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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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Wroxeter, Shropshire
Dow Bridge
High Cross, Warwickshire
Watling Street
Watling Street 1b Canterbury to Rochester
Watling Street 1a Dover to Canterbury
Watling Street 1d Marble Arch to St Albans
Watling Street 1h Wall to Wroxeter
Watling Street 1e St Albans to Towcester
Watling Street 1f Towcester to High Cross
Watling Street 1g High Cross to Wall
Watling Street 10 Richborough to Canterbury
Watling Street is in Roman Roads.
Watling Street was a major Roman Road that travels from the Kent ports broadly north-west through London and St Albans, Hertfordshire [Map] to Viroconium Cornoviorum [Map]. Significant parts of Watling Street remain now being known as the A5.
Watling Street is number 1 in 'Roman Roads of Britain' by Ivan D Margary.
Dow Bridge [Map] is where Watling Street crossed the Warwickshire River Avon.
In the Roman Period High Cross, Warwickshire [Map] was known as Venonae. It was an important settlement being the crossing point of two major Roman Roads Watling Street and the Fosse Way.
Watling Street. From Durobrivae [Map] the road continues through Park Pale, Kent [Map], Vagniacis [Map], Dartford, Kent [Map], Noviomagus [Map], Bexley, Kent [Map], down Shooter's Hill, Greenwich [Map] past Eltham Common, Kent [Map] to Greenwich Park [Map] where the road either (or both):
1. went along the Old Kent Road [Map] and crossed the River Thames at either the London Bridge [Map] or a ford near Westminster Bridge [Map] after which it continued north past St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside [Map], Newgate Gate [Map], Ludgate Hill [Map] and over the River Fleet at Fleet Bridge [Map] to Marble Arch [Map].
2. continued north-west through Camberwell, Surrey [Map] crossing the River Thames near Vauxhall Bridge [Map] after which it continued north to Marble Arch [Map].
Watling Street 1b Canterbury to Rochester. From Durovernum [Map] the road continues in a north-east direction through Upper Harbledown, Kent [Map], Boughton Street, Kent [Map], Durolevo [Map], Key Street, Kent [Map], Gillingham, Kent [Map] to Durobrivae [Map] where it crosses the River Medway.
Watling Street 1a Dover to Canterbury. From the main Roman port of Portus Dubris [Map] to Durovernum [Map] via Kearnsey, Kent [Map], Lydden Hill, Kent [Map], Bridge, Kent [Map], and Renville, Kent [Map].
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Watling Street 1d Marble Arch to St Albans. From Marble Arch [Map] Watling Street continues north-west along the Edgeware Road, Maida Vale [Map], Cricklewood [Map], Sulloniacis [Map], Radlett, Hertfordshire [Map], Park Street, Hertfordshire [Map] to Verulamium, Hertfordshire [Map] aka St Albans.
Watling Street 1h Wall to Wroxeter. From Letocetum, Staffordshire [Map] aka Wall Watling Street travels through Muckley Corner, Staffordshire [Map], Brownhills West, Staffordshire [Map], Norton Canes, Staffordshire [Map], Four Crosses, Staffordshire [Map], Gailey, Staffordshire [Map], Pennocrucium, Staffordshire [Map], Weston-under-Lizard, Staffordshire [Map], Uxacona, Staffordshire [Map], Oakengates, Shropshire [Map], Ketley, Shropshire [Map], Overley Hill, Shropshire [Map] ending at Viroconium Cornoviorum [Map] aka Wroxeter.
Watling Street 1e St Albans to Towcester. From Verulamium, Hertfordshire [Map] aka St Albans Watling Street continues north-west through Redbourn, Hertfordshire [Map], Friars Wash, Hertfordshire [Map], Durocobrivis [Map], Hockcliffe, Bedfordshire [Map], Little Brick Hill, Buckinghamshire [Map], Kelly's Kitchen Roundabout [Map], Magiovinium [Map] aka Dropshort, Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire [Map] and Lactodorum [Map].
Watling Street 1f Towcester to High Cross. From Lactodorum [Map] Watling Street continues north-west through Weedon, Northamptonshire [Map], Bannaventa [Map], Watford Gap, Northamptonshire [Map], Dunsmore Hill [Map], Tripontium, Warwickshire [Map] to Venonae [Map].
Watling Street 1g High Cross to Wall. From Venonae [Map] Watling continues north-west through Manduessedum [Map], Atherstone, Warwickshire [Map], Quarry Hill Tamworth [Map], Fazeley, Staffordshire [Map], Bonehill, Staffordshire [Map], Weeford Interchange [Map] to Letocetum, Staffordshire [Map] aka Wall.
Watling Street 10 Richborough to Canterbury. Rutupiae [Map], Reculver, Kent [Map], Portus Lemanis [Map] to Durovernum [Map]. This route wasn't included in Margery's scheme for Watling Street.