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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St Andrew's Church, Radbourne is in Radbourne, Derbyshire [Map], Churches in Derbyshire.
St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map]. Memorial to various members of the Le Hunt family.
St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map]. The Church dates from the 13th century, with additions in the 14th, 15th and 17th centuries. The porch was added in 1792, and the church was repaired in 1844. The tower and vestry were added in 1874.
The Churchyard at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map].
On 4th August 1432 Peter Pole [aged 50] died. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map]. Grave slab of him and his wife Elizabeth Laughton [aged 48] exceptionally well carved. The ermine lining of his long gown and her mantle visible. She has her feet resting on two dogs, both with bells on their collars; His feet are resting on one dog which also has a collar alebit not with bells on that may be seen. Note his belt with the initial 'P' on it, his long, pointed, shoes, his six buttoned cuffs and her reticulated head-dress with its outer edges of the extending upwards into vertical points.
Peter Pole: Around 1382 he was born to John Pole at Newborough, Staffordshire. On or before 1408 Peter Pole and Elizabeth Laughton were married.
Elizabeth Laughton: Around 1384 she was born.
In 1455 Ralph Pole [aged 50] died. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map] where his grave slab with his effigy, and that of his wife Joan Grosvenor [aged 39], lies under the North Iasle window.
Ralph Pole: Around 1405 he was born to Peter Pole in Radbourne, Warwickshire. In or before 1430 Ralph Pole and Joan Grosvenor were married.
St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map]. Alabaster Fluted Period monument in the north aisle. The identification somewhat difficult. Either Ralph Pole [aged 62] and his wife Elizabeth Moton, or their son John Pole, who predeceased his father, and his wife Jane Fitzherbert [aged 12]. He wears a Lancastrian Esses Collar. Hawk Crest. Misericorde. The dogs on which their feet rest unusuall for chewing at her dress - usually these chewing dogs are separate - and for there being two at her feet.
Ralph Pole: Around 1430 he was born to Ralph Pole and Joan Grosvenor.
John Pole: Around 1450 he was born to Ralph Pole. Before 1482 John Pole and Jane Fitzherbert were married. The difference in their ages was 30 years. Around 1491 John Pole died.
Jane Fitzherbert: In 1480 she was born to John Fitzherbert and Margaret Babington at Codsall Wood, Staffordshire. In 1519 Jane Fitzherbert died at Codsall Wood, Staffordshire.
In 1599 German Poole died. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map] where he has a large mural monument sculpted by Grinling Gibbons.
German Poole: he was born to Francis Poole. In or before 1573 German Poole and Dorothy Cockayne were married. They were third cousins.
In June 1639 Henry Pole died. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map].
Henry Pole: he was born to German Poole and Dorothy Cockayne.
Hatchments at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map].
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
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On 13th November 1850 Edward Sacheverell Chandos-Pole [aged 24] and Anna Caroline Stanhope [aged 18] were married at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map]. They had eleven children. She the daughter of Leicester FitzGerald Charles Stanhope 5th Earl of Harrington [aged 66] and Elizabeth Green Countess Harrington [aged 41].
In 1852 Leicester Sacheverel Chandos-Pole was born to Edward Sacheverell Chandos-Pole [aged 26] and Anna Caroline Stanhope [aged 19]. Unclear as to when he died. He was buried at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map].
Edward Sacheverell Chandos-Pole: In 1826 he was born to Edward Sacheverell Chandos-Pole and Anna Maria Wilmot. On 13th November 1850 Edward Sacheverell Chandos-Pole and Anna Caroline Stanhope were married at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map]. They had eleven children. She the daughter of Leicester FitzGerald Charles Stanhope 5th Earl of Harrington and Elizabeth Green Countess Harrington. On 30th November 1873 Edward Sacheverell Chandos-Pole died.
Anna Caroline Stanhope: On 16th July 1832 she was born to Leicester FitzGerald Charles Stanhope 5th Earl of Harrington and Elizabeth Green Countess Harrington. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 26th July 1859 Mabel Alice Chandos-Pole [aged 1] died. She was buried at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map].
Mabel Alice Chandos-Pole: On 24th June 1858 she was born to Henry Chandos-Pole-Gell and Henrietta Auriol Drummond-Hay.
On 21st March 1868 Henrietta Auriol Drummond-Hay [aged 38] died. She was buried at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map].
Henrietta Auriol Drummond-Hay: In 1830 she was born to Edward William Dummond-Hay. In 1851 Henry Chandos-Pole-Gell and she were married.
On 23rd June 1875 Evelyne Chandos-Pole [aged 18] died. She was buried at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map].
Evelyne Chandos-Pole: On 18th July 1856 she was born to Edward Sacheverell Chandos-Pole and Anna Caroline Stanhope.
On 18th March 1883 Violet Catherine Beckett-Denison [aged 22] died. She was buried at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map] where she has a window inher memory.
Violet Catherine Beckett-Denison: On 25th July 1860 she was born to William Beckett-Denison and Helen Duncombe. On 7th March 1882 Reginald Walkeline Chandos-Pole and she were married.
On 9th April 1914 Anna Caroline Stanhope [aged 81] died. She was buried at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map].
On 20th October 1930 Reginald Walkeline Chandos-Pole [aged 77] died. Grave with his wife Inez Blanche Marie Clothilde Eva Arent, who died on the 2nd of February 1941, at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map].
Reginald Walkeline Chandos-Pole: On 4th February 1853 he was born to Edward Sacheverell Chandos-Pole and Anna Caroline Stanhope. On 26th October 1898 Reginald Walkeline Chandos-Pole and Inez Blanche Marie Clothilde Eva Arent were married.
On 6th March 1934 Brigadier-General Harry Anthony Chandos-Pole [aged 61] died. Memorial to him and his wife Ada Ismay, and grave, at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map]. Curiously the memorial and the grave have different dates of birth, 1869 and 1872, respectively; the latter date is believed correct.
Brigadier-General Harry Anthony Chandos-Pole: On 19th November 1872 he was born to Henry Chandos-Pole-Gell and Teresa Charlotte Manningham-Buller.
On 1st September 1994 Major John Chandos-Pole [aged 80] died. Memorial and grave at St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map].
Major John Chandos-Pole: On 4th November 1913 he was born to Reginald Walkeline Chandos-Pole and Inez Blanche Marie Clothilde Eva Arent.
Map of Radbourne with St Andrew's Church [Map] [10] at its centre at the bottom of the lane where it crosses the river into the grounds of Chandos Hall [1].
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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After 12th December 2014. St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map]. Grave of Isla Jill, wife of Major John Chandos-Pole.
2017. The Rectors of St Andrew's Church, Radbourne [Map].