The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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15 Oct is in October.
1326 Murder of the Bishop of Exeter
1517 Sweating Sickness Outbreak
1537 Birth and Christening Edward VI
1551 Arrest of the Duke of Somerset and his Supporters
On 15th October 1066 King Edgar Ætheling II of England (age 15) was appointed II King of England.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1072. This year died Bishop Aylric. He had been invested Bishop of York; but that see was unjustly taken from him, and he then had the bishopric of Durham given him; which he held as long as he chose, but resigned it afterwards, and retired to Peterborough minster [Map]; where he abode twelve years. After that King William (age 44) won England, then took he him from Peterborough, and sent him to Westminster; where he died on the ides of October, and he is there buried, within the minster, in the porch of St. Nicholas.
On 15th October 1173 Petronilla Jiménez Queen Aragon (age 37) died.
On 15th October 1191 Raoul I Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis (age 51) was killed during the Siege of Acre.
Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall. Reginald, bishop of Bath1, having been elected to the archbishopric of Canterbury, within a month of his election, on the night of Saint Stephen, departed from human affairs. On the Ides of October [15th] thunder was heard, and a violent wind arose, bringing heavy rain mixed with hail. Many shipwrecks took place.
Reginaldus Bathoniensis episcopus ad archiepiscopatum Cantuariensem electus, infra mensem electionis suæ, nocte Sancti Stephani rebus valedicit humanis. Idus Octobris audita sunt tonitrua, et ventus vehemens, ferens imbrem copiosum grandine mixtum. Naufragia multa fuere.
Note 1. Archbishop Reginald Fitz Jocelin, died 26th December 1191. Walter Map 'De Nugis Curialium' aka 'Of the Trifles of Courtiers': "Jocelin, bishop of Salisbury, said to his son Reginald of Bath, who had been elected by force but was not admitted to consecration by the archbishop of Canterbury and was lamenting it: 'Fool, fly quickly to the Pope, confidently, hesitating not at all, and give the man himself a good slap with a large purse, and he will wobble whichever way you want.' So he went; this one struck, that one wavered; the pope fell, the pontiff rose. And at once he wrote, lying about God, at the beginning of all his briefs, for where it ought to have been written 'by the grace of the purse,' he said 'by the grace of God.' Whatever he wished, he did."
Chronica Majora by Matthew Paris. [15th October 1216] Nevertheless, at dawn he departed from there with difficulty, and went to lodge at the castle of Sleaford. There, being overcome by great bodily weakness, he came on the next day, carried on horseback, to the castle of Newark [Map].
Veruntamen summo inde diluculo, licet cum labore recedens, ad castellum de Laford hospitaturus perrexit. Ubi maxima corporis prægravatus molestia, in crastino vis ad castellum de Newerc equo vehente pervenit.
Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum. The King to Falkes de Bréauté, greetings. We order you that without delay you cause to be released Simon, son of Fucher, a man of William, Earl of Warenne, whom your servants have taken. Witness [the king] at Lafford, on the 15th day of October [1216].
Rex Falkesio de Breaut salt. Mandam vob qd sn dilone delibari faciatis Simone filiu Fucher hoiem W. Com de Warenn que servientes vri [ceput. T. ap Lafford, xv. die Oct.]
Note 1. Lafford is the medieval name for Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
On 15th October 1266 Archbishop Walter Giffard (age 41) was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 15th October 1285 King Alexander III of Scotland (age 44) and Yolande of Dreux Duchess Brittany (age 24) were married. She the daughter of Robert Capet IV Count Dreux and Beatrice Montfort Countess Dreux (age 36). He the son of King Alexander II of Scotland and Marie Coucy. They were half second cousin twice removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke [-1360]. The queen, now a woman of immense power, under the banner of her son, not out of malicious intent, but led astray, ordered the army to be advanced in pursuit of the king, the father whom her son was unknowingly pursuing. They reached Oxford,1 where, in the presence of the university, and with the queen and the boy, Duke of Aquitaine, though being led rather than leading, as well as Roger de Mortimer and other henchmen present, the chief instigator of this great calamity, Adam, called the Bishop of Hereford, publicly preached2 about the queen's arrival and the purpose of the army. He took as his sermon text: 'Capud meum doleo,'3 and drew the theme to such a conclusion that the 'ailing head', meaning the king, must necessarily be removed from the kingdom, and that it could not be healed by any of Hippocrates' medicinal remedies. Thereafter, the army advanced to Gloucester and was significantly strengthened by many northerners who came to support the queen.
Regina, iam mulier potentissima, sub vexillo filii, non animo malicioso set male ducti, patrem prosequentis, iussit exercitum in regis persecucionem promoveri. A quibus perventum est Oxoniam, ubi, coram universitate, presentibus regina et puero duce Aquitannie, set ducto, Rogero quoque de Mortuo mari et aliis satellitibus, principalis machinator tante cladis, Adam Herefordensis vocatus episcopus, de adventu regine et causa exercitus pupplice predicavit, assumens pro temate: 'Capud meum doleo', quam auctoritatem ad talem duxit questionem, quod auferendum foret necessario capud languidum de regno, nec ullis Ypocratis vinculis salutiferis alligandum. Deinde exercitum Cloverniam promotum auxerunt notabiliter multi boreales regine supervenientes.
Note 1. The queen's route, after landing, lay through Bury St. Edmund's, Cambridge, Baldock, Dunstaple, thence to Wallingford, where she issued a proclamation, 15th October (Rymer's Fœdera 2.645), and Oxford. Annales Paulini 314.
Note 2. In the curious paper containing Orleton's apology or answers to charges brought against him in 1334 (printed by Twysden, Scriptores 10.2763) he states that in October, at Oxford, by order of the present king and of his mother, he published the cause of their invasion of the kingdom, and that, to introduce the subject, he took for his text Gen. 3.15: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head;" but that his words were directed against the younger Despenser, not against the king. Stow translates the passage as follows, not very happily in the last sentence: "The chiefe deviser of so wicked a dissension, named Adam de Orleton, byshop of Hereford, made a publike sermon touching the queenes comming and cause of the army, taking for his theame 'My head grieveth mee,' which authoritie he brought to such a question, that a vaine and slouthfull head ought necessarily to bee taken awaie from the administration of a kingdome, neither ought it to be bound with any hurtfull bands of an hypocrite."
Note 3. 'Capud meum doleo,' Bible Kings 4 Verse 19. Literally 'My head': "And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother."
On 15th October 1326 brothers Richard Stapledon and Bishop Walter Stapledon (age 65) were beheaded in the street by a mob loyal to Queen Isabella.
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke [-1360]. With matters thus unfolding, the London mob, eager to please the queen and Roger de Mortimer, furiously seized and beheaded1 the late Lord Walter (age 65), Bishop of Exeter, on the 15th of October [1326], in the middle of the city. They also savagely killed certain others loyal to the king, solely because they had faithfully served him in his government. The bishop's head was sent to the queen, who was encamped with her army at Gloucester, and was offered as a kind of sacrifice pleasing to Dea, [the goddess] of vengeance. Furthermore, the people broke into the Tower of London and released all the prisoners, and by public edict of the queen, nearly all incarcerated persons throughout England were granted liberty. The exiled and outlawed were also recalled to peace, so that under the pretence of general clemency and mercy, public enthusiasm might burn more brightly for the coronation of the new king, one who would appear gentler than the old.
Hiis ita se habentibus, wlgus Londoniensis, regine et Rogero de Mortuo mari volens complacere, bone memorie dominum Walterum episcopum Exoniensem XV die Octobris in medio civitatis furiose captum decapitavit, quosdam quoque alios regi fideles, ea sola causa quod regis ministerio fideliter adeserunt, attrociter necuere. Capud vero episcopi regine apud Gloverniam suo exercitui incubanti, quasi sacrificium Deane bene placitum, optulerunt. Intrantes insuper turrim Londoniarum omnes incarceratos liberarunt, et ita per edictum pupplicum regine omnes fere incarcerati per totam Angliam dabantur libertati. Banniti quoque et fugitivi paci fuerunt revocati, ut, pretensis generali pietate et misericordia, in novi regis, vetere mitioris, coronacionem populi cupiditas excandesceret.
Note 1. William de Dene, Historia Roffensis [History of Rochester] (Anglia Sacra), 1.366.
Annales Paulini 316, Walsingham Historia Anglicana 1.182 and The Brut. See also Leland's Collectanea.
The lenient treatment, at a later date, of two of his murderers is thus described in the Annales Paulini 345.
And Annales Paulini 350.
Historia Roffensis [1275-1346]. [15th October 1326] On the Wednesday before the feast of Saint Luke, all the leaders and commoners gathered in the city of London at the Guildhall, entering into council on how they might deceitfully capture and kill the Bishops of London and Exeter, along with other royal justiciars, who were then assembled at the house of the Friars Preachers. They also plotted to plunder the merchants in the city, using as justification the arrival of the queen, declaring that those who refused to adhere to her should be publicly deemed traitors to the kingdom. As a result, ambushes were set in certain places to watch for the arrival of the Bishop of Exeter. When he came and sought refuge in the Church of St. Paul, he was seized at the church entrance by criminals, dragged out, struck, and severely wounded. These sons of the devil pulled him through the streets and alleys to the Great Cross in Cheapside, fearing not to lay hands on the Lord's anointed. There, stripping him of his garments, they, more cruel than pagans, brutally beheaded a man who was faithful, prudent, and wise, and most necessary to the realm. They placed his severed head on a butchers' block, threw his body to the dogs to be devoured, and forbade his burial.
Die Mercurii proxima ante festum S. Lucas convenerunt in civitate London, apud la Gyld Hall, omnes majores et minores, consilium ineuntes quomodo episcopos Londoniensem et Exoniensem et alios regis justiciaries, ad Fratres Predicatores tune congregates, dolo caperent et occiderent, et mercatores in civitate deprasdarent, accepta occasione de adventu reginas, quod reginæ adhasrere nolentes proditores regni. publice censerentur. Unde factum est quod in certis locis positas sunt insidiæ ad explorandum adventum episcopi Exoniensis. Qui cum venisset et ad ecclesiam S. Pauli confugisset, in hostio ecclesiæ a malefactoribus comprehensus, extractus, percussus, et graviter vulneratus, traxerunt eum per plateas et vicos usque ad magnam crucem in Chepe filii diaboli, non verentes manum ponere in christum Domini. Sed eum spoliantes et vestibus suis exuentes, ausu crudeli pejores quam pagani virum utique fidelem, providum et discretum ac regno valde necessarium truculenter decapitarunt, caput de corpore abscissum super collistrigium statuentes, corpus canibus ad corrodendum projicientes, et ad sepeliendum prohibuerunt.
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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.
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Thomas Walsingham [~1422]. [15th October 1326] On the same day, continuing their fury, the mob attacked the residence of the Bishop of Exeter, Master Walter de Stapeldon. Setting fire to the doors, they quickly broke in. Not finding the bishop—whom they had come to destroy—they seized his jewels, silver vessels, and household goods. It happened, however, most unfortunately, that the bishop returned from the countryside at that very hour. Though he had been warned in advance of these plots, he feared nothing. Sitting confidently on his horse, he approached the north door of St Paul's, but was immediately seized by the raging crowd. He was struck, torn, thrown down, and at last dragged off to the place of execution. When they had dragged him to Cheapside, they cried out against him, calling him a public traitor, a deceiver of the king, and a destroyer of the liberties of the city. The bishop was wearing a kind of armour, commonly called an aketoun (a padded defensive garment); he was stripped of it, and of all his other clothing as well, and then beheaded. Two members of his household, a squire and a valet, were likewise slain. Having committed this sacrilegious murder, the crowd, as though in triumph, fixed the bishop's head on a tall pole, so that it might stand as a lasting reminder of the crime to all who passed by. His body was thrown without rites into a pit in an old cemetery that had once belonged to the friars commonly called the 'Frères Pies'—but which was now completely abandoned. There, as though excommunicated, he was buried without any funeral. The cause of their hatred was that, when he was Treasurer of the Realm, he had persuaded the King's Council that the itinerant justices should sit in the city of London. As a result, since many of the citizens were found guilty of offenses, they were punished accordingly—through loss of liberties, heavy financial penalties, and bodily punishments, as they had deserved. It was also said that he had raised a large number of fighting men against the queen and her son, the Duke of Aquitaine; and for this reason the Londoners, as they claimed, were eager to preempt his plans before they could be carried out.
Eodem die, continuantes suam rabiem, incurrerunt ad hospitium Exoniensis Episcopi, Magistri Walteri de Stapultone; et supposito igne in januis, concito sunt ingressi. Non invenientes autem Episcopum, ad quern perdendum venerant, jocalia sua, cum vasis argenteis et utensilibus, rapuerunt. Accidit autem, hora infortunata, Episcopum de campo reverti; qui quamvis præmiunitus fuisset de hiis molitionibus, eos tamen nullatenus metuebat; et cum satis audacter equo sedens venisset ad ostium Boreale Sancti Pauli, mox a furenti populo comprebensus est, percussus, laniatus, dejectus, et tandem ad supplicii locum tractus. Cumque traxissent eum ad vicum de Chepe, ubi acclamaverunt eum publicum proditorem, Regis seductorem, et eorum civitatis libertatum destructorem; indutus autem fuit Episcopus quadam armatura, quam "aketone" vulgariter appellamus; qua spoliatus, et etiam aliis omnibus indumentis, decapitatus est; aliis duobus de sua familia, scutifero scilicet et valecto, simili sorte peremptis. Perpetrato sacrilegio, velut pro triumpbo, caput fixerunt Episcopi in longo palo, ut esset aspicientibus diuturna memoria sceleris attentati. Cadaver vero Pontificis in quodam veteri coemeterio, quod fuerat quondam Fratrum quos "Freres Pyes" veteres appellabant, sed tamen penitus derelicto, absque ullis exequiis, velut excommunicatum, in quadam ibidem fovea projecerunt. Causa inimicitiarum fuerat, quia cum esset regni Thesaurarius, apud Regis Consilium procuravit, ut Justiciarii Itinerantes sederent in civitate Londoniarum. Qua occasione, quia in multis cives deliquorant, in amissione libertatum et emunctione pecuniæ ac castigatione corporum multipliciter, prout meruerant, sunt puniti. Dicebatur etiam, quod maximam pugnatorum collegerat multitudinem contra Reginam et filium suum Ducem Aquitanniæ; et ideo Londonienses studuerunt, ut dicebant, molitiones tempestivius prævenire.
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Collectanea by John Leland [1502-1552]. 15th October 1326. At this tyme Walter Stapleton was making a faire Toure on the very Tamys Side at his Place with owte Temple bar, and lakking Stone and Lyme to a finishid it, sent a force to the Chirch of the White Freres, and toke it, and yn despite of this the Loundener biryid Stapleton and his 2. Esquires yn the Here of Rubrische aboute his Toure, as they had beene Dogges. And no mervel. For he was sumisch, and withowt Pite. But after a xi. Wekes at the Requeste of Quene Isabels Lettres the Bisshops Body was caried to the Chirche thereby, and after to Excestre. And the 2. Esquires Bodyes were caryed to S. Clementes Chirch, and there buried.
Annales Paulini. 15th October 1326. Meanwhile, the Bishop of Exeter (age 65) came from one of his manors, and intending to pass through the city to the Tower of London, he entered by Newgate. Hearing the uproar and shouting of the people near the Church of St Michael ad Bladum, he became afraid and turned aside, fleeing to the Church of St Paul. But his pursuers, joined by others coming to meet him, like madmen, seized him at the north door of the church. They struck him on the head and pulled him from his horse, and dragging him cruelly through the churchyard, they took him into the marketplace of Westcheap. There, after stripping him in shameful fashion, they beheaded him, along with his two squires, John de Paddington and William Walle. Their naked bodies lay in the middle of the market all day, a horrific sight to all who looked upon it. The bishop's head was sent to the lady queen at Bristol. Later that day, after Vespers were sung at St Paul's, the lesser canons and vicars of that church, out of respect for his dignity, came with a cross and honourably recovered the bishop's body. They brought it into St Paul's Church, where it lay through the night. On the next day, it was carried to the Church of St Clement Danes, near the manor of the deceased bishop. This was the church to which he had secured perpetual patronage for his successors, the Bishops of Exeter, from the brethren of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Warwick, whom he had compensated with another church said to be worth twice as much. But the rector of St Clement's, ungrateful though he had been appointed by the same bishop, refused to allow the sacred burial of his body in the churchyard. So the body was taken to a nearby church of the Holy Innocents, which had been abandoned and entirely ruined, and there, without its head, the bishop was buried. Later, by the efforts of the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, the body was exhumed and brought to Exeter, on the 17th of February, and reburied there.
Interim venit episcopus Exoniensis de quodam manerio suo, et, cum voluisset transisse per medium civitatis ad Turrim Londoniensem, intrans per portam de Neugate, et ad ecclesiam Sancti Michaelis ad bladum audiens hujusinodi tumultum et clamorem populi, timuit, et se divertit fugiendo ad ecclesia Sancti Pauli. At illi insequentes, et alii obviantes ei ut furibundi, apprehenderunt eum ad ostium ecclesia boriale; percusserunt in capite, et de equo traxerunt, et, sic per medium cimiterium eum crudeliter trahentes, in foro de Westchepe, ibi eum miserabiliter despoliantes decollaverunt cum suis duobus armigeris J. de Padingtone et W. Walle; et jacuerunt cadavera nuda per totmn diem in medio foro, horribile spectaculum cunctis intuentibus, Caput vero episcopi missum fuit domine regine apud Bristolliam. Eodem die corpus vero episcopi, post vesperas decantatas in ecclesia Sancti Pauli, minores canonici et vicarii ejusdem ecclesim cum cruce honorifice quaesierunt, propter statum sue dignitatis, et ad ecclesiam Sancti Pauli deportaverunt; et tota nocte illa in dicta ecclesia requiescens corpus, et in crastino ductum fuit ad ecclesiam Sancti Clementis Dacorum prope manerium dicti episcopi defuncti, cujus ecclesie perpetuam collationem successoribus suis ecclesiæ Exoniensis conferendam impetravit a fratribus ecclesiæ Sanctæ Sepulchræ Dominiæ de Warewick, et eos remuneravi de quadam alia ecclesia que valuit in duplum ut asserebatur. Et quia rector illius ecclesiæ, ut ingratus, eo quod promotus fuit ad eandem per dictum episcopum, sacre sepulturæ in suo cimiterio tradi non permisit, ductum fuit ad quandam ecclesiam Sanctorum Innocentium, que prope fuit prædictam ecclesiam Sancti Clementis, derelictam et omnino destrnctam, et ibidem fuit sine capite humatum. Sed postea, ex procuratione decani et capituli Exoniensis, dictum corpus exhumatum fuit ex prædicto loco et deportatum Exoniam, videlicet xiii kalendas Martii.
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On 7th October 1328 Robert Holland 1st Baron Holand (age 45) was captured at Boreham, Essex [Map]. He was beheaded on the 15th October 1328. His son Robert (age 17) succeeded 2nd Baron Holand.
Chronicle of Henry Knighton. In the same year, Lord Robert de Holland was captured [7th October 1328] in a wood near London. This Robert (age 45) had been raised from a poor knight to a high and wealthy baron by Thomas, Earl of Lancaster. But at the time when discord arose between his lord, the Earl Thomas, and the king, Robert de Holland, in his lord's greatest moment of need, when Thomas was most relying on his arrival with the promised support of the people, abandoned his lord in his unavoidable distress and surrendered himself to the king, thereby betraying him. Because of this act of disloyalty, all the nobles and magnates of the realm hated him; and with the greatest dishonour, his head was cut off [15th October 1328]. It was sent to Henry, Earl of Lancaster, at Waltham Holy Cross, by a certain knight named Thomas Wyther, along with other secret followers of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster.
Eoden anno captus est dominus Robertus de Holande in uno bosco citra Londonias. Iste Robertus erectus est de paupere milite in sublimem et divitem baronem per comitem Lancastriæ Thomam. Eo tempore quo discordia increvit inter dominum suum comitem Thomam et regem, ipse Robertus Holande in summa necessitate domini sui quando dominus suus maxime confidebat de ejus adventu cum sauxilio populi promisso, relicto domino suo in sua angustia inevitabili reddidit se regi, decipiens dominum suum, quam ob infidelitatem omnes proceres et magnates regni odio eum habebant; et cum maximo vituperio caput ejus abscissum est, ad comitem Lancastriæ Henricum apud Waltham sanctæ crucis transmissum est per quendam militem Thomam Wyther nomine, et alios secretos Thomæ comitis Lancastriæ.
Archaeologia Volume 35 1853 XXXIII. Oct 1357. About the middle of October — the actual date is lost by injury of the document - the Queen (age 62) set out from Hertford on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. She rested at Tottenham, London, Eltham, Dartford, and Rochester, in going or returning visited Leeds Castle [Map], and was again at Hertford at the beginning of November.
She gave alms to the nuns minoresses without Aldgate; to the rector of St. Edmund's in London, in whose parish her hostel was situated — it was in Lombard Street; and to the prisoners in Newgate.
On 15th October 1404 Marie Valois Duchess Bar (age 60) died.
Rymer's Fœdera Volume 10 255. Oct. 15 [1422]. John Baldok, Roger Wylles, and John Redy are appointed to provide carriage for hearses and lights to accompany the corpse of the late K. from Dover to London. Westm. O. x. 255. H. iv. p. iv. 81.
Of the Carriages and Necessaries for the Funerals to be Provided
In the Year 1 Henry VI, Close Rolls 1 Henry VI, m. 30, d.
The King to his beloved John Baldok, Roger Wylles, and John Redy, greeting.
Know that we, trusting fully in your fidelity and circumspection, have assigned you, jointly and severally, to manage and oversee the carriages and other necessities for the hearse and other lights relating to the funeral of our dearly beloved lord and father, the deceased.
You are to arrange and spend these items within and outside the liberties (except for the fee of the church) at our own expense, to be reasonably paid. You are to oversee and handle the carriages from our city of London to the town of Dover, and from that town back to the said city.
We therefore command you to diligently attend to the aforesaid matters, and to execute and complete them in the specified manner.
We also instruct all and singular sheriffs, mayors, constables, bailiffs, ministers, and others concerned by the tenor of these presents, that they firmly support, assist, and aid you, or any of you, in the execution of these matters as is appropriate.
In witness whereof, etc.
Given under the King's hand at Westminster, the 15th day of October [1422].
By the Council.
De Cariagiis & Necessariis pro Funere memorato arestandis.
An. 1. H. 6. Ibid. m. 30. d.
Rex, dilectis sibi, Johanni Baldok, Rogero Wylles, & Johanni Redy, Salutem.
Sciatis quòd Nos,
De Fidelitate & Circumspectione vestris pleniùs confidentes,
Assignavimus vos, conjunctim, & divisim, ad Cariagia & alia necessaria,
Pro Herceis & aliis Luminaribus, circa Funus Carissimi Domini & Patris nostri Defuncti Disponendis & Expendendis,
Infra Libertates & extra (Feodo Ecclesiae dumtaxat excepto) pro Denariis nostris, in hac parte rationabiliter solvendis, Arestandum & Capiendum,
Et ea, a Civitate nostra Londoniae usque Villam Dovorriae, & a dicta Villa usque dictam Civitatem revertendo, cariandum;
Et ideò vobis Mandamus quòd circa praemissa diligenter intendatis, ac ea faciatis & exequamini in forma praedicta:
Damus autem universis & singulis Vicecomitibus, Majoribus, Constabulariis, Ballivis, Ministris, ac aliis quorum interest, Tenore Praesentium, firmiter in
Mandatis quòd vobis, & cuilibet vestrûm, in Executione Praemissorum, Intendentes sint, Consulentes, & Auxiliantes prout decet.
In cujus &c.
Teste Rege apud Westmonasterium, xv die Octobris.
Per Concilium.
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On 15th October 1470 John Howard (age 45) was created 1st Baron Howard.
On 15th October 1495 Robert Drury (age 41) was appointed Speaker of the House of Commons during the 5th Parliament of Henry VII.
On 15th October 1517 Thomas Grey 11th Baron Grey of Wilton (age 20) died of sweating sickness. He was buried at the St Peter's Church, Merton. His brother Richard (age 10) succeeded 12th Baron Grey of Wilton.
Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1517. 15th October 1517. Harl. 6989, f. 25. B. M. 3747. Pace (age 35) to WOLSEY.
In fear of the great plague. Young Lord Grey (age 20) died of it this night. An Almain servant of the King died before him. Today arrived a Spanish friar, named by his company a saint, alleging that he worked miracles in the late tempest at sea, which ceased at his bidding, "ipso cœlo id protestante dimissis in navem magnis luminaribus." He had an hour's interview with the King, with what result Pace knows not, except that the King esteems him more a friar than a saint. He has professed the order of St. Jerome many years; has no learning, but more than Spanish impudence. The King spends the time in hawking. Windsor, 15 Oct.
Hol., pp. 2. Add.: To my Lord Legate's grace.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1519. 15 Oct. [1519] Calig. D. VII. 156. B. M. 468. [Boleyn (age 42) To Wolsey.]
Wrote his last on the 24th Sept. Whilst the King, the Queen and my Lady were in a forest two leagues hence, the Bishop of Limoges, brother to young Momerancy that is in England, died here of the common sickness. They have consequently removed to Amboise. Proclamation is made that no townsman enter the castle where the King's children are. The admiral arrived yesterday from Orleans. He was said to be "sore sick, nat like to recover; but I saw him leepe up and downe of his mewle as well as he was wont to doo." The sickness has prevented the sending of the presents into England. It is reported that the armament prepared by the king of Castile has been injured at sea. Blois, 15 Oct.
Pp. 2.
On 15th October 1527 Maria Aviz was born to John III King Portugal (age 25) and Catherine of Austria Queen Consort Portugal (age 20). Coefficient of inbreeding 11.30%. She married 12th November 1543 her double first cousin Philip "The Prudent" II King Spain, son of Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and Isabel Aviz Queen Consort Spain, and had issue.
On 15th October 1537 the future Edward VI was christened by Bishop John Stokesley (age 62) at the Chapel Royal in Hampton Court Palace [Map]. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (age 48) performed the Baptismal Rites, and was appointed Godfather. Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk (age 64) and Queen Mary I of England and Ireland (age 21) were Godparents.
King Edward VI of England and Ireland was created Duke of Cornwall, 1st Earl Chester.
Henry Bourchier 2nd Earl Essex 3rd Count of Eu carried the Salt. Charles Brandon 1st Duke of Suffolk (age 53) was Godfather and supported the Marchioness of Exeter. Richard Long (age 43) was knighted. Thomas Cromwell 1st Earl Essex (age 52), Philip Boteler (age 45), John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford (age 66) and John Gage (age 57) attended. Mary Scrope (age 61) carried Lady Mary's train. Robert Radclyffe 1st Earl of Sussex (age 54) carried a covered basin. Robert Radclyffe 1st Earl of Sussex carried the canopy.
Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset (age 37) helped his young niece the future Elizabeth I to carry the Crisom. Henry Courtenay 1st Marquess Exeter (age 41) supported his wife Gertrude Blount Marchioness of Exeter (age 34) to carry the child. Thomas Boleyn 1st Earl Wiltshire and Ormonde (age 60) bore a taper of virgin wax. William Fitzalan 11th or 18th Earl of Arundel (age 61) carried the train of the Prince's robe. Christopher Barker proclaimed the Prince's titles.
Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset was created 1st Earl Hertford.
Nicholas Carew (age 41), Francis Bryan (age 47), Anthony Browne (age 37) and John Russell 1st Earl Bedford (age 52) surrounded the font.
Henry Knyvet of Charlton Wiltshire (age 27), Edward Neville (age 66), Thomas Seymour 1st Baron Seymour (age 29), Richard Long and John Wallop (age 47) carried the canopy.
Arthur Hopton (age 48), Bishop Robert Parfew aka Warton and Bishop John Bell attended.
William Fitzwilliam 1st Earl of Southampton (age 47) was created 1st Earl of Southampton. Mabel Clifford Countess Southampton (age 55) by marriage Countess of Southampton.
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Spanish Chronicle Chapter 34. 15th October 1537. How the Prince was baptised and the Oath of Allegiance taken to Him, And who were his Godfathers.
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 15th October 1537. This yeare, the 25thd daie of October, being Moundaie, the Prince was christened in the Kinges chappell at Hampton Court, the Archbishopp of Canterberie (age 48) and the Duke of Norfoike (age 64) godfathers at the font, and my Ladie Maries grace (age 21), the Kinges daughter by Queene Katherin, godmotherb, and the Duke of Suffolke, godfather at the confirmation, the Princes name being Edwarde, proclaymed after his christning by the King of Haroldesa, "Edward, sonne and heire to the King of Englande, Duke of Cornewall, and Earle of Chester." The goodlie solempnitie of the lordes and ladies done at the christning was a goodlie sight to behoulde, everie one after their office and degree; the Ladie Elizabeth (age 4), the Kinges daughter, bearing the chrisome on her breast, the Viscoumpt Beauchampe (age 37), brother to the Queeneb, bearing her in his armes, the Earle of Essex (age 52) bearing the salte, the Ladie Marques of Exceter (age 34) bearing the Prince to the church and home againe, the Duke of Norfolke staying his head, as she bare him, and the Duke of Suffolke (age 53) at his feete.
Note d. Evidently a clerical error for the 15th, which was Monday, whereas the 25th would haye been Thursday.
Note e. It is cnrions to note the incongruity of the sponsors: these were Archbishop Cranmer, the head of the Protestant Reformers, the Duke of Norfolk, leader of the lay Catholics, and the Princess Mary, a bigoted Catholic, who had been bastardised by her father.
Note a. Thomas Hawley, Clarencieux King-at-Arms.
Note b. Edward Seymour, elder brother of Queen Jane, and so brother-in-law of Henry VIII was created Viscount Beauchomp, of Hache, co. Somerset, 5th June, 1536. He was lineally descended from Sir Roger Seymour (temp. Edward III.) who married Cicely, sister and eldest coheir of John de Beauchamp, last Baron Beauchamp.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 15th October 1551. The xv day of October was had to the Towre the duke of Somersett (age 51) and the lord Gray (age 42).
Note. The duke of Somerset, &c. sent to the Tower. On the particulars of these state trials it is only necessary to refer to several passages in the King's diary, and to Strype and our general historians.
On 15th October 1553 Thomas Saunders preached at Northampton [Map] warning the congregation that 'the errors of the popish religion' would be restored to the church by Queen Mary (age 37).
Henry Machyn's Diary. 15th October 1560. The xv day of October was bered [the countess] [Note. This is a mistake for the Earl?] of Shrowsbere, Frances (deceased), in Halumshyre, with [iij heralds] of armes, master Garter (age 50), master Chester (age 62), master Lankostur; .... with a standard, a grett baner of armes, [and baner-]rolles of mareges [marriages ie alliances], and a x dosen penselles, .... skochyons of armes, and a mageste and valans ... dosen of bokeram skochyons, and a thousand in .... and cottes with the pore men and women, and a grett dolle of money, and of mett and drynke, for all that cam, and all the prestes and clarkes of ....cam, and had boyth money and mett and drynke.
Note. P. 244. Funeral of Francis earl of Shrewsbury, K.G. Misled by the diarist's spelling of the name Frances, the word "countess" was inadvertently inserted instead of "earl." He died at his manor of Sheffield 28 Sept. 1560, and the funeral took place at the same place on the 21st Oct. The ceremonial at full is printed in Peck's Desiderata Curiosa, lib. vii. pp. 17–21; and also in Hunter's Hallamshire, p. 56.
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th October 1649. Came news of Drogheda being taken by the rebels, and all put to the sword, which made us very sad, forerunning the loss of all Ireland.
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th October 1650. Sir Thomas Osborne (age 18) (afterward Lord Treasurer) and Lord Stanhope (age 16) shot for a wager of five louis, to be spent on a treat; they shot so exact that it was a drawn match.
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th October 1660. I kissed the Queen-Mother's (age 50) hand.
On 15th October 1660 John Carew (age 38) was hanged, drawn and quartered at Charing Cross [Map].
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15th October 1660. Office all the morning. my wife and I by water; I landed her at Whitefriars, she went to my father's (age 59) to dinner, it being my father's wedding day, there being a very great dinner, and only the Fenners and Joyces there. This morning Mr. Carew (age 38)1 was hanged and quartered at Charing Cross; but his quarters, by a great favour, are not to be hanged up.
Note 1. John Carew signed the warrant for the execution of Charles I He held the religion of the Fifth Monarchists, and was tried October 12th, 1660. He refused to avail himself of many opportunities of escape, and suffered death with much composure.
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th October 1664. Dined at the Lord Chancellor's (age 55), where was the Duke of Ormond (age 53), Earl of Cork, and Bishop of Winchester (age 66). After dinner, my Lord Chancellor and his lady (age 47) carried me in their coach to see their palace (for he now lived at Worcester-House in the Strand), building at the upper end of St. James's street, and to project the garden. In the evening, I presented him with my book on Architecture, as before I had done to his Majesty (age 34) and the Queen-Mother (age 54). His lordship caused me to stay with him in his bedchamber, discoursing of several matters very late, even till he was going into his bed.
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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Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15th October 1666. He tells me, what I wonder at, but that I find it confirmed by Mr. Pierce, whom I met by-and-by in the Hall, that Sir W. Coventry (age 38) is of the caball with the Duke of York (age 33), and Bruncker (age 46), with this Denham (age 26); which is a shame, and I am sorry for it, and that Sir W. Coventry do make her visits; but yet I hope it is not so. Pierce tells me, that as little agreement as there is between the Prince (age 46) [Rupert] and Duke of Albemarle (age 57), yet they are likely to go to sea again; for the first will not be trusted alone, and nobody will go with him but this Duke of Albemarle.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15th October 1666. Walking with Pierce in the Court of Wards out comes Sir W. Coventry (age 38), and he and I talked of business. Among others I proposed the making Sir J. Minnes (age 67) a Commissioner, and make somebody else Comptroller. He tells me it is the thing he hath been thinking of, and hath spoke to the Duke of York (age 33) of it. He believes it will be done; but that which I fear is that Pen will be Comptroller, which I shall grudge a little. The Duke of Buckingham (age 38) called him aside and spoke a good while with him. I did presently fear it might be to discourse something of his design to blemish my Lord of Sandwich (age 41), in pursuance of the wild motion he made the other day in the House. Sir W. Coventry, when he come to me again, told me that he had wrought a miracle, which was, the convincing the Duke of Buckingham that something-he did not name what-that he had intended to do was not fit to be done, and that the Duke is gone away of that opinion. This makes me verily believe it was something like what I feared.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15th October 1666. Thence he and I together to Westminster Hall [Map], in our way talking of matters and passages of state, the viciousness of the Court; the contempt the King (age 36) brings himself into thereby; his minding nothing, but doing all things just as his people about him will have it; the Duke of York (age 33) becoming a slave to this whore Denham (age 26), and wholly minds her; that there really was amours between the Duchesse (age 29) and Sidney (age 25); a that there is reason to fear that, as soon as the Parliament have raised this money, the King will see that he hath got all that he can get, and then make up a peace.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15th October 1666. By and by the House rose, and then we parted, and I with Sir G. Carteret (age 56), and walked in the Exchequer Court, discoursing of businesses. Among others, I observing to him how friendly Sir W. Coventry (age 38) had carried himself to him in these late inquiries, when, if he had borne him any spleen, he could have had what occasion he pleased offered him, he did confess he found the same thing, and would thanke him for it. I did give him some other advices, and so away with him to his lodgings at White Hall to dinner, where my Baroness Carteret (age 64) is, and mighty kind, both of them, to me. Their son and my Lady Jemimah will be here very speedily. She tells me the ladies are to go into a new fashion shortly, and that is, to wear short coats, above their ancles; which she and I do not like, but conclude this long trayne to be mighty graceful. But she cries out of the vices of the Court, and how they are going to set up plays already; and how, the next day after the late great fast, the Duchesse of York (age 29) did give the King (age 36) and Queene (age 56) a play. Nay, she told me that they have heretofore had plays at Court the very nights before the fast for the death of the late King: She do much cry out upon these things, and that which she believes will undo the whole nation; and I fear so too.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15th October 1666. After dinner away home, Mr. Brisband along with me as far as the Temple [Map], and there looked upon a new booke, set out by one Rycault, secretary to my Lord Winchelsea (age 38), of the policy and customs of the Turks, which is, it seems, much cried up. But I could not stay, but home, where I find Balty (age 26) come back, and with him some muster-books, which I am glad of, and hope he will do me credit in his employment.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15th October 1666. He tells me that Baroness Castlemayne (age 25) is concluded to be with child again; and that all the people about the King (age 36) do make no scruple of saying that the King do lie with Mrs. Stewart (age 19), who, he says, is a most excellent-natured lady. This day the King begins to put on his vest, and I did see several persons of the House of Lords and Commons too, great courtiers, who are in it; being a long cassocke close to the body, of black cloth, and pinked with white silke under it, and a coat over it, and the legs ruffled with black riband like a pigeon's leg; and, upon the whole, I wish the King may keep it, for it is a very fine and handsome garment1.
Note 1. Evelyn describes the new fashion as "a comely dress after ye Persian mode" (see "Diary", October 18th, 1666). He adds that he had described the "comelinesse and usefulnesse" of the Persian clothing in his pamphlet entitled "Tyrannus, or the Mode". "I do not impute to this discourse the change which soone happen'd, but it was an identity I could not but take notice of". Rugge, in his "Diurnal", thus describes the new Court costume "1666, Oct. 11. In this month His Majestie and whole Court changed the fashion of their clothes-viz. a close coat of cloth, pinkt with a white taffety under the cutts. This in length reached the calf of the leg, and upon that a sercoat cutt at the breast, which hung loose and shorter than the vest six inches. The breeches the Spanish cut, and buskins some of cloth, some of leather, but of the same colour as the vest or garment; of never the like fashion since William the Conqueror". It is represented in a portrait of Lord Arlington, by Sir P. Lely, formerly belonging to Lord de Clifford, and engraved in Lodge's "Portraits". Louis XIV. ordered his servants to wear the dress. See November 22.
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th October 1675. I settled affairs, my son (age 20) being to go into France with my Lord Berkeley (age 47), designed Ambassador-extraordinary for France and Plenipotentiary for the general treaty of peace at Nimeguen.
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th October 1677. Returned to London; in the evening, I saw the Prince of Orange (age 26), and supped with Lord Ossory (age 43).
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th October 1685. Being the King's (age 52) birthday, there was a solemne ball at Court, and before it musiq of instruments and voices. At the musiq I happen'd by accident to stand the very next to the Queene (age 27) and the King, who talk'd with me about the musick.
On 15th October 1694 Archibald Douglas 1st Duke of Douglas was born to James Douglas 2nd Marquess Douglas (age 48) and Mary Kerr Marchioness Douglas (age 20).
On 15th October 1702 Frances Teresa Stewart Duchess Lennox and Richmond (age 55) died.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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On 15th October 1711 Elisabeth Therese Lorraine Queen Consort Sardinia was born to Leopold Duke of Lorraine (age 32) and Élisabeth Charlotte Bourbon Duchess Lorraine (age 35). She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. She married 5th March 1737 her half first cousin Charles Emmanuel III King Sardinia, son of Victor Amadeus King Sardinia and Anne Marie Bourbon Queen Consort Sardinia, and had issue.
On 15th October 1718 Florence Rolle Lady Wrey (age 66) was buried at St Peter's Church, Tawstock [Map]. The inscription: IN memory of Florence Lady Wrey Daughter of John Rolle of Stevenstone in ye County of Devon Kt of ye Bath Wife & Relict of Bourchier Wrey late of Tawstock Baron Who in every trace of Life, Somet me prosperous oftener adverse, Most happily dischargd the dutys of Virgin Wife and Widoow. The ornement & Pattern of her sex The living Image of all Virtues. For Piety especially & Humility Mix'd with sweeness of manners And engageing elegance of Person & address Superior to most second to none ob: Aug: 24, 1724. die St Barth.
Beneath rest the Remains of her Daughter Flo: Cole who died Aug 30 1718.
This Monument was erected by her son Chichester Wrey (age 32) A:M: Rectr of Tawstock MDCCXXVI.
Florence Rolle Lady Wrey: In 1652 she was born to John Rolle and Florence Rolle. On 3rd May 1681 Bourchier Wrey 4th Baronet and she were married at St Giles' Church, St Giles in the Wood. She by marriage Lady Wrey of Trebitch in Cornwall. He the son of Chichester Wrey 3rd Baronet and Anne Bourchier Countess Middlesex. On 24th August 1724 Florence Rolle Lady Wrey died.
Florence Wrey: Around 1685 she was born to Bourchier Wrey 4th Baronet and Florence Rolle Lady Wrey. On 10th July 1707 John Cole and she were married. They had eight children. On 30th August 1718 Florence Wrey died. She was buried at St Peter's Church, Tawstock [Map] on 15th October 1718.
On 15th October 1763 Edward Fitzgerald was born to James Fitzgerald 1st Duke Leinster (age 41) and Emilia Mary Lennox Duchess Leinster (age 32). He a great x 2 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 15th October 1795 Frederick William IV King Prussia was born to Frederick William III King Prussia (age 25) and Queen Louise of Prussia (age 19).
On 15th October 1811 Nathaniel Dance-Holland (age 76) died. Baronet Dance-Holland of Wittenham in Berkshire extinct.
On 15th October 1819 George Howard 7th Earl Carlisle (age 17) matriculated at Christ Church College, Oxford University. In 1821 he obtained the university prizes for Latin and English verse respectively. He took a first class in classics in the following year, and graduated B.A. 1823, M.A. 1827.
On 15th October 1823 William Drogo Montagu 7th Duke Manchester was born to George Montagu 6th Duke Manchester (age 24) and Millicent Sparrow Duchess Manchester (age 25) at Kimbolton Castle [Map]. He married 22nd July 1852 Louisa Vonalten Duchess Devonshire and Manchester and had issue.
On 15th October 1828 Lucretia Georgiana ffolkes died in childbirth at Bombay, India eleven days after having given birth to a posthumous son who only lived at few hours.
After 15th October 1828. Church of St Mary, Hillington [Map]. Monument to Edward West and Lucretia Georgiana ffolkes sculpted by Henry Hopper (age 61). The armorial Edward West Chief Justice of Bombay 1782-1828 arms and Lucretia Georgiana ffolkes impaled. His arms quartered 
West Arms and Unknown Arms. Her arms quartered 1 
ffolkes Arms 2 
Hovell Arms 3 appears to be Browne as seen in the armorial to William Browne 4 
Turner Baronets Arms.
Edward West: he was born to John Balchen West. His parents died young so he was brought up by his uncle Martin ffolkes 1st Baronet. 26th August 1822 he and Lucretia Georgiana ffolkes were married at St Marylebone Church. She the daughter of his guardian and uncle Martin ffolkes 1st Baronet. On 16th August 1828 he died at Poonah.
Lucretia Georgiana ffolkes: she was born to Martin ffolkes 1st Baronet and Fanny Turner. On 15th October 1828 Lucretia Georgiana ffolkes died in childbirth at Bombay, India eleven days after having given birth to a posthumous son who only lived at few hours.
William Browne: In 1692 he was born. On 24th August 1717 he and Mary Greene were married.
On 15th October 1867 George I King Greece (age 21) and Olga Constantinovna Holstein Gottorp Romanov Queen Consort Greece (age 16) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Greece. He the son of King Christian IX of Denmark (age 49) and Queen Louise Hesse-Kassel of Denmark (age 50). They were fifth cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland.
On 15th October 1871 Francis Derwent Wood was born at Keswick, Cumberland. He married 1903 Florence Mary Schmidt.
On 15th October 1874 Alfred Windsor was born to Prince Alfred Windsor (age 30) and Maria Holstein Gottorp Romanov (age 20) at Buckingham Palace [Map]. He a grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Letters of James McNeill Whistler 1863. 15th October 1877. James Abbott McNeill Whistler (age 43) to Philip Richard Morris (age 40). 96 Cheyne Walk.
Dear Morris
I had thought I would write no letters - they are such sad businesses - & the flaw in the friendship like the crack in the china - it is useless to explain - the true ring has gone for ever - on the other hand absolute silence may be misunderstood - so I had better state clearly how we stand. - You say that I made no objection - but virtually consented to what you have done - is this a satisfaction to you Morris? - if so - I might stop here. It didnt occur to you then - when you made your little proposal - that of course I should consent - & were you again to ask my permission to do me any other wrong - I should again consent. - Have you forgotten our old walks & talks in Chelsea? I had taken you into the intimacy of my work and believed in you as a strong sympathizer with whom all the mysteries of the studio might be freely shared - I made no secret of my daily experience but willingly offered these to my chosen companion & from painter to painter no confidences could have been more unrestricted
now what happened? the first time your fidelity is put to the test - you fail me utterly - & what a rare chance you lost Morris - it is seldom that a confrere[4] has offered him such a complete occasion for vindicating the dignity of a brothers work -
You are asked to paint another mans picture - & you do so - not in ignorance of all tradition of etiquette - but even keenly alive to many milder aggressions on the part of unimportant imitators - whose evil doings - you have been wont to condemn.
"If you cant be witty - be bold" Morris - & acting upon this your principle - you come to me - & calmly talk over the pain you propose to give me - & are astonished at the encouragement you receive - What did you expect Morris? was Whistler to beseech you to desist? - for him the crime once entertained was already perpetrated
The sarcasm of fate - you seem not to have guarded against while I cannot help being amused - at the malice des choses [the mischievousness of fate] - which has put Whistlers picture in Whistler's frame2 - & so completes the situation -
P. S. You wrote to me while painting the portrait your happy belief that chivalry was not extinct.
Note 1. F. R. Leyland had commissioned JW to paint Symphony in Flesh Colour and Pink: Portrait of Mrs Frances Leyland. It was exhibited in 1874 but not delivered to Leyland at that time. After their quarrel over Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room, Leyland may have abandoned hope of receiving it, and he commissioned Morris to paint P. R. Morris, Portrait of Frances Leyland. This portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1878. JW's portrait was eventually delivered to Leyland, and in 1906 both portraits were hanging in the sitter's drawing room (Pennell, Joseph, and Elizabeth Robins Pennell, The Joseph and Elizabeth Robins Pennell Collection of Whistleriana Shown in Division of Prints, Library of Congress, Southwest Pavilion, Washington, G.P.O. Library Branch, 1921, p. 103).
Note 2. JW's annoyance was compounded by a request from Morris for the name of JW's frame-maker. He is said to have replied, 'If you've got the portrait then for God's sake have the frame' (Merrill, Linda, The Peacock Room. A Cultural Biography, New Haven and London, 1998, pp. 279, 377, n. 183-85).
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On 15th October 1886 Captain Philip Hamond (age 72) died.
On 1st February 1914 his son Charles Annesley Hamond (age 57) died.
On 5th February 1917 Thomas Astley Horace Hamond (age 71) died.
Memorials in All Saints Church, West Acre [Map].
Captain Philip Hamond: Around 1814 he was born to Philip Hamond of High House in West Acre in Norfolk and Anne Packe.
Charles Annesley Hamond: On 8th November 1856 he was born to Captain Philip Hamond.
Thomas Astley Horace Hamond: On 17th August 1845 he was born to Anthony Hamond and Mary Anne Musters.
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On 15th October 1901 Carlos María Fitz James Stuart 16th Duke Alba 14th Duke Veragua 9th Duke Berwick (age 51) died. His son Jacobo (age 22) succeeded 17th Duke Alba, 15th Duke Veragua, 10th Duke of Jérica, 10th Duke of Liria, 10th Duke Berwick.
On 15th October 1913 Prince Arthur of Connaught (age 30) and Princess Alexandra Duff Duchess Fife (age 22) were married at Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. She the daughter of Alexander Duff 1st Duke Fife and Louise Windsor Duchess Fife (age 46). He the son of Prince Arthur Windsor 1st Duke Connaught and Strathearn (age 63) and Luise Margarete Hohenzollern Duchess Connaught (age 53). They were first cousin once removed. He a grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. She a granddaughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.
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.
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On 15th October 1918 Walter Farquhar 5th Baronet (age 40) was killed in action near Arras whilst serving as a Captain in the Royal Field Artillery of the 59th Division. He was buried in Fosse No. 10 Communal Cemetery Extension, Sains-en-Gohelle. His son Peter (age 14) succeeded 6th Baronet Farquhar of Cadogan House in Middlesex.
On 15th October 1934 Sydney Charles Buxton 1st Earl Buxton (age 80) at Newtimber. Earl Buxton and Viscount Buxton of Newtimber in Sussex extinct.
Grave of 1396485 Flight Sergeant William Searl Newman, Air Bomber, RAF, died 15th October 1944, aged 20, at St Peter and St Paul Church, Little Gaddesden. Killed in a flying accident in the UK. The only child of William Newman (Snr) and Alice Elizabeth née Searl of 61 Little Gaddesden. His father was a Gardener who, in the First World War, was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field whilst a Lance Corporal with 12th Bn. Durham Light Infantry in Italy. His mother had been a Parlour Maid in the household of Colonel Wheatley, father of Philip Wheatley, at The Manor House, Little Gaddesden. In 1941, once he was 18, William Newman volunteered for the R.A.F. He trained first at the Cadet University, Southampton and later in Canada, where he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Bomb Aimer. He was later promoted to Flight Sergeant and completed 32 sorties over enemy territory. William Newman's funeral service took place on Saturday 21st October at Hudnall Methodist Church and was conducted by the Revd. G. H Kingswood of Hemel Hempstead and the Revd. Charles Edward Wager, Rector of Little Gaddesden. The following press report noted that many friends were present to pay their last respects and that the service included the hymn "Fight the good fight". Committal rites and burial in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul, Little Gaddesden followed and were conducted by the Revd. C. E. Wager.
Account of the accident: Anson I MH130 of 6 PAFU which hit trees & crashed whilst low flying two miles north of Burford, Oxfordshire. 15.10.44 Sgt(A/B)KH Marshall killed together withSgt(A/B)JC Shannon, Sgt(Pilot)W Rzyskiewicz PAF, F/Sgt(WoP/A/G)LG Bird & Sgt(A/B)WS Newman.
The report of Flt. Sgt. Newman's funeral in what was then The Hertfordshire, Hemel Hempstead Gazette and West Herts Advertiser, originally published on or around 25 October 1944.
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On 15th October 1331 Elizabeth Meinhill Baroness Darcy Knayth and Haversham was born to Nicholas Meinhill (age 28) and Alice Ros at Whorlton North Yorkshire. She married (1) 7th January 1345 John Darcy 2nd Baron Darcy of Knayth, son of John Darcy 1st Baron Darcy of Knayth and Emmeline Heron Countess Kildare, and had issue (2) 18th November 1356 her second cousin once removed Piers Mauley 4th Baron de Mauley, son of Piers Mauley 3rd Baron de Mauley and Margaret Clifford Baroness Mauley, and had issue.
On 15th October 1396 John IV Count Armagnac was born to Bernard VII Count Armagnac (age 33) and Bonne Valois Countess Armagnac and Savoy (age 31). Coefficient of inbreeding 6.48%. He married (1) 16th June 1407 his second cousin Blanche Montfort Countess Armagnac, daughter of John Montfort V Duke Brittany and Joanna of Navarre Queen Consort England, and had issue (2) 10th May 1419 his second cousin Isabella Évreux Countess Armagnac, daughter of Charles III King Navarre and Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort Navarre, and had issue.
On 15th October 1440 Margrave Henry III of Upper Hesse was born to Louis I Landgrave of Hesse (age 38) and Anna of Saxong Landgravine of Hesse (age 20).
On 15th October 1527 Maria Aviz was born to John III King Portugal (age 25) and Catherine of Austria Queen Consort Portugal (age 20). Coefficient of inbreeding 11.30%. She married 12th November 1543 her double first cousin Philip "The Prudent" II King Spain, son of Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and Isabel Aviz Queen Consort Spain, and had issue.
On 15th October 1540 Thomas Kitson was born to Thomas Kitson (deceased) and Margaret Donnington Countess Bath (age 31). He married before 7th May 1567 Elizabeth Cornwallis and had issue.
On 15th October 1573 William Pope 1st Earl Downe was born to John Pope (age 53). He married 1595 Anne Hopton Baroness Wentworth and had issue.
On 15th October 1611 John Lindsay 1st Earl Lindsay 17th Earl Crawford was born to Robert Lindsay 9th Lord Lindsay of the Byres (age 36). He married 1630 his sixth cousin Margaret Hamilton Countess Lindsay and Crawford, daughter of James Hamilton 2nd Marquess Hamilton and Ann Cunningham Marchioness Hamilton, and had issue.
On 15th October 1629 Thomas Nightingale 2nd Baronet was born to Robert Nightingale (age 25). He married before 3rd July 1697 Jane Shires 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.
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On 15th October 1663 Fitton Gerard 3rd Earl Macclesfield was born to Charles Gerard 1st Earl Macclesfield (age 45) and Jeanne de Civelle Countess Macclesfield.
On 15th October 1694 Archibald Douglas 1st Duke of Douglas was born to James Douglas 2nd Marquess Douglas (age 48) and Mary Kerr Marchioness Douglas (age 20).
On 15th October 1694 Major William Knollys was born to Charles Knollys 4th Earl Banbury (age 32) and Elizabeth Lister Countess of Banbury (age 31). He married his half first cousin Mary Katherine Law.
On 15th October 1711 Elisabeth Therese Lorraine Queen Consort Sardinia was born to Leopold Duke of Lorraine (age 32) and Élisabeth Charlotte Bourbon Duchess Lorraine (age 35). She a great x 3 granddaughter of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland. She married 5th March 1737 her half first cousin Charles Emmanuel III King Sardinia, son of Victor Amadeus King Sardinia and Anne Marie Bourbon Queen Consort Sardinia, and had issue.
On 15th October 1726 Patrick Mcdouall Crichton 6th Earl Dumfries was born.
On 15th October 1763 Edward Fitzgerald was born to James Fitzgerald 1st Duke Leinster (age 41) and Emilia Mary Lennox Duchess Leinster (age 32). He a great x 2 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 15th October 1767 Martha Evans Lady Willoughby was born. She married 29th January 1789 Christopher Willoughby 1st Baronet and had issue.
On 15th October 1786 Edward Fenwick Loraine was born to William Loraine 4th Baronet (age 37) and Hannah Allgood Lady Loraine (age 33). He died aged less than one years old.
On 15th October 1794 Caroline Yorke Countess Somers was born to Philip Yorke 3rd Earl of Hardwicke (age 37) and Elizabeth Lindsay Countess Hardwicke (age 31). She married before 14th July 1819 her third cousin John Somers-Cocks 2nd Earl Somers, son of John Cocks 1st Earl Somers, and had issue.
On 15th October 1795 Frederick William IV King Prussia was born to Frederick William III King Prussia (age 25) and Queen Louise of Prussia (age 19).
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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On 15th October 1795 Henry Winston Barron 1st Baronet was born. He married (1) 1st May 1822 Anna Leigh Guy Page-Turner Lady Barron, daughter of Gregory Page-Turner 3rd Baronet, and had issue (2) 1st August 1863 Augusta Anne Somerset Lady Barron.
On 15th October 1806 William Clements 3rd Earl Leitrim was born to Nathaniel Clements 2nd Earl Leitrim (age 38) and Mary Bermingham.
On 15th October 1806 Sophia Anne Mosley was born to Oswald Mosley 2nd Baronet (age 21) and Sophia Anne Every Lady Mosley.
On 15th October 1812 John Hume Egerton was born to John Cust 1st Earl Brownlow (age 33) and Amelia Sophia Hume (age 24). He married 1841 Marianne Margaret Compton, daughter of Spencer Compton 2nd Marquess Northampton and Margaret Douglas-Maclean-Clephane Marchioness Northampton, and had issue.
On 15th October 1815 Henry Amelius Beauclerk Coventry was born to George Coventry 8th Earl Coventry (age 30) and Mary Beauclerk Countess Coventry (age 24). He married 2nd August 1837 Caroline Stirling Dundas and had issue.
On 15th October 1823 William Drogo Montagu 7th Duke Manchester was born to George Montagu 6th Duke Manchester (age 24) and Millicent Sparrow Duchess Manchester (age 25) at Kimbolton Castle [Map]. He married 22nd July 1852 Louisa Vonalten Duchess Devonshire and Manchester and had issue.
On 15th October 1854 Grace Cecilie Gordon Countess Lonsdale was born to Charles Gordon 10th Marquess Huntly (age 62) and Maria Antoinetta Pegus Marchioness Huntly (age 33). She married 1878 Hugh Cecil Lowther 5th Earl Lonsdale, son of Henry Lowther 3rd Earl Lonsdale.
On 15th October 1871 Francis Derwent Wood was born at Keswick, Cumberland. He married 1903 Florence Mary Schmidt.
On 15th October 1872 Claud Heathcote-Willoughby-Drummond was born to Gilbert Henry Heathcote Drummond Willoughby 1st Earl Ancaster (age 42) and Evelyn Elizabeth Gordon Countess Ancaster (age 26). He married 1905 Florence Conyngham, daughter of George Henry Conyngham 3rd Marquess Conyngham and Jane St Maur Blanche Stanhope Marchioness Conyngham.
On 15th October 1874 Alfred Windsor was born to Prince Alfred Windsor (age 30) and Maria Holstein Gottorp Romanov (age 20) at Buckingham Palace [Map]. He a grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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On 15th October 1893 Major Frederick Yelverton Goring was born to Harry Yelverton Goring 11th Baronet (age 53).
On 15th October 1907 Myrtle Dormer was born to Charles Joseph Thaddeus Dormer 14th Baron Dormer (age 43) and Caroline May Clifford Baroness Dormer. She married 23rd November 1927 Robert George Wilmot Berkeley and had issue.
On 15th October 1910 Samuel Hood 6th Viscount Hood was born to Rear-Admiral Horace Hood (age 40) and Ellen Touzalin.
On 15th October 1921 Geoffrey Russell 4th Baron Ampthill was born to John Russell 3rd Baron Ampthill (age 25) and Christabel Hulme Hart Baroness Ampthill. The biological father remains a mystery since his mother and father had never, apparently, consummated their marriage. His father apparently never spoke to the child.
On 15th October 1925 William Simon Pease 3rd Baron Wardington was born to John William Beaumont Pease 1st Baron Wardington (age 66) and Dorothy Charlotte Forster Baroness Wardington (age 34). He married 26th October 1962 Elizabeth Jane Ormsby-Gore Baroness Wardington, daughter of George Arthur Ormsby-Gore 4th Baron Harlech and Beatrice Edith Mildred Gascoyne-Cecil Baroness Harlech.
On 15th October 1951 James Chichester 12th Baronet was born to Edward John Chichester 11th Baronet (age 35) and Anne Rachel Pearl Douglas-Scott-Montagu (age 30). He married 10th February 1990 Margaret Anne Chandos-Pole.
On 15th October 1285 King Alexander III of Scotland (age 44) and Yolande of Dreux Duchess Brittany (age 24) were married. She the daughter of Robert Capet IV Count Dreux and Beatrice Montfort Countess Dreux (age 36). He the son of King Alexander II of Scotland and Marie Coucy. They were half second cousin twice removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
On 15th October 1383 Hermann II Landgrave of Hesse (age 42) and Margaret Hohenzollern (age 23) were married at Kulmbach. She by marriage Landgravine Hesse. She the daughter of Frederick Hohenzollern V Burgrave Nuremburg (age 50).
On 15th October 1696 William Spencer and Anne Jenkyn Lady St Aubyn were married.
On 15th October 1728 James Hamilton 1st Earl Clanbrassil (age 34) and Harriet Bentinck Countess Clanbrassil (age 22) were married. She the daughter of William Bentinck 1st Earl of Portland and Jane Martha Temple Countess Portland (age 56).
On 15th October 1817 Trevor Wheler 9th Baronet (age 24) and Lucy Dandridge Lady Wheler were married.
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.
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On 15th October 1857 Wilbraham Egerton 1st Earl Egerton (age 25) and Mary Amherst Baroness Egerton (age 20) were married. She the daughter of William Amherst 2nd Earl Amherst (age 52) and Gertrude Percy Countess Amherst (age 43).
On 15th October 1863 Henry Byng 4th Earl Strafford (age 32) and Henrietta Louisa Elizabeth Danneskiold Samsøe (age 27) were married. He the son of George Byng 2nd Earl Strafford (age 57) and Agnes Paget. They were fourth cousins.
On 15th October 1867 George I King Greece (age 21) and Olga Constantinovna Holstein Gottorp Romanov Queen Consort Greece (age 16) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Greece. He the son of King Christian IX of Denmark (age 49) and Queen Louise Hesse-Kassel of Denmark (age 50). They were fifth cousin once removed. He a great x 3 grandson of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland.
On 15th October 1885 Arthur Lawley 6th Baron Wenlock (age 24) and Annie Allen Cunard Baroness Wenlock (age 22) were married.
On 15th October 1889 Andrew Agnew 9th Baronet (age 39) and Gertrude Vernon Lady Agnew (age 24) were married. They were sixth cousins.
On 15th October 1891 Lieutenant-Colonel Gilbert Redvers Heathcote 8th Baronet (age 36) and Pauline Trevelyan were married. They were third cousins.
On 15th October 1913 Prince Arthur of Connaught (age 30) and Princess Alexandra Duff Duchess Fife (age 22) were married at Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. She the daughter of Alexander Duff 1st Duke Fife and Louise Windsor Duchess Fife (age 46). He the son of Prince Arthur Windsor 1st Duke Connaught and Strathearn (age 63) and Luise Margarete Hohenzollern Duchess Connaught (age 53). They were first cousin once removed. He a grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. She a granddaughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.
On 15th October 1921 William Bingham Compton 6th Marquess Northampton (age 36) and Emma Margery Thynne Marchioness Northampton (age 28) were married. She by marriage Marchioness Northampton. She the daughter of Thomas Henry Thynne 5th Marquess of Bath (age 59) and Violet Caroline Mordaunt Marchioness Bath (age 52). He the son of William George Spencer Scott Compton 5th Marquess Northampton and Mary Florence Baring Marchioness Northampton. They were second cousin once removed.
On 15th October 1955 John Parker 6th Earl Morley (age 32) and Katherine Molesworth-St Aubyn Countess Morley were married. They were third cousins.
On 15th October 1072 Bishop Æthelric died.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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On 15th October 1173 Petronilla Jiménez Queen Aragon (age 37) died.
On 15th October 1191 Raoul I Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis (age 51) was killed during the Siege of Acre.
On 15th October 1326 brothers Richard Stapledon and Bishop Walter Stapledon (age 65) were beheaded in the street by a mob loyal to Queen Isabella.
On 7th October 1328 Robert Holland 1st Baron Holand (age 45) was captured at Boreham, Essex [Map]. He was beheaded on the 15th October 1328. His son Robert (age 17) succeeded 2nd Baron Holand.
On 15th October 1361 Humphrey Bohun 6th Earl Hereford 5th Earl Essex (age 52) died. His nephew Humphrey (age 20) succeeded 7th Earl Hereford, 6th Earl Essex. Joan Fitzalan Countess Essex, Hereford and Northampton (age 14) by marriage Countess Essex, Countess Hereford.
On 15th October 1381, or 16th, William Deincourt 3rd Baron Deincourt (age 23) died at Stirling [Map]. His son Ralph (age 1) succeeded 4th Baron Deincourt.
On 15th October 1404 Marie Valois Duchess Bar (age 60) died.
On 15th October 1517 Thomas Grey 11th Baron Grey of Wilton (age 20) died of sweating sickness. He was buried at the St Peter's Church, Merton. His brother Richard (age 10) succeeded 12th Baron Grey of Wilton.
On 15th October 1542 William Fitzwilliam 1st Earl of Southampton (age 52) died at Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland [Map]. Earl of Southampton extinct. Anthony Browne (age 42) inherited Cowdray House [Map].
On 27th September 1584 or 15th October 1584 Bishop Thomas Watson (age 69) died at Wisbech Castle [Map] having been confined for the previous twenty-five years.
On 15th October 1616 Rachel Lennard Baroness Bergavenny (age 63) died in Birling, Kent [Map].
On 15th October 1635 Anne Stewart Baroness Castle Stuart died.
On 15th October 1651 James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby (age 44) died. His son Charles (age 23) succeeded 8th Earl Derby, 2nd Baron Strange Knockin.
On 15th October 1667 Thomas Rich 1st Baronet (age 66) died. His son William (age 13) succeeded 2nd Baronet Rich of Sonning in Berkshire.
On 15th October 1689 Edward Dering 3rd Baronet (age 39) died. He was buried at St Nicholas' Church, Pluckley. His son Cholmley (age 10) succeeded 4th Baronet Dering of Surrenden Dering in Kent.
On 15th October 1701 Uvedale Corbet 3rd Baronet (age 33) died. His son Richard (age 5) succeeded 4th Baronet Corbet of Leighton in Montgomeryshire.
On 15th October 1702 Frances Teresa Stewart Duchess Lennox and Richmond (age 55) died.
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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On 15th October 1730 Rushout Cullen 3rd Baronet (age 69) died. Baronet Cullen of East Sheen in Surrey extinct.
On 15th October 1749 Walter Calverly 1st Baronet (age 79) died. His son Walter (age 41) succeeded 2nd Baronet Blackett of Claverley in Yorkshire. Elizabeth Orde Lady Blackett by marriage Lady Blackett of Claverley in Yorkshire.
On 15th October 1756 William Grimston 1st Viscount Grimston (age 71) died. His son James (age 45) succeeded 2nd Viscount Grimston, 6th Baronet Grimston of Little Waltham in Essex.
On 15th October 1770 Norborne Berkeley 4th Baron Botetort (age 53) died in Williamsburg. Baron Botetort abeyant.
On 15th October 1783 Francis Vernon 1st Earl Shipbrook (age 68) died. Earl Shipbrook of Newry in County Down, Viscount Orwell and Baron Orwell extinct.
On 15th October 1792 Frances Manners Countess Tyrconnel (age 39) died.
On 15th October 1811 Nathaniel Dance-Holland (age 76) died. Baronet Dance-Holland of Wittenham in Berkshire extinct.
On 15th October 1817 Andrew St John 14th Baron St John (age 58) died. His son Andrew (age 5) succeeded 15th Baron St John of Bletso, 12th Baronet St John of Woodford in Northamptonshire.
On 15th October 1839 Frances Mary Gascoyne Marchioness Salisbury (age 33) died.
On 15th October 1872 Emily Caroline Catherine Frances Cowper Countess Shaftesbury died.
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.
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On 15th October 1897 Charles Mordaunt 10th Baronet (age 61) died. His son Osbert (age 13) succeeded 11th Baronet Mordaunt of Massingham Parva.
On 15th October 1900 John Hamilton 1st Baron Hamilton of Dalzell (age 70) died. His son Gavin (age 28) succeeded 2nd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell in Lanarkshire.
On 15th October 1901 Carlos María Fitz James Stuart 16th Duke Alba 14th Duke Veragua 9th Duke Berwick (age 51) died. His son Jacobo (age 22) succeeded 17th Duke Alba, 15th Duke Veragua, 10th Duke of Jérica, 10th Duke of Liria, 10th Duke Berwick.
On 15th October 1918 Walter Farquhar 5th Baronet (age 40) was killed in action near Arras whilst serving as a Captain in the Royal Field Artillery of the 59th Division. He was buried in Fosse No. 10 Communal Cemetery Extension, Sains-en-Gohelle. His son Peter (age 14) succeeded 6th Baronet Farquhar of Cadogan House in Middlesex.
On 15th October 1995 Nina Mary Hope-Wallace Lady Hoare (age 89) died.