Warkworth's Chronicle 1461. 27 Jun 1461.... at the coronacyone¹ of the forseyde Edwarde, he create and made dukes his two brythir, the eldere George (age 11) Duke of Clarence, and his yongere brothir Richard (age 8) Duke of Gloucetre; and the Lord Montagu (age 30)², the Erle of Warwyke (age 32)'s brothere, the Erle of Northumberlonde; and one William Stafford squiere, Lord Stafforde of Southwyke; and Sere Herbard (age 38), Lorde Herbard, and aftere Lorde Erle of Penbroke³; and so the seide Lorde Stafforde (age 22) was made Erle of Devynschire⁴; the Lorde Gray Ryffyne (age 44), Erle of Kent⁶; the Lorde Bourchyer (age 57), Erle of Essex; the Lorde Jhon of Bokyngham (age 33), the Erle of Wyltschyre⁵; Sere Thomas [Walter] Blount (age 45), knyghte, Lord Mont[joy]; Sere Jhon Hawarde, Lorde Hawarde (age 36)⁸; William Hastynges (age 30) he made Lorde Hastynges and grete Chamberlayne; and the Lorde Ryvers; Denham squyere, Lorde Dynham; and worthy as is afore schewed; and othere of gentylmen and yomenne he made knyghtes and squyres, as thei hade desserved.

Note 1. At the coronacyone. King Edward was crowned in Westminster Abbey, on the 29th of June 1461. Warkworth's first passage is both imperfect and incorrect, and would form a very bad specimen of the value of the subsequent portions of his narrative; yet we find it transferred to the Chronicle of Stowe. It must, however, be regarded rather as a memorandum of the various creations to the peerage made during Edward's reign, than as a part of the chronicle. Not even the third peerage mentioned, the Earldom of Northumberland, was conferred at the Coronation, but by patent dated 27 May 1464: and the only two Earldoms bestowed in Edward's first year (and probably at the Coronation) were, the Earldom of Essex, conferred on Henry Viscount Bourchier, Earl of Eu in Normandy, who had married the King's aunt, the Princess Isabel of York; and the Earldom of Kent, conferred on William Neville, Lord Fauconberg, one of King Edward's generals at Towton. The former creation is mentioned by Warkworth lower down in his list; the latter is omitted altogether. - J.G.N.

Note 2. The Lord Montagu. And then Kyng Edward, concidering the greate feate doon by the said Lord Montagu, made hym Erle of Northumberlond; and in July next folowyng th'Erle of Warwyk, with th'ayde of the said Erle of Northumberland, gate agayn the castell of Bamborugh, wheryn was taken Sir Raaf Gray (age 29), which said Ser Raaf (age 29) was after behedid and quartred at York. Also, in this yere, the first day of May, the Kyng wedded Dame Elizabeth Gray (age 24), late wif unto the lord Gray of Groby, and doughter to the Lord Ryvers." - The London Chronicle, MS. Cotton. Vitell. A. xvi. fol. 126, ro. The MS. of the London Chronicle, from which Sir Harris Nicolas printed his edition, does not contain this passage. It is almost unnecessary to remark the chronological incorrectness of the above, but it serves to show how carelessly these slight Chronicles were compiled. Cf. MS. Add. Mus. Brit. 6113, fol. 192, rº. and MS. Cotton. Otho, B. XIV. fol. 221, ro.

Note 3. Lord Erle of Pembroke. William Lord Herbert of Chepstow (age 38), the first of the long line of Herbert Earls of Pembroke, was so created the 27th May 1468. His decapitation by the Duke of Clarence at Northampton in 1469, is noticed by Warkworth in p. 7.-J.G.N.

Note 4. Erle of Devynschire. Humphery Stafford (age 22), created Baron Stafford of Southwick by patent 24th April 1464, was advanced to the Earldom of Devon 7th May 1469; but beheaded by the commons at Bridgwater before the close of the same year, as related by Warkworth, ubi supra. - J.G.N.

Note 5. Erle of Wyltschyre. John Stafford (age 33), created Earl of Wiltshire, 5th Jan. 1470; he died in 1473.—J.G.N.

Note 6. "The Lorde Gray Ryffyne, Erle of Kent". The Earl of Kent, of the family of Neville, died without male issue, a few months after his elevation to that dignity; and it was conferred on the 30th May 1465, on Edmund Lord Grey de Ruthyn (age 44), on occasion of the Queen's coronation. He was cousin-german to Sir John Grey, of Groby, the Queen's first husband. On the same occasion the Queen's son Sir Thomas Grey (age 6) was created Marquess of Dorset; her father Richard Wydevile (age 56) lord Ryvers was advanced to the dignity of Earl Ryvers; and her brother Anthony (age 21) married to the heiress of Scales, in whose right he was summoned to Parliament as a Baron. - J.G.N.

Note 7. Sere Thomas Blount (age 45). This should be Walter, created Lord Montjoy 20th June 1465; he died in 1474.-J.G.N.

Note 8. Sere Jhon Hawarde, Lord Hawarde. John Howard 1st Duke of Norfolk (age 36). This peerage dates its origin, by writ of summons to Parliament, during the short restoration of Henry VI. in 1470, a circumstance more remarkable as "evidence exists that he did not attach himself to the interest of that Prince, being constitued by Edward, in the same year, commander of his fleet." See Sir Harris Nicolas's memoir of this distinguished person (afterwards the first Duke of Norfolk) in Cartwright's History of the Rape of Bramber, p. 189.-J.G.N.

In 1463 King Edward IV of England (age 20) appointed new Garter Knights:

192nd Ferdinand I King Naples (age 39).

193rd Galeard Durefort (age 33).

194th John Scrope 5th Baron Scrope of Bolton (age 25).

195th Francesco Sforza I Duke Milan (age 61).

196th James Douglas 9th Earl Douglas 3rd Earl Avondale (age 37).

197th Robert Harcourt (age 52).

Warkworth's Chronicle 1464. 01 May 1464. And whiles the seyde Erle of Warwyke (age 35) was in Fraunce, the Kynge was wedded to Elisabethe Gray (age 27)¹, wedow, the qwiche Sere Jhon Gray that was hyre housbonde was slayne at Yorke felde¹ in Kynge Herry partye, and the same Elisabeth was doughtere to the Lorde Ryvers, and the weddynge was prevely in a secrete place, the fyrst day of Maye the yere above seide. And when the Erle of Warwyke (age 35) come home and herde hereof, thenne was he gretely displesyd withe the Kyng, and after that rose grete discencyone evere more and more betwene the Kyng and hym, for that and other, &c, And thenne the Kyng put oute of the Chaunceler-schepp the Bysshope of Excetre (age 32)², brother to the Erle of Warwyke (age 35), and made the Bysshoppe of Bathe (age 44)³ Chaunceler of Englonde, After that the Erle of Warwyke (age 35) toke to hyme in fee as many knyghtys, squyers, and gentylmenne as he myght, to be stronge, and Kyng Edwarde dide that he myght to feble the Erles powere⁴. And yett thei were acorded diverse tymes, but thei nevere loffyd togedere aftere.

Note 1. The Kynge was wedded to Elizabethe Gray. See a most quaint narrative of this marriage in William Habington's Historie of Edward the Fourth, fol. 1640, pp. 33-35. I find it stated in one place (MS. Harl. 2408.) that Edward's mother attempted to hinder the marriage, by causing "another contract to be alleadged made by him with the Lady Elizabeth Lucy, on whom he had begot a child befor." She seems, indeed, to have been most hostile to this imprudent and unpopular connexion:

Married a woman? married indeed!

Here is a marriage that befits a king!

It is no marvaile it was done in hast:

Here is a bridall, and with hell to boote,

You have made worke."

Heywood's First Part of Edward IV. Sig. A. ij.

The author of Hearne's fragment, however, speaks in praise of the marriage, "Howbeit that lewde felow that drew this last brent cronicles, abusid himsel gretely in his disordrid wrizting for lakke of knowlege." (P. 293.)

Note 1. Slayne at Yorke felde. Sir John Grey² was slain at the second battle of St. Alban's, fought on the 17th Feb. 1460-1. - J.G.N.

Note 2. The Bysshope of Excetre. George Neville (age 32), made Chancellor the 25th July 1460. He was translated to the archbishopric of York, 17th June 1465. - J.G.N.

Note 3. The Bysshope of Bath. Robert Stillington (age 44). He did not receive the seal until the 8th June 1468, previously to which Robert Kirkham had been Keeper. - J.G.N.

Note 4. Kyng Edwarde dide that he myght to feble the Erles powere. We have, however, in an act passed subsequently to this period, an especial clause that the same act "be not prejudiciall or hurtyng unto Richard Neville, Erle of Warrewyk.” — Rot. Parl. 4 Edw. IV.