William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Paternal Family Tree: Gernon
Maternal Family Tree: Mathilde Unknown Countess Évreux 1120-1169
In 1169 [his father] Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester [aged 22] and [his mother] Bertrade Montfort Countess Chester were married. She by marriage Countess Chester. She the daughter of [his grandfather] Simon "Chauve" Montfort 4th Count Évreux [aged 41] and [his grandmother] Mathilde Unknown Countess Évreux [aged 49]. He the son of Ranulf Gernon 4th Earl Chester and Matilda Fitzrobert Countess Chester. They were fifth cousin once removed. He a great grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
In 1170 Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln was born to [his father] Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester [aged 23] and [his mother] Bertrade Montfort Countess Chester. He a great x 2 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
On 20th February 1171 Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany [aged 33] died. His daughter [his future wife] Constance [aged 10] succeeded Duchess Brittany, 3rd Countess Richmond.
On 30th June 1181 [his father] Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester [aged 34] died at Leek, Staffordshire [Map]. His son Ranulf [aged 11] succeeded 6th Earl Chester.
In July 1181 Geoffrey Plantagenet 2nd Duke Brittany [aged 22] and [his future wife] Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Duchess Brittany. He by marriage Duke Brittany. She the daughter of Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany and [his future mother-in-law] Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany [aged 36]. He the son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England [aged 48] and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 59]. They were half second cousin once removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
In 1188 Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 18] and Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [aged 27] were married. She by marriage Countess Chester. She the daughter of Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany and Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany [aged 43]. He the son of Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester and Bertrade Montfort Countess Chester. They were half third cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
Before May 1189 [his step-daughter] Maud or Matilda Plantagenet [aged 4] died.
Before 1194 [his brother-in-law] David Dunkeld 8th Earl Huntingdon [aged 41] and [his sister] Matilda Gernon Countess Huntingdon [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Countess Huntingdon. She the daughter of [his father] Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester and [his mother] Bertrade Montfort Countess Chester. He the son of Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria and Ada Warenne Countess Huntingdon and Northumbria. They were half fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
Chronicle of Roger de Hoveden. [Around March 1194] And [his brother-in-law] Count David [aged 42], brother of the King of Scotland [aged 51], along with Ranulf [aged 24], Earl of Chester, and the William [aged 26], Earl of Ferrers, besieged the castle of Nottingham [Map] with a great army.
Et comes David, frater regis Scotiæ, et Ranulfus comes Cestrie, et comes de Fereres, cum magno exercitu obsedit castellum de Nothingham.
Chronicle of Roger de Hoveden. 30th March 1194. On the thirtieth day of March, a Wednesday, Richard, King of England, held the first day of his council at Nottingham. Present at this council were: Queen Eleanor [aged 72], his mother, Hubert [aged 34], Archbishop of Canterbury, who sat on the king's right, Geoffrey [aged 42], Archbishop of York, who sat on the king's left, Hugh [aged 69], Bishop of Durham, Hugh [aged 54], Bishop of Lincoln, William, Bishop of Ely, the king's chancellor, William, Bishop of Hereford, Henry, Bishop of Worcester, Henry [aged 46], Bishop of Exeter, John, Bishop of Whithorn (Candida Casa), [his brother-in-law] Count David [aged 42], brother of the King of Scotland, Hamelin [aged 65], Earl of Warenne, Ranulf [aged 24], Earl of Chester, William [aged 26], Earl of Ferrers, William [aged 18], Earl of Salisbury, Roger Bigod [aged 50].
Tricesima die mensis Martii, feria quarta, Ricardus rex Angiiæ celebravit primum conciJii sui diem apud Notingliam; cui interfueiunt Alienor regina mater ejus, et Hubertus Cantuariensis arcbiepiscopus, qui in dextris regis sedebat in concilio illo, et Gaufridus Eboracensis arcbiepiscopus, qui a sinistris ejus sedebat, et Hugo Dunelmensis, et Hugo Lincolniensis, et Willelmus Eliensis regis cancellarius, et Willelmus Herefordensis, et Henriecus Wigornensis, et Henricus Exoniensis, et Johannes Candidæ Casæ episcopi; et comes David frater regis, Scotiæ, et Hamelinus comes de Warenna, et Ranulfus comes Cestriæ, et Willelmus comes de Ferreres, et Willelmus comes de Salesbiria, et Rogerus Bigot.
Chronicle of Roger de Hoveden. 17th April 1194. On the seventeenth day of April, a Sunday within the Octave of Easter, a great assembly gathered in the Church of St. Swithun [Map]. Present were: Hubert [aged 34], Archbishop of Canterbury, John [aged 44], Archbishop of Dublin, Hugh [aged 69], Bishop of Durham, Hugh of Lincoln, Richard of London, Gilbert of Rochester, William of Ely, Seffrid of Chichester, Henry of Exeter, William of Hereford, the Bishop of Worcester, the Bishop of St. David's, and the Bishop of Bangor, together with many abbots, clergy, and laypeople. Richard, King of England, clothed in royal garments and wearing a golden crown on his head, came forth from his chamber already crowned. He held in his right hand the royal sceptre, topped with the sign of the cross, and in his left hand a golden rod, topped with the figure of a dove. On his right walked William, Bishop of Ely, his chancellor, and on his left, Richard, Bishop of London. Preceding them in ordered procession were the archbishops, bishops, abbots, monks, and clerics. Following the king were earls, barons, knights, and a great multitude of common people.
And a silken canopy, supported by four lances, was carried above the king [King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 36]] by four earls: Roger Bigod [aged 50], Earl of Norfolk, William, Earl of the Isle of Wight, the Earl of Salisbury [aged 18], the [his brother-in-law] Earl of Ferrers [aged 26].Three swords taken from the royal treasury were carried before the king: one sword was carried by William [aged 51], King of Scotland. another was borne by Hamelin [aged 65], Earl of Warenne. The third was carried by Ranulf [aged 24], Earl of Chester. Among them, the King of Scotland walked in the middle, with the Earl of Warenne at his right and the Earl of Chester at his left.
Septima decima die mensis Aprilis, die Dominica in octavis Paschæ, convenientibus in unum in ecclesia Sancti Swithuni Huberto Cantuariensi, et Johanne Dublinensi archiepiscopis; et Hugone Dunelmensi, et Hugone Lincolniensi, et Ricardo Londoniensi, et Gilberto Roffensi, et Willelmo Eliensi, et Sefrido Cicestrensi, et Henrico Exoniensi, et1.... Willelmo Herefordensi, et Wigornensi, et de S. David, et1.... Pangorensi episcopis; et abbatibus multis, et clero et populo; Ricardus rex Angliæ vestimentis regalibus indutus, coronam auream habens in capite,2 processit de thalamo suo coronatus, gestans in manu sua dextra sceptrum regale, cujus sum mitate habetur signum crucis, et in manu sinistra virgam auream, in cujus summitate habetur species columbz et a dextris ejus ibat Willelmus Eliensis episcopus, cancellarius suus, et a sinistris Ricardus Londoniensis episcopus. Præcedebat quoque eos ordinata processio archiepiscoporum et episcoporum, et abbatum, et monachorum et clericorum. Comites vero, et barones, et milites, et magna plebis multitudo, sequebantur regem.
Et pannus sericus quatuor lanceis superpositus ferebatur supra regem a quatuor comitibus: videlicet, Rogero Bigot comite de Norfolchia, et Willelmo comite de Insula Vectæ et—comite Salesbiriensi, et—comite de Ferreres. Et tres gladii de thesauro regis sumpti gestabantur ante regem; quorum unum gestabat Willelmus rex Scottorum, et alterum portabat Hamelinus comes de Warenna, et tertium gestabat Ranulfus comes Cestriæ: medius autem illorum ibat rex Scottorum, et comes Warennæ a dextris ejus, et comes Cestriæ a sinistris ejus.
Note 1. blanks for names of the bishops of Worcester and Bangor.
Note 2. coronam auream habens in capite. It is worthwhile remarking that notwithstanding the political significance given to this second coronation of Richard, it was a ceremony different in kind from the first, and far more in itself analogous to the great crown-wearing days of the earlier Norman kings. The king receives the crown from the archbishop privately (Gerv. l.?S7), and presents himself to the people already crowned and in his royal robes. It is not so much a renewal of his "inauguration" after an eclipse of dignity or even a loss of it, as an assertion that that dignity has undergone no diminution. The day and place recall the Easter crown-wearing of William the Conqueror at Winchester. Gervase was reminded by them of the Canterbury crowning of king Stephen, c. 1588.
In 1199 [his brother-in-law] Henry Bohun 1st Earl Hereford [aged 23] was created 1st Earl Hereford.
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Before 1200 Guy Thouars [aged 59] and [his wife] Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [aged 38] were married. The difference in their ages was 21 years. She the daughter of Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany and [his mother-in-law] Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany [aged 54]. They were half fourth cousin once removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
On 5th September 1201 [his wife] Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [aged 40] died. Her son [his step-son] Prince [aged 14] succeeded 3rd Duke Brittany, 4th Earl Richmond.
In or before 1205 [his brother-in-law] John Gifford [aged 24] and [his sister] Hawise Gernon 2nd Countess Lincoln [aged 24] were married. She the daughter of [his father] Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester and [his mother] Bertrade Montfort Countess Chester.
On 15th June 1215 King John of England [aged 48] met with his Baron's at Runnymede [Map] where he agreed to the terms of the Magna Carta which attempted to reduce the King's authority through political reform. Those who signed as surety included:
Roger Bigod 2nd Earl Norfolk [aged 71]
his son Hugh Bigod 3rd Earl Norfolk [aged 33]
[his former brother-in-law] Henry Bohun 1st Earl Hereford [aged 39]
Richard Clare 3rd Earl Hertford [aged 62]
his son Gilbert Clare 5th Earl Gloucester 4th Earl Hertford [aged 35]
William "The Younger" Marshal 2nd Earl Pembroke [aged 25]
William Mowbray 6th Baron Thirsk [aged 42]
Saer Quincy 1st Earl Winchester [aged 45]
Robert Ros [aged 43], Richard Percy 5th Baron Percy Topcliffe [aged 45]
Robert de Vere 3rd Earl of Oxford [aged 50]
Eustace Vesci [aged 46]
John Fitzrobert 3rd Baron Warkworth [aged 25]
John Lacy Earl Lincoln [aged 23].
William de Albini [aged 64], Geoffrey Mandeville 2nd Earl Essex [aged 24]
William Forz 3rd Earl Albemarle
William Hardell
William Huntingfield
William Llanvallei
William Malet 1st Baron Curry Mallet
Roger Montbegon, Richard Montfichet
Geoffrey Saye [aged 60] signed as surety the Magna Carta.
Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 45] witnessed.
During the night of 18th and 19th October 1216 King John of England [aged 49] died at Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire [Map]. His son Henry [aged 9] succeeded III King of England.
John Monmouth [aged 34] was present.
On his deathbed, John appointed a council of thirteen executors to help Henry reclaim the kingdom and requested that his son be placed into the guardianship of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke [aged 70].
King John's will is the earliest English royal will to survive in its original form. The document is quite small, roughly the size of a postcard and the seals of those who were present at the time would have been attached to it. Translation of the will taken from an article by Professor S.D. Church in the English Historical Review, June 2010:
I, John, by the grace of God king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, count of Anjou, hindered by grave infirmity and not being able at this time of my infirmity to itemize all my things so that I may make a testament, commit the arbitration and administration of my testament to the trust and to the legitimate administration of my faithful men whose names are written below, without whose counsel, even in good health, I would have by no means arranged my testament in their presence, so that what they will faithfully arrange and determine concerning my things as much as in making satisfaction to God and to holy Church for damages and injuries done to them as in sending succour to the land of Jerusalem and in providing support to my sons towards obtaining and defending their inheritance and in making reward to those who have served us faithfully and in making distribution to the poor and to religious houses for the salvation of my soul, be right and sure. I ask, furthermore, that whoever shall give them counsel and assistance in the arranging of my testament shall receive the grace and favour of God. Whoever shall infringe their arrangement and disposition, may he incur the curse and indignation of almighty God and the blessed Mary and all the saints.
In the first place, therefore, I desire that my body be buried in the church of St Mary and St Wulfstan at Worcester. I appoint, moreover, the following arbiters and administrators: the lord Guala, by the grace of God, cardinal-priest of the title of St Martin and legate of the apostolic see; the lord Peter bishop of Winchester; the lord Richard bishop of Chichester; the lord Silvester bishop of Worcester; Brother Aimery de St-Maur; William Marshal earl of Pembroke; Ranulf earl of Chester; William earl Ferrers; William Brewer; Walter de Lacy and John of Monmouth; Savaric de Mauléon; Falkes de Bréauté.
The signatories were:
Guala Bicchieri [aged 66] (ca 1150 - 1227) Papal Legate.
Bishop Peter de Roches, Bishop of Winchester.
Richard le Poer (? - 1237), Bishop of Chichester.
Sylvester of Worcester, Bishop of Worcester.
Aimery de St-Maur (? -?1219), Master of the English Templars.
William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke.
Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 46].
[his brother-in-law] William Ferrers 4th Earl of Derby [aged 48].
William Brewer (? - 1226), 1st Baron Brewer.
Walter de Lacy (ca 1172-1241) Lord of Meath.
John: (1182 - 1248) Lord of Monmouth.
Savaric de Mauléon (? - 1236) Seneschal of Poitou from 1205.
Falkes de Bréauté (? - 1226) Seneschal of Cardiff Castle.
Before 1217 [his brother-in-law] Robert Quincy Earl Lincoln and [his sister] Hawise Gernon 2nd Countess Lincoln [aged 36] were married. She the daughter of [his father] Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester and [his mother] Bertrade Montfort Countess Chester. He the son of Saer Quincy 1st Earl Winchester [aged 46] and Margaret Beaumont Countess Winchester. They were half fourth cousin twice removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
On 20th May 1217 William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke [aged 71] and Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 47] fought at Lincoln, Lincolnshire [Map] during the Second Battle aka Fair of Lincoln.
Rebels William Mowbray 6th Baron Thirsk [aged 44] and William Ros [aged 17] were captured. William de Albini [aged 66] fought for the rebels. Thomas Chateaudun I Count Perche [aged 22] died fighting for the rebels.
Bishop Peter de Roches led a division of the royal army and earned some distinction by his valour.
On 23rd May 1217 Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 47] was created 1st Earl Lincoln.
Before 15th May 1218 Robert Marmion 3rd Baron Marmion [aged 65] was killed in a fight with the forces of Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 48] at Scrivelsby. His son Robert [aged 36] succeeded 4th Baron Marmion of Tamworth in Staffordshire.
Around 1220 Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 50] commissioned Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire [Map].
Around 1220 Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 50] commissioned Beeston Castle, Cheshire [Map].
Around 1220 Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 50] commissioned Chartley Castle [Map].
In April 1231 [his sister] Hawise Gernon 2nd Countess Lincoln [aged 51] succeeded 2nd Countess Lincoln. [his former brother-in-law] Robert Quincy Earl Lincoln by marriage Earl Lincoln. She was gifted the title by her childless brother Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 61] by agreement with King Henry III of England [aged 23].
On 26th October 1232 Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 62] died at Wallingford Castle [Map]. His nephew John [aged 25] succeeded 7th Earl Chester.
Kings Wessex: Great x 10 Grand Son of King Alfred "The Great" of Wessex
Kings England: Great x 2 Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Kings Franks: Great x 13 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 6 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 10 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 2 Grandfather: Ranulf de Briquessart Gernon Viscount Bessin
Great x 1 Grandfather: Ranulf le Meschin Gernon 3rd Earl Chester
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thorstein Avranches Viscount Avranches
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard le Goz Viscount Avranches
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Avranches
Great x 4 Grandfather: Herluin de Conteville
Great x 3 Grandmother: Emma Mortain Viscountess Avranches
Great x 4 Grandmother: Herleva of Falaise
GrandFather: Ranulf Gernon 4th Earl Chester
Great x 1 Grandmother: Lucy Bolingbroke Countess Chester
Father: Hugh de Kevelioc Gernon 5th Earl Chester Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert "Magnificent" Normandy I Duke Normandy 
Great x 3 Grandfather: King William "Conqueror" I of England -2 x Great Grand Son of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Herleva of Falaise
Great x 2 Grandfather: King Henry I "Beauclerc" England Son of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Baldwin "The Good" V Count Flanders
Great x 3 Grandmother: Matilda Flanders Queen Consort England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Adela Capet Duchess Normandy 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Normandy 1st Earl Gloucester Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Rainald Gay
Great x 2 Grandmother: Daughter Gay
GrandMother: Matilda Fitzrobert Countess Chester Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hamon Dentatus
Great x 3 Grandfather: Hamo Dapifer
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Fitzhamon
Great x 1 Grandmother: Mabel Fitzhamon Countess Gloucester
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Montgomery
Great x 3 Grandfather: Roger "The Great" Montgomery 1st Earl of Shrewsbury
Great x 2 Grandmother: Sibyl Montgomery
Great x 4 Grandfather: William "Talvas" Belleme
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mabel de Bellême
Great x 4 Grandmother: Hildeburg
Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Reginarids
Great x 3 Grandfather: Aumary Reginarids
Great x 2 Grandfather: Simon Montfort
Great x 3 Grandmother: Bertrade Unknown
Great x 1 Grandfather: Amaury Montfort Count Évreux
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Normandy Archbishop of Rouen
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard Normandy 2nd Count Évreux
Great x 4 Grandmother: Herleva Countess Évreux
Great x 2 Grandmother: Agnès of Normandy
Great x 4 Grandfather: Ramon Borrell Count of Barcelona
Great x 3 Grandmother: Adelaide aka Godehildis Ramon
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ermesinde of Carcassonne
GrandFather: Simon "Chauve" Montfort 4th Count Évreux
Mother: Bertrade Montfort Countess Chester
GrandMother: Mathilde Unknown Countess Évreux