Roger Whitley's Diary. 2nd January 1690. Thursday, went to Parliment, sate till past 7; supt with 2 Mainwarings, Hales & Harris at Nag's Head; then went to another roome where was Wood, Titus, Gilmore, Coling, Maxwell, Cooper & Russell, parted past 10.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 5th January 1690. Sonday, was not at church; dined at home with Mainwaring, his brother, my brother & Minshall; in the evening my sonne (age 39) & his wife came to see us; past 6, I went to Woods; went with him to Nag's Head; there was also Mainwaring & Cooper; we parted before 9; came home.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 4th February 1690. Tuesday, Barington came about his bills; I went to Toll about Chester money; I dined at home with Biddolph, Mainwaring, his brother, my 2 sons; brother, Morgan, Thomas &c; about 3, I went to Sir R: Gwynn; he was at dinner with Colt, Owens, Rud, Rawley, & severall others; I dranck a glasse of wine; stayd ½ houer; my daughters called me; went to Sir Robert Cottons; he & daughters & sonne (age 39) were at home; 2 other gentlemen with them, with musick books & instruments on the table; went then to cosen Fairefax; saw him & Lady; then called on Mrs Shakerly; they brought me home; Jones came & settled accounts: I took him in my coach to Nag's Head; there we parted; I went up to Wood, Maxfeild, Cooper & another; then came Biddolph, Mainwaring & Coling; we parted neare 10.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 10th July 1690. Thursday, Sir John Morgan, his lady, & one Mr Price, & Bell dined with us; also Angell & Mr Cooper & 2 sons; they went about 6; cosen John Whitley, & his wife, came about 11 at night when I was in bed.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 12th September 1690. Friday, I sent the Smith with venison to Cooper, Johnson & Deane; after dinner, Bidolph & Mainwaring went a setting; Tomkinson retorned from Dysert; Hardwar came & stayd an houer in the evening;.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 29th September 1690. Monday, Huson, Tomkinson, &c. went to Chester to sell cattle, horses, wooll, &c. Ned the postilion & the kitchenmayd went away; one Cooper came from Shrewsbery about a debt of Rogers; came at 11, dined, & went before 2; a carpenter came from Mr Ellis Lloyd to see our cydermill; went againe before dinner; no other company.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 28th October 1690. Tuesday, my sonne (age 39) & I went to Chester; sister Angell with us; lighted at Jacksons; there came Taylor to me; dined at Angells with sonne & Morgan & cosen Collyer; cosen Cooper, & (2 interl cosen came in whilest at dinner; Alderman Anderson came after dinner; then I went to the almeshouses; retorned (with Crosse) to Jacksons; thither came the Governor, Streete, Mainwaring Johnson, Deane, Fernhagh, Murray, Kinaston, Parry, Sparks, Goodhand, Morgan, Mercer, &c. we went homewards about 5; came home past 7, Tomkinson with us.
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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Roger Whitley's Diary. 30th November 1690. Sonday, dined at home, Mainwaring & Bidolph with us; went in the evening to the club; there was Maxwell, Cooper, Harris, 2 Blunts, Every, Chase, &c. Mainwaring,&c. parted at 10.
Roger Whitley's Diary. 15th December 1690. Monday, dined at home, Bidolph with us; went at night to Wood; then to Lord Maxfeild, saw him, & Lady Gerard; went then to the club; there was Harris, Cooper, Partridge, Maxwell, (Craven interl) & Shard, Mainwaring came in late; we parted past 10.