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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Maternal Family Tree: Margaret Vaux 1465
In 1512 [her father] John Hardwick [aged 17] and [her mother] Elizabeth Leeke [aged 15] were married at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire [Map].
In 1524 [her future husband] William Cavendish [aged 19] and Margaret Bostock [aged 16] were married.
Around 1527 Bess of Hardwick was born to [her father] John Hardwick [aged 32] and [her mother] Elizabeth Leeke [aged 30].
On 29th January 1528 [her father] John Hardwick [aged 33] died.
On 28th April 1539 [her future husband] George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 11] and Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of Thomas Manners 1st Earl of Rutland [aged 47] and Eleanor Paston Countess Rutland [aged 44]. He the son of Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 39] and Mary Dacre. They were fourth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
In 1542 [her future husband] William Cavendish [aged 37] and Elizabeth Parker were married. They had three children, none of which survived to adulthood.
In 1543 Robert Barlow aka Barley [aged 14] and Bess of Hardwick [aged 16] were married.
On 24th December 1544 [her husband] Robert Barlow aka Barley [aged 15] died.
On 20th August 1547 William Cavendish [aged 42] and Bess of Hardwick [aged 20] were married. The difference in their ages was 22 years.
On 18th June 1548 [her daughter] Frances Cavendish was born to [her husband] William Cavendish [aged 43] and Bess of Hardwick [aged 21]. She married before 1584 her sixth cousin Henry Pierrepont and had issue.
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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Before 1549 [her future husband] William St Lo [aged 30] and Jane Bayntun [aged 25] were married.
In 1549 the Leche family sold Chatsworth House, Derbyshire [Map] to [her husband] William Cavendish [aged 44]. His wife Bess of Hardwick [aged 22] had persuraded him to sell his ancestral lands around Cavendish, Suffolk [Map] and buy land around her ancestral lands.
On 10th June 1549 [her daughter] Temperance Cavendish was born to [her husband] William Cavendish [aged 44] and Bess of Hardwick [aged 22]. She died a year later.
Before 1550 [her step-father] Ralph Leche of Chatsworth [aged 55] and [her mother] Elizabeth Leeke [aged 52] were married.
In 1550 [her daughter] Temperance Cavendish died.
On 17th December 1550 [her son] Henry Cavendish was born to [her husband] William Cavendish [aged 45] and Bess of Hardwick [aged 23]. He married 9th February 1568 his sixth cousin Grace Talbot, daughter of George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury and Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford.
On 27th December 1552 [her son] William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire was born to [her husband] William Cavendish [aged 47] and Bess of Hardwick [aged 25]. He married (1) 21st March 1580 Anne Keighley and had issue (2) after 1603 Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire and had issue.
In 1553 [her husband] William Cavendish [aged 48] and Bess of Hardwick [aged 26] commissioned the building of a new house [Chatsworth House, Derbyshire [Map]]. She selected a site near the river, which was drained by digging a series of reservoirs, which doubled as fish ponds.
On 28th November 1553 [her son] Charles Cavendish was born to [her husband] William Cavendish [aged 48] and Bess of Hardwick [aged 26]. He married before 6th December 1592 Catherine Ogle 8th Baroness Ogle, daughter of Cuthbert Ogle 7th Baron Ogle and Catherine Carnaby Baroness Ogle, and had issue.
On 31st March 1555 [her daughter] Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Lennox was born to [her husband] William Cavendish [aged 50] and Bess of Hardwick [aged 28] at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire [Map]. She married 1574 Charles Stewart 5th Earl Lennox, son of Matthew Stewart 4th Earl Lennox and Margaret Douglas Countess Lennox, and had issue.
Around 1556 [her mother] Elizabeth Leeke [aged 59] died.
In January 1556 [her daughter] Mary Cavendish Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford and Lucrece Cavendish were born to William Cavendish [aged 51] and Bess of Hardwick [aged 29].
On 25th October 1557 [her husband] William Cavendish [aged 52] died.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Around 27th August 1559 William St Lo [aged 41] and Bess of Hardwick [aged 32] were married. They were half third cousin twice removed.
On 25th September 1560 Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 60] died. His son [her future husband] George [aged 32] succeeded 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, 6th Earl Waterford, 11th Baron Furnivall, 15th Baron Strange Blackmere, 12th Baron Talbot. Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 35] by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford.
Around March 1561 Bess of Hardwick [aged 34] was poisoned. Both William St Lo [aged 43] and his mother Margaret Kingston believed William's younger brother Edward St Lo [aged 42] to be guility. Edward St Lo feared he would lose his inheritance if William and Bess had a child. William St Lo, probably as a consequence of his brother's actions, 'did of very good will toward [his wife] convey [his lands] unto her'. Edward had previously been suspected of poisoning his first wife's husband John Scutt and, following their marriage, his wife Bridget Malte.
In January 1565 [her husband] William St Lo [aged 47] died suddenly in the company of his brother [her brother-in-law] Edward St Lo [aged 46]. He was buried in St Helen's Church, Bishopsgate. Given that he had been suspected of poisoning William's wife Bess of Hardwick [aged 38] five years before it is possible Edward had poisoned William. Edward St Lo contested his brother's will unsuccessfully.
Around 1567 Bess of Hardwick [aged 40] was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 33].
On 6th February 1568 Gilbert Talbot 7th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 15] and Mary Cavendish Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 12] were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 41]. He the son of George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 40] and Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford. They were sixth cousins.
Three days later on Gilbert and Mary would become step-siblings when their father and mother respectively George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury and Bess of Hardwick were married. She by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford. It is likely the latter marriage a condition of the former. He the son of Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury and Mary Dacre. They were fifth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
On 9th February 1568 Henry Cavendish [aged 17] and Grace Talbot [aged 18] were married. The marriage, unhappy, produced no issue. She being the daughter of his step-father George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 40]. She the daughter of George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury and Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford. He the son of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 41]. They were sixth cousins.
On 26th January 1569 Mary Queen of Scots [aged 26] was moved to the custody of [her husband] George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 41] and his wife Bess of Hardwick [aged 42] at Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire [Map].
On 17th March 1570 William Herbert 1st Earl Pembroke [aged 69] died at Hampton Court Palace, Richmond [Map]. His son Henry [aged 32] succeeded 2nd Earl Pembroke. [her step-daughter] Catherine Talbot Countess Pembroke [aged 20] by marriage Countess Pembroke.
In 1574 [her son-in-law] Charles Stewart 5th Earl Lennox [aged 16] and Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Lennox [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Countess Lennox. She the daughter of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 47]. He the son of Matthew Stewart 4th Earl Lennox and Margaret Douglas Countess Lennox [aged 58].
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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On 12th May 1576 [her step-daughter] Catherine Talbot Countess Pembroke [aged 26] died.
Around 21st March 1580 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 27] and Anne Keighley [aged 17] were married. He the son of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 53].
On 21st January 1582 [her daughter] Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Lennox [aged 26] died.
In 1583 [her step-son] Edward Talbot 8th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 21] and Joane Ogle Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 17] were married. She by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford. He the son of [her husband] George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 55] and Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford. They were fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward IV of England.
Before 1584 [her son-in-law] Henry Pierrepont [aged 37] and Frances Cavendish [aged 35] were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 56]. They were sixth cousins.
Before 18th November 1590 [her step-son] Francis Talbot [aged 39] died.
On 18th November 1590 [her husband] George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 62] died. He was buried at Sheffield Cathedral [Map]. His son [her son-in-law] Gilbert [aged 37] succeeded 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, 7th Earl Waterford, 12th Baron Furnivall, 16th Baron Strange Blackmere, 13th Baron Talbot. [her daughter] Mary Cavendish Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 34] by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford.
1592. Rowland Lockey [aged 27]. Portrait of Bess of Hardwick [aged 65].
Before 6th December 1592 Charles Cavendish [aged 39] and Catherine Ogle 8th Baroness Ogle [aged 22] were married. He the son of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 65].
After 1603 William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 50] and Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire [aged 35] were married. He the son of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 76].
On 13th February 1608 Bess of Hardwick [aged 81] died. She was buried in All Saints Church, Derby [Map]. Her monument, which she had constructed before her death, was designed by Robert Smythson [aged 38]. She left nothing in her will for her 'bad son' Henry Cavendish [aged 57]. He did, however, inherit Chatsworth House, Derbyshire [Map] which he subsequently sold in 1609 to his brother William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 55] for £10,000.
The date of her funeral somewhat complicated. Rawsons 1910 book "Bess of Hardwick and her Circle" quotes Simpson's National Records of Derby for 1608: "The old Countess of Shrewsbury died about Candlemas this year, whose funeral was about Holy Thursday. A great frost this year. The witches of Bakewell hanged." Holy Thursday, the Feast of the Ascension, is thirty-nine days after Easter. Easter in 1608 was on the 6th of April, putting Holy Thursday on the 15th of May.
Ethel Carleton Williams "Bess of Hardwick", 1959, has a note: "9. The date of Bess of Hardwick's funeral is uncertain. The date on the coffin plate is said to be February 1608 (Cox and Hope, Chronicles of the Collegiate Church of All Saints, Derby), but on 31 March 1608 Gilbert Talbot wrote to Robert Cecil, excusing himself for not attending St George's Feast on the ground that his mother-in-law's funeral was to be on St George's Day (23 April). Later, on 3rd of April, the Earl of Arundel wrote to Gilbert (his father-in-law), 'the funeral at Derby is appointed to be either on the fourth or fifth of May, which Garter yet knoweth not, but rather thinketh on the fourth because the other is a holy day'".
Neither of which provide a definite answer. The former being around the 15th of May, the latter 'rather thinketh' the 4th of May. Are there any other contemporary sources available?
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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On 19th March 1616 [her son-in-law] Henry Pierrepont [aged 70] died. Church of St Edmund, Holme Pierrepoint [Map]. Designed by John Smythson. Probably carved by Hugh Hall who also carved the monument to Thomas Smith originally at Wybynbury but since moved to Nantwich [Map]. Elizabethan Period. Armorials:
Top left 
Cavendish Arms - he was married to Frances Cavendish [aged 67] daughter of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick.
Top right 
Pierrepoint Arms.
Centre Bottom: Quartered 1&4 Pierrepoint Arms 2&3 Unknown Arms impaled Quartered 1&4 Cavendish Arms 2&3 Unknown Arms.
Frances Cavendish: On 18th June 1548 she was born to William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick. Before 1584 Henry Pierrepont and she were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford. They were sixth cousins. In January 1632 Frances Cavendish died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 17 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 13 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 22 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
GrandFather: John Harwick
Father: John Hardwick 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Pinchbeck
GrandMother: Elizabeth Pinchbeck 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Green 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Green
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Green 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Talbot 7th Baron Strange Blackmere 4th Baron Talbot 
2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Talbot 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ankaret Strange 7th Baroness Strange Blackmere, Baroness Talbot 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne Greene 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary aka Marina Bellers
Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Leeke
Great x 3 Grandfather: Simon Leeke
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Leeke of Gotham
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Leeke of Lakeford
GrandFather: Thomas Leeke of Hasland 7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Chaworth 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Chaworth
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margery Pole 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Chaworth 5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Clifford 3rd Baron Clifford 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Clifford 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Berkeley Baroness Clifford Baroness Musgrave 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Catherine Chaworth 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Mother: Elizabeth Leeke 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Vaux 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Vaux
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Vaux
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Vaux of Harrowden
GrandMother: Margaret Vaux