Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans
Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.
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Staunton Harold, Leicestershire is in Leicestershire.
See: Holy Trinity Church Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map], Staunton Harold Hall Staunton Harold, Leicestershire.
Around 1429 John Shirley was born to Ralph Shirley [aged 16] and Margaret Staunton [aged 19] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. He married 1457 Eleanor Willoughby and had issue.
Around 1460 Thomas Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 31] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 27] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Around 1461 Ralph Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 32] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 28] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
In 1462 Robert Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 33] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 29] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Around 1464 Margaret Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 35] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 31] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Around 1466 Alice Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 37] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 33] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. She married Robert Brokesby.
Around 1468 Hugh Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 39] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 35] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Around 1470 Jane Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 41] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 37] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Around 1472 Nicholas Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 43] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 39] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Around 1474 Eleanor Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 45] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 41] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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Around 1476 Henry Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 47] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 43] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Around 1478 Richard Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 49] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 45] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
In 1480 Baldwin Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 51] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 47] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Around 1482 Ralph Shirley was born to Robert Shirley [aged 20] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Around 1482 Anne Shirley was born to John Shirley [aged 53] and Eleanor Willoughby [aged 49] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
In 1487 Eleanor Willoughby [aged 54] died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
In 1513 Robert Shirley [aged 51] died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Around 26th January 1515 Francis Shirley was born to Ralph Shirley [aged 54] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. He married Dorothy Giffard and had issue.
On 6th January 1516 Ralph Shirley [aged 55] died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
Around 1526 Francis Shirley was born to Ralph Shirley [aged 44] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
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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Around 1528 Eleanor Shirley was born to Ralph Shirley [aged 46] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. She married (1) Nicholas Browne and had issue (2) before 1540 Thomas Vernon and had issue.
In 1533 John Shirley was born to Francis Shirley [aged 17] and Dorothy Giffard [aged 42] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
On 15th January 1535 Ralph Shirley [aged 53] died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
In 1540 Elizabeth Shirley was born to Francis Shirley [aged 24] and Dorothy Giffard [aged 49] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. She married 1569 Thomas Cotton and had issue.
On 12th September 1570 John Shirley [aged 37] died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. He was buried at Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map].
On 27th July 1571 Francis Shirley [aged 56] died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. He was buried in the Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill [Map]. Elizabethan Period. Chest with Weepers holding Shields. Helm with Folds. Richard and Gabriel Royley of Burton-upon-Trent.
Francis Shirley: Francis Shirley and Dorothy Giffard were married. The difference in their ages was 24 years; she, unusually, being older than him. Around 26th January 1515 he was born to Ralph Shirley at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
On 28th April 1595 Eleanor Shirley [aged 67] died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map].
On 23rd September 1725 Walter Shirley was born to Laurence Shirley [aged 31] and Anne Clarges [aged 30] at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. He married 27th August 1766 Henrietta Maria Phillips and had issue.
On 13th March 1859 Washington Sewallis Shirley 9th Earl Ferrers [aged 37] died at Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. He was buried at Holy Trinity Church Staunton Harold, Leicestershire [Map]. His son Sewallis [aged 12] succeeded 10th Earl Ferrers, 16th Baronet Shirley of Staunton Harold in Leicestershire.
On 4th September 1673 Robert Shirley was born to Robert Shirley 1st Earl Ferrers [aged 22] and Elizabeth Washington Baroness Ferrers Chartley at Staunton Harold Hall Staunton Harold, Leicestershire. He married 27th September 1688 Anne Ferrers and had issue.
On 18th January 1760 Laurence Shirley 4th Earl Ferrers [aged 39] shot his old family steward Johnson at Staunton Harold Hall Staunton Harold, Leicestershire. Thomas Kirkland [aged 39] was called to attend the steward. Kirkland subsequently left the house covertly, brought a magistrate with armed men, and removed the wounded steward, Johnson, who soon died.
18th-century engraving of Lord Ferrers shooting his steward.
Thomas Kirkland: In 1721 he was born at Ashbourne, Derbyshire [Map]. In April 1760 Laurence Shirley 4th Earl Ferrers was tried by his peers; Thomas Kirkland was a witness. Laurence Shirley 4th Earl Ferrers was found guilty. On 17th January 1798 he died.