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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield is in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Churches in Hertfordshire.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Effigies of unknown knights.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
On 8th October 1582 Mary Whetenall died. She was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Her husband Fulke Onslow [aged 68] was after buried in the same grave.
Mary Whetenall: he was born to George Whetenall of Hextal's Place, Kent. Before 11th January 1564 Fulke Onslow and Mary Whetenall.
Fulke Onslow: In 1514 he was born.
On 2nd October 1598 John Brocket [aged 58] died. He was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. His daughter Mary Brocket and her husband Thomas Reade [aged 23] inherited Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire [Map].
Mary Brocket: she was born to John Brocket and Helen Lytton. In March 1598 Thomas Reade and she were married.
On 8th August 1602 Fulke Onslow [aged 88] died. He was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. After 24th May 1612. Monument to Robert Cecil 1st Earl Salisbury [deceased].
The insignia of the Order of the Garter being the shoulder emblem, the small St George pendant hanging from his chain, and the leg garter.
The four ladies at each corner.
His feet resting on a sheaf of arrows.
. St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Monument to Agnes Hussey and her daughter Elizabeth Moore.
Elizabeth Moore: In 1544 she was born to Roger Moore of Burcester, Oxfordshire and Agnes Hussey. On 3rd May 1562 Gabriel Fowler and she were married at St Peter le Poer Church, Broad Street. In or before 1583 John Brocket and she were married. On 24th June 1612 she died.
On 19th April 1628 Audrey Rombold [aged 70] died. She was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
Audrey Rombold: Around 1558 she was born. Around 1575 Henry Goodere of Hatfield and she were married. They were married for fifty-three years having seven sons and seven daughters.
On 12th June 1629 Henry Goodere of Hatfield [aged 77] died. He was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
Henry Goodere of Hatfield: Around 1552 he was born.
In August 1654 Lucy Stamp died in childbirth. She was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
Lucy Stamp: Around 1654 she was born to Timothy Stamp. Before August 1654 Reverend Thomas Fuller and she were married.
On 5th March 1655 James Reade 2nd Baronet was born to John Reade 1st Baronet [aged 39] and Susanna Style Lady Reade. He was baptised on 10th March 1655 at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. He married 26th January 1690 Love Dring Lady Reade and had issue.
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 11th August 1667. Lord's Day. Up by four o'clock, and ready with Mrs. Turner [aged 44] to take coach before five; which we did, and set on our journey, and got to the Wells at Barnett [Map] by seven o'clock, and there found many people a-drinking; but the morning is a very cold morning, so as we were very cold all the way in the coach. Here we met Joseph Batelier, and I talked with him, and here was W. Hewer [aged 25] also, and his uncle Steventon: so, after drinking three glasses and the women nothing, we back by coach to Barnett, where to the Red Lyon, where we 'light, and went up into the great Room, and there drank, and eat some of the best cheese-cakes that ever I eat in my life, and so took coach again, and W. Hewer on horseback with us, and so to Hatfield, to the inn, next my Lord Salisbury's house [Map], and there rested ourselves, and drank, and bespoke dinner; and so to church [Map], it being just church-time, and there we find my Lord and my Lady Sands and several fine ladies of the family, and a great many handsome faces and genteel persons more in the church, and did hear a most excellent good sermon, which pleased me mightily, and very devout; it being upon, the signs of saving grace, where it is in a man, and one sign, which held him all this day, was, that where that grace was, there is also the grace of prayer, which he did handle very finely. In this church [Map] lies the former Lord of Salisbury, Cecil, buried in a noble tomb.
In January 1685 Reverend Thomas Fuller [aged 33] was appointed Rector of St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map] which office he held for twenty seven years and four months.
On 9th October 1690 Francis Boteler [aged 80] died. He was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
Francis Boteler: Around 1610 he was born to Ralph Boteler. Before 1644 Francis Boteler and Anne Cockayne were married.
On 13th January 1694 Francis Boteler [aged 18] died. He was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
Francis Boteler: Around 1676 he was born to Francis Shal of Digsworth, Hertfordshire and Julia Boteler. His father's surname incomplete as seen on the gravestone.
On 3rd February 1694 John Reade 1st Baronet [aged 78] died. He was buried on 6th February 1694 in the Brocket Chapel at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. His son James [aged 38] succeeded 2nd Baronet Reade of Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire. Love Dring Lady Reade [aged 39] by marriage Lady Reade of Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire.
On 16th October 1701 James Reade 2nd Baronet [aged 46] died of a fever. He was buried on 21st October 1701 in the Brocket Chapel at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]; see monument here [Map]. His son John [aged 10] succeeded 3rd Baronet Reade of Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire.
On1st June 1710 Admiral David Mitchell [aged 60] died. He was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
On 22nd February 1712 John Reade 3rd Baronet [aged 21] died of smallpox unmarried at Rome in exile having become a Jacobite. He was buried on 11th June 1712 in the Brocket Chapel at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]; see monument here [Map]. Baronet Reade of Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire extinct.
On 21st May 1712 Reverend Thomas Fuller [aged 60] died. He was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
Reverend Thomas Fuller: Around 1652 he was born. In January 1685 he was appointed Rector of St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map] which office he held for twenty seven years and four months.
On 30th September 1722 Mary Dode [aged 62] died. She was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
Mary Dode: Around 1660 she was born to Robert Dode of Clorley, Shropshire. In 1698 Admiral David Mitchell and she were married.
1760. St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Monument sculpted by John Michael Rysbrack [aged 65] to James Reade 2nd Baronet and Love Dring Lady Reade and their son James Reade 2nd Baronet all of whom were buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
Love Dring Lady Reade: Around 1655 she was born to Robert Dring of Isleworth, Middlesex. On 26th January 1690 James Reade 2nd Baronet and she were married. She brought a dowry of £10,000. They had one son and five daughters. On 3rd February 1694 John Reade 1st Baronet died. He was buried on 6th February 1694 in the Brocket Chapel at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. His son James succeeded 2nd Baronet Reade of Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire. She by marriage Lady Reade of Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire. On 9th November 1731 she died. She was buried on 18th November 1731 in the Brocket Chapel at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]; see monument here [Map].
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Memorial to members of the Heaviside family.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 8th November 1787 John Eliot 1st Baronet [aged 51] died at Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire [Map], the seat of his friend Penistone Lamb 1st Viscount Melbourne [aged 42]. He was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Baronet Eliot of Pebbles extinct.
On 4th October 1798 Frances Mordaunt [aged 61] died. She was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
Frances Mordaunt: On 29th December 1736 she was born to Charles Mordaunt 4th Earl Peterborough 2nd Earl Monmouth and Mary Cox Countess Peterborough and Monmouth. On 10th October 1765 Reverend Samuel Bulkeley and she were married at St George's Church, Hanover Square. She the daughter of Charles Mordaunt 4th Earl Peterborough 2nd Earl Monmouth and Mary Cox Countess Peterborough and Monmouth.
On 9th June 1805 Admiral Mark Milbanke [aged 81] died. Memorial at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
Admiral Mark Milbanke: On 12th April 1724 he was born to Ralph Milbanke 4th Baronet and Anne Delaval Lady Milbanke.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Memorial to the last remaining members of the Hare family which family had been in the parish for almost 200 years.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Memorial to members of the Searance family.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Grave of Ellen Allan, 1858-1927. Friend and nurse of the Cecil family for thirty-six years.
In 1888 Bishop Rupert Gascoyne-Cecil [aged 24] was appointed Rector of St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map] by his father Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess Salisbury [aged 57] which office he held for twenty-ight years.
On 3rd July 1888 William Chetwynd-Talbot [aged 74] died. He is buried at St Mary the Virgin Church, Ingestre [Map]. Memorial at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map] where he was Rector for thirty-three years.
William Chetwynd-Talbot: On 17th January 1814 he was born to Charles Chetwynd-Talbot 2nd Earl Talbot and Frances Thomasina Lambart Countess Talbot. Before 3rd July 1888 William Chetwynd-Talbot and Eleanora Julia were married. He the son of Charles Chetwynd-Talbot 2nd Earl Talbot and Frances Thomasina Lambart Countess Talbot.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Window by Morris & Co. to the memory of Elinor Margaret Thomas, 1834-1893, daughter of William Lloyd Thoma, 1790-1855 , wife of Charles Drage, 1824-1922. And memorial to William Lloyd Thomas and Charles Drage, and Charles and Elinor's son Lovell, 1858-1919, and his son Lovell, 1921-1944.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Reredos.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Memorial to those who fell in the South African War 1899-1902.
On 22nd August 1903 Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess Salisbury [aged 73] died. Monument at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map] by William Goscombe John [aged 43]. His son James [aged 41] succeeded 4th Marquess Salisbury in Wiltshire, 10th Earl Salisbury. Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury [aged 36] by marriage Marchioness Salisbury in Wiltshire. Note the St George Pendant signifying his being a Knight of the Garter.
Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury: On 15th July 1867 she was born to Arthur Saunders Gore 5th Earl Arran and Edith Jocelyn. On 17th May 1887 James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess Salisbury and she were married. She the daughter of Arthur Saunders Gore 5th Earl Arran and Edith Jocelyn. He the son of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess Salisbury and Georgina Alderson Marchioness of Salisbury. On 5th February 1955 Cicely Anne Gore Marchioness Salisbury died.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Memorial to Walter Whitby.
World War I Memorial at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. "Nearly 1000 men left the Parish to go to War, 180 did not return".
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Memorial to the members of Dagmar House School who gave their lives in the Great War.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Memorial to Lieutenant-Colonel J S Collings-Wells VC and the Officers, Non-commissioned Officers and Men of the 4th Battaloin Bedfordshire Regiment (Harts Militia).
In 1920 James, 4th Marquis of Salisbury [aged 58] presented a stained glass window to St Etheldred's Church [Map], in memory of his three nephews, the dedication reads "To the glory of god and in memory of Rupert Edward Gascoyne Cecil born Jan 20th 1895 killed in action July 11th 1915 and of Randle William Gascoyne Cecil born Novr 28th 1889 killed in action Dec 1st 1917 and of John Arthur Gascoyne Cecil born March 28th 1893 killed in action August 27th 1918 I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come".
Lieutenant Rupert Edward Gascoyne-Cecil: On 20th January 1895 he was born to Bishop Rupert Gascoyne-Cecil and Florence Bootle Wibraham.
Randle William Gascoyne-Cecil: On 28th November 1889 he was born to Bishop Rupert Gascoyne-Cecil and Florence Bootle Wibraham. On 31st May 1913 Randle William Gascoyne-Cecil left Liverpool on the SS Mauretania, arriving in the USA on 16th June, with his declared occupation a journalist and final destination of Vancouver. He was subsequently recorded as arriving in Quebec on the 24th Jun 1914, which was only 8 days after he had been married - He married, Dorothy May Janaway, daughter of Edward Janaway, on 16 June 1914. On 1st December 1917 Randle William Gascoyne-Cecil was killed in action. The Herts. Advertiser of 15th December 1917, reported: "Captain R. W. Cecil. Bishop's son killed in action. Much sympathy will be felt for Lord Wm. Cecil, Bishop of Exeter, and Lady Florence Cecil, in the sorrow that has befallen them in the death in action of their eldest son, Captain Randle William Cecil. The letter from an army chaplain conveying the sad information reads: 'On Nov. 30th and Dec. 1st there was very heavy fighting in a village recently captured from the Germans when your son's trench mortars were put out of action. He very gallantly went to the assistance of the infantry who were hard pressed, and was given the command of a company. On the Saturday the village was shelled with extreme violence and a shell practically hit your son (his men report) killing him instantly.'"
Captain John Arthur Gascoyne-Cecil: On 28th March 1893 he was born to Bishop Rupert Gascoyne-Cecil and Florence Bootle Wibraham. On 27th August 1918 Captain John Arthur Gascoyne-Cecil was killed in action.
Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Memorial to Sophy, died 25th July 1926, wife of Charles Balance, Surgeon to the British Army during the Great War.
On 26th September 1936 Captain Arthur William James Gascoyne-Cecil [aged 61] died. He was buried at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
Captain Arthur William James Gascoyne-Cecil: On 4th April 1875 he was born to Arthur Gascoyne-Cecil. On 1st December 1906 Captain Arthur William James Gascoyne-Cecil and Beatrice Susan Theodosia Stuart-Wortley were married. They were sixth cousins.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Memorial to Lucy Hannah Williams.
St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map]. Memorial to Clark Todd, Television Reporter, 1944-1983. Killed in the Lebanon.
Rectors of St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield [Map].
