Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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Warkworth, Northumberland is in Alnwick Region.
In 1329 Euphemia Clavering Baroness Neville Raby [aged 62] died at Warkworth, Northumberland [Map]. She was buried at St Mary's Church, Staindrop [Map].
Euphemia Clavering Baroness Neville Raby: Around 1267 she was born to Robert Fitzroger 5th Baron Warkworth and Margaret Zouche Baroness Warkworth. Before 1283 Ralph Neville 1st Baron Neville of Raby and she were married. They were sixth cousins.
On 10th July 1555 Mary Salisbury [aged 82] died in Warkworth, Northumberland [Map].
Around 1612 John Rushworth was born to Lawrence Rushworth at Acklington Park, Warkworth [Map].
Church of St Lawrence, Warkworth is also in Churches in Northumberland.
737. Church of St Lawrence, Warkworth [Map] is next to the River Coquet 2.5km from where the river joins the sea at Amber. A wooden church is mentioned in 737AD when Ceolwulf King Northumbria gave Wercewode aka Warkworth, including the church, to the Abbot of Lindisfarne Abbey [Map].
In 1120 King Henry I "Beauclerc" England [aged 52] gave the Church of St Lawrence, Warkworth [Map] to his chaplain Richard de Aurea Valle. Upon his death, all four churches were given to and became part of the newly formed Diocese of Carlisle and would remain so until Newcastle became a separate diocese in 1882.
In 1132 the building of the present Church of St Lawrence, Warkworth [Map] was commenced.
On 13th July 1174 an army commanded by Duncan II Earl of Fife entered Warkworth and set fire to the town, killing 300 of the inhabitants who had taken refuge in the church [Map].
Around 1350. Church of St Lawrence, Warkworth [Map]. Cross-legged knight from the 14th century, with a shield bearing the arms of the de Abulyn family of Durham.
After 1st April 1915. Church of St Lawrence, Warkworth [Map]. Memorial to Captain Philip Noel Sanderson 1887-1915.
After 26th April 1915. Church of St Lawrence, Warkworth [Map]. Memorial to Captain Philip Noel Sanderson 1887-1915.
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
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Around 1375. Warkworth Bridge, Northumberland [Map], constructed in the late 14th Century, spans the River Coquet at the bottom of the hill in Warkworth, Northumberland [Map] on which is located Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map]. The bridge is a mile from where the River Coquet flows into the North Sea. The bridge measures 43m long between land piers, with an overall length of 61m, by 3.5m wide between the parapet walls. The bridge, built of squared and coursed sandstone, has two segmental ribbed arches, each with a span of 18.4m. Documentary evidence records that John Cook of Newcastle, who died in 1378-9, left 20 marks towards the building of Warkworth Bridge on the condition it was built within two years.
Around 1855. Benjamin Brecknell Turner [aged 40]. Warkworth Bridge, Northumberland [Map].
The River Coquet rises around Chew Green, Northumberland [Map] from where it flows past Makendon Northumberland [Map], Blindburn, Northumberland [Map], Barrow Burn, Northumberland [Map], Shillmoor, Northumberland [Map], Linshiels, Northumberland [Map], Alwinton, Northumberland [Map], Harbottle Castle, Northumberland [Map], Sharperton, Northumberland [Map], Holystone, Northumberland [Map], Hepple, Northumberland [Map], Thropton, Northumberland [Map], Rothbury, Northumberland [Map], Pauperhaugh, Northumberland [Map], Brinkburn Priory, Northumberland [Map], Weldon Bridge, Northumberland [Map], Felton, Northumberland [Map], Guyzance, Northumberland [Map] before passing under the bridge at Warkworth Bridge, Northumberland [Map] and reaching the North Sea at Amble, Northumberland [Map].
Warkworth Castle, Northumberland is also in Castles in Northumberland.
Around 1150. The date of the first construction of Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map] is somewhat vague being founded by either Henry Dunkeld 3rd Earl Huntingdon 1st Earl of Northumbria [aged 36] or King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England [aged 16] on a motte on a natural mound at the narrowest point of a loop of the River Coquet.
Around 1157 to 1164 Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map] was first documented in a charter of when King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England [aged 23] granted it to Roger Fitzrichard 1st Baron Warkworth. At this time the castle was constructed of wood and was left undefended when the Scots invaded in 1173.
After 1160 Robert Fitzroger 2nd Baron Warkworth was born to Roger Fitzrichard 1st Baron Warkworth and Alice Vere Baroness Warkworth at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map]. He married Margaret Chesney Baroness Warkworth and had issue.
Around 1178 Roger Fitzrichard 1st Baron Warkworth died at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map]. His son Robert [aged 17] succeeded 2nd Baron Warkworth. Margaret Chesney Baroness Warkworth [aged 18] by marriage Baroness Warkworth.
Around 1190 John Fitzrobert 3rd Baron Warkworth was born to Robert Fitzroger 2nd Baron Warkworth [aged 29] and Margaret Chesney Baroness Warkworth [aged 30] at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map]. He married Ada Balliol Baroness Warkworth and had issue.
In 1213 Robert Fitzroger 2nd Baron Warkworth [aged 52] hosted King John of England [aged 46] at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map].
In 1214 Robert Fitzroger 2nd Baron Warkworth [aged 53] died at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map]. His son John [aged 24] succeeded 3rd Baron Warkworth. Ada Balliol Baroness Warkworth by marriage Baroness Warkworth.
Around 20th February 1241 John Fitzrobert 3rd Baron Warkworth [aged 51] died at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map]. His son Roger succeeded 4th Baron Warkworth.
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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In 1292 King Edward I of England [aged 52] stayed overnight at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map].
In 1319 King Edward II of England [aged 34] invested in Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map] where he funded the strengthening of the garrison in response to the renewed fighting with the Scots.
In 1332 after the death of John Clavering [aged 66], the last of the male line of Roger Fitzrichard 1st Baron Warkworth, and the death of his wife Hawise Tiptoft [aged 62] in 1345, Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map] passed to Henry Percy 10th and 2nd Baron Percy [aged 30].
Around 1380 Henry Percy 1st Earl of Northumberland [aged 38] commissioned the construction of the massive stone keep at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map].
Warkworth's Chronicle [1461-1474]. 1462. Also Quene Margrett1, Herry Duke of Excetre [aged 31], the Duke of Somersett, and other lordes2 that fleede England, hade kepte certeyne castelles3 in Northumberlond, as Awnwyk [Map], Bambrught [Map], Dunstonebrught [Map], and also Werworthe [Map], whiche they hade vytaled and stuffed bothe with Englischemenne, Frenschemenne, and Scottesmenne, by the whiche castelle, they hade the moste party of alle Northumberlond.
Note 1. Also Quene Margrett. This was in the year 1462. Towards the end of the year Edward appears to have made a tour to the West of England, perhaps for the purpose of seeing how the country was disposed towards him:- "Deinde Rex Edwardus, Cantuariam peregre profectus, partes meridionales pertransiit, ubi Willielmum Episcopum Wintonie de manibus querentium animam ejus eripuit, insectatores suos graviter redarguit, et eorum capitaneos carcerali custodi emancipavit. Bristollie apperians, a civibus ejus cum maximo gaudio honoratissimè receptus est. [Then King Edward, having journeyed to Canterbury, passed through the southern regions, where he rescued William, Bishop of Winchester, from the hands of those seeking his life, severely rebuked his pursuers, and freed their leaders from prison custody. Upon arriving in Bristol, he was received with the utmost joy and honor by its citizens.]" - MS. Arundel, Coll. Arm. 5, fol. 169, ro. This Chronicle in the College of Arms was first used, as far as I know, for an historical purpose, in a MS. note in a copy of Carte's History of England in the Bodleian Library, where it is referred to on the important testimony of the death of Henry VI. Mr. Black quotes it in the Excerpta Historica, but its value does not appear to be fully appreciated by that author; it is the diary of a contemporary writer on the side of the House of York, and extends to the execution of the Bastard of Fauconberg, and Edward's celebration of the feast of Pentecost which took place immediately afterwards.
The following very curious account of the pageant which received Edward at Bristol is from a MS. in Lambeth Palace, No. 306, fol. 132, ro. I am indebted for it to the Rev. S. R. Maitland, F.R.S., Librarian to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had the extreme kindness, at my request, to send me a transcript.
"The receyvyng of Kyng Edward the iiijth, at Brystowe.
"First, at the comyng inne atte temple gate, there stode Wylliam Conquerour, with iij. lordis, and these were his wordis:
'Wellcome Edwarde! oure son of high degre;
Many yeeris hast thou lakkyd owte of this londe-
I am thy forefader, Wylliam of Normandye,
To see thy welefare here through Goddys sond. '
"Over the same gate stondyng a greet Gyant delyveryng the keyes.
"The Receyvyng atte Temple Crosse next following;
" There was Seynt George on horsbakke, uppon a tent, fyghtyng with a dragon; and the Kyng and the Quene on hygh in a castell, and his doughter benethe with a lambe; and atte the sleying of the dragon ther was a greet melody of aungellys."
9th September 1461. Sir Bawdan (or Baldwin) Fulford [aged 46] was brought before the King, and beheaded at this place on the ninth of September; his head was placed upon Castle Gate. Rot. C. 8. Mus. Brit.
Note 2. And other lordes. Among them was Thomas Lord Roos [aged 34]. Paston Correspondence, vol. I. p. 219.
Note 3. Certeyne castelles in Northumberlond. See two contemporary accounts of the sieges of these castles, edited by Mr. Black, in the Excerpta Historica, p. 365.
1798. Thomas Girtin [aged 22]. Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map].
1799. Joseph Mallord William Turner [aged 23]. Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map]
Around 1855. Benjamin Brecknell Turner [aged 40]. Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map].
Margaret Chesney Baroness Warkworth died at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map].
Roger Fitzjohn 4th Baron Warkworth was born to John Fitzrobert 3rd Baron Warkworth and Ada Balliol Baroness Warkworth at Warkworth Castle, Northumberland [Map].