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.
On 19th June 1868 Christopher Addison 1st Viscount Addison was born.
On 25th March 1902 Christopher Addison 1st Viscount Addison [aged 33] and Isobel Gray were married.
On 8th December 1904 [his son] Christopher Addison 2nd Viscount Addison was born to Christopher Addison 1st Viscount Addison [aged 36] and [his wife] Isobel Gray. He married 10th September 1928 Brigit Williams Viscountess Addison.
On 12th April 1914 [his son] Michael Addison 3rd Viscount Addison was born to Christopher Addison 1st Viscount Addison [aged 45] and [his wife] Isobel Gray. He married 22nd August 1936 Kathleen Wand, daughter of Bishop John William Wand and Amy Agnes Wiggins, and had issue.
On 10th September 1928 [his son] Christopher Addison 2nd Viscount Addison [aged 23] and [his daughter-in-law] Brigit Williams Viscountess Addison were married.
On 22nd August 1934 [his wife] Isobel Gray died.
On 22nd August 1936 [his son] Michael Addison 3rd Viscount Addison [aged 22] and [his daughter-in-law] Kathleen Wand were married. She the daughter of Bishop John William Wand [aged 51] and Amy Agnes Wiggins [aged 53].
The London Gazette 34408. Whitehall, June 11, 1937.
The King has been pleased, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm, bearing date the 22nd ultimo, to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom upon the Right Honourable Christopher Addison [aged 68], and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style and title of Baron Addison, of Stallingborough in the County of Lincoln.
On 4th November 1937 Christopher Addison 1st Viscount Addison [aged 69] and Dorothy Low Viscountess Addison were married. She by marriage Baroness Addison of Stallingborough in Lincolnshire.
The London Gazette 37166. Whitehall, July 6, 1945.
The King has been pleased, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm, bearing date the 2nd instant, to confer the dignity of a Viscounty of .the United Kingdom upon the Right Honourable Christopher, Baron Addison [aged 77], and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style and title of Viscount Addison, of Stallingborough in the County of Lincoln. [[his wife] Dorothy Low Viscountess Addison by marriage Viscountess Addison of Stallingborough in Lincolnshire]
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1946 Christopher Addison 1st Viscount Addison [aged 77] was appointed 895th Knight of the Garter by King George VI of the United Kingdom [aged 50].
On 11th December 1951 Christopher Addison 1st Viscount Addison [aged 83] died. His son Christopher [aged 47] succeeded 2nd Viscount Addison of Stallingborough in Lincolnshire, 2nd Baron Addison of Stallingborough in Lincolnshire. Brigit Williams Viscountess Addison by marriage Viscountess Addison of Stallingborough in Lincolnshire.
On 3rd September 1982 [his former wife] Dorothy Low Viscountess Addison died.