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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Paternal Family Tree: Drake
Around 1540 Francis Drake was born to [his father] Edmund Drake of Crowdale (age 22).
On 26th December 1566 [his father] Edmund Drake of Crowdale (age 48) died.
Before 25th July 1575 Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex (age 33) ordered Francis Drake (age 35) and John Norreys (age 28) to confront Scottish refugees on Rathlin Island. On 25th July 1575 the garrison surrendered.
In 1581 Unknown Painter. Portrait of Francis Drake (age 41).
On 12th April 1587 an English fleet commanded by Francis Drake (age 47) left Plymouth, Devon [Map].
On 29th April 1587 the English fleet commanded by Francis Drake (age 47) entered the Bay of Cádiz Spain in the evening to discover sixty Spanish and twenty French ships. The Spanish ships, under the command of Pedro de Acuña, sailed out to meet the English fleet but were forced to retire back to Cadiz before the superiority of the English. Gun positions on the shore opened fire, shelling the English fleet from the coast with little effect. During the night of the 29th and all the following day and night the battle raged in the bay. At dawn on 1 May, the English withdrew having destroyed around thirty-two Spanish ships, with a combined capacity of 10,000 tons, and captured four other ships, laden with provisions.
On 8th June 1587 the English fleet commanded by Francis Drake (age 47) sighted a Portuguese carrack, the São Filipe, twenty leagues from the Island of São Miguel, returning from the Indies laden with treasure. After a brief exchange of fire it was captured, the first ship to be so on the return run from the Indies. Its enormous fortune of gold, spices, and silk was valued at £108,000 (of which 10% was to go to Francis Drake); the fleet returned to England, arriving on 06 July 1587. The expedition led by Francis Drake was a resounding military success: over one hundred Spanish vessels of different tonnages were destroyed or captured during the expedition. Economic and material losses caused to the Spanish fleet by the English attack ensured that Spanish plans for the invasion of England had to be postponed for over a year. It was not until August 1588 that the Armada was ready to leave for the British Isles.
Around March 1588 Francis Drake (age 48) moved his flag from Elizabeth Bonaventure to The Revenge.
In 1591 Nicholas Hilliard (age 44) painted a portrait of Francis Drake (age 51).
On 28th January 1596 Francis Drake (age 56) died.
In 1602 Richard Drake (age 67) was granted the residue of the moneys still owing to her from Sir Francis Drake's voyage of 1585-86.
John Evelyn's Diary. 19th August 1671. To Council. The letters of Sir Thomas Modiford (age 51) were read, giving relation of the exploit at Panama, which was very brave; they took, burned, and pillaged the town of vast treasures, but the best of the booty had been shipped off, and lay at anchor in the South Sea, so that, after our men had ranged the country sixty miles about, they went back to Nombre de Dios, and embarked for Jamaica. Such an action had not been done since the famous Drake.
GrandFather: John Drake of Exmouth and Ashe
Father: Edmund Drake of Crowdale