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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In 1891 Violet Mary Nelson Duchess Westminster was born to [her father] William Nelson 1st Baronet (age 39).
On 22nd December 1899 Hugh Lupus Grosvenor 1st Duke Westminster (age 74) died. His grandson [her future husband] Hugh (age 20) succeeded 2nd Duke Westminster, 4th Marquess Westminster, 5th Earl Grosvenor, 11th Baronet Grosvenor of Eaton in Cheshire. Monument in Grosvenor Chapel, St Mary's Church, Eccleston [Map] sculpted by Leon Joseph Chavalliaud (age 41).
On 16th February 1901 [her future husband] Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor 2nd Duke Westminster (age 21) and Constance Edwina "Shelagh" Cornwallis-West Duchess Westminster (age 25) were married. She by marriage Duchess Westminster.
On 5th February 1912 [her father] William Nelson 1st Baronet (age 60) was created 1st Baronet Nelson of Acton Park.
On 20th April 1914 George Rowley and Violet Mary Nelson Duchess Westminster (age 23) were married.
Around 1915 [her son] Michael Richard Bernard Rowley was born to [her husband] George Rowley and Violet Mary Nelson Duchess Westminster (age 24). He married 11th February 1939 Sibell Lygon, daughter of William Lygon 7th Earl Beauchamp and Lettice Mary Elizabeth Grosvenor Countess Beauchamp.
On 19th December 1919 [her future husband] Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor 2nd Duke Westminster (age 40) and Constance Edwina "Shelagh" Cornwallis-West Duchess Westminster (age 44) were divorced on the grounds of his adultery and desertion, with the decree being made absolute 19 December 1919. The alimony settlement of £13,000 a year he made upon her, which she declined, was then the largest in British legal history.
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 14th January 1920, just over three weeks after her divorce from [her future husband] Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor 2nd Duke Westminster (age 40), John Fitzpatrick Lewis and Constance Edwina "Shelagh" Cornwallis-West Duchess Westminster (age 44) were married.
Around May 1920 George Rowley and Violet Mary Nelson Duchess Westminster (age 29) were divorced.
On 26th November 1920 Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor 2nd Duke Westminster (age 41) and Violet Mary Nelson Duchess Westminster (age 29) were married.
On 7th July 1921 or 1922 [her father] William Nelson 1st Baronet (age 69) died. His son [her brother] James (age 38) succeeded 2nd Baronet Nelson of Acton Park.
In 1926 Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor 2nd Duke Westminster (age 46) and Violet Mary Nelson Duchess Westminster (age 35) were divorced.
On 20th February 1930 [her former husband] Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor 2nd Duke Westminster (age 50) and Loelia Mary Ponsonby Duchess Westminster (age 28) were married. She by marriage Duchess Westminster. His third marriage; her first. Winston Churchill (age 55) was best man. They were married until 1947 when the marriage was dissolved. No issue. The difference in their ages was 22 years. They were fourth cousin once removed.
On 26th July 1936 [her former sister-in-law] Lettice Mary Elizabeth Grosvenor Countess Beauchamp (age 59) died estranged from all her children except her youngest Richard Edward Lygon (age 19).
On 11th February 1939 [her son] Michael Richard Bernard Rowley (age 24) and [her daughter-in-law] Sibell Lygon (age 31) were married bigamously. She the daughter of William Lygon 7th Earl Beauchamp and [her former sister-in-law] Lettice Mary Elizabeth Grosvenor Countess Beauchamp.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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On 7th February 1947 [her former husband] Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor 2nd Duke Westminster (age 67) and Anne Winifred Sullivan Marchioness Westminster (age 31) were married. She by marriage Marchioness Westminster. The difference in their ages was 36 years.
On 19th September 1952 [her son] Michael Richard Bernard Rowley (age 37) died.
On 19th July 1953 [her former husband] Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor 2nd Duke Westminster (age 74) died. His first cousin William (age 58) succeeded 3rd Duke Westminster, 5th Marquess Westminster, 6th Earl Grosvenor, 12th Baronet Grosvenor of Eaton in Cheshire.
In 1983 Violet Mary Nelson Duchess Westminster (age 92) died.