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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Paternal Family Tree: Ricketts aka Jervis
On 19th April 1757 [his father] William Henry Ricketts [aged 20] and [his mother] Mary Jervis [aged 20] were married.
On 4th November 1764 Captain William Henry Ricketts aka Jervis was born to William Henry Ricketts [aged 27] and Mary Jervis [aged 27] at Park Street, Grosvenor Square, Belgravia.
In 1781 William Ricketts [aged 16] entered the service aboard the Foudroyant commanded by his uncle John Jervis [aged 45].
On 20th April 1782 the Foudroyant captured the Pégase 74 after a long chase off Brest. William Ricketts [aged 17] was present.
On 5th September 1782 William Ricketts [aged 17] was promoted to Lieutenant, and he joined the Success.
On 5th September 1782 William Ricketts [aged 17] was promoted to Commander.
On 29th January 1790 [his brother] Edward Jervis Ricketts aka Jervis 2nd Viscount St Vincent [aged 22] and [his sister-in-law] Mary Cassandra Twisleton [aged 15] were married.
In 1792 [his future wife] Elizabeth Jane Lambert [aged 16] was awarded damages of four thousand guineas against a newspaper which had alleged that she had eloped with a footman.
On 9th November 1793 Captain William Henry Ricketts aka Jervis [aged 29] and Elizabeth Jane Lambert [aged 18] were married.
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 1799 [his brother] Edward Jervis Ricketts aka Jervis 2nd Viscount St Vincent [aged 31] and [his sister-in-law] Mary Cassandra Twisleton [aged 24] were divorced.
In 1799 Captain William Henry Ricketts aka Jervis [aged 34] and Elizabeth Jane Lambert [aged 23] were divorced by an Act of Parliament following Elizabeth's infidelity with a Captain Hargrave of the Lancashire Fencibles, whereupon Jervis was awarded a thousand guineas damages.
On 5th October 1799 [his father] William Henry Ricketts [aged 62] died. Captain William Henry Ricketts aka Jervis [aged 34] and [his brother] Edward Jervis Ricketts aka Jervis 2nd Viscount St Vincent [aged 32] jointly inherited the estate of Mount Ricketts in Jamaica with a deferral of twenty-one years, together with the estate of Canaan on that island.
The London Gazette 15336. Whitehall, April 21, 1801. The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of a Viscount of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to the Right Honorable [his uncle] John Earl of St. Vincent [aged 66], Knight of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath, and Admiral of the White Squadron of His Majesty's Fleet, and to the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten by the Name, Style, and Title of Viscount St. Vincent, of Meaford, in the County of Stafford, with Remainders severally and successively to William Henry Ricketts [aged 36], Esq; Captain in the Royal Navy, and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten; to [his brother] Edward Jervis Ricketts [aged 34], Esq; Barrister at Law, Brother of the said William Henry Ricketts, and Sons of [his mother] Mary Ricketts [aged 64] by [his father] William Henry Ricketts. Esq; late of the Island of Jamaica, deceased, and Sister to the said John Earl of St. Vincent, and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, and the Dignity of Viscountess St. Vincent, of Meaford, in the said County.of Stafford, to the Right Honourable [his sister] Mary Countess of Northesk [aged 32], Daughter of the said Mary Ricketts, and Widow of William Henry Ricketts aforesaid, and the Dignity of Viscount St. Vincent to the Heirs Male of her Body lawfully be gotten.
On 26th January 1805 Captain William Henry Ricketts aka Jervis [aged 40] drowned at Brest when the four-oared gig in which he and Captain Patrick Campbell of the Doris had set off to attend Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Cotton [aged 47] aboard his flagship San Josef capsized. Campbell survived by clinging to an oar, but Jervis died despite the valiant efforts of his coxswain who stayed with his captain until he could no longer save him.
On 17th January 1830 [his former wife] Elizabeth Jane Lambert [aged 54] died.
Father: William Henry Ricketts
Captain William Henry Ricketts aka Jervis
GrandFather: Swynfen Jervis
Mother: Mary Jervis