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: Brereton
Maternal Family Tree: Elizabeth Freville 1398-1468
Before 13th September 1604 [his uncle] William Brereton (age 20) and [his mother] Margaret Holland (age 19) were married.
On 13th September 1604 William Brereton 1st Baronet was born to [his uncle] William Brereton (age 20) and [his mother] Margaret Holland (age 19) at Handforth Hall, Cheshire [Map].
In 1609 [his mother] Margaret Holland (age 24) died.
In 1610 [his uncle] William Brereton (age 26) died. William Brereton 1st Baronet (age 5) inherited Handforth Hall, Cheshire [Map] and over 3000 acres.
In 1623 William Brereton 1st Baronet (age 18) and Susan Booth Lady Brereton (age 23) were married.
On 10th March 1627 William Brereton 1st Baronet (age 22) was created 1st Baronet Brereton of Hanford in Cheshire. [his wife] Susan Booth Lady Brereton (age 27) by marriage Lady Brereton of Hanford in Cheshire. [his future wife] Cicely Skeffington Lady Brereton (age 12) by marriage Lady Brereton of Hanford in Cheshire.
In 1632 [his son] Thomas Brereton 2nd Baronet was born to William Brereton 1st Baronet (age 27) and [his wife] Susan Booth Lady Brereton (age 32).
In 1635 [his daughter] Frances Brereton was born to William Brereton 1st Baronet (age 30) and [his wife] Susan Booth Lady Brereton (age 35). She married before 1659 Edward Ward 7th Baron Dudley 2nd Baron Ward, son of Humble Ward 1st Baron Ward of Birmingham Baron Dudley and Frances Sutton 6th Baroness Dudley, and had issue.
After May 1637 William Brereton 1st Baronet (age 32) and Cicely Skeffington Lady Brereton (age 22) were married.
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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On 31st May 1637 [his wife] Susan Booth Lady Brereton (age 37) died.
Around 1640 [his daughter] Cicely Brereton Countess Meath was born to William Brereton 1st Baronet (age 35) and [his wife] Cicely Skeffington Lady Brereton (age 25). She married before 1677 Edward Brabazon 4th Earl Meath, son of Edward Brabazon 2nd Earl Meath and Mary Chambré Countess Meath.
On 10th August 1643 Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle (age 57) reached Nantwich, Cheshire [Map] where he was joined by William Brereton 1st Baronet (age 38). The proceeded on 4th September 1643 to Market Drayton, Shropshire, Wem, Shropshire on 11th September 1643, which they seized, garrisoned and made their Shropshire headquarters.
On 10th October 1649 [his wife] Cicely Skeffington Lady Brereton (age 34) died.
Before 1659 [his son-in-law] Edward Ward 7th Baron Dudley 2nd Baron Ward (age 27) and [his daughter] Frances Brereton (age 23) were married.
In 1661 William Brereton 1st Baronet (age 56) died. His son Thomas (age 29) succeeded 2nd Baronet Brereton of Hanford in Cheshire.
Kings Wessex: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 14 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 20 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 15 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 10 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 14 Grand Son of Louis VII King of the Franks
Kings France: Great x 17 Grand Son of Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 22 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Randle Brereton of Ipstones and Malpas
Great x 3 Grandfather: Randle Brereton of Malpas
Great x 2 Grandfather: Randle Brereton of Malpas
Great x 1 Grandfather: Urian Brereton 11 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Peter Dutton 
8 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Peter Dutton 9 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Dutton 10 x Great Grand Daughter of
GrandFather: William Brereton 12 x Great Grand Son of
Father: William Brereton 13 x Great Grand Son of
William Brereton 1st Baronet 10 x Great Grand Son of
GrandFather: Richard Holland 
Mother: Margaret Holland 9 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Langley
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Langley of Agecroft
GrandMother: Margaret Langley 8 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Trafford
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Trafford
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Ashton
Great x 2 Grandfather: Edmund Trafford 6 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Savage 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Savage 5 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Katherine Stanley 
4 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 1 Grandmother: Cecilia Trafford 7 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph Longford 8 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Longford 7 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Melton 6 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Longford 7 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Ferrers 
5 x Great Grand Son of
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mabel Ferrers 6 x Great Grand Daughter of
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Freville