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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William Bruce Ellis Ranken is in Painters.
On 11th April 1881 William Bruce Ellis Ranken was born in Edinburgh.
May 1899. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 18]. Edwin Morgan [aged 8] and Elizabeth Winthrop Emmet [aged 1] on an open-air 'veranda' on the stern of their steam yacht.
Edwin Morgan: On 17th May 1890 he was born. In 1920 he and Elizabeth Winthrop Emmet were married. On 18th October 1954 he died.
Around 1900. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 18]. Portrait of Catherine d'Erlanger [aged 26].
Catherine d'Erlanger: In 1874 she was born. At birth she was named Marie Rose Antoinette Catherine de Robert d'Aqueria de Rochegude. In 1959 she died.
1904. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 22]. Self-Portrait.
1907. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 25]. Portrait of Olga de Meyer [aged 35].
Olga de Meyer: On 8th August 1871 she was born at 14 William Street Lowndes Square. Possibly a daughter of the Prince of Wales. On 6th January 1931 she died.
Around 1912. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 30]. "Fashion".
1919. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 37]. Portrait of Violet Keppel [aged 24].
1925. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 43]. Portrait of Mary Irene Curzon 2nd Baroness Ravensdale [aged 28].
Mary Irene Curzon 2nd Baroness Ravensdale: On 20th January 1896 she was born to George Nathaniel Curzon 1st Marquess Kedleston and Mary Victoria Leiter Baroness Curzon Kedleston. On 20th March 1925 George Nathaniel Curzon 1st Marquess Kedleston died. Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, Earl Curzon of Kedleston extinct. His nephew Richard succeeded 2nd Viscount Scarsdale of Scarsdale in Derbyshire, 6th Baron Scarsdale, 10th Baronet Curzon of Kedleston in Derbyshire, 10th Baronet Curzon of Nova Scotia. His daughter Mary succeeded 2nd Baroness Ravensdale of Ravensdale in Derbyshire. In 1929 Mary Irene Curzon 2nd Baroness Ravensdale was elected MP Stoke. On 9th February 1966 Mary Irene Curzon 2nd Baroness Ravensdale died. Her nephew Nicholas succeeded 3rd Baron Ravensdale of Ravensdale in Derbyshire.
1928. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 46]. Portrait of Mary Lygon [aged 17].
Mary Lygon: On 12th February 1910 she was born to William Lygon 7th Earl Beauchamp and Lettice Mary Elizabeth Grosvenor Countess Beauchamp. On 27th September 1982 Mary Lygon died.
Around 1929. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 47]. Joan Marion Neville Marchioness Camden [aged 52].
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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Around 1930. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 48]. Portrait of Irene Denison Marchioness Carisbrooke [aged 39].
Around 1931. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 49]. "Magnolia".
1932. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 50]. "Miss Marina Koshetz".
1933. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 51]. Portrait of Mrs Edwin D. Morgan i.e. Elizabeth Winthrop Emmet [aged 35].
Around 1938. William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 56]. Portrait of Else "Mona" Schiwe Countess Beauchamp [aged 43].
Else "Mona" Schiwe Countess Beauchamp: In 1895 he was born to Viggo Schiwe. In 1989 he died.
On 31st March 1941 William Bruce Ellis Ranken [aged 59] died.