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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In 1628 Henry Stanhope and [his mother] Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 19] were married. He the son of Philip Stanhope 1st Earl Chesterfield [aged 44] and Catherine Hastings Countess Chesterfield.
Before 9th May 1630 [his father] Jehan Lord of Heenvliet [aged 35] and [his mother] Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 21] were married.
On 9th May 1643 Charles Kirkoven 1st Earl Bellomont was born to [his father] Jehan Lord of Heenvliet [aged 48] and [his mother] Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 34] at The Hague.
In 1649 Charles Kirkoven 1st Earl Bellomont [aged 5] was created 1st Baron Wotton.
In 1652 [his half-brother] Philip Stanhope 2nd Earl Chesterfield [aged 18] and [his sister-in-law] Anne Percy 2nd Countess Chesterfield [aged 17] were married. She by marriage Countess Chesterfield. She the daughter of Algernon Percy 10th Earl of Northumberland [aged 49] and Anne Cecil. He the son of Henry Stanhope and [his mother] Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 43]. They were fourth cousin once removed.
After 1654 [his half-brother] Philip Stanhope 2nd Earl Chesterfield [aged 20] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Butler Countess Chesterfield [aged 13] were married. She by marriage Countess Chesterfield. She the daughter of James Butler 1st Duke Ormonde [aged 43] and Elizabeth Preston Duchess Ormonde [aged 38]. He the son of Henry Stanhope and [his mother] Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 45].
Before 1655 [his brother-in-law] Charles Stanley 8th Earl of Derby [aged 26] and [his sister] Dorothea Helena Kirkoven Countess Derby [aged 24] were married. She by marriage Countess Derby. She the daughter of [his father] Jehan Lord of Heenvliet [aged 60] and [his mother] Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 45]. He the son of James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 55].
On 12th September 1656 Philip Stanhope 1st Earl Chesterfield [aged 72] died. His grandson [his half-brother] Philip [aged 22] succeeded 2nd Earl Chesterfield, 2nd Baron Stanhope of Shelford in Nottinghamshire.
In 1660 [his mother] Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 51] was created 1st Countess Chesterfield.
On 7th March 1660 [his father] Jehan Lord of Heenvliet [aged 65] died.
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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In September 1660 [his step-father] Daniel O'Neill [aged 48] and [his mother] Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 51] were married.
Before 1662 [his brother-in-law] William Alington 1st and 3rd Baron Alington [aged 21] and [his half-sister] Catherine Stanhope Baroness Alington were married. She by marriage Baroness Alington of Killard. She the daughter of Henry Stanhope and [his mother] Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 52]. They were third cousin once removed.
On 19th November 1662 [his half-sister] Catherine Stanhope Baroness Alington died.
After July 1665 [his half-brother] Philip Stanhope 2nd Earl Chesterfield [aged 31] and [his sister-in-law] Elizabeth Dormer Countess Chesterfield [aged 12] were married. She by marriage Countess Chesterfield. She the daughter of Charles Dormer 2nd Earl Carnarvon [aged 32] and Elizabeth Capell Countess Carnarvon [aged 32]. He the son of Henry Stanhope and [his mother] Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 56]. They were third cousin once removed.
On 9th April 1667 [his mother] Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 58] died. Earl Chesterfield extinct. Her son Charles Kirkoven 1st Earl Bellomont [aged 23] inherited Boughton aka Bocton Place, Kent [Map].
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 17th August 1668. Up, and by water to White Hall, and so to St. James's, and thence with Mr. Wren [aged 39] by appointment in his coach to Hampstead, to speak with the Atturney-general [aged 70], whom we met in the fields, by his old route and house; and after a little talk about our business of Ackeworth, went and saw the Lord Wotton's [aged 25] house and garden, which is wonderfull fine: too good for the house the gardens are, being, indeed, the most noble that ever I saw, and brave orange and lemon trees.
On 6th April 1673 [his sister] Dorothea Helena Kirkoven Countess Derby [aged 43] died.
John Evelyn's Diary. 2nd June 1676. We returned in the evening by Hampstead, to see Lord Wotton's [aged 33] house and garden (Bellsize House), built with vast expense by [his step-father] Mr. O'Neale, an Irish gentleman who married Lord Wotton's mother, Baroness Stanhope. The furniture is very particular for Indian cabinets, porcelain, and other solid and noble movables. The gallery very fine, the gardens very large, but ill kept, yet woody and chargeable. The soil a cold weeping clay, not answering the expense.
On 25th August 1679 Charles Kirkoven 1st Earl Bellomont [aged 36] and Frances Willoughby Countess Bellomont [aged 36] were married. She by marriage Baroness Wotton. His paternal grandfather Thomas Wotton 2nd Baron Wotton had been the last of the previous creation of Baron Wotton. He the son of Jehan Lord of Heenvliet and Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield.
In 1680 Charles Kirkoven 1st Earl Bellomont [aged 36] was created 1st Earl Bellomont. [his wife] Frances Willoughby Countess Bellomont [aged 37] by marriage Countess Bellomont.
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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In 1683 Charles Kirkoven 1st Earl Bellomont [aged 39] died. Earl Bellomont and Baron Wotton extinct. He was buried at Canterbury Cathedral [Map]. He willed Boughton aka Bocton Place, Kent [Map] to his nephew, Charles Stanhope aka Wooton [aged 7], son of his half-brother Philip Stanhope 2nd Earl Chesterfield [aged 49].
On 25th May 1714 [his former wife] Frances Willoughby Countess Bellomont [aged 71] died in Derby, Derbyshire [Map].
Father: Jehan Lord of Heenvliet
Charles Kirkoven 1st Earl Bellomont
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edward Wotton of Boughton Place in Kent
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Wotton
Great x 1 Grandfather: Edward Wotton 1st Baron Wotton
GrandFather: Thomas Wotton 2nd Baron Wotton