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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Chantry Chapel, Wakefield Bridge, West Yorkshire, England, British Isles [Map]

Chantry Chapel, Wakefield Bridge is in Wakefield Bridge [Map].

The Annals Yorkshire by John Mayall. 1357. Edward III, by a charter of this date, at Wakefield, granted to Wm. Kay, Wm. Bull, and their successors for ever, the anuual sum of £10, to perform divine service in the chapel of St. Mary [Map], on the bridge at Wakefield. The revenue was secured and made payable out of the produce of the towns of Wakefield, Stanley, Ossett, Pontefract, Purston-Jackling, and Water-Fryston. When this chapel and its two chantries were suppressed, its revenue was valued at £14 15s. 3 d.

1818. Samuel Prout (age 34). Drawing of the Chantry Chapel, Wakefield Bridge [Map]. Prout visited Wakefield in his tour to Yorkshire and Scotland.

1818. Samuel Prout (age 34). Drawing of the Chantry Chapel, Wakefield Bridge [Map]. Prout visited Wakefield in his tour to Yorkshire and Scotland.

2021. Photos of Chantry Chapel, Wakefield Bridge [Map].