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Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans

Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.

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Thomas Edward Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" 1888-1935

On 16th August 1888 Thomas Edward Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" was born illegitimately to Thomas Chapman 7th Baronet [aged 41] and Sarah Lawrence [aged 26] in a house called Gorphwysfa [Map] in Tremadog in Carnarfonshire.

In 1896 Thomas Edward Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" [aged 7] and his family moved to 2 Polstead Road, Oxford [Map]. He attended the City of Oxford High School for Boys until 1907.

In 1907 and 1908 Thomas Edward Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" [aged 18] cycled 3,500 kms solo through France to the Mediterranean and back, researching French castles.

In the summer of 1909 Thomas Edward Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" [aged 20] set out alone on a three-month walking tour of crusader castles in Ottoman Syria, during which he travelled 1,600 kms on foot.

On 6th July 1917 Thomas Edward Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" [aged 28] with an Arab army took the Ottoman held Aqaba.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom: "Next day at dawn fighting broke out on all sides, for hundreds more hill-men, again doubling our number, had come in the night; and, not knowing the arrangement, began shooting at the Turks, who defended themselves. Nasir went out, with ibn Dgheithir and his Ageyl marching in fours, down the open bed of the valley. Our men ceased fire. The Turks then stopped, for their rank and file had no more fight in them and no more food, and thought we were well supplied. So the surrender went off quietly after all. As the Arabs rushed in to plunder I noticed an engineer in grey uniform, with red beard and puzzled blue eyes; and spoke to him in German. He was the well-borer, and knew no Turkish. Recent doings had amazed him, and he begged me to explain what we meant. I said that we were a rebellion of the Arabs against the Turks. This, it took him time to appreciate. He wanted to know who was our leader. I said the Sherif of Mecca. He supposed he would be sent to Mecca. I said rather to Egypt. He inquired the price of sugar, and when I replied, ‘cheap and plentiful’, he was glad. The loss of his belongings he took philosophically, but was sorry for the well, which a little work would have finished as his monument. He showed me where it was, with the pump only half-built. By pulling on the sludge bucket we drew enough delicious clear water to quench our thirsts. Then we raced through a driving sand-storm down to four miles further, and splashed into the sea on July the sixth, just two months after our setting out from Wejh."

On 8th April 1919 [his father] Thomas Chapman 7th Baronet [aged 72] died. He was buried at Wolvercote Cemetery Oxford [Map]. Baronet Chapman of Killua Castle extinct.

In December 1933 Thomas Edward Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" [aged 45] wrote to his acquaintance Edward William Elgar 1st Baronet:

Dear Sir Edward,.

This is from my cottage and we have just been playing your 2nd Symphony. Three of us, a sailor, a Tank Corps soldier, and myself. So there are all three of the Services present: and we agreed that you must be written to and told (if you are well enough to be bothered) that this Symphony gets further under our skins than anything else in the record library at Clouds Hill. We have the Violin Concerto, too; so that says quite a lot. Generally we play the Symphony last of all, towards the middle of the night, because nothing comes off very well after it. One seems to stop there.

You would laugh at my cottage, which has one room upstairs (gramophone and records) and one room downstairs (books): but there is also a bath, and we sleep anywhere we feel inclined. So it suits me. A one-man house, I think.

The three of us assemble here nearly every week-end I can get to the cottage, and we wanted to say 'thank you' for the Symphony ever so long ago; but we were lazy, first: and then you were desperately ill, and even now we are afraid you are too ill, probably, to be thinking of anything except yourself: but we are hoping that you are really getting stronger and will soon be able to deal with people again.

There is a selfish side to our concern: we want your Symphony III: if it is wiser and wider and deeper than II we shall very sadly dethrone our present friend, and play it last of the evening. Until it comes, we shall always stand in doubt if the best has really yet happened.

Imagine yourself girt about by a mob of young pelicans, asking for III: and please be generous to us, again!

Yours sincerely,.

T.E. Shaw.

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On 19th May 1935 Thomas Edward Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" [aged 46] died in a motorcycle accident.

Royal Ancestors of Thomas Edward Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" 1888-1935

Kings Wessex: Great x 26 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Gwynedd: Great x 23 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd

Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 29 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth

Kings Powys: Great x 24 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys

Kings Godwinson: Great x 27 Grand Son of King Harold II of England

Kings England: Great x 17 Grand Son of King Edward III of England

Kings Scotland: Great x 22 Grand Son of King William I of Scotland

Kings France: Great x 19 Grand Son of King Philip IV of France

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 30 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Kings Spain: Great x 23 Grand Son of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon

Ancestors of Thomas Edward Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" 1888-1935

Great x 2 Grandfather: Benjamin Rupert Chapman 1st Baronet

Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Chapman 2nd Baronet

Grandfather: William Chapman

Father: Thomas Chapman 7th Baronet 16 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Arthur van Sittart

Great x 2 Grandfather: Arthur van Sittart

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Stonhouse 3rd Baronet

Great x 3 Grandmother: Martha Stonhouse

Great x 4 Grandmother: Mary Mellish

Great x 1 Grandfather: Colonel Arthur Vansittart

Grandmother: Louisa Vansittart 15 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Eden 2nd Baronet

Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert Eden 3rd Baronet 12 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Catherine Shafto 11 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: William Eden 1st Baron Auckland 13 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Davison Lady Eden

Great x 1 Grandmother: Caroline Eden 14 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Gilbert Elliot 2nd Baronet

Great x 3 Grandfather: Gilbert Elliot 3rd Baronet

Great x 4 Grandmother: Helen Steuart

Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Elliot

Thomas Edward Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" 17 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England

Mother: Sarah Lawrence