Inglis men ;
And noucht attoure aucht thowsand then
Off Scottis men togyddyr syne
Agayne thame gaddryd at Roslyne.
Swa trybyll thai war, or dowbill then
Be the lest sowmyd , off Inglis men
Agayne the Scottis gadryde thare ,
Quhen all the nowmyre sowmyd ware .
Swa agayne a Scottis man
Twa Inglis be the lest war than.
And lang or the Sowne yhed down
The Scottis men thare wan the Crown.
Armowris , that war gud and fyne
Off Inglis men , that thai tuk syne ,
Wyth all laysere , and othir pelff
Thai departyd amang thame-selff.
And till thare awne syne alsa fast
Ilkane hame wyth tothir past .
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The Scottis men, that in the park than lay,
Wyst rycht noucht off that gadryng,
Made thame gret myrth and solasyng.
Willame off Dowglas, that than was
Ordanyd in forray for to pas,
And swa he dyd in the mornyng
Wyth the mast part off thare gadryng,
And towart that place he held the way
All strawcht, qwhare that his fais lay.
And thai, that bowne war well arly,
Wyth thaire battaillis suddanly
At the Ferry off the Hill thai mete.
The forryowris thare hard war sete;
For thai war off na fors to fycht,
In to gret hy thai tuk the flycht.
Than thai rudly on thame rade,
And swilk martyry on thame made,
That thare, and by at Swndyr-sand,
Fywe hundyr deyd wyth dynt off hand.
Dowglas ethchapyd fra the chas.
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Thare ost than all affrayid was:
Bot noucht for-thi the worthy men
Thare folk stowtly arayid then,
And delt thame in till eschelis thre:
The Kyng hym-selff in ane wald be;
And to the Erle syne off Murraie
And to Dowglas ane othir he gave;
The Stwart hade the thryd eschele,
That wes the mast be mekill dele.
Qwhill thai thame redyand swa were,
The Inglis archerys come so nere,
That wyn to thame welle nere mycht thai.
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[17th October 1346] Than gud Schyre Jhone the Grame can say
To the Kyng, "Gettis me, but ma,
Ane hundyre on hors wyth me to ga,
And all yhone archerys skayle sall 1:
Swa sall we fecht mare sykkerly."
Thus spak he, bot he mycht get nane.
His hors in hy than has he tane,
And hym allane amang thame rade,
And rwdly rowme about hym made.
Qwhen he a qwhille had prekyd thare,
And sum off thame had gert sow sare,
He to the battaylis rade agayne.
[Sa fell it, thai his hors hes] slayne.
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[17th October 1346] The Erle off Murrawe and his menyhé
Than nere wes that assemblé:
At hey dykis assemblid thai,
And that brak gretly thaire aray;
Tharfor thai war swne dyscumfyte.
Thai, that held hale, sped thame full tyte
To the Kyng, that assemblid was
In till a full anoyus plas,
Than nane, but hurt, mycht lyfft his hand,
Qwhen thai thaire fayis mycht noucht wythstand.
To the Stwartis rowt than went thai,
That was assemblyd nere that way.
Thare had thai rowme to stand in fycht;
Thare mycht thai welle assay thare mycht.
Than bathe the fyrst rowtis rycht thare
At that assemblé Wencust war.
Thare wes hard fechtyng; as man sayis,
Swilk wes nevyre sene befor thai dayis:
Swa hard fechtyng than wes thare,
That qwhen the flearis twa myle and mare
'War fled, the banaris war standand,
And thai ware face to face fychtand,
As mony sayd; bot noucht for-thi
Thai war syne wencust wtarly.
Mony fled, and noucht agayne
Repayrid, and thaire war mony slayne.
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Jhon off Cowpland thare tuk the Kyng
Off fors, noucht yholdyne in that takyng;
The Kyng twa teth owt off his hevyd
Wyth a dynt off a knyff hym revyd.
In that fycht slayne war Erlis twa,
Murrawe and Stratherne war tha:
And foure war takyn in presowne
Off Fyffe the fyrst, and syne Wyctown,
Menteth syne, and Swthyrland;
Thir foure Erlis war tane in hand.
Fyvwe hundyr slayne ware, as sayd thai,
Bot thai, that deyd in [the] forray:
Swa thai all, that slayne war thare,
Nowmryde till a thowsand ware.
Thar Schyr Willame off Dowglas
Takyne in that fychtyng was:
Thare takyn was the Kyng Dawy.
Than wes the bataylle off Kersy:
Thare wes mony Inglis men;
The Scottis trowyde for-thi then,
That few [war] lefft in till Ingland
Behynd thame for to kepe [the] land.
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