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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River Ure is in River Ouse.
The River Ure rises at Ure Head, North Yorkshire [Map] after which it over Aysgarth Falls [Map], past Middleham Castle [Map], Jervaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire [Map], St Nicholas Church, West Tanfield, North Yorkshire [Map], east of Ripon, North Yorkshire [Map], under the bridge at Boroughbridge [Map] after which it is joined by the River Swale to form the River Ouse.
1145. Jervaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire [Map] was the constructed after the monks moved to a location next to the River Ure from the less attractive location around ten miles away at of Fors upstream in the Ure Valley. Jervaulx is a version of "Ure Valley".
Around 1450. The Marmion Tower, West Tanfield [Map] is a 15th Century Gatehouse that was formerly the entrance to Tanfield Castle, the defended riverside house of Robert Marmion 3rd Baron Marmion.
Robert Marmion 3rd Baron Marmion: In 1153 he was born to Robert Marmion 2nd Baron Marmion. Before October 1181 Robert Marmion 3rd Baron Marmion succeeded 3rd Baron Marmion of Tamworth in Staffordshire. Before 15th May 1218 Robert Marmion 3rd Baron Marmion was killed in a fight with the forces of Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln at Scrivelsby. His son Robert succeeded 4th Baron Marmion of Tamworth in Staffordshire.
View from the Tower with the bridge over the River Ure top left.
Middleham Castle [Map]. A Norman keep surrounded by a curtain wall around half a mile from the River Ure.
The River Skell rises around 3km north Pateley Bridge [Map] after which it travels broadly east past Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire [Map], through Studley Royal Park, North Yorkshire [Map] and just south of Ripon, North Yorkshire [Map] before joining the River Ure 1.2 km east of Ripon, North Yorkshire [Map].