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: Cavendish
Maternal Family Tree: Elizabeth Bettershorne 1353-1427
Before 6th December 1592 [his father] Charles Cavendish [aged 39] and [his mother] Catherine Ogle 8th Baroness Ogle [aged 22] were married. He the son of [his grandfather] William Cavendish and [his grandmother] Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 65].
On 6th December 1592 William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne was born to [his father] Charles Cavendish [aged 39] and [his mother] Catherine Ogle 8th Baroness Ogle [aged 22] at Handsworth Manor. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward IV of England.
On 20th November 1597 [his grandfather] Cuthbert Ogle 7th Baron Ogle [aged 57] died at Cockle Park, Northumberland [Map]. Baron Ogle abeyant between his two daughters [his aunt] Joane Ogle Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 31] and [his mother] Catherine Ogle 8th Baroness Ogle [aged 27].
On 9th December 1601 William Bassett [aged 50] died at Blore Hall, Staffordshire. He was buried in St Bartholomew's Church, Blore [Map]. His two year old daughter Elizabeth Bassett [aged 9] inherited his wealth; she married, firstly, Henry Howard [aged 9] and, secondly, William Cavendish [aged 9], subsequently Earl of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and after her death, Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
The Bassett Tomb at St Bartholomew's Church, Blore [Map]. William Bassett (centre), his wife Judith Corbet (his left), Henry Howard (his right) and kneeling Catharine aka Elizabeth Howard and Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne. Sculpted by Jasper Hollemans. Elizabethan Period.
Henry Howard: In 1592 he was born to Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk and Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk in Henley In Arden, Warwickshire. Before 1616 Henry Howard and Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne were married. He the son of Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk and Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk. Around 1616 Henry Howard died 'at his country house' [Blore Hall, Staffordshire?] at breakfast 'suddenly at the table without speaking one word'. He was buried at St Bartholomew's Church, Blore [Map].
In 1610 William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 17] was appointed Knight of the Bath.
Before 1616 Henry Howard [aged 23] and [his future wife] Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 23] were married. He the son of Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 54] and Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk [aged 51].
On 4th April 1617 [his father] Charles Cavendish [aged 63] died.
In 1618 William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 25] and Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 26] were married.
In 1622 [his daughter] Jane Cavendish was born to William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 29] and [his wife] Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 30]. She married before 14th July 1657 Charles Cheyne 1st Viscount Newhaven and had issue.
Around 1626 [his son] Charles Cavendish was born to William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 33] and [his wife] Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 34].
Around 4th January 1626 [his aunt] Joane Ogle Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 60] died. Her sister [his mother] Catherine [aged 56] abeyance terminated 8th Baroness Ogle.
In 1627 [his daughter] Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Bridgewater was born to William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 34] and [his wife] Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 35]. She married 1641 her fourth cousin John Egerton 2nd Earl Bridgewater, son of John Egerton 1st Earl Bridgewater and Frances Stanley Countess Bridgewater, and had issue.
On 7th March 1628 William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 35] was created 1st Earl Newcastle upon Tyne. [his wife] Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 36] by marriage Countess Newcastle upon Tyne.
On 18th April 1629 [his mother] Catherine Ogle 8th Baroness Ogle [aged 59] died at Bothal, Northumberland [Map]. Her son William [aged 36] succeeded 9th Baron Ogle.
On 24th June 1630 [his son] Henry Cavendish 2nd Duke Newcastle upon Tyne was born to William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 37] and [his wife] Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 38] at Handsworth Manor. He married 1652 his second cousin once removed Frances Pierrepont Duchess Newcastle upon Tyne and had issue.
In 1639 William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 46] was appointed Privy Council.
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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In 1641 [his son-in-law] John Egerton 2nd Earl Bridgewater [aged 17] and Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Bridgewater [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 48] and Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 49]. He the son of John Egerton 1st Earl Bridgewater [aged 62] and Frances Stanley Countess Bridgewater. They were fourth cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward IV of England.
Around February 1643, John Hotham [aged 33] was ready to switch to the Royalist side. He considered himself a better commander than Thomas Fairfax 3rd Lord Fairfax [aged 31] and resented being under his command. In February or March 1643, Hotham started negotiating with the William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 50], the Royalist commander in Yorkshire at Bridlington, supposedly about a prisoner exchange. In exchange for surrendering Hull and changing sides, Hotham demanded 20,000 pounds cash, the rank of viscount for his father and the rank of baron for himself.
On 17th April 1643 [his wife] Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 51] died at Bolsover, Derbyshire [Map].
On 31st July 1643 Francis Willoughby 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham surrendered Gainsborough [Map] to William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 50] after a three day siege.
In 1645 William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 52] and Margaret Lucas Duchess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 22] were married. The difference in their ages was 30 years. They were fourth cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward IV of England.
In 1645 Charles Lucas [aged 32] commanded the forces attacking Nottingham, and soon afterwards, on the recommendation of Prince Rupert [aged 25], he was made lieutenant-general of the Duke of Newcastle's [aged 52] Northern army.
In 1650 William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 57] was appointed 450th Knight of the Garter by King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 19].
In 1652 Henry Cavendish 2nd Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 21] and Frances Pierrepont Duchess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 21] were married. He the son of William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 59] and Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne. They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward IV of England.
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th August 1654. We passed next through Sherwood Forest, accounted the most extensive in England. Then, Paplewick, an incomparable vista with the pretty castle near it. Thence, we saw Newstead Abbey [Map], belonging to the Lord Byron [aged 48], situated much like Fontainebleau in France, capable of being made a noble seat, accommodated as it is with brave woods and streams; it has yet remaining the front of a glorious abbey church. Next, by Mansfield town; then Welbeck [Map], the house of the Marquis of Newcastle [aged 61], seated in a bottom in a park, and environed with woods, a noble yet melancholy seat. The palace is a handsome and stately building. Next to Worksop Abbey [Map], almost demolished; the church has a double flat tower entire, and a pretty gate. The manor belongs to the Earl of Arundel [aged 27], and has to it a fair house at the foot of a hill in a park that affords a delicate prospect. Tickel, a town and castle, has a very noble prospect. All these in Nottinghamshire.
On 24th November 1654 [his son-in-law] Oliver St John 2nd Earl Bolingbroke [aged 21] and Frances Cavendish Countess Bolingbroke were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 61] and Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne.
Before 14th July 1657 [his son-in-law] Charles Cheyne 1st Viscount Newhaven [aged 31] and Jane Cavendish [aged 35] were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 64] and Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne.
In June 1659 [his son] Charles Cavendish [aged 33] died.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 26th October 1661. So at the office all the morning, and in the afternoon Sir W. Pen [aged 40], my wife and I to the Theatre [Map], and there saw "The Country Captain", the first time it hath been acted this twenty-five years, a play of my Lord Newcastle's [aged 68], but so silly a play as in all my life I never saw, and the first that ever I was weary of in my life.
On 14th June 1663 Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Bridgewater [aged 36] died. She is commemorated on the Great Monument at St Peter and St Paul Church, Little Gaddesden on which is the inscription: "To the sacred memory of the late transcendently vertuous Lady, now glorious Saint, the Right Honourable Elizabeth Countesse of Bridgewater. She was second daughter to the Right Honourable William Marquesse of Newcastte, &c. and wife to the Right Honourable John Earle of Bridgewater, &c. and whose family she hath enriched with a hopeful issue, six sonnes, viz. John Viscount Brackley her eldest, Sir William Egerton second sonne, both Knights of the honourable Order of the Bath, Mr. Thomas Egerton her third, Mr. Charles Egerton her fourth, Mr. Henry Egerton her fifth, Mr. Steward Egerton her sixth sonne, and three daughters, viz. Mrs. Frances Egerton her eldest, the Lady Elizabeth Egerton her second, and the Lady Katherine Egerton her third daughter; of all which children, three, viz. Mr. Henry Egerton her fifth sonne, Mrs. Frances Egerton, her eldest, and the Lady Katherine Egerton her third daughter, lye here interred, dying in their infancy; the rest are still the living pictures of their deceased mother, and the only remaining comforts of their disconsolate father. She was a Lady in whom all the accomplishments both of body and mind did concurre to make her the glory of the present, and example of future ages. Her beauty was so unparallelled, that it is as much beyond the art of the most elegant pen, as it surpassed the skill of several of the most exquisite pencills (that attempted it) to describe, and not to disparage it. She had a winning and attractive behaviour, a charming discourse, a most obliging conversation: she was so courteous and affable to all persons, that she gained their love; yet, not so familiar to expose herselfe to contempt: she was of a noble and generous soule), yet, of so meeke and humble a disposition, that never any woman, of her quality, was greater in the world's opinion, and lesse in her owne: the rich at her table daily tasted her hospitality; the poore at her gate her charity: her devotion was most exemplary, if not inimitable; witnesse (besides several other occasional! meditations and prayers, full of all the holy transports and raptures of a sanctifyed soule), her divine meditations upon every partictular chapter in the Bible, written with her owne hand, and never (till since her death), seene by any eye but her owne, and her then dear but now sorrowful husband, to the admiration both, of her eminent piety in composing and of her modesty in concealing them. She was a most affectionate and observant wife to her husband, a most tender and indulgent mother to her children, a most kind and bountifull mistresse to her family. In a word, she was so superlatively good, that language is too narrow to expresse her deserved character: 11er death was as religious as her life was vertuous. On the 14th day of June, in the yeare of our Lord 1663; of her own age the 37th, she exchanged her earthly coronet for an heavenly crowne. Prov. xxxi; 28, 29. Her children rise up and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all."
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In 1665 William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 72] was created 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne by King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 34]. [his wife] Margaret Lucas Duchess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 42] by marriage Duchess Newcastle upon Tyne.
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.
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John Reresby's Diary 05 Aug 1665. 5th August 1665. The Duchess [aged 28] in her return lay at Welbeck [Map], the old Duke of Newcastle [aged 72] being alive, where she was splendidly entertained, the Duke of York [aged 31] having directed that the same respect should be paid her wherever she passed as if he were present. The Duke of Buckingham [aged 37] and my [his son] Lord Ogle [aged 35] had a quarrel there.
John Evelyn's Diary. 18th April 1667. I went to make court to the Duke [aged 74] and [his wife] Duchess [aged 44] of Newcastle, at their house in Clerkenwell, being newly come out of the north. They received me with great kindness, and I was much pleased with the extraordinary fanciful habit, garb, and discourse of the Duchess.
John Evelyn's Diary. 25th April 1667. Visited again the Duke of Newcastle [aged 74], with whom I had been acquainted long before in France, where the Duchess [aged 44] had obligation to my wife's [aged 32] mother for her marriage there; she was sister to Lord Lucas [aged 60], and maid of honor then to the Queen-Mother [aged 57]; married in our chapel at Paris. My wife being with me, the Duke and Duchess both would needs bring her to the very Court.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 10th May 1667. Then to my Lord Treasurer's [aged 60], but missed Sir Ph. Warwicke [aged 57], and so back again, and drove hard towards Clerkenwell1, thinking to have overtaken my Lady Newcastle [aged 44], whom I saw before us in her coach, with 100 boys and girls running looking upon her but I could not: and so she got home before I could come up to her. But I will get a time to see her. So to the office and did more business, and then home and sang with pleasure with my wife, and to supper and so to bed.
Note 1. At Newcastle House, Clerkenwell Close, the duke [aged 74] and duchess lived in great state. The house was divided, and let in tenements in the eighteenth century.
John Evelyn's Diary. 11th May 1667. To London; dined with the Duke of Newcastle [aged 74], and sat discoursing with her [his wife] Grace [aged 44] in her bedchamber after dinner, till my Lord Marquis of Dorchester [aged 61], with other company came in, when I went away.
In 1669 [his daughter] Jane Cavendish [aged 47] died.
On 25th December 1676 William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 84] died at Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire [Map]. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son Henry [aged 46] succeeded 2nd Duke Newcastle upon Tyne, 2nd Earl Newcastle upon Tyne, 10th Baron Ogle.Frances Pierrepont Duchess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 46] by marriage Duchess Newcastle upon Tyne.
On 15th December 1717 [his former wife] Margaret Lucas Duchess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 94] died.
[his daughter] Frances Cavendish Countess Bolingbroke was born to William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne and Elizabeth Bassett Countess Newcastle upon Tyne. She married 24th November 1654 Oliver St John 2nd Earl Bolingbroke.
Kings Wessex: Great x 17 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 Godwinson: Great x 18 Grand Son of King Harold II of England
Kings England: Great x 4 Grand Son of King Edward IV of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 23 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 17 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 21 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Cavendish 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Cavendish
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Clopton
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Cavendish
Great x 3 Grandmother: Joan Staventon
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Cavendish 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Scudamore
Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine Scudamore 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Owain ap Gruffudd "Glyndŵr" Mathrafal Prince Powys 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alys Mathrafal 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Hamner
GrandFather: William Cavendish 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Carrington Smith
Great x 1 Grandmother: Alice Smith
Father: Charles Cavendish 8 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Harwick
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Hardwick 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Pinchbeck
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Pinchbeck 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Green 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Greene 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary aka Marina Bellers
GrandMother: Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Leeke of Gotham
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Leeke of Lakeford
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Leeke of Hasland 7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Chaworth 
5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Chaworth 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Leeke 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Vaux 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Vaux of Harrowden
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Vaux
William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Owen Ogle 2nd Baron Ogle 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Ogle 3rd Baron Ogle 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Ogle 4th Baron Ogle 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Gascoigne 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Gascoigne Baroness Ogle 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Percy 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Ogle 5th Baron Ogle Great Grand Son of King Edward IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: George Lumley 2nd Baron Lumley 
8 x Great Grand Son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Lumley 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Thornton Baroness Lumley 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Anne Lumley Baroness Ogle Grand Daughter of King Edward IV of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Edward IV of England 
2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth York Daughter of King Edward IV of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Waite
GrandFather: Cuthbert Ogle 7th Baron Ogle 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward IV of England
Mother: Catherine Ogle 8th Baroness Ogle 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward IV of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Reginald Carnaby
GrandMother: Catherine Carnaby Baroness Ogle 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Forster III
Great x 1 Grandmother: Dorothy Forster 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Owen Ogle 2nd Baron Ogle 5 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Ogle 3rd Baron Ogle 6 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Dorothy Ogle 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Gascoigne 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Gascoigne Baroness Ogle 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Percy 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England