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 Giles' in the Fields Church is in Great Queen Street, St Giles' in the Fields, Churches in Camden.
Chronicle of Gregory. 10th January 1414. And they hadde ordaynyde to have hadde the fylde be-syde Syn Gylys. But, thonkyd be God Almighty, owre kyng [aged 27] hadde warnyng thereof, and he come unto London and toke the felde be syde Syn Jonys in Clerkynwelle [Map]; and as they come the kyng toke them, and many othyr. And there was a knyght take that was namy[d] Syr Roger of Acton, and he was drawe and hanggyd be syde Syn Gyly [Map], for the King let to be made iiij payre of galowys, the whiche that were i-callyd the Lollers galowys. Al so a preste that hyght Syr John Bevyrlay, and a squyer that hyght John Browne of Oldecastellys, they were hanggyd; and many moo were hanggyd and brent, to the nomber of xxxviij personys and moo.
On 1st June 1583 George Carew [aged 85] died. He was buried at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
On 14th December 1626 Thomas Richardson [aged 57] and Elizabeth Beaumont [aged 49] were married at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. There was no issue from the marriage.
On 20th November 1637 Henry Noel [aged 22] and Susanna Howland [aged 16] were married at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
On 4th December 1637 John Borlase 1st Baronet [aged 18] and Alice Bankes Lady Borlase were married at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. His brother William Borlase [aged 17] married her sister Joanna Bankes.
Before 13th November 1639 Peregrine Bertie [aged 55] died. He 13th November 1639 Peregrine Bertie was buried at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
On 28th April 1642 Francis Newport 1st Earl Bradford [aged 22] and Diana Russell Countess Bradford were married at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. She the daughter of Francis Russell 4th Earl Bedford and Catherine Brydges Countess Bedford [aged 62].
On 13th February 1646 Christopher Wray [deceased] was buried at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
On 1st May 1651 Edmund Alleyn 2nd Baronet [aged 19] and Frances Gent Lady Allen [aged 15] were married at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. She brought an estate of about £600 a year to the marriage. Arabella, their only daughter, who was heir to her brother Edmund Alleyn 3rd Baronet, eventually inherited their large estates. She married firstly, Francis Thompson; secondly, the Honorable George Howard. Under her will, dat. 20 June 1746, these estates passed in 1751 (after the death of Arthur Dobbs to whom she had conveyed them for life) to her cousin Sir Edmund Aleyn, the 8th Bart.
On 9th June 1655 Gilbert Holles 3rd Earl de Clare [aged 22] and Grace Pierrepont Countess de Clare [aged 22] were married at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. He the son of John Holles 2nd Earl de Clare [aged 59] and Elizabeth Vere Countess Clare.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 27th June 1655 Robert Montagu 3rd Earl Manchester [aged 21] and Anne Yelverton Countess Manchester [aged 25] were married at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. He the son of Edward Montagu 2nd Earl Manchester [aged 53] and Anne Rich Viscountess Mandeville.
On 23rd March 1658 Henry Wright 1st Baronet [aged 21] and Ann Crew Lady Wright were married at the St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15th May 1660. After that the judge, I and my boy by coach to Scheveling again, where we went into a house of entertainment and drank there, the wind being very high, and we saw two boats overset and the gallants forced to be pulled on shore by the heels, while their trunks, portmanteaus, hats, and feathers, were swimming in the sea. Among others I saw the ministers that come along with the Commissioners (Mr. Case1 among the rest) sadly dipped.
Note 1. Thomas Case, born 1598, was a famous preacher and a zealous advocate for the Solemn League and Covenant, a member of the assembly of divines, and rector of St. Giles's-in-the-Fields [Map]. He was one of the deputation to Charles II at Breda [Map], and appointed a royal chaplain. He was ejected by the Act of Uniformity, but remained in London after his ejection. Died May 30th, 1682.
On or before 1st July 1662 Henry Wright 2nd Baronet was born to Henry Wright 1st Baronet [aged 25] and Ann Crew Lady Wright. He was baptised on 1st July 1662 at the St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
On 28th September 1663 Edward Pickering [aged 45] and Dorothy Weld [aged 30] were married at the St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
On 2nd June 1664 Stephen Anderson 1st Baronet [aged 20] and Mary Glynne Lady Anderson [aged 15] were married at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 10th July 1664. Thence with my Lady Jemimah and Mr. Sidney to St. Gyles's Church [Map], and there heard a long, poore sermon.
On 22nd August 1667 Bishop Alexander Hyde [aged 75] died at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 3rd October 1667. He gone, I thence to my Lady Peterborough [aged 45], who sent for me; and with her an hour talking about her husband's pension, and how she hath got an order for its being paid again; though, I believe, for all that order, it will hardly be; but of that I said nothing; but her design is to get it paid again: and how to raise money upon it, to clear it from the engagement which lies upon it to some citizens, who lent her husband money, without her knowledge, upon it, to vast loss. She intends to force them to take their money again, and release her husband [aged 45] of those hard terms. The woman is a very wise woman, and is very plain in telling me how her plate and jewels are at pawne for money, and how they are forced to live beyond their estate, and do get nothing by his being a courtier. The lady I pity, and her family. Having done with her, and drunk two glasses of her meade, which she did give me, and so to the Treasurer's Office, and there find my Lord Bruncker [aged 47] and Sir W. Pen [aged 46] at dinner with Sir G. Carteret [aged 57] about his accounts, where I dined and talked and settled some business, and then home, and there took out my wife and Willet, thinking to have gone to a play, but both houses were begun, and so we to the 'Change [Map], and thence to my tailor's, and there, the coachman desiring to go home to change his horses, we went with him into a nasty end of all St. Giles's [Map], and there went into a nasty room, a chamber of his, where he hath a wife and child, and there staid, it growing dark too, and I angry thereat, till he shifted his horses, and then home apace, and there I to business late, and so home, to supper, and walk in the garden with my wife and girle, with whom we are mightily pleased, and after talking and supping, to bed.
On 22nd January 1669 Alice Leigh 1st Duchess Dudley [aged 91] died in the parish St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. She was buried at Church of the Virgin Mary, Stoneleigh [Map]. Duke Dudley extinct since it was created for life only.
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
In 1671 Toby Tyrrell 3rd and 2nd Baronet [aged 53] died in St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. His son Thomas [aged 37] succeeded 4th Baronet Tyrrell of Thornton in Buckinghamshire, 3rd Baronet Tyrrell of Thornton in Buckinghamshire.
On 19th February 1672 Bethel Wray 5th Baronet [aged 49] died. He was buried at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. His half first cousin once removed Christopher [aged 20] succeeded 6th Baronet Wray of Glentworth in Lincolnshire.
Before 31st August 1679 Christopher Wray 2nd and 6th Baronet [aged 27] died. Christopher Wray 2nd and 6th Baronet was buried at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. His brother William [aged 26] succeeded 3rd Baronet Wray of Ashby in Lincolnshire, 7th Baronet Wray of Glentworth in Lincolnshire.
On or before 9th February 1684 George Browne died. He was buried on 9th February 1684 at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 8th September 1686. Dr. Compton, Bishop of London [aged 54], was on Monday suspended, on pretense of not silencing Dr. Sharp [aged 41] [NOTE. Assumed to be the subsequent Archbishop?] at St. Giles's [Map], for something of a sermon in which he zealously reproved the doctrine of the Roman Catholics. The Bishop having consulted the civilians, they told him he could not by any law proceed against Dr. Sharp without producing witnesses, and impleaded according to form; but it was overruled by my Lord Chancellor [aged 41], and the Bishop sentenced without so much as being heard to any purpose. This was thought a very extraordinary way of proceeding, and was universally resented, and so much the rather for that two Bishops, Durham [aged 53] and Rochester [aged 51], sitting in the commission and giving their suffrages the Archbishop of Canterbury [aged 69] refused to sit among them. He was only suspended ab officio, and that was soon after taken off. He was brother to the Earl of Northampton, had once been a soldier, had traveled in Italy, but became a sober, grave, and excellent prelate.
On or before 7th July 1688, the date he was baptised at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map], Lieutenant-General John Cope was born to Henry Cope [aged 43].
On or before 23rd December 1688 Anthony Browne 2nd Baronet died. He was buried on 23rd December 1688 at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. His brother John succeeded 3rd Baronet Browne of Caversham.
On 20th March 1691 Rear-Admiral John Chicheley [aged 51] died. He was buried at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 5th October 1694. I went to St. Paul's [Map] to see the choir, now finished as to the stone work, and the scaffold struck both without and within, in that part. Some exceptions might perhaps be taken as to the placing columns on pilasters at the east tribunal. As to the rest it is a piece of architecture without reproach. The pulling out the forms, like drawers, from under the stalls, is ingenious. I went also to see the building beginning near St. Giles's [Map], where seven streets make a star from a Doric pillar placed in the middle of a circular area; said to be built by Mr. Neale, introducer of the late lotteries, in imitation of those at Venice [Map], now set up here, for himself twice, and now one for the State.
On 30th March 1695 Francis Howard 5th Baron Howard [aged 51] died at Lingfield, Surrey. He was buried at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. His son Thomas [aged 13] succeeded 6th Baron Howard of Effingham.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On or before 14th January 1696, the date her burial at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map] was recorded, Frances Gage Lady Tresham died.
On 9th May 1698 John Rogers 2nd Baronet [aged 21] and Mary Henley Lady Rogers were married at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map]. His father gave him the Blachford Estate at Cornwood, near Ivybridge.
On 20th February 1703 Thomas Cave 3rd Baronet [aged 21] and Margaret Verney Lady Cave were married at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
On 1st August 1712 George Brudenell aka Montagu 1st Duke Montagu was baptised at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
On 13th February 1718 George Brydges Rodney 1st Baron Rodney was baptised at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
In 1818 Margaret Lanchester [aged 34] died. She was buried at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].
On 11th February 1822 Arthur William Devis [aged 59] died of apoplexy at Caroline Street Bedford Square Camden. He was buried at St Giles' in the Fields Church [Map].