Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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Paternal Family Tree: Osborne
Maternal Family Tree: Susanna Temple 1600-1669
On 26th June 1740 [his father] Thomas Osborne 4th Duke Leeds [aged 26] and [his mother] Mary Godolphin Duchess Leeds were married. She by marriage Duchess Leeds. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Francis Godolphin 2nd Earl Godolphin [aged 61] and [his grandmother] Henrietta Churchill 2nd Duchess of Marlborough. He the son of Peregrine Osborne 3rd Duke Leeds and Elizabeth Harley.
On 29th January 1751 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds was born to [his father] Thomas Osborne 4th Duke Leeds [aged 37] and [his mother] Mary Godolphin Duchess Leeds.
Around 1763 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 11] educated at Westminster School [Map].
In 1764 [his mother] Mary Godolphin Duchess Leeds died.
Around 1768 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 16] educated at Christ Church College, Oxford University.
Around 1769 Benjamin West [aged 30]. Portrait of Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 17].
On 29th November 1773 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 22] and Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers [aged 19] were married. She the daughter of Robert Darcy 4th Earl Holderness [aged 55]. He the son of Thomas Osborne 4th Duke Leeds [aged 60] and Mary Godolphin Duchess Leeds.
In 1774 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 22] was elected MP Helston.
In 1774 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 22] was elected MP Eye.
On 21st July 1775 [his son] George William Frederick Osborne 6th Duke Leeds was born to Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 24] and [his wife] Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers [aged 20]. He married 17th August 1797 his sixth cousin Charlotte Townshend Duchess Leeds, daughter of George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend and Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend, and had issue.
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.
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On 7th September 1776 [his daughter] Mary Henrietta Juliana Osborne Countess Chichester was born to Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 25] and [his wife] Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers [aged 21] at Grosvenor Square, Belgravia. She married 1801 Thomas Pelham 2nd Earl Chichester, son of Thomas Pelham 1st Earl Chichester and Anne Frankland Countess Chichester, and had issue.
In 1777 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 25] was appointed Captain of Deal Castle.
On 18th October 1777 [his son] Francis Osborne 1st Baron Godolphin was born to Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 26] and [his wife] Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers [aged 23]. He married 31st March 1800 Elizabeth Charlotte Eden Baroness Godolphin, daughter of William Eden 1st Baron Auckland and Eleanor Elliot, and had issue.
On 16th May 1778 [his father-in-law] Robert Darcy 4th Earl Holderness [aged 59] died. Earl Holderness, Baron Darcy of Meinhill extinct. His daughter [his wife] Amelia [aged 23] succeeded 12th Baroness Darcy of Knayth, 9th Baroness Conyers.
In 1779 John "Mad Jack" Byron [aged 22] and [his wife] Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of [his father-in-law] Robert Darcy 4th Earl Holderness. They were sixth cousins. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
In 1779 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 27] divorced [his wife] Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers [aged 24] since she had run off with John "Mad Jack" Byron [aged 22] the year before.
In 1780 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 28] was appointed Lord Lieutenant of East Riding Yorkshire.
On 27th January 1784 [his wife] Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers [aged 29] died. Her son George [aged 8] succeeded 13th Baron Darcy of Knayth, 10th Baron Conyers.
In 1788 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 36] and Catherine Anguish Duchess Leeds [aged 23] were married. He the son of Thomas Osborne 4th Duke Leeds [aged 74] and Mary Godolphin Duchess Leeds.
On 23rd March 1789 [his father] Thomas Osborne 4th Duke Leeds [aged 75] died at St James' Square. He was buried at the Osborne Family Chapel at All Hallows' Church Harthill [Map]. His son Francis [aged 38] succeeded 5th Duke Leeds, 5th Earl of Danby, 5th Viscount Osborne, 5th Viscount Latimer, 5th Baron Osborne of Kinderton, 6th Baronet Osborne of Kiveton. [his wife] Catherine Anguish Duchess Leeds [aged 25] by marriage Duchess Leeds.
In 1790 King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 51] created new Garter Knights as follows:
611th Duke Ernest of Saxe Coburg Altenburg [aged 44],
612th Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 38],
613th John Pitt 2nd Earl Chatham [aged 33].
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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Around 1795. Thomas Lawrence [aged 25]. Portrait of Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 43].
On 17th August 1797 George William Frederick Osborne 6th Duke Leeds [aged 22] and Charlotte Townshend Duchess Leeds [aged 21] were married. She by marriage Baroness Darcy of Knayth, Baroness Conyers. She the daughter of George Townshend 1st Marquess Townshend [aged 73] and Anne Montgomery Marchioness Townshend [aged 45]. He the son of Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 46] and Amelia Darcy 12th Baroness Darcy 9th Baroness Conyers. They were sixth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
On 31st January 1799 Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds [aged 48] died. His son George [aged 23] succeeded 6th Duke Leeds, 6th Earl of Danby, 6th Viscount Osborne, 6th Viscount Latimer, 6th Baron Osborne of Kinderton, 7th Baronet Osborne of Kiveton. Charlotte Townshend Duchess Leeds [aged 22] by marriage Duchess Leeds.
Around 1820. Thomas Lawrence [aged 50]. Portrait of Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds.
On 9th October 1837 [his former wife] Catherine Anguish Duchess Leeds [aged 73] died.
The Times. 24th December 1895. [his great grandson] The Duke of Leeds [deceased] died at Hornby Castle [Map], yesterday morning at 5 o'clock. He recently contracted a severe chill, which led to an attack of bronchitis. He took to his bed about a week ago and gradually sank. George Godolphin Osborne, ninth Duke of Leeds in the peerage of England, Marquis of Carmarthen, Earl of Danby, Viscount Latimer, and Baron Osbome of Kiveton, all in the peerage of England; Viscount Osbome and Viscount Dunblane in the peerage of Scotland; and Baron Godolphin of Paraham Royal, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, a baronet, and a Prince or the Holy Roman Empire, was born in Paris in 1828, the eldest son of the eighth duke. He married, in 1861, the Hon. Fanny Georgiana Pitt [aged 58], daughter of the fourth Baron Rivers, who was born in 1836 and was Lady of the Bedchamber to the Princess of Wales from 1863 to 1873. He was appointed captain in the North Yorks Militia in 1852, and resigued in 1859, but was reappoined in 1861. He succeeded to the family honours in 1872, and has issue living three sons and five daughters. The family descends from Sir Edward Osborne, knight, who was Vice-President of the Council of the North in 1629 and Lieutenant-General of the forces raised there against the Parliamentary Army in 1841. His son was Treasurer of the Navy and Lord High Chancellor, and as Earl of Danby was impeeched by the Commons in 1679. The fifth duke married Amelia, in her own right Baroness Conyers, but this title left the main line in 1859 on the death of the seventh duke. The late duke was nephew of the late Rev. Lord Sydney Godolphin Osborne, who wrote much over the familiar signature "S.G.O.," and brother of Lord Francis George Godolphin Osborne [aged 65], who was rector of Great Elm, but joined the Church of Rome in 1875. The Duke of Leeds is succeeded by his eldest surviving son [aged 33], the Marquis of Carmarthen, who was born in 1862, was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, and was formerly a lieutenant in the Yorkshire Hussars. Lord Carmarthen unsuccessfully contested the Newmarket Division of Cambridgeshire as a Conservative in 1886, and has sat since July, 1887, for the Brixton Division of Lambeth, in which constituency his sucoession to the peerage now creates a vacancy. Lord Carmarthen was an assistant Private Secretary to the Secretary for the Colonies (Lord Knutsford) from 1886 to 1888. He was appointed Treasurer of the Household on the formation of the present Ministry. He married, in 1884, Lady Katherine Frances Lambton [aged 33], daughter of the second Earl of Durham, and has issue four daughters.
Kings Wessex: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 18 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 24 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 19 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings Godwinson: Great x 21 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 20 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 27 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 22 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 25 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hewett Osborne 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Osborne 1st Baronet
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joyce Fleetwood 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Osborne 1st Duke Leeds 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Walmesley 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Walmesley Lady Osborne 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor Danvers 
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Peregrine Osborne 2nd Duke Leeds 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Bertie 1st Earl Lindsey 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Montagu Bertie 2nd Earl Lindsey 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Montagu Countess Lindsey 
10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Bridget Bertie Duchess Leeds 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Cockayne 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Martha Cockayne Countess Holderness
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Morris Countess Dover
GrandFather: Peregrine Osborne 3rd Duke Leeds 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Nicholas Hyde 1st Baronet 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Hyde 2nd Baronet
Great x 1 Grandmother: Bridget Hyde Duchess Leeds
Father: Thomas Osborne 4th Duke Leeds 12 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Harley
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Harley 10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Corbet 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edward Harley 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edward Conway 1st Viscount Conway 
7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Brilliana Conway 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Harley 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer 10 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
GrandMother: Elizabeth Harley 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Foley
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Foley
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Brindley
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Foley
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Foley Countess of Oxford and Mortimer
Francis Osborne 5th Duke Leeds 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Francis Godolphin 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Godolphin
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Killigrew 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Francis Godolphin
Great x 1 Grandfather: Sidney Godolphin 1st Earl Godolphin 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Berkeley 
10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Berkeley of Bruton 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Lygon 
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Dorothy Berkeley 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry Neville of Billingbear 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Neville 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Killigrew 11 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
GrandFather: Francis Godolphin 2nd Earl Godolphin 9 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Blagge
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Blagge
Great x 4 Grandfather: Henry North of Mildenhall, Suffolk
Great x 3 Grandfather: Roger North of Mildenhall
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Knevit
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary North
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Gilbert of Great Finborow, Suffolk
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Gilbert
Mother: Mary Godolphin Duchess Leeds 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Winston Churchill 
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Churchill 1st Duke of Marlborough 14 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Drake
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Drake
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Drake 13 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Boteler 1st Baron Boteler 11 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Helen Boteler 12 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Villiers Baroness Boteler Brantfield 
GrandMother: Henrietta Churchill 2nd Duchess of Marlborough 15 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Jennings
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Jennings
Great x 1 Grandmother: Sarah Jennings Duchess of Marlborough
Great x 3 Grandfather: Gifford Thornhurst 1st Baronet
Great x 2 Grandmother: Frances Thornhurst
Great x 4 Grandfather: Alexander Temple 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Susanna Temple