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Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 22nd April 1940 John Henry Montagu Manners 9th Duke Rutland (age 53) died of pneumonia at Belvoir Castle [Map]. His son [her future husband] Charles (age 20) succeeded 10th Duke Rutland, 10th Marquess Grandby, 18th Earl of Rutland, 10th Baron Manners of Haddon in Derbyshire, 4th Baron Roos of Belvoir in Leicestershire.
On 27th April 1946 Charles John Robert Manners 10th Duke Rutland (age 26) and Anne Bairstow Cumming Bell Duchess of Rutland were married at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map]. She by marriage Duchess Rutland. He the son of John Henry Montagu Manners 9th Duke Rutland and Kathleen Tennant Duchess Rutland (age 51).
The Times. 29th April 1946. [her husband] The Duke Of Rutland (age 26) And Miss Cumming Bell
The marriage of the Duke of Rutland and Miss Anne Bairstow Cumming Bell, eldest daughter of Major and Mrs. W. Cumming Bell, of Binham Lodge, Edgerton, Huddersfield, took place on Saturday at St. Margaret's, Westminster [Map]. The Rev. R. L. Gerrard Wright and Canon A. C. Don, officiated.
The bride, who was given away by her father, wore a gown of silver and white brocade with a short, full train. Her family lace veil was worn with a head-dress of orange blossom, and she carried a bouquet of gardenias, lilies-of-the-valley, stephanotis, and pale blue delphiniums. There were three small bridesmaids - Fiona Cumming Bell (sister of the bride), Janet Douglas (her cousin), and Lindy Guinness (age 5) (niece of the bridegroom) - who wore long white net frocks with wide scarlet sashes. Their head-dresses were of red rosebuds and they carried posies of red, gold, and white flowers. The page was Billy Guinness (age 6) (nephew of the bridegroom), who wore long white velvet trousers and a white chiffon blouse. Lord [her brother-in-law] John Manners (age 23) (brother of the bridegroom) was best man. A reception was held at the Ritz Hotel.
Huddersfield Examiner. 4th May 1946. Miss Cumming Bell Married To The [her husband] The Duke Of Rutland (age 26)
Largest London crowd since the war
Tremendous crowds, probably the largest since the war, gathered outside St. Margaret's, Westminster, on Saturday to watch a society wedding in which Huddersfield had a particular interest. Miss Anne Cumming Bell, daughter of Major and Mrs. Cumming Bell, of Binham Lodge, Edgerton, was married to the tenth Duke of Rutland, whom she met at a ball given by the Duchess of Marlborough last year.
Maj. Cumming Bell is a member of the firm of Messrs. W. E. Wimpenny and Co., stockbrokers, Huddersfield, and is well known in professional circles in the city and in Harrogate. Mrs. Bell was at one time a county tennis player for Yorkshire. The bride, who is an old girl of Waverly School, Huddersfield, was later at school in Benenden, Kent, which she left to go to Oxford after the outbreak of war to take up a position in a "hush-hush" department of the government. She was engaged in secret decoding work.
The duke, an officer in the Grenadier Guards, owns, among other estates, the historic Haddon Hall, once the home of the famous Dorothy Vernon.
The scene in the church was of great beauty ... among the guests were tenants and employees at Belvoir Castle and Haddon Hall, who traveled to London in special buses. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. R. L. Gerrard Wright, assisted by Canon A. C. Don.
The Bride ... wore a gown of silver and white brocade, with a short train and a family lace veil used by her g-grandmother, grandmother, and mother before her. There were four attendants, her sister Fiona Cumming Bell, cousin Janet Douglas; and Miss Lindy Guiness and Master Billie Guiness, niece and nephew of the groom. Lord John Manners, brother of the bridegroom, was best man. The reception was held at the Ritz hotel. The couple will spend their honeymoon in Portugal
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1953. Cecil Beaton (age 48). Photograph of Anne Bairstow Cumming Bell Duchess of Rutland.
In 1956 Charles John Robert Manners 10th Duke Rutland (age 36) and Anne Bairstow Cumming Bell Duchess of Rutland were divorced.
On 15th May 1958 [her former husband] Charles John Robert Manners 10th Duke Rutland (age 38) and Frances Helen Sweeny Duchess of Rutland (age 21) were married. She by marriage Duchess Rutland. She the daughter of Charles Francis Sweeny (age 48) and Margaret Whigham Duchess of Argyll (age 45). He the son of John Henry Montagu Manners 9th Duke Rutland and [her former mother-in-law] Kathleen Tennant Duchess Rutland (age 63).
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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On 4th January 1999 [her former husband] Charles John Robert Manners 10th Duke Rutland (age 79) died. His son David (age 39) succeeded 11th Duke Rutland, 11th Marquess Grandby, 19th Earl of Rutland, 11th Baron Manners of Haddon in Derbyshire, 5th Baron Roos of Belvoir in Leicestershire.
On 27th December 2002 Anne Bairstow Cumming Bell Duchess of Rutland died.