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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Biography of William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt 1301-1364

Paternal Family Tree: Deincourt

1301 Baron's Letter to the Pope

1346 Battle of Neville's Cross

In 1300 [his father] John Deincourt [aged 45] died.

In 1301 William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt was born to [his father] John Deincourt.

Baron's Letter to the Pope

Before 9th March 1301 seven Earls and 96 Barons signed a letter to the Pope refuting the Pope's claim that Scotland was subject to the Pope's feudal overlordship. The letter was never sent. Those who signed include: John Warenne 6th Earl of Surrey [aged 70], Thomas Plantagenet 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl Lancaster, Earl of Salisbury and Lincoln [aged 23], Ralph Monthermer 1st Earl of Gloucester and Hertford [aged 31], Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex [aged 25], Roger Bigod 5th Earl Norfolk [aged 56], Richard Fitzalan 1st or 8th Earl of Arundel [aged 34], Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick [aged 29], Aymer de Valence 2nd Earl Pembroke [aged 26], William Leybourne 1st Baron Leybourne [aged 59], Henry Plantagenet 3rd Earl of Leicester 3rd Earl Lancaster [aged 20], William Latimer 1st Baron Latimer of Corby [aged 58], Edmund Hastings, John Hastings 2nd Baron Hastings 14th Baron Abergavenny [aged 14], Edmund Mortimer 2nd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore [aged 50], Fulk Fitzwarin 2nd Baron Fitzwarin [aged 16], Henry Percy 9th and 1st Baron Percy [aged 27], Robert Fitzwalter 1st Baron Fitzwalter [aged 54], John Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp Somerset [aged 26], William de Braose 2nd Baron de Braose 10th Baron Bramber [aged 41], John Botetort 1st Baron Botetort [aged 36], Reginald Grey 1st Baron Grey of Wilton [aged 61], John Moels 1st Baron Moels [aged 32], Thomas Berkeley 6th and 1st Baron Berkeley [aged 55], Robert de Vere 5th Earl of Oxford, John Strange 1st Baron Strange Knockin [aged 48], Thomas Multon 1st Baron Multon [aged 25], Robert Clifford 1st Baron Clifford [aged 26], Walter Beauchamp [aged 58], Alan Zouche 1st Baron Zouche Ashby [aged 33], John Segrave 2nd Baron Segrave [aged 45], William Ferrers 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby [aged 29], Simon Montagu 1st Baron Montagu [aged 51], Piers Mauley, Ralph Neville 1st Baron Neville of Raby [aged 38], John Mohun 1st Baron Dunster [aged 32], Roger Scales 1st Baron Scales, Thomas Furnival 1st Baron Furnivall [aged 41], Hugh Bardolf 1st Baron Bardolf [aged 41], Gilbert Talbot 1st Baron Talbot [aged 24], William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt, Edmund Stafford 1st Baron Stafford [aged 28], Walter Fauconberg 1st Baron Fauconberg [aged 81].

Before 26th March 1326 William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt [aged 25] and Millicent Zouche Baroness Deincourt were married.

Around 1327 [his son] William Deincourt was born to William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt [aged 26] and [his wife] Millicent Zouche Baroness Deincourt at Blankney, Lincolnshire.

On 6th January 1327 [his uncle] Edmund Deincourt 1st Baron Deincourt [aged 77] died at Emley Wakefield. His nephew William [aged 26] succeeded 2nd Baron Deincourt. [his wife] Millicent Zouche Baroness Deincourt by marriage Baroness Deincourt.

On 2nd May 1340 [his brother-in-law] Archbishop William Zouche was appointed Archbishop of York.

Around 1344 [his daughter] Margaret Deincourt Baroness Tibetot was born to William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt [aged 43] and [his wife] Millicent Zouche Baroness Deincourt at Blankney, Lincolnshire. She married in or before 1365 her third cousin Robert Tiptoft 3rd Baron Tibetot, son of John Tiptoft 2nd Baron Tibetot and Margaret Badlesmere Baroness Tibetot, and had issue.

Battle of Neville's Cross

On 17th October 1346 at the Battle of Neville's Cross at [Map] the English inflicted a heavy defeat on the Scottish army that had invaded England in compliance with their treaty with the French for mutual support against England.

The English army included: William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt [aged 45], Henry Scrope 1st Baron Scrope of Masham [aged 34], Ralph Hastings [aged 55], Ralph Neville 2nd Baron Neville of Raby [aged 55], [his brother-in-law] Archbishop William Zouche, Henry Percy 10th and 2nd Baron Percy [aged 45] and John Mowbray 3rd Baron Mowbray [aged 35].

Of the Scottish army King David II of Scotland [aged 22], John Graham Earl Menteith [aged 56] and William "Flower of Chivalry and Knight Liddesdale" Douglas 1st Earl Atholl [aged 46] were captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London [Map].

Neil Bruce, John Randolph 3rd Earl of Moray [aged 40], David Hay 6th Baron Erroll [aged 28] and Edward Keith of Sinton [aged 66] were killed.

On 19th July 1352 [his brother-in-law] Archbishop William Zouche died at Cawood, North Yorkshire [Map]. He was buried at York Minster [Map].

On 26th December 1357 [his son] William Deincourt 3rd Baron Deincourt was born to William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt [aged 56] at Kirkby Bellars, Leicestershire. He married before 15th October 1381 his third cousin twice removed Alice Neville Baroness Deincourt, daughter of John Neville 3rd Baron Neville of Raby and Maud Percy Baroness Neville Raby, and had issue.

On 2nd June 1364 William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt [aged 63] died. His eldest son died the same day - the cause of death of both men is unknown. His son William [aged 6] succeeded 3rd Baron Deincourt.

Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes

Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.

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On 22nd June 1379 [his former wife] Millicent Zouche Baroness Deincourt died at Blankney, Lincolnshire.

[his son] John Deincourt was born to William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt and Millicent Zouche Baroness Deincourt.

Royal Descendants of William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt 1301-1364
Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.

Queen Jane Seymour [1]

President George Washington [1]

Brigadier-General Charles Fitz-Clarence [3]

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom [11]

Queen Consort Camilla Shand [4]

Diana Spencer Princess Wales [44]

Ancestors of William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt 1301-1364

GrandFather: John Deincourt

Father: John Deincourt

Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Fitzmaldred

Great x 1 Grandfather: Geoffrey Fitzrobert aka Neville

Great x 2 Grandmother: Isabel Neville of Raby

GrandMother: Agnes Neville

Great x 4 Grandfather: Baderon Monmouth Lord Monmouth

Great x 3 Grandfather: Gilbert Monmouth Lord Monmouth

Great x 4 Grandmother: Rohese de Clare

Great x 2 Grandfather: John Monmouth

Great x 1 Grandmother: Joan Monmouth

Great x 2 Grandmother: Cecilia Waleran

William Deincourt 2nd Baron Deincourt