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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Aspatria, Allerdale, Cumberland is in Allerdale, Cumberland.
On 21st April 1908 George Howard 9th Earl Carlisle [aged 64] unveiled a memorial to Wilfrid Lawson 2nd Baronet, designed by Louis Frederick Roslyn, in the form of a drinking fountain surmounted by a bronze group of St. George and the dragon, at Aspatria, Allerdale, Cumberland. The fourth panel bears the following inscription:
Remember
Wilfrid Lawson
2nd Baronet of Brayton & Isel
In whose honour this fountain is erected by his many friends and admirers. Beloved for the integrity of his life and the height of his ideals. An example for all time for one who gave himself for others, believing in the brotherhood of man. A lover of truth and mercy, a brave and strenuous advocate of temperance, which sacred cause he championed in the House of Commons for forty years with gay wisdom and perseverance.
On 1st November 1870 Caroline Graham Lady Lawson [aged 77] died at her residence at Arkelby Hall Aspatria.
Before 13th December 1688 Wilfrid Lawson 1st Baronet [aged 78] puchased Brayton Hall, Aspatria from the three co-heiresses of the Salkeld family.
On 21st June 1806, whilst visiting Buxton, Derbyshire [Map], Wilfrid Lawson 10th Baronet [aged 42] developed an illness and died unexpectedly. Baronet Lawson of Isel Hall in Cumbria extinct. His estates, including Brayton Hall, Aspatria, were inherited by a Thomas Wybergh aka Lawson [aged 12], nephew of his wife Anne Hartley [aged 42]. He died six years later and the estates were inherited by his brother Wilfrid Wybergh aka Lawson 1st Baronet [aged 10] who was subsequently created Baronet Lawson.
On 4th September 1829 Wilfrid Lawson 2nd Baronet was born to Wilfrid Wybergh aka Lawson 1st Baronet [aged 33] and Caroline Graham Lady Lawson [aged 36] at Brayton Hall, Aspatria. He married 13th November 1860 Mary Pocklington Senhouse and had issue.
On 21st October 1862 Wilfrid Lawson 3rd Baronet was born to Wilfrid Lawson 2nd Baronet [aged 33] and Mary Pocklington Senhouse [aged 22] at Brayton Hall, Aspatria. He married 28th April 1891 Mary Camilla Macan Lady Lawson.
On 12th June 1867 Wilfrid Wybergh aka Lawson 1st Baronet [aged 71] died at Brayton Hall, Aspatria. His son Wilfrid [aged 37] succeeded 2nd Baronet Lawson of Brayton House in Cumberland.
On 18th January 1910 Mary Pocklington Senhouse [aged 70] died at Brayton Hall, Aspatria.
On 1st July 1906 Wilfrid Lawson 2nd Baronet [aged 76] died at 18 Ovington Square, Knightsbridge. His funeral was held at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map] amidst a large gathering of members of Parliament, family members, personal friends, and representatives of public bodies. He was buried at St Kentigern's Church, Aspatria. His son Wilfrid [aged 43] succeeded 3rd Baronet Lawson of Brayton House in Cumberland. Mary Camilla Macan Lady Lawson [aged 41] by marriage Lady Lawson of Brayton House in Cumberland.
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 6th June 1908 the Lawson family installed a stained glass window dedicated to the memory of their Wilfrid Lawson 2nd Baronet, in the east end of St Kentigern's Church, Aspatria.