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: Pierrepoint
On 25th November 1532 [his father] George Pierrepont (age 22) and Elizabeth Babington (age 22) were married. They were fourth cousin once removed.
On 20th November 1544 [his father] George Pierrepont (age 34) and [his mother] Winifred Thwaites (age 19) were married.
In 1546 Henry Pierrepont was born to [his father] George Pierrepont (age 35) and [his mother] Winifred Thwaites (age 21).
After 1564 [his step-father] Gervase Clifton (age 47) and [his mother] Winifred Thwaites (age 39) were married.
On 21st May 1564 [his father] George Pierrepont (age 53) died at Holme Pierrepoint, Nottinghamshire [Map].
In 1568 [his daughter] Elizabeth Pierrepont Countess Kellie was born to Henry Pierrepont (age 22) and [his future wife] Frances Cavendish (age 19). She married (1) in or before 1595 her half fifth cousin once removed Richard Stapleton and had issue (2) 1604 Thomas Erskine 1st Earl Kellie.
In 1572 Henry Pierrepont (age 26) was elected MP Nottinghamshire.
Around 1573 Henry Pierrepont (age 27) was appointed Justice of the Peace Nottinghamshire.
In 1575 [his daughter] Grace Pierrepont was born to Henry Pierrepont (age 29) and [his future wife] Frances Cavendish (age 26). She married before 10th June 1604 George Manners and had issue.
In 1575 Henry Pierrepont (age 29) was appointed High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.
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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Before 1584 Henry Pierrepont (age 37) and Frances Cavendish (age 35) were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 56). They were sixth cousins.
On 6th August 1584 [his son] Robert Pierrepont 1st Earl Kingston was born to Henry Pierrepont (age 38) and [his wife] Frances Cavendish (age 36). He married 8th January 1601 Gertrude Talbot Baroness Pierrepont Holme Pierrepoint and had issue.
On 18th November 1590 George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 62) died. He was buried at Sheffield Cathedral [Map]. His son Gilbert (age 37) succeeded 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, 7th Earl Waterford, 12th Baron Furnivall, 16th Baron Strange Blackmere, 13th Baron Talbot. [his sister-in-law] Mary Cavendish Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 34) by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford.
Before 10th December 1591 [his mother] Winifred Thwaites (age 66) died.
In or before 1595 [his son-in-law] Richard Stapleton and [his daughter] Elizabeth Pierrepont Countess Kellie (age 26) were married. They were half fifth cousin once removed.
On 8th January 1601 [his son] Robert Pierrepont 1st Earl Kingston (age 16) and [his daughter-in-law] Gertrude Talbot Baroness Pierrepont Holme Pierrepoint (age 20) were married at Overton Longueville.
In 1603 Henry Pierrepont (age 57) was appointed Recorder of Nottingham.
In 1603 [his brother-in-law] William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire (age 50) was appointed Justice of the Peace Derbyshire.
After 1603 [his brother-in-law] William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire (age 50) and Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire (age 35) were married. He the son of William Cavendish and [his mother-in-law] Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 76).
In April 1603 Henry Pierrepont (age 57) was knighted.
In 1604 [his son-in-law] Thomas Erskine 1st Earl Kellie (age 38) and [his daughter] Elizabeth Pierrepont Countess Kellie (age 36) were married. There is some uncertainty about whether this is the right Elizabeth Pierrepoint.
Before 10th June 1604 [his son-in-law] George Manners (age 32) and [his daughter] Grace Pierrepont (age 29) were married.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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In 1605 [his brother-in-law] William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire (age 52) was created 1st Baron Cavendish Hardwick. Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire (age 37) by marriage Baroness Cavendish Hardwick.
On 13th February 1608 [his mother-in-law] Bess of Hardwick (age 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 (age 38). She left nothing in her will for her 'bad son' [his brother-in-law] Henry Cavendish (age 57). He did, however, inherit Chatsworth House, Derbyshire [Map] which he subsequently sold in 1609 to his brother [his brother-in-law] William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire (age 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?
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On 19th March 1616 Henry Pierrepont (age 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 [his wife] Frances Cavendish (age 67) daughter of William Cavendish and [his mother-in-law] 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.
In January 1632 [his former wife] Frances Cavendish (age 83) died.
[his daughter] Elizabeth Pierrepont was born to Henry Pierrepont and Frances Cavendish.
Kings Wessex: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 12 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 18 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 13 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 10 Grand Son of King John of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 22 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 16 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 20 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund Pierrepont
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Pierrepont
Great x 2 Grandfather: Henry Pierrepont 8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Nicholas III Longford 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Ellen Longford 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Cockayne 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Francis Pierrepont 7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Ricardus Melton
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Melton
Great x 2 Grandmother: Thomasine Melton 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Clifford 5th Baron Clifford 
4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Clifford 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Beauchamp Baroness Clifford 
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
GrandFather: William Pierrepont 8 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Father: George Pierrepont 9 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Francis Empson
Great x 2 Grandfather: Peter Empson
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Empson
GrandMother: Joan Empson
Henry Pierrepont 10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
GrandFather: William Thwaites
Mother: Winifred Thwaites