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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Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton is in Bolton, Northumberland [Map].
Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map]. The Norman Chancel arch is dated as 12th Century. It may well be the only remaining feature of an earlier church. Excavations have unearthed learger base masonry on the chancel south wall and of what could be the earlier "Capella de Bouton" dedicated to Saint Thomas the Martyr. Rge rest of the building is Neo-Norman in style, built by the Victorians; the nave and north transept are 19th Century and the porch and vestry late 19th Century.
1209. Chronicles mention of Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map] [Boyeltun] as the meeting place of King John of England [aged 42] and King William I of Scotland [aged 66]. King William I of Scotland sent his two daughters Margaret Dunkeld Countess Kent [aged 16] and Isabella Dunkeld Countess Norfolk [aged 14] as hostages to keep the peace. They, Margaret and Isabella, were imprisoned with Eleanor Fair Maid of Brittany [aged 25] at Corfe Castle, Dorset [Map].
In 1225 Robert de Ros [aged 53], Baron of Wark-on-Tweed, and his wife Isabella, daughter of King William I of Scotland, founded a leper hospital at Bolton [Map] dedicated to St Thomas the Martyr. The chaplains at the hospital were granted a licence to build a chapel at the hospital for their own use, and this seems to have been a way of restoring to use the existing church here. Less positively those running the hospital seem to have been amongst the earliest Border reivers, as in 1285 the master and a number of the chaplains were accused of burning houses and stealing goods in the village of Branxton, close to the Scottish border.
On 7th September 1513 the English army of 26,000 men camped at Bolton, Northumberland [Map] on land now known as The Guards. Thomas Howard [aged 70], Earl of Surrey and his senior commanders celebrated holy communion in Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map] two days before the battle where they pledged they would "defeat the Scots or die in the field".
In 1547 The hospital of St Thomas the Martyr at Bolton was dissolved during the Reformation. Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map] appears to be all that survives of it, and following the Reformation it seems to have again become a place of worship for those living in this part of the Parish of Edlingham.
1732. Font at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
On 10th September 1790 Matthew Forster [aged 64] died. Memorial at Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map] sculpted by Robert Blore [aged 10] commissioned by his daughters Eleanor Forster [aged 19] and Jane Forster [aged 13].
Matthew Forster: Around 1726 he was born. On or before 1761 he and Jane Brown were married.
On 24th April 1791 Nicholas Brown Forster [aged 30] died. Memorial at Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map] commissioned by his sisters Eleanor Forster [aged 19] and Jane Forster [aged 13].
Nicholas Brown Forster: Aroundd 1761 he was born to Matthew Forster and Jane Brown.
On 3rd November 1806 Bryan Burrell [aged 78] died. He was buried at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
In this Chancel are deposited the Remains of Bryan Burrell Esqre of Broome Park [Map], who departed this Life, November the 3rd Ano Domni 1806, Aged 78 Years Mary his Wife and Daughter of HENRY PARTRIDGE Esqre of Methwold in the County of Norfolk, who departed this Life, July the 12th Ano Domni 1776; Aged 28 Years. MARTHA his Sister, who departed this Life March the 17th Ano Domni 1806, Aged 68 Years. "Their Hope is full of Immortality"
Bryan Burrell: In 1728 he was born to William Burrell of Broome Park and Philadephia Grey. In May 1771 Bryan Burrell and Mary Partridge were married. The difference in their ages was 20 years.
On 24th March 1809 Jane Brown [aged 77] died. Memorial at Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map] commissioned by her daughters Eleanor Forster [aged 37] and Jane Forster [aged 31].
Jane Brown: Around 1732 she was born to Nicholas Brown of Bolton, Northumberland.
On 13th June 1814 Henry Burrell [aged 37] died. He was buried at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
in the vault beneath are deposited the remains of Henry Burrell esquire M.A. Fellow of University College in Oxford, Barrister at law and one of the principal secretaries of the Lord Chancellor Eldon. He was second son of Brian Burrell Esquire of Broome Park, and died at Lincoln's Inn on the xiii of june a.d. mdcccxiv in the xxxviii year of his age.
Henry Burrell: On or before 25th June 1776, the date he was baptised at St John the Baptist Church, Edlingham [Map], he was born to Bryan Burrell and Mary Partridge.
On 5th June 1831 Robert Bowey, Steward to William Burrell [aged 58], died. William Burrell commissioned a monument to him at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
William Burrell: Before 23rd June 1805 William Burrell and Eleanor Forster were married.
On 20th May 1846 Eleanor Forster [aged 74] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
Eleanor Forster: On or before 23rd July 1771, the date she was baptised, she was born to Matthew Forster and Jane Brown.
On 1st February 1847 William Burrell [aged 74] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
On 23rd November 1861 Eleanor Ker [aged 59] died at East Bolton, Northumberland [Map]. She was buried at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
Eleanor Ker: On 1st March 1802 she was born to Walter Ker of Littledean in Roxburghshire and Jane Forster. In or before 1834 William Gray and she were married.
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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On 16th March 1862 Henry Matthew Burrell [aged 19] drowned in the Bay of Melbourne during a squall. Memorial window at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
On 3rd January 1864 Lewis De Crespigny Buckle [aged 19] died at sea whilst on the S.S. Nemesis, a collier that was transporting coal from Newcastle to Melbourne. Memorial at Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
Lewis De Crespigny Buckle: In 1845 he was born to Reverend Matthew Hughes George Buckle.
On 7th June 1866 Frances Mary Quantock [aged 52] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
On 29th March 1869 Reverend Mathew Burrell [aged 58] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
Reverend Mathew Burrell: On 16th January 1811 he was born to William Burrell and Eleanor Forster.
On 27th June 1872 William Gray [aged 75] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
William Gray: On 14th November 1796 he was born to Bishop Robert Gray.
On 5th September 1881 Colonel Bryan Burrell [aged 76] died. He was buried at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
On 20th July 1889 Major Bryan Burrell [aged 50] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
On 10th January 1899 Lieutenant-Colonel William Gray [aged 65] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
Lieutenant-Colonel William Gray: In or before 1834 he was born to William Gray and Eleanor Ker.
On 9th July 1901 Reverend Walter Augustus Gray [aged 66] died. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
Reverend Walter Augustus Gray: In or before 1835 he was born to William Gray and Eleanor Ker.
On 20th April 1906 Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Gray [aged 70] died at East Bolton, Northumberland [Map]. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Gray: In 1836 he was born to William Gray and Eleanor Ker. On 1st June 1878 Captain Arthur Gray and Louise Victoria Marshall were married at St Luke's Church, Paddington.
After 1907. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map] to three children of Colonel Bryan Burrell and Frances Mary Quantock.
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 10th August 1910 Adam Scott [aged 35] and Daughter Lambert were married at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
After 1914֫. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map] to three daughters of William Gray and Eleanor Ker.
On 28th October 1914 John Mounsey Lambert [aged 31] was killed in action during an unsuccessful attack on the village of Neuve Chapelle. He is commemorated on a plaque at Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map]. He is buried at Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez.
On 21st September 1929 Louise Victoria Marshall [aged 82] died at East Bolton, Northumberland [Map]. Memorial at the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Bolton [Map].
Louise Victoria Marshall: In 1847 she was born.