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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On 4th October 1889 Sylvia Storey Countess Poulett was born to William Frederick Clayton Storey.
On 22nd January 1899 William Henry Paulett 6th Earl Paulett [aged 71] died. His son William [aged 15] succeeded 7th Earl Poulett, 10th Baron Poulett.
The sixth earl's eldest son William Turnour Thomas Poulett [aged 53] claimed the title. On 27th July 1903 the House of Lords determined the dispute in favour of William John Lydston Poulett 7th Earl Poulett somewhat contrary to the principle that the child of a woman born in wedlock was the child of her husband.
Report made from the Committee of Privileges:
That the Petitioner, William Turnour Thomas Poulett, claiming to be Viscount Hinton of Hinton St. George and Earl Poulett, both in the Peerage of England, hath not made out his claim to the dignities, titles, and honours of Viscount Hinton of Hinton St. George and Earl Poulett.
That the Petitioner, Rosa Countess Poulett, formerly the wife and now the widow of William Henry, sixth Earl Poulett, as a testamentary guardian of her infant son William John Lydston, claiming to be Viscount Hinton of Hinton St. George, in the county of Somerset, and seventh Earl Poulett, both in the Peerage of England, hath made out her claim that the said William John Lydston Poulett should be declared to be by right entitled to the dignities, titles, and honours of Viscount Hinton of Hinton St. George and Earl Poulett.
Read, and agreed to; and resolved and adjudged accordingly; and Resolution and Judgment to be laid before His Majesty by the Lords with White Staves.
After 1900. Bassano Ltd. Photograph of Sylvia Storey Countess Poulett [aged 10]
In 1908 William John Lydston Poulett 7th Earl Poulett [aged 24] and Sylvia Storey Countess Poulett [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Countess Poulett. He the son of William Henry Paulett 6th Earl Paulett and Rosa Melville Countess Poulett.
On 23rd June 1909 [her son] George Poulett 8th Earl Poulett was born to [her husband] William John Lydston Poulett 7th Earl Poulett [aged 25] and Sylvia Storey Countess Poulett [aged 19]. He married (1) 1935 Muriel Mary Swinstead aka Oriel Ross Countess Poulett (2) 1941 Olga Lorraine Lawrence Countess Poulett (3) 1968 Margaret Christine Ball Countess Poulett.
On 29th January 1912 [her daughter] Bridget Poulet was born to [her husband] William John Lydston Poulett 7th Earl Poulett [aged 28] and Sylvia Storey Countess Poulett [aged 22].
The Era 1899 Dec 02 Page 13. 2nd December 1913. Review of Rip Van Wincle. Produced at the Princess of Wales's Theatre, Kennington, on Monday, Nov. 27th starring Sylvia Storey [aged 24] as Little Meenie.
On 11th July 1918 [her husband] William John Lydston Poulett 7th Earl Poulett [aged 34] died in the flu pandemic. His son George [aged 9] succeeded 8th Earl Poulett, 11th Baron Poulett.
In 1935 George Poulett 8th Earl Poulett [aged 25] and Muriel Mary Swinstead aka Oriel Ross Countess Poulett [aged 27] were married. She by marriage Countess Poulett. He the son of William John Lydston Poulett 7th Earl Poulett and Sylvia Storey Countess Poulett [aged 45].
In 1941 [her son] George Poulett 8th Earl Poulett [aged 31] and [her daughter-in-law] Muriel Mary Swinstead aka Oriel Ross Countess Poulett [aged 33] were divorced.
In 1941 George Poulett 8th Earl Poulett [aged 31] and Olga Lorraine Lawrence Countess Poulett were married. She by marriage Countess Poulett. He the son of William John Lydston Poulett 7th Earl Poulett and Sylvia Storey Countess Poulett [aged 51].
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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On 20th July 1947 Sylvia Storey Countess Poulett [aged 57] died.