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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Westminster Abbey is in Westminster Abbey Area, Abbeys in England.
1065 Consecration of Westminster Abbey
1066 Death of King Edward the Confessor
1066 Coronation of King Harold
1066 Coronation of William the Conqueror
1068 Coronation of Queen Matilda
1154 Coronation of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine
1189 Coronation of King Richard I
1220 Westminster Coronation of Henry III
1236 Marriage of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence
1269 Translation of the Relics of Edward the Confessor
1274 Coronation of King Edward I
1290 Death of Queen Eleanor of Castile
1308 Coronation of Edward II and Isabella
1330 Execution of Edmund of Woodstock
1377 Coronation of King Richard II
1382 Marriage of Richard II and Anne of Bohemia and her Coronation
1394 Death and Funeral of Anne of Bohemia
1413 Death of King Henry IV Accession of Henry V
1421 Coronation of Catherine of Valois
1429 English Coronation of Henry VI
1445 Coronation of Queen Margaret of Anjou
1465 Coronation of Elizabeth Woodville
1470 March 1470 Welles' Rebellion and Battle of Losecoat Field aka Empingham
1483 Elizabeth Woodville takes Sanctuary at Westminster Abbey
1483 Richard of Shrewsbury Removed from Sanctuary
1483 Coronation of King Richard III
1484 Richard III Secures Elizabeth Woodville's Daughters
1486 Marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth York
25 November 1487-Coronation of Elizabeth of York
1495 Edward IV's Daughter's Marriages
1503 Death and Funeral of Elizabeth of York
1509 Marriage and Coronation of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
1509 Death of Margaret Beaufort
1511 Birth and Death of Prince Henry
1515 Wolsey receives his Cardinal's Hat
1533 Coronation of Anne Boleyn
1553 Funeral of King Edward VI
1559 Coronation of Elizabeth I
1559 Death and Funeral of Frances Brandon
1612 Funeral of Prince Frederick
1619 Funeral of Anne of Denmark
1626 English Coronation of Charles I
1628 Murder of the Duke of Buckingham
1661 Execution of Deceased Regicides
1682 Murder of Tom of Ten Thousand Thynne
1685 Death and Burial of Charles II
1685 Coronation James II and Mary
1689 Coronation William III and Mary II
1694 Death and Funeral of Queen Mary II
1727 Death and Funeral of Isaac Newton
1821 Coronation of King George IV
On 28th December 1065 the Westminster Abbey [Map] that preceded the current building, known as St Peter's Abbey, was consecrated. King Edward "The Confessor" of England [aged 62] was too ill to attend (he died eight days later).
On 5th January 1066 King Edward "The Confessor" of England [aged 63] died. He was buried the same day, or the following day, at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 6th January 1066 King Harold II of England [aged 44] was crowned II King of England having been selected by the Witan at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Harold quick to be crowned the day after the death of Edward the Confessor.
On 25th December 1066 King William "Conqueror" I of England [aged 38] was crowned I King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop Ealdred.
On 11th May 1068 Matilda Flanders Queen Consort England [aged 37] was crowned Queen Consort England at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 26th September 1087 King William II of England [aged 31] was crowned II King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop Lanfranc [aged 82]. See Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
On 5th August 1100 King Henry I "Beauclerc" England [aged 32] was crowned I King of England by Bishop Maurice at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 1st May 1118 Edith aka Matilda Dunkeld Queen Consort England [aged 38] died at Westminster Palace [Map]. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 19th December 1154 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England [aged 21] was crowned II King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 32] was crowned Queen Consort England. Archbishop Theobald of Bec [aged 64] presided.
On 3rd September 1189 King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 31] was crowned I King of England by Archbishop Baldwin of Forde [aged 64] at Westminster Abbey [Map]. William Mandeville 3rd Earl Essex Count Aumale carried the Crown. The Coronation of King Richard I was marred by violence against London's Jewish population. Prior to his Coronation Richard had issued a proclamation forbidding Jews to attend. When some did a riot broke out, which spread.
On 27th May 1199 King John of England [aged 32] was crowned I King of England by Archbishop Hubert Walter [aged 39] at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Bishop Herbert Poore attended.
On 8th October 1200 Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England [aged 12] was crowned Queen Consort England at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 17th May 1220 Henry [aged 12] was crowned III King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map] since the Pope didn't consider the earlier Gloucester Coronation of Henry III to have been performed correctly. Archbishop Stephen Langton [aged 70] presided.
On 14th October 1222 Richard of Barking was elected Abbot of Westminster.
On 20th January 1236 Eleanor of Provence Queen Consort England [aged 13] was crowned Queen Consort England at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 17th June 1239 King Edward I of England was born to King Henry III of England [aged 31] and Eleanor of Provence Queen Consort England [aged 16] at Westminster Palace [Map]. He was named after the Saxon King King Edward "The Confessor" of England, whose popoularity was going through a resurgence at time; the first Plantagenet to be named 'Edward'. On 20th June 1239 he was baptised at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop Edmund Rich [aged 64]. He godparents included his uncle Richard of Cornwall 1st Earl Cornwall [aged 30] and his uncle by marriage Simon de Montfort 6th Earl of Leicester 1st Earl Chester [aged 31]. He was confirmed the same day. He married (1) 1st November 1254 his second cousin once removed Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England, daughter of Ferdinand III King Castile III King Leon and Joan Dammartin Queen Consort Castile and Leon, and had issue (2) 10th September 1299 his first cousin once removed Margaret of France Queen Consort England, daughter of King Philip III of France and Maria of Brabant Queen Consort France, and had issue.
On 22nd June 1239 King Edward I of England was christened at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Humphrey Bohun 2nd Earl Hereford 1st Earl Essex [aged 35] was godfather. He was named after King Edward "The Confessor" of England.
On 23rd November 1243 Richard of Cornwall 1st Earl Cornwall [aged 34] and Sanchia Provence Queen Consort Germany [aged 15] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She by marriage Countess Cornwall. She the daughter of Raymond IV Count Provence [aged 45] and Beatrice Savoy Countess Provence [aged 45]. He the son of King John of England and Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England [aged 55]. They were fourth cousins.
In December 1258 Abbot Richard of Ware was appointed Abbot of Westminster.
On 13th October 1269 the remains of King Edward "The Confessor" of England were moved to a chapel east of the sanctuary in Westminster Abbey [Map]. King Alexander III of Scotland [aged 28] and Margaret Queen of Scotland [aged 29] attended.
On 3rd August 1271 John Plantagenet [aged 5] died at Wallingford, Oxfordshire [Map] whilst in the care of his great uncle Richard of Cornwall 1st Earl Cornwall [aged 62]. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 13th October 1272 Edmund "Almain" 2nd Earl Cornwall [aged 22] was knighted by King Henry III of England at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 19th August 1274 King Edward I of England [aged 35] was crowned I King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England [aged 33] was crowned Queen Consort England.
King Alexander III of Scotland [aged 32] and Margaret Queen of Scotland [aged 33] attended.
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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On 14th October 1274 Henry Plantagenet [aged 6] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 28th November 1290 Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England [aged 49] died at Harby Manor. Her viscera were buried at Lincoln Cathedral [Map]. Her heart was buried at Blackfriars, City of London on the 19th December 1290 where her son Alfonso Plantagenet had been buried eight years beforew.
Her corpse was taken from Harby, Nottinghamshire [Map] to Westminster Abbey [Map]. At each of the locations at which her body rested overnight King Edward I of England [aged 51] commissioned the building of an Eleanor Cross. Three remain at Geddington, Northamptonshire [Map], Hardingstone, Northamptonshire and Waltham Abbey, Essex [Map].
On 5th June 1296 Edmund "Crouchback" Plantagenet 1st Earl of Leicester 1st Earl Lancaster [aged 51] died at Bayonne [Map]. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son Thomas [aged 18] succeeded 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl Lancaster. Alice Lacy Countess Leicester, and Lancaster 5th Countess of Salisbury 5th Countess Lincoln [aged 14] by marriage Countess of Leicester, Countess Lancaster.
On 29th August 1298 Eleanor Plantagenet [aged 29] died at Ghent [Map]. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 14th November 1302 Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex [aged 26] and Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Countess Essex, Hereford and Holland [aged 20] were married. She by marriage Countess Essex, Countess Hereford. Westminster Abbey [Map]. She the daughter of King Edward I of England [aged 63] and Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England. He the son of Humphrey Bohun 3rd Earl Hereford 2nd Earl Essex and Maud Fiennes Countess Essex and Hereford. They were third cousins.
On 22nd May 1306 the Feast of the Swans was a collective knighting of two hundred and sixty seven men at Westminster Abbey [Map].
At the feast, following the knightings, two swans were brought in. King Edward I of England [aged 66] swore before God and the swans to avenge the death of John Comyn 3rd Lord Baddenoch - see Murder of John "Red" Comyn.
King Edward I of England first knighted his son King Edward II of England [aged 22].
King Edward II of England then knighted the remaining two-hundred and sixty-six including...
Hugh "Younger" Despencer 1st Baron Despencer [aged 20]
Edmund Fitzalan 2nd or 9th Earl of Arundel [aged 21]
John le Blund, Mayor of London
William Brabazon
Roger Mortimer 1st Baron Mortimer of Chirk [aged 50]
Piers Gaveston 1st Earl Cornwall [aged 22] - this may have been the first time Piers Gaveston 1st Earl Cornwall and King Edward II of England met?
John Harrington 1st Baron Harington [aged 25]
John Maltravers 1st Baron Maltravers [aged 16]
Roger Mortimer 1st Earl March [aged 19]
William Montagu 2nd Baron Montagu [aged 31]
John Mowbray 2nd Baron Mowbray [aged 19]
Thomas Multon 1st Baron Multon [aged 30]
John Warenne 7th Earl of Surrey [aged 19]
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After 7th July 1307 King Edward I of England [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 25th February 1308 King Edward II of England [aged 23] was crowned II King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Henry Woodlock, Bishop of Winchester. Isabella of France Queen Consort England [aged 13] was crowned Queen Consort England.
Piers Gaveston 1st Earl Cornwall [aged 24] carried the Royal Crown.
William Marshal 1st Baron Marshal [aged 30] carried the Gilt Spurs.
Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex [aged 32] carried the Royal Sceptre.
Edmund Fitzalan 2nd or 9th Earl of Arundel [aged 22] was Chief Butler, a heriditary office.
Henry Plantagenet 3rd Earl of Leicester 3rd Earl Lancaster [aged 27] carried the Royal Rod.
Thomas Plantagenet 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl Lancaster, Earl of Salisbury and Lincoln [aged 30] carried the sword Curtana.
Roger Mortimer 1st Earl March [aged 20] carried the table bearing the Royal Robes.
Thomas Grey [aged 28] and Robert Fitzwalter 1st Baron Fitzwalter [aged 61] attended.
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On 23rd June 1324 Aymer de Valence 2nd Earl Pembroke [aged 49] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map] where his tomb effigy can still be seen as a splendid example of late gothic architecture. Earl Pembroke extinct.
Effigy of Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke. AYMER DE VALENCE was the third and youngest son of William de Valence, whose effigy has already been described, and by the death of his brothers during his father's life-time, succeeded him in the Earldom of Pembroke. He was much employed in military service by his kinsman Edward I. particularly in his Scottish wars. That King going into France in 1286 left him Regent of the Realm. In 1305 he was appointed Keeper of the Marches of Scotland about Berwick, and Commander of the Forces sent to oppose Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick. He was present with King Edward at the time of his death at Burgh upon the Sands [Note. Burgh by Sands, Cumberland is in Cumberland being on the west coast] in Northumberland, who requested him to protect his son from the contamination of the debauched foreigner Gavaston. He united with the Barons against that minion of the second Edward, besieged and took him prisoner in Scarborough Castle [Map]. According to the capitulation Gavaston was to have been allowed to have an interview with the King, and to be tried by his Peers; but the Earl of Warwick took the profligate Gascon from de Valence's custody, and summarily beheaded him on Blacklow Hill [Map], near Warwick. In 1314 the Earl of Pembroke was present at the battle of Bannockburn, so disastrous to the English arms in Scotland. He is said to have met his death in France at a tournament, which was appointed by himself in order to celebrate his marriage with his third wife Mary [aged 22], daughter of Guy de Chastillon, Earl of St. Pol. She founded Pembroke Hall, in the University of Cambridge. Aymer de Valence was buried on the North side of the Choir of the Abbey Church at Westminster [Map], and his tomb is celebrated for its architecture and sculptural decorations. In the trefoil ornament which fills up the pediment on either side the monument he is represented on his barded horse. The compartments round the altar slab, on which his effigy reposes, are occupied by elegant statues representing his friends and connexions, and decorated with escutcheons of their arms.
Details. Plate 1. 1. Figures at the head of the Effigy. 2. Band or lace of the hood. 3. Band confining thesurcoat to the waist. 4. Sword belt. Effigy as originally painted: Plate If. 1. Toe of the solerette of the figure on horseback. Figure on horseback, North side of the tomb; basnet, aventaille, mantelet, surcoat, &c. Bases of the barded horse, bearing the bars and martlets of De Valence. 3. Figure on the North side of the tomb.
On 1st February 1327 King Edward III of England [aged 14] was crowned III King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop Walter Reynolds.
On 19th March 1330 the King's uncle Edmund of Woodstock 1st Earl Kent [aged 28] was beheaded at Winchester Castle [Map]. Earl Kent forfeit. Edmund had been convicted of plotting against the court believing his brother King Edward II was still alive. It later emerged the plot had been created by Roger Mortimer 1st Earl March [aged 42] to entrap Edmund. King Edward III of England [aged 17] was unable to show leniency risking complicity in the plot. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
See 
Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke, 
Walter of Guisborough, Knighton 2555,
Murimuth and Parliament Rolls.
Monumental Effigies. Philippa of Hainault Queen of King Edward III [aged 62] (Died 1369) in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 16th July 1377 King Richard II of England [aged 10] was crowned II King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop Simon Sudbury [aged 61].
Richard Fitzalan 9th Earl of Surrey 4th or 11th Earl of Arundel [aged 31] carried the Crown.
Guichard d'Angle 1st Earl Huntingdon was created 1st Earl Huntingdon for life.
John Mowbray 1st Earl Nottingham [aged 11] was created 1st Earl Nottingham.
Edward 2nd Duke of York 1st Duke Albemarle [aged 4] and Robert Harrington 3rd Baron Harington [aged 21] were knighted.
Roger Scales 4th Baron Scales [aged 23] attended.
Monumental Effigies. Children of King Edward III of England on his tomb in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 20th January 1382 King Richard II of England [aged 15] and Anne of Bohemia Queen Consort England [aged 15] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Bishop Robert Braybrooke. She by marriage Queen Consort England. She the daughter of Charles IV King Bohemia Holy Roman Emperor Luxemburg and Elizabeth Pomerania Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg [aged 35]. He the son of Edward "Black Prince" and Joan "Fair Maid of Kent" Princess Wales [aged 53]. They were fourth cousins. He a grandson of King Edward III of England.
It was the first royal wedding that including a Royal Procession from the Tower of London [Map] to Westminster Abbey [Map].
Arranged by Michael de la Pole 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 52] the marriage not popular since it brought no dowry and little prospect of increased trade since Bohemia not a primary English trade partner.
In 1386 William de Colchester Abbot of Westminster was appointed Abbot of Westminster.
On 13th October 1399 King Henry IV of England [aged 32] was crowned IV King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Archbishop Thomas Fitzalan aka Arundel [aged 46] officiated. Bishop Robert Braybrooke carried the sacraments and said mass.
The future King Henry V of England [aged 13] carried the Sword Curtana. Thomas Beauchamp 12th Earl Warwick [aged 61] and/or John Beaufort 1st Marquess Somerset and Dorset [aged 26] carried a sword wrapped in red and bound with golden straps symbolising two-fold mercy. Henry Percy 1st Earl of Northumberland [aged 57] carried the Lancaster Sword.
Thomas Percy 1st Earl of Worcester [aged 56] carried the Steward's baton. Thomas Erpingham [aged 44] carried a Sword.
Edmund Stafford 5th Earl Stafford [aged 21] was appointed Knight of the Bath. John Lancaster 1st Duke Bedford [aged 10], John Arundell [aged 33] and Richard Beauchamp 13th Earl Warwick [aged 17] were knighted.
Archbishop Richard Scrope [aged 49] attended.
On 17th December 1399 the conspirators met at Abbey House Westminster Abbey [Map] including Thomas Blount [aged 47], Thomas Despencer 1st Earl Gloucester [aged 26], Thomas Holland 1st Duke Surrey [aged 25], John Holland 1st Duke Exeter [aged 47], Ralph Lumley 1st Baron Lumley [aged 39], John Montagu 3rd Earl Salisbury [aged 49], Edward 2nd Duke of York 1st Duke Albemarle [aged 26], Bernard Brocas [aged 45]. They plotted to capture King Henry IV of England [aged 32] at a Tournament in Windsor, Berkshire [Map] on the Feast of Epiphany hence the Epiphany Rising.
On 9th April 1413 King Henry V of England [aged 26] was crowned V King of England by Archbishop Thomas Fitzalan aka Arundel [aged 60] at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Duke Lancaster merged with the Crown.
Richard Beauchamp 13th Earl Warwick [aged 31] was appointed Lord High Steward. Henry Fitzhugh 3rd Baron Fitzhugh [aged 55] was appointed Constable of England.
On 24th February 1421 Catherine of Valois [aged 19] was crowned Queen Consort England at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop Henry Chichele [aged 58]. Robert Willoughby 6th Baron Willoughby [aged 36] was appointed Chief Butler of England. James I [aged 26] attended, and was honoured by sitting immediately on the queen's left at the coronation banquet.
On 7th November 1422 King Henry V of England was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley [aged 21] attended as Chief Mourner and Standard Bearer
On 6th November 1429 King Henry VI of England and II of France [aged 7] was crowned VI King of England by Cardinal Henry Beaufort [aged 54] at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Richard Beauchamp 13th Earl Warwick [aged 47] carried the child King. John Mowbray 3rd Duke of Norfolk [aged 14] attended. John Beaumont 1st Viscount Beaumont [aged 20] was knighted.
On 30th May 1445, five weeks after her marriage, Margaret of Anjou Queen Consort England [aged 15] was crowned Queen Consort England by Archbishop John Stafford at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 28th June 1461 King Edward IV of England [aged 19] was crowned IV King of England. Duke York, Earl March, Earl of Ulster, Earl Cambridge, Baron Mortimer of Wigmore merged with the Crown. Cardinal Thomas Bourchier [aged 43] was assisted by Archbishop William Booth [aged 73] at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 26th May 1465 Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England [aged 28] was crowned Queen Consort England by Cardinal Thomas Bourchier [aged 47] at Westminster Abbey [Map].
King Edward IV of England [aged 23] attended.
John Cheney 1st Baron Cheyne [aged 23], Anthony Woodville 2nd Earl Rivers [aged 25], Richard Woodville 3rd Earl Rivers [aged 12] and William Calthorpe [aged 55] were created Knight of the Bath.
Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey [aged 21] carried her train.
Richard Choke [aged 45] was created Knight of the Bath.
On 11th December 1472 Margaret York died. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 17th April 1483 the coffin of Edward IV [deceased] was carried to Westminster Abbey [Map] by Edward Stanley 1st Baron Monteagle [aged 21], John Savage [aged 39], Thomas Wortley [aged 50], Thomas Molyneux [aged 38], probably John Welles 1st Viscount Welles [aged 33] who had married Edward's daughter Cecily), John Cheney 1st Baron Cheyne [aged 41], Walter Hungerford [aged 19], Guy Wolston [aged 50], John Sapcote [aged 35], Thomas Tyrrell [aged 30], John Risley, Thomas Dacre 2nd Baron Dacre Gilsland [aged 15], John Norreys, Louis de Bretelles and John Comyn 4th Lord Baddenoch.
Those in the procession included:
Thomas St Leger [aged 43], widow of Edward's sister Anne.
William Parr [aged 49].
William Stonor [aged 33].
Henry Ferrers [aged 40].
James Radclyffe [aged 43].
George Browne [aged 43].
Gilbert Debenham [aged 51].
John Howard 1st Duke of Norfolk [aged 58] walked in front of the coffin with Edward's personal arms.
John Marlow Abbot Bermondsey followed by:
Bishop Thomas Kempe [aged 93].
Bishop John Hales [aged 83] (Bishop of Chester?).
Bishop Robert Stillington [aged 63].
Bishop William Dudley [aged 58].
Cardinal John Morton [aged 63] (as Bishop of Ely).
Bishop Edmund Tuchet [aged 40] (as Bishop of Rochester).
Bishop Peter Courtenay, and.
Bishop Lionel Woodville [aged 36].
Archbishop Thomas Rotherham [aged 59] brought up the rear.
Cardinal Thomas Bourchier [aged 65], then Archbishop of Canterbury, took no part due to infirmity.
John de la Pole Earl Lincoln 1st [aged 21]; the King's nephew,.
William Hastings 1st Baron Hastings [aged 52].
Thomas Grey 1st Marquess Dorset [aged 28].
William Herbert 2nd Earl Pembroke 1st Earl Huntingdon [aged 32] (some sources say Earl of Huntingindon?).
William Berkeley 1st Marquess Berkeley [aged 57].
Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby [aged 48].
Richard Fiennes Baron Dacre Gilsland [aged 68].
John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley [aged 82].
George Neville 4th and 2nd Baron Abergavenny [aged 43].
John Tuchet 6th Baron Audley, 3rd Baron Tuchet [aged 57].
Walter Devereux Baron Ferrers of Chartley [aged 51].
Edward Grey 1st Viscount Lisle [aged 51].
Henry Lovell 9th Baron Marshal 8th Baron Morley [aged 7].
Richard Woodville 3rd Earl Rivers [aged 30].
John Brooke 7th Baron Cobham [aged 35].
Richard Hastings Baron Willoughby [aged 50].
John Bourchier 6th Baron Ferrers of Groby [aged 45].
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On 6th July 1483 King Richard III of England [aged 30] and his wife Anne Neville [aged 27] at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Duke Gloucester, Earl Richmond forfeit merged with the Crown. Cardinal Thomas Bourchier [aged 65] officiated. Anne Neville Queen Consort England by marriage Queen Consort England.
John Howard 1st Duke of Norfolk [aged 58] was appointed Lord High Steward. William Brandon [aged 58], Thomas Fitzalan 10th or 17th Earl of Arundel [aged 33], Thomas St Leger [aged 43], Richard Hastings Baron Willoughby [aged 50], Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England [aged 46], Elizabeth York Duchess Suffolk [aged 39], Giles Daubeney 1st Baron Daubeney [aged 32] and Humphrey Dacre 1st Baron Dacre Gilsland [aged 59] attended.
Robert Dymoke [aged 22] attended as the Kings' Champion.
Edmund Grey 1st Earl Kent [aged 66] carried The Pointed Sword of Justice. Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 40] carried the Crown. Francis Lovell 1st Viscount Lovell [aged 27] carried the Third Sword of State. John de la Pole 2nd Duke of Suffolk [aged 40] carried the Sceptre. John de la Pole Earl Lincoln 1st [aged 21] carried the Cross and Ball. Henry Stafford 2nd Duke of Buckingham [aged 28] carried the king's train. Edward Stafford 2nd Earl Wiltshire [aged 13] bore the Queen's Crown.
Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby [aged 48] carried the Lord High Constable's Mace. Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond [aged 40] held Queen Anne's train. Henry Percy 4th Earl of Northumberland [aged 34] carried The Blunt Sword of Mercy. Christopher Willoughby 10th Baron Willoughby [aged 30] was appointed Knight of the Bath.
Humphrey Dacre 1st Baron Dacre Gilsland attended.
Cecily "Rose of Raby" Neville Duchess York [aged 68] refused to attend the Coronation of King Richard III. History doesn't record her reason.
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On 29th November 1483 Bishop William Dudley [aged 58] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 29th October 1485 King Henry VII of England and Ireland [aged 28] processed from Tower of London [Map] to Westminster Abbey [Map]. Ahead of him marched the heralds and serjeants-at-arms, the Esquire of the Body, the King's Secretary Richard Fox [aged 37], almoner Christopher Urswick [aged 37], the mayor of London and the Garter King of Arms. Also ahead of him were Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby [aged 50], John de la Pole Earl Lincoln 1st [aged 23], John de Vere 13th Earl of Oxford [aged 43] and William Berkeley 1st Marquess Berkeley [aged 59]. Following behind were the only two Dukes: Jasper Tudor 1st Duke Bedford [aged 53], created the day before, and John de la Pole 2nd Duke of Suffolk [aged 43].
On 30th October 1485 King Henry VII of England and Ireland [aged 28] was crowned VII King of England by Cardinal Thomas Bourchier [aged 67] at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Earl Richmond merged with the crown. Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond [aged 42], his mother, attended.
Robert Dymoke [aged 24] attended as the Kings' Champion.
John de Vere 13th Earl of Oxford [aged 43] carried the King's train.
On 18th January 1486 King Henry VII of England and Ireland [aged 28] and Elizabeth of York [aged 19] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She by marriage Queen Consort England. She the daughter of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England [aged 49]. He the son of Edmund Tudor 1st Earl Richmond and Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond [aged 42]. They were third cousins. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward III of England.
On 25th November 1487 Elizabeth of York [aged 21] was crowned Queen Consort England at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Giles Daubeney 1st Baron Daubeney [aged 36], Edward Stafford 2nd Earl Wiltshire [aged 17], Christopher Willoughby 10th Baron Willoughby [aged 34], Giles Daubeney 1st Baron Daubeney, Richard Woodville 3rd Earl Rivers [aged 34], William Herbert 2nd Earl Pembroke 1st Earl Huntingdon [aged 36] and Thomas Fitzalan 10th or 17th Earl of Arundel [aged 37], who carried the Rod and Dove, attended as did Cecily York Viscountess Welles [aged 18].
On 4th February 1495, possibly 1494, Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk [aged 22] and Anne York [aged 19] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She the daughter of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England. He the son of Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 52] and Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey [aged 51]. They were fifth cousins.
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 19th June 1500. This yeare, in June, deceased the third sonne [aged 1] of the Kinge [aged 43], named Duke of Somersett, and was buried at Westminster [Map].a
Note a. Our author follows Arnold, but others say that the infant Prince Edmond did not die till the fifth year of his age.
On 19th June 1500 he died at the Royal Palace, Hatfield; possibly of plague of which an outbreak was occurring. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map]. Duke Somerset extinct.
On 27th October 1500 Abbot John Islip [aged 36] was elected Abbot of Westminster.
Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1509. April 1509. Will of Henry VII [aged 52]:
At his manor of Richmond, Surrey [Map] March 24 Henry VII., the King makes his last will, commending his soul to the Redeemer with the words he has used since his first "years of discretion," Domine Jesu Christe, qui me ex nichilo creasti, fecisti, redemisti et predestinasti ad hoc quod sum, Tu scis quid de me facere vis, fac de me secundum voluntatem Tuam cum misericordia, trusting in the grace of His Blessed Mother in whom, after Him, has been all his (testator's) trust, by whom in all his adversities he has had special comfort, and to whom he now makes his prayer (recited), as also to all the company of Heaven and especially his "accustumed avoures" St. Michael, St. John Baptist, St. John Evangelist, St. George, St. Anthony, St. Edward, St. Vincent, St. Anne, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Barbara, to defend him at the hour of death and be intercessors for the remission of his sins and salvation of his soul.
Desires to be buried at Westminster [Map], where he was crowned, where lie buried many of his progenitors, especially his granddame Catharine wife to Henry V and daughter to Charles of France, and whereto he means shortly to translate the remains of Henry IV in the chapel [Map] which he has begun to build (giving full directions for the placing and making of his tomb and finishing of the said chapel according to the plan which he has "in picture delivered" to the prior of St. Bartholomew's beside Smithfield, master of the works for the same); and he has delivered beforehand to the abbot, &c., of Westminster, £5,000, by indenture dated Richmond, 13 April 23 Hen VII, towards the cost.
His executors shall cause 10,000 masses in honor of the Trinity, the Five Wounds, the Five Joys of Our Lady, the Nine Orders of Angels, the Patriarchs, the Twelve Apostles and All Saints (numbers to each object specified) to be said within one month after his decease, at 6d. each, making in all £250 and shall distribute 2,£000 in alms; and to ensure payment he has left 2,£250 with the abbot, &c., of West-minster, by indenture dated (blank) day of (blank) in the (blank) year of his reign.
His debts are then to be paid and reparation for wrongs made by his executors at the discretion of the following persons, by whom all complaints shall be tenderly weighed, viz, the abp of Canterbury [aged 59], Richard bp of Winchester [aged 61], the bps of London and Rochester [aged 39], Thomas Earl of Surrey [aged 66], Treasurer General, George Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 41], Steward of the House, Sir Charles Somerset Lord Herbert [aged 49], Chamberlain, the two Chief Justices, Mr. John Yong [aged 44], Master of the Rolls, Sir Thomas Lovell, Treasurer of the House, Mr. Thomas Routhall, secretary, Sir Ric Emson [aged 59], Chancellor of the Duchy, Edm. Dudley [aged 47], the King's attorney at the time of his decease, and his confessor, the Provincial of the Friars Observants, and Mr. William Atwater, dean of the Chapel, or at least six of them and three of his executors.
His executors shall see that the officers of the Household and Wardrobe discharge any debts which may be due for charges of the same.
Lands to the yearly value of above 1,000 mks have been "amortised" for fulfilment of certain covenants (described) with the abbey of Westminster.
For the completion of the hospital which he has begun to build at the Savoie place beside Charingcrosse, and towards which 10,000 mks in ready money has been delivered to the dean and chapter of St. Paul's, by indenture dated (blank), his executors shall deliver any more money which may be necessary; and they shall also make (if he has not done it in his lifetime) two similar hospitals in the suburbs of York and Coventry.
Certain cathedrals, abbeys, &c., named in a schedule hereto annexed [not annexed now] have undertaken to make for him orisons, prayers and suffrages "while the world shall endure," in return for which he has made them large confirmations, licences and other grants; and he now wishes 6s. 8d. each to be delivered soon after his decease to the rulers of such cathedrals, &c., 3s. 4d. to every canon and monk, being priest, within the same and 20d. to every canon, monk, vicar and minister not being priest. His executors shall bestow 2,£000 upon the repair of the highways and bridges from Windsor to Richmond manor and thence to St. George's church beside Southwark [Map], and thence to Greenwich manor, and thence to Canterbury.
To divers lords, as well of his blood as other, and also to knights, squires and other subjects, he has, for their good service, made grants of lands, offices and annuities, which he straitly charges his son, the Prince [aged 17], and other heirs to respect; as also the enfeoffments of the Duchy of Lancaster made by Parliaments of 7 and 19 Henry VII. for the fulfilment of his will.
Bequests for finishing of the church of the New College in Cambridge and the church of Westminster, for the houses of Friars Observants, for the altar within the King's grate (i.e. of his tomb), for the high altar within the King's chapel, for the image of the King to be made and set upon St. Edward's shrine, for the College of Windsor, for the monastery of Westminster, for the image of the King to be set at St. Thomas's shrine at Canterbury, and for chalices and pixes of a certain fashion to be given to all the houses of Friars and every parish church not suitably provided with such.
Bequest of a dote of 50,£000 for the marriage of Lady Mary [aged 13] the King's daughter with Charles Prince of Spain [aged 9], as contracted at Richmond (blank) Dec. 24 Henry VIII., or (if that fail) her marriage with any prince out of the realm by "consent of our said son the Prince, his Council and our said executors.".
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On 24th June 1509 Henry VIII [aged 17] was crowned VIII King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Catherine of Aragon [aged 23] was crowned Queen Consort England.
Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham [aged 31], Thomas Boleyn 1st Earl Wiltshire and Ormonde [aged 32] and Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 66] attended. Henry Clifford 1st Earl of Cumberland [aged 16] was knighted. Robert Dymoke [aged 48] attended as the Kings's Champion. Robert Radclyffe 1st Earl of Sussex [aged 26] was created Knight of the Bath and served as Lord Sewer.
On 1st January 1511 Prince Henry Duke of Cornwall was born to Henry VIII [aged 19] and Catherine of Aragon [aged 25] at Richmond Palace [Map]. He was appointed Duke of Cornwall at birth.
On 22nd February 1511 Prince Henry Duke of Cornwall died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. He died aged less than one years old.
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 1st January 1511. This yeare, Prince Henrie, the Kings [aged 19] first sonne, was borne at Richmonde [Map] on Newe Yeares dayeb, and on St. Mathie's day [Note. 23 Feb] after the saide Prince died, and was buried at Westminster [Map].
Note b. On the 1st January, 1510 [Note. 1511 if years are adjusted to begin on 01 Jan.]
Note c. Or rather St. Mathias' eve, February 23. Hall, howerer, says that this Prince died on "the 22 Feb. being the Even of Saint Mathy," which would seem to show that St. Mathias' day was sometimes kept on the 23rd, instead of the 24th February, in which case our text is correct.
In 1515 Cardinal Thomas Wolsey [aged 41] received his Cardinal's hat at a ceremony attended by Richard Neville 2nd Baron Latimer of Snape [aged 47] and Robert Radclyffe 1st Earl of Sussex [aged 32] at Westminster Abbey [Map].
In 1527 Trinity Hall, Cambridge University preached a series of sermons to which serious objection was taken. He was dragged from the pulpit while preaching in St George's Chapel, Ipswich, arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London [Map]. He was arraigned Wolsey [aged 53] and William Warham [aged 77], Archbishop of Canterbury, among others, at the chapter-house at Westminster Abbey [Map]. He was convicted of heresy, sentence being deferred while efforts were made to induce him to recant, which eventually he did.
In 1533 Abbot William Benson was appointed Abbot of Westminster.
On 1st June 1533 the six months pregnant Queen Anne Boleyn of England [aged 32] was crowned Queen Consort England by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer [aged 43] at Westminster Abbey [Map]. See Coronation of Anne Boleyn.
John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford [aged 62] bore the Crown. Henry Grey 1st Duke of Suffolk [aged 16] carried the Salt. Margaret Wotton Marchioness Dorset [aged 46] rode in the procession. William Coffin [aged 38] was appointed Master of the Horse. Robert Radclyffe 1st Earl of Sussex [aged 50] served as Lord Sewer. Henry Parker [aged 20] and William Coffin were knighted. Thomas Berkeley 6th Baron Berkeley [aged 28], Thomas Stanley 2nd Baron Monteagle [aged 26] and Henry Capell [aged 27] were created Knight of the Bath. Margaret Wotton Marchioness Dorset rode in the procession. Arthur Hopton [aged 44] attended.
Thomas More [aged 55] refused to attend. Shortly thereafter, More was charged with accepting bribes, but the charges had to be dismissed for lack of any evidence.
Anne Braye Baroness Cobham [aged 32] was the attendant horsewoman.
Charles Wriothesley [aged 25] attended.
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 1st June 1533. Memorandum, the first dale of June,d Queene Anne [aged 32] was brought from Westminster Hall to the Abbey of Sainct Peeter's [Map] with procession, all the monkes of Westminster going in rytch copes of golde with 13 abbotts mitred; and after them all the Kinges Chappell in rych copes with fower bushopps and tow archbishopps mittred, and all the Lordes going in their Perliament roabes,e and the crowne borne afore her by the Duke of Suffolke [aged 49], and her tow sceptres by tow Earles, and she herself going under a rytch canapie of cloath of golde, apparailed in a kirtell of crymson velvett powdred with ermyns, and a robe of purple velvett furred with powdred ermines over that, and a rich cronett with a calla of pearles and stones on her hedde, and the olde Dutches of Norfolke [aged 56]b bearing upp her traine in a robe of scarlett with a cronett of golde on her bonett, and the Lorde Boroughe,c the Queenes Chamberlaine, staying the traine in the middes; and after her tenne ladies following in robes of scarlett furred with ermins and rounde cronettes of golde on their heades; and next after theim all the Queenes maides in gownes of scarlett edged with white lettushe furre; and so was shee brought to Sainct Peeters Church [Map] at Westminster, and their sett in her seate riall, which was made on a high scaffolde before the highe aulter; and their shee was anoynted and crowned Queene of Englande by the Archbishopp of Canterberied1 and the Archbishoppe of Yorke, and so sate crowned in her seate riall all the masse, and offred also at the said masse; and the masse donne, they departed everie man in their degrees to Westminster Hall [Map], she going still under the cannapie crowned with towe septers in hir handes, my Lorde of Wilshire, her father,e1 and the Lorde Talbottf leadinge her, and so theire dynned; wheras was made the most honorable feast that hath beene seene.
The great hall at Westminster was rytchlie hanged with rych cloath of Arras, and a table sett at the upper ende of the hall, going upp twelve greeses,a2 where the Queene dyned; and a rytch cloath of estate hanged over her heade; and also fower other tables alongest the hall; and it was rayled on everie side, from the highe deasse in Westminster Hall to the scaffold in the church in the Abbaj.
And when she went to church to her coronation their was a raye cloath,b2 blew, spreed from the highe dessesc of the Kinges Benche unto the high alter of Westminster, wheron she wente.
Note B. the Lorde William Howard, Lord Chamberlen [aged 23], in a purse of crymsen silk and gold knytt, in dimy soveraignes £10 0s 0d.
And when the Queenes grace had washed her handes, then came the Duke of Suffolke, High Constable that daie and stewarde of the feast, ryding on horsebacke rytchlie apparailed and trapped, and with him, also ridinge on horsebacke, the Lorde William Howarde as deputie for the Duke of Norfolke [aged 60] in the romthd2 of the Marshall of Englande, and the Queenes servicee2 following them with the Archbishopps, a certaine space betwene which was bornef2 all by knightes, the Archbishopp sitting at the Queenes borde, at the ende, on her left hande.g2 The Earle of Sussex [aged 50] was sewer, the Earle of Essex carver, the Earle of Darbie [aged 24] cuppbearer, the Earle of Arrondell [aged 57] butler, the Viscount Lisle [aged 69] pantler, the Lord Gray almoner.
Att one of the fower tables sate all the noble ladies all on one side of the hall, at the second table the noble men, at the thirde table the Major of Londonh2 with the Aldermen, att the fowerth table the Barons of the Fortes with the Masters of the Chauncerie. The goodlie dishes with the delicate meates and the settles which were all gilt, with the noble service that daie done by great men of the realme, the goodlie sweete armonie of minstrells with other thinges were to long to expresse, which was a goodlie sight to see and beholde.
And when shee had dined and washed her handes she stoode a while under the canopie of estate, and behelde throwghe the hall, and then were spices brought with other delicates, which were borne all in great high plates of gold, wherof shee tooke a litle refection, and the residue geavinge among the lordes and ladies; and that donne she departed up to the White Hall, and their changed her apparell, and so departed secreetlie by water to Yorke Place [Map], which is called White Hall, and their laie all night.
Note d. Whitsanday. Compare this with the account of the receiving and coronation of Anne Boleyn in MS. Harleian. Cod. 41, arts. 2-5, and MS. Harleian. 543, fol. 119.
Note e. Henry's [aged 41] first wife, Katharine of Aragon [aged 47], was crowned with him, and a magnificent ceremony was ordained for her successful rival Anne Boleyn, but none of the other wives of Henry were honoured with a coronation.
Note a. A caul was a kind of net in which women inclosed their hair.
Note b. Grandmother of Anne Boleyn, being widow of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, whose daughter Elizabeth [aged 53] married Sir Thomas Boleyn [aged 56], afterwards Earl of Wiltshire, the father of Anne.
Note. b, immediately above, appears to be a mistake? The grandmother of Anne Boleyn was Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey, first wife of Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk. He, Thomas, married secondly his first wife's first cousin Agnes Tilney Duchess Norfolk who must be the old Duchess of Norfolk referred to since Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey died in Apr 1497.
Note c. Thomas, Lord Bnrgh of Gainsboroogh [aged 45].
d1. In Sir Henry Ellis's Collection of Original Letters occurs a very interesting letter written by Cranmer to the English ambassador at the Emperor's court, giving his own account of the pronouncing of sentence on Katharine and of the coronation of Anne Boleyn.
e1. Anne Boleyn's father had been created Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond on the 8th December, 1529.
a2. Steps or stain, Latin gressus.
b2. Striped cloth.
Note c. Desks.
d2. Room.
e2. Suite.
f2. Occupied.
g2. Stow expressly states that Archbishop Cranmer sat on the right hand of the Queen at the table's end. Ed. 1631, p. 567.
h2. Sir Stephen Pecocke.
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On 20th February 1547 King Edward VI of England and Ireland [aged 9] was crowned VI King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer [aged 57].
John Russell 1st Earl Bedford [aged 62] was appointed Lord High Steward. Henry Fitzalan 12th or 19th Earl of Arundel [aged 34] was appointed Constable of England.
Anthony Browne 1st Viscount Montagu [aged 18], George Vernon "King of the Peak" [aged 39], Richard Devereux [aged 34] and William Sharington [aged 52] were created Knight of the Bath.
Francis Hastings 2nd Earl Huntingdon [aged 33], Edward Courtenay, William Sharington, John Shelton [aged 44] and Walter Buckler were knighted.
Edward Dymoke [aged 39] attended as the King's Champion.
Alexander Unton [aged 53] and Edward Rogers [aged 49] were knighted.
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. The twentith daie of Februarie, being the Soundaie Quinquagesima, the Kinges Majestie Edward the Sixth [aged 9], of the age of nyne yeares and three monthes, was crowned King of this realme of Englande, France, and Irelande, within the church of Westminster [Map], with great honor and solemnitie, and a great feast keept that daie in Westminster Hall which was rychlie hanged, his Majestie sitting all dynner with his crowne on his head; and, after the second course served, Sir Edward Dymmocke [aged 39], knight, came ridinge into the hall in clene white complete harneis, rychlie gilded, and his horse rychlie trapped, and cast his gauntlett to wage battell against all men that wold not take him for right King of this realme, and then the King dranke to him and gave him a cupp of golde; and after dynner the King made many knightes, and then he changed his apparell, and so rode from thence to Westminster Place.
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. The fourth daie of November, 1547, the Kinges Majestie [aged 10] beganne his High Court of Parliament at his cittie of Westminster, his Edward the Majestic ryding from his pallace of Westminster to the church of Saint Peter [Map] in his perliament robes, with all his Lordes Spirituall and Temporall riding in their robes also; and afore the masse of the Holic Ghost there was a sermon made before the King by Doctor Ridley, Bishopp of Rochester [aged 47]; and after that the masse beganne, Gloria in eacelsis, the Creede, Sanctus, Benedictus, and the Agnus were all songen in Englishe; the masse ended, his Majestie with his Lordes went into the Perliament Chamber, where my Lord Chauncelor [aged 50] made a grete proposition for the assembly of the said Parliament, and, that donne, the King putt of his robes, and went to his pallace at Westminster by water. Sir John Baker, knight, Chauncelor of the Tenthes, was chosen Speaker of the Commens Howse for the said Perliament.
On 30th September 1553 Queen Mary I of England and Ireland [aged 37] made her formal journey from the Tower of London [Map] to Westminster Abbey [Map]. She was accompanied by Mary Roper [aged 30].
Bishop George Day [aged 52] preached.
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 1st October 1553 Queen Mary I of England and Ireland [aged 37] was crowned I Queen of England and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Edward Courtenay 1st Earl Devon [aged 26] carried the Sword of State.
John Gage [aged 73] bore the queen's train. Edward Dymoke [aged 45] attended as the Queen's Champion. James Blount 6th Baron Mountjoy [aged 20] and Henry Parker 12th Baron Marshal 11th Baron Morley [aged 20] were created Knight of the Bath. Thomas Hastings [aged 38] and John Leigh [aged 51] were knighted. Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk [aged 80] and Henry Neville 5th Earl of Westmoreland [aged 28] attended.
Anne of Cleves Queen Consort England [aged 38] took part in the procession.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 1st December 1555. The furst day of December was reseyvyd with pressessyon my lord cardenall Pole [aged 55] into Westmynster abbay [Map]; and ther mett hym x[viij bishops,] and the bysshope of Yorke [aged 54] dyd menyster with ys myter; [and they] whent a pressessyon a-bowt the chyrche and the cloyster.
In 29th November 1556 John de Feckenham aka Howman [aged 41] was consecrated Abbot of Westminster.
On 16th July 1557 Anne of Cleves Queen Consort England [aged 41] died at Chelsea Manor [Map]. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map] on 3rd August 1557. She was the last of Henry VIII's six wives to die having outlived him by ten years. Hever Castle, Kent [Map] appears to have been appropriated by Edward Waldegrave [aged 40], one of the Commissioners for the sale of Crown land, who assigned himself the Castle and estate of Hever.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 26th November 1557. The xxvj day of November was bered my lade [Clifford] the wyff of ser Thomas Clyfford knyght, the wyche [was] bered in Westmynster abbay [Map], the wyche lade was bered in the [cou]ntie of (blank), with a harold of armes, and a ij dosen torchys, and iij dosen of skochyons, and iiij baners of armes, [and] a hersecloth of blake saten, the crosse whyt saten.
Note. P. 158. Funeral of lady Clifford. Widow of sir Thomas Clifford, knt. governor of Berwick, who had a gravestone in Westminster abbey, which was removed for the marble pavement. Dart, vol. ii. p. 23.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 20th January 1558. The xx day of January begane the parlement at Westmynster-the v yere of quen Mare. Her grace toke her charett at the Whytt-halle, and her lordes of the parlement, and the bysshopes and prestes, and so to the abbay [Map] to the masse, and after to the parlement-howse, and so the trumpetes.
Note. P. 164. So to the abbay to the masse. "Item, payde for ryngyng when the Queenes Mati cam to the masse of the holy gost the xxti of January, vjd." (Accounts of St. Margaret's Westminster.)
Henry Machyn's Diary. 23rd October 1558. The sam day was bered in the abbay [Map] master Gennyngs [aged 42], with ij whyt branchys and a ij dosen skochyons of armes, and xvj torchys and iiij gret tapurs, and mony morners in blake, and pore men had gownes.
After 17th November 1558 Queen Mary I of England and Ireland [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 15th January 1559 Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 25] was crowned I Queen of England by Bishop Owen Oglethorpe [aged 52] at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Margaret Audley Duchess Norfolk [aged 19] carried the train. Archbishop Nicholas Heath [aged 58] censed. Edward Dymoke [aged 51] attended as the Queen's Champion. Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk [aged 22], Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 59], Henry Fitzalan 12th or 19th Earl of Arundel [aged 46], Thomas Cecil 1st Earl Exeter [aged 16] and William Herbert 1st Earl Pembroke [aged 58] attended.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 15th January 1559. The xv day was the crounasyon of quen Elsabeth [aged 25] at Westmynster abbay [Map], and theyr all the trumpettes, and knyghtes, and lordes, and haroldes of armes in ther cotte armurs; and after all they in ther skarlett, and all the bysshopes in skarlett, and the Quen, and all the fottmen waytyng a-pone the quene, to Westmynster hall; ther mett all the byshoppes, and all the chapell with iij crosses, and in ther copes, the byshoppes mytered, and syngyng Salve festa dyes; and all the strett led with gravell, and bluw cloth unto the abbay, and raylled on evere syd, and so to the abbay to masse, and ther her grasse was crounyd; and evere offeser rede against she shuld go to dener to Westmynster hall [Map], and evere offeser to take ys offes at serves a-pone ther landes; and my lord mare [aged 50] and the althermen.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 7th November 1559. The vij day of November was bered in Westmynster abbay [Map] master Recherd Knevett [deceased] sqwyre, with a dosen skochyons.
Note. P. 217. Funeral of Richard Knevett esquire. One of the gentlemen pensioners to the queen, died Nov. 1, 1559. Buried in the chapel of St. John the Evangelist, Westminster abbey. Dart, ii. 60.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 5th November 1561. The sam day of November dyd pryche at Westmynster abbay [Map] master Alway, one of the plasse, and mad a godly sermon ther, and grett audyense.
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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On 1st September 1582 Elizabeth Berkeley Countess Ormonde and Ossory [aged 47] died. She was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 11th April 1587 Thomas Bromley [aged 57] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 12th August 1596 Henry Carey 1st Baron Hunsdon [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 21st December 1598 Thomas Owen of Condover died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Roger Owen of Condover inherited Condover Hall, Shropshire.
On 28th April 1603 Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Helena Snakenbourg Marchioness Northampton [aged 54] was Chief Mourner in the procession since Arabella Stewart [aged 28] refused to take part. She was supported by Thomas Cecil 1st Earl Exeter [aged 60] and Charles Howard 1st Earl Nottingham [aged 67].
George Bourchier [aged 68] carried the Standard of the Dragon.
Philip Herbert 4th Earl Pembroke 1st Earl Montgomery [aged 18] carried the Standard of the Greyhound.
Thomas Somerset carried the Standard of the Lyon.
William Segar [aged 49] carried the Sword of State as Norrey King of Arms.
Admiral Richard Leveson [aged 33] was one of the six knights who carried the canopy.
George Bourchier: George Bourchier and Martha Howard were married. The difference in their ages was 20 years. He the son of John Bourchier 2nd Earl Bath and Eleanor Manners Countess Bath. They were fifth cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England. In 1535 he was born to John Bourchier 2nd Earl Bath and Eleanor Manners Countess Bath. In 1605 George Bourchier died.
Thomas Somerset: he was born to Henry Somerset 1st Marquess Worcester and Anne Russell Countess Worcester. On 30th December 1648 Thomas Somerset died at Dunkirk.
On 25th July 1603 King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland [aged 37] was crowned I King England Scotland and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Charles Howard 1st Earl Nottingham [aged 67] was appointed Lord High Steward.
On 26th July 1603 Thomas Bennett [aged 60] and Thomas Cambell [aged 67] were knighted.
On 27th July 1603 William Wrey 1st Baronet was knighted at Whitehall Palace [Map].
On 30th July 1603 Richard Preston 1st Earl Desmond was knighted at Whitehall Palace [Map].
Bishop Thomas Bilson [aged 56] gave the sermon. While the wording conceded something to the divine right of kings, it also included a caveat about lawful resistance to a monarch.
On 19th April 1608 Thomas Sackville 1st Earl Dorset [aged 72] died suddenly at the council table, having apparently suffered a stroke. His funeral was held at Westminster Abbey [Map]. He was buried in the Sackville Chapel St Michael's Church Withyham East Sussex. His son Robert [aged 47] succeeded 2nd Earl Dorset, 2nd Baron Buckhurst. Anne Spencer Countess Dorset by marriage Countess Dorset.
On 28th August 1609 Francis de Vere [aged 48] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
In 1612 the remains of Mary Queen of Scots were moved to Westminster Abbey [Map] on the orders of her son King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland [aged 45].
On 7th December 1612 Henry Frederick Stewart Prince of Wales [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His body had lain in state for a month at St James's Palace [Map]. Two thousand mourners attended in the procession and people of all ages lined the streets. Archbishop Abbott [aged 50] gave the funeral sermon. A magnificent hearse was erected on which was placed his richly clothed funeral effigy. The robes were those worn by the Prince at his creation as Princes of Wales in 1610. This effigy was made by Richard Norris with the plaster face modelled by Abraham Van der Doort.
Francis Manners 6th Earl of Rutland [aged 34] carried the shield.
Henry Zinzan aka Alexander led a horse trapped with black cloth in the funeral procession.
On 29th September 1615 Arabella Stewart [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 8th February 1617 Edward Talbot 8th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 55] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His fourth cousin George [aged 50] succeeded 9th Earl of Shrewsbury, 9th Earl Waterford.
On 2nd March 1618 Elizabeth Spencer Baroness Hunsdon and Eure [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 10th September 1619 Christopher Hatton of Clay Hall in Essex [aged 40] died intestate. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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On 16th February 1624 Ludovic Stewart 2nd Duke Lennox 1st Duke Richmond [aged 49] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Duke Richmond and Earl Newcastle upon Tyne extinct. His brother Esmé [aged 45] succeeded 3rd Duke Lennox. Katherine Clifton Duchess Lennox [aged 32] by marriage Duchess Lennox.
On or before 11th March 1624 Katherine Packer of Shelingford was born to John Packer [aged 51] in Groombridge, Kent [Map]. She was baptised on 11th March 1624 in Westminster Abbey [Map]. She married before 8th February 1688 John Gell 2nd Baronet, son of John Gell 1st Baronet and Elizabeth Willoughby Lady Gell, and had issue.
On 7th May 1625 King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 2nd February 1626 King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 25] was crowned I King England Scotland and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop George Abbott [aged 63]. His wife Henrietta Maria [aged 16] was not crowned since she being Catholic refused to attend an Anglican service. She watched Charles at a discreet distance.
Robert Radclyffe 5th Earl of Sussex [aged 52] carried the Orb.
Francis Talbot 11th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 3] bore the Second Sword of State.
Philip Herbert 4th Earl Pembroke 1st Earl Montgomery [aged 41] carried the Spurs.
Francis Manners 6th Earl of Rutland [aged 48] bore the Rod with the Dove.
William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 8], James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 19], James Howard 3rd Earl Suffolk [aged 6], Roger Palmer [aged 49] and Mildmay Fane 2nd Earl of Westmoreland [aged 24], John Maynard [aged 34] were appointed Knight of the Bath.
John Rayney 1st Baronet [aged 25] was knighted.
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On 10th March 1627 Elizabeth Vere Countess Derby [aged 51] died at Richmond, Surrey [Map]. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 23rd August 1628 George Villiers 1st Duke of Buckingham [aged 35] was murdered at Greyhound Pub, Portsmouth by a disgruntled soldier John Felton [aged 33]. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son George succeeded 2nd Duke of Buckingham, 2nd Marquess of Buckingham, 2nd Earl Buckingham.
Felton was considered a hero by many who blamed Buckingham for the failures of the 1625 Cádiz Expedition and 1627 Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. Felton was subsequently hanged.
Around January 1631 Bridget Vere Baroness Norreys Rycote [aged 46] died. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 9th April 1634 Thomas Carey [aged 18] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 8th May 1635 Horace de Vere 1st Baron Vere [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 8th October 1639 Frances Howard Duchess Lennox and Richmond [aged 61] died at Exeter House [Map]. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 27th April 1641, That evening, was celebrated the pompous funeral of the Duke of Richmond, who was carried in effigy, with all the ensigns of that illustrious family, in an open chariot, in great solemnity, through London to Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 14th September 1646 Robert Devereux 3rd Earl Essex [aged 55] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Earl Essex extinct. His half first cousin twice removed Walter [aged 71] succeeded 5th Viscount Hereford. Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Baron Bourchier abeyant.
On 5th January 1650 James Palmer [aged 68] died. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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John Evelyn's Diary. 6th March 1652. Saw the magnificent funeral of that arch-rebel, Ireton, carried in pomp from Somerset House [Map] to Westminster [Map], accompanied with divers regiments of soldiers, horse and foot; then marched the mourners, General Cromwell [aged 52] (his father-in-law), his mock-parliament-men, officers, and forty poor men in gowns, three led horses in housings of black cloth, two led in black velvet, and his charging horse, all covered over with embroidery and gold, on crimson velvet; then the guidons, ensigns, four heralds, carrying the arms of the State (as they called it), namely, the red cross and Ireland, with the casque, wreath, sword, spurs, etc.; next, a chariot canopied of black velvet, and six horses, in which was the corpse; the pall held up by the mourners on foot; the mace and sword, with other marks of his charge in Ireland (where he died of the plague), carried before in black scarfs. Thus, in a grave pace, drums covered with cloth, soldiers reversing their arms, they proceeded through the streets in a very solemn manner. This Ireton was a stout rebel, and had been very bloody to the King's [aged 21] party, witness his severity at Colchester, when in cold blood he put to death those gallant gentlemen, Sir Charles Lucas [aged 39] and Sir George Lisle. My cousin, R. Fanshawe [aged 43], came to visit me, and informed me of many considerable affairs. Sir Henry Herbert [aged 57] presented me with his brother, my Lord Cherbury's book, "De Veritate"..
On 19th June 1652 Francis Cottington 1st Baron Cottington [aged 73] died. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
In 1655 William Constable 1st Baronet [aged 75] died. Baronet Constable of Flamborough in Yorkshire extinct. He received a State Funeral when buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. At the Restoration he body was exhumed and buried in a communal grave at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map].
On 14th September 1659 Anne Bayning Countess of Oxford [aged 22] died. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map] on 27th September 1659.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 8th January 1660. Sunday. In the morning I went to Mr. Gunning's [aged 46], where a good sermon, wherein he showed the life of Christ, and told us good authority for us to believe that Christ did follow his father's trade, and was a carpenter till thirty years of age. From thence to my father's [aged 58] to dinner, where I found my wife [aged 19], who was forced to dine there, we not having one coal of fire in the house, and it being very hard frosty weather. In the afternoon my father, he going to a man's to demand some money due to my Aunt Bells my wife and I went to Mr. Mossum's [aged 43], where a strange doctor made a very good sermon. From thence sending my wife to my father's, I went to Mrs. Turner's [aged 37], and staid a little while, and then to my father's, where I found Mr. Sheply, and after supper went home together. Here I heard of the death of Mr. Palmer, and that he was to be buried at Westminster [Map] tomorrow.
On 13th September 1660 Henry Stewart 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 20] died of smallpox. Duke Gloucester and Earl Cambridge extinct. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map] in the same vault as Mary Queen of Scots.
On 14th November 1660 Thomas Blagge [aged 47] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 25th December 1660. Preached at the Abbey [Map], Dr. Earle [aged 59], Clerk of his Majesty's Closet, and my dear friend, now Dean of Westminster Abbey, on Luke II 13, 14, condoling the breach made in the public joy by the lamented death of the Princess [deceased].
John Evelyn's Diary. 6th January 1661. Dr. Allestree [aged 39] preached at the Abbey [Map], after which four Bishops were consecrated, Hereford [aged 51], Norwich [aged 61], ...
John Evelyn's Diary. 30th January 1661. This day (Oh, the stupendous and inscrutable judgments of God!) were the carcasses of those arch-rebels, Cromwell, Bradshawe (the judge who condemned his Majesty), and Ireton (son-in-law to the Usurper), dragged out of their superb tombs in Westminster [Map] among the Kings, to Tyburn [Map], and hanged on the gallows there from nine in the morning till six at night, and then buried under that fatal and ignominious monument in a deep pit; thousands of people who had seen them in all their pride being spectators. Look back at October 22 1658, and be astonished! and fear God and honour the King [aged 30]; but meddle not with them who are given to change!
John Evelyn's Diary. 29th March 1661. Dr. Heylin (author of the "Geography") preached at the Abbey [Map], on Cant. v. 25, concerning friendship and charity; he was, I think, at this time quite dark, and so had been for some years.
On 20th April 1661 King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 30] created a number of new Baronets and Peers:
William Morice 1st Baronet [aged 33] was created 1st Baronet Morice of Werrington in Devon. Gertrude Bampfylde Lady Morice by marriage Lady Morice of Werrington in Devon.
John Crew 1st Baron Crew [aged 63] was created 1st Baron Crew of Stene in Northamptonshire. Jemima Waldegrave Baroness Crew [aged 59] by marriage Baroness Crew of Stene in Northamptonshire.
Edward Hyde 1st Earl Clarendon [aged 52] was created 1st Earl Clarendon at Westminster Abbey [Map] on the occasion of the Coronation Charles II. Frances Aylesbury Countess Clarendon [aged 43] by marriage Countess Clarendon.
Oliver Fitzwilliam 1st Earl Tyrconnel [aged 51] was created 1st Earl Tyrconnel. Eleanore Holles Countess Tyrconnel by marriage Countess Tyrconnel.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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On 23rd April 1661 King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 30] was crowned II King England Scotland and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map].
John Bennet 1st Baron Ossulston [aged 44], Francis Fane [aged 23] and Edward Hungerford [aged 28] was appointed Knight of the Bath.
Francis Godolphin [aged 55] was knighted.
Josceline Percy 11th Earl of Northumberland [aged 16] attended.
James Howard 3rd Earl Suffolk [aged 42] was appointed Earl Marshal.
John Evelyn's Diary. 23rd April 1661. Was the coronation of his Majesty [aged 30] Charles II in the Abbey-Church of Westminster [Map]; at all which ceremony I was present. the King and his Nobility went to the Tower [Map], I accompanying my Lord Viscount Mordaunt [aged 34] part of the way; this was on Sunday, the 22d; but indeed his Majesty went not till early this morning, and proceeded from thence to Westminster in this order:
John Evelyn's Diary. 23rd April 1661. After sermon, the King [aged 30] took his oath before the altar to maintain the religion, Magna Charta, and laws of the land. The hymn Véni S. Sp. followed, and then the Litany by two Bishops. Then the Archbishop of Canterbury [aged 79], present, but much indisposed and weak, said "Lift up your hearts"; at which, the King rose up, and put off his robes and upper garments, and was in a waistcoat so opened in divers places, that the Archbishop might commodiously anoint him, first in the palms of his hands, when an anthem was sung, and a prayer read; then, his breast and between the shoulders, bending of both arms; and, lastly, on the crown of the head, with apposite hymns and prayers at each anointing; this done, the Dean closed and buttoned up the waistcoat. After which, was a coif put on, and the cobbium, sindon or dalmatic, and over this a super-tunic of cloth of gold, with buskins and sandals of the same, spurs, and the sword; a prayer being first said over it by the Archbishop on the altar, before it was girt on by the Lord Chamberlain [aged 59]. Then, the armill, mantle, etc. Then, the Archbishop placed the crown imperial on the altar, prayed over it, and set it on his Majesty's head, at which all the Peers put on their coronets. Anthems, and rare music, with lutes, viols, trumpets, organs, and voices, were then heard, and the Archbishop put a ring on his Majesty's finger. the King next offered his sword on the altar, which being redeemed, was drawn, and borne before him. Then, the Archbishop delivered him the sceptre, with the dove in one hand, and, in the other, the sceptre with the globe. the King kneeling, the Archbishop pronounced the blessing. His Majesty then ascending again his royal throne, while Te Deum was singing, all the Peers did their homage, by every one touching his crown. The Archbishop, and the rest of the Bishops, first kissing the King; who received the Holy Sacrament, and so disrobed, yet with the crown imperial on his head, and accompanied with all the nobility in the former order, he went on foot upon blue cloth, which was spread and reached from the west door of the Abbey [Map] to Westminster stairs, when he took water in a triumphal barge to Whitehall where was extraordinary feasting.
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John Evelyn's Diary. 23rd April 1661. The next day, being St. George's, he went by water to Westminster Abbey [Map]. When his Majesty [aged 30] was entered, the Dean and Prebendaries brought all the regalia, and delivered them to several noblemen to bear before the King, who met them at the west door of the church, singing an anthem, to the choir. Then, came the Peers, in their robes, and coronets in their hands, till his Majesty was placed on a throne elevated before the altar. Afterward, the Bishop of London (the Archbishop of Canterbury [aged 79] being sick) went to every side of the throne to present the King to the people, asking if they would have him for their King, and do him homage; at this, they shouted four times "God save King Charles II!" Then, an anthem was sung. His Majesty, attended by three Bishops, went up to the altar, and he offered a pall and a pound of gold. Afterward, he sat down in another chair during the sermon, which was preached by Dr. Morley [aged 63], Bishop of Worcester.
On 6th May 1661 Charles Stewart [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 10th November 1661. In the afternoon, preached at the Abbey [Map] Dr. Basire, that great traveler, or rather French Apostle, who had been planting the Church of England in divers parts of the Levant and Asia. He showed that the Church of England was, for purity of doctrine, substance, decency, and beauty, the most perfect under Heaven; that England was the very land of Goshen.
John Evelyn's Diary. 20th December 1661. The Bishop of Gloucester [aged 70] preached at the Abbey [Map] at the funeral of the Bishop of Hereford [deceased], brother to the Duke of Albemarle [aged 53]. It was a decent solemnity. There was a silver miter, with episcopal robes, borne by the herald before the hearse, which was followed by the Duke his brother, and all the bishops, with divers noblemen.
On 13th February 1662 Princess Elizabeth Stewart Queen Bohemia [aged 65] died of pneumonia shortly after midnight. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 17th February 1662. This night was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map] the Queen of Bohemia [deceased], after all her sorrows and afflictions being come to die in the arms of her nephew, the King [aged 31];
John Evelyn's Diary. 24th March 1662. I returned home [Map] with my whole family, which had been most part of the winter, since October, at London, in lodgings near the Abbey of Westminster [Map].
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
John Evelyn's Diary. 30th November 1662. St. Andrew's day. Invited by the Dean of Westminster [aged 61] to his consecration dinner and ceremony, on his being made Bishop of Worcester. Dr. Bolton preached in the Abbey Church [Map]; then followed the consecration by the Bishops of London [aged 64], Chichester [aged 70], Winchester [aged 64], Salisbury [aged 70], etc. After this, was one of the most plentiful and magnificent dinners that in my life I ever saw; it cost near £600 as I was informed. Here were the judges, nobility, clergy, and gentlemen innumerable, this Bishop being universally beloved for his sweet and gentle disposition. He was author of those Characters which go under the name of Blount. He translated his late Majesty's [aged 32] "Icon" into Latin, was Clerk of his Closet, Chaplain, Dean of Westminster, and yet a most humble, meek, and cheerful man, an excellent scholar, and rare preacher. I had the honor to be loved by him. He married me at Paris, during his Majesty's and the Church's exile. When I took leave of him, he brought me to the cloisters in his episcopal habit. I then went to prayers at Whitehall [Map], where I passed that evening.
On 30th March 1663 Robert South [aged 28] was appointed Prebendary Westminster Abbey.
John Evelyn's Diary. 5th November 1663. Dr. South [aged 29], my Lord Chancellor's [aged 54] chaplain, preached at Westminster Abbey [Map] an excellent discourse concerning obedience to magistrates, against the pontificians and sectaries. I afterward dined at Sir Philip Warwick's [aged 53], where was much company.
On 17th March 1665 Mary Gardiner [aged 38] died of smallpox. On 1st April 1665 she was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 8th April 1666 Thomas Chiffinch Keeper of the King's Closet [aged 66] died. He was buried on 10th April 1666 at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 20th May 1666. Lord's Day. With my wife to church in the morning. At noon dined mighty nobly, ourselves alone. After dinner my wife and Mercer by coach to Greenwich, Kent [Map], to be gossip to Mrs. Daniel's child. I out to Westminster, and straight to Mrs. Martin's, and there did what I would with her, she staying at home all the day for me; and not being well pleased with her over free and loose company, I away to Westminster Abbey [Map], and there fell in discourse with Mr. Blagrave, whom I find a sober politique man, that gets money and increase of places, and thence by coach home, and thence by water after I had discoursed awhile with Mr. Yeabsly, whom I met and took up in my coach with me, and who hath this day presented my Lord Ashly [aged 44] with £100 to bespeak his friendship to him in his accounts now before us; and my Lord hath received it, and so I believe is as bad, as to bribes, as what the world says of him.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 3rd June 1666. So home after church time to dinner, and after dinner my father, wife, sister, and Mercer by water to Woolwich, Kent [Map], while I walked by land, and saw the Exchange [Map] as full of people, and hath been all this noon as of any other day, only for newes. I to St. Margaret's, Westminster [Map], and there saw at church my pretty Betty Michell, and thence to the Abbey [Map], and so to Mrs. Martin, and there did what 'je voudrais avec her [I wanted with her].... So by and by he come in, and after some discourse with him I away to White Hall, and there met with this bad newes farther, that the Prince [aged 46] come to Dover, Kent [Map] but at ten o'clock last night, and there heard nothing of a fight; so that we are defeated of all our hopes of his helpe to the fleete. It is also reported by some Victuallers that the Duke of Albemarle [aged 57] and Holmes their flags were shot down, and both fain to come to anchor to renew their rigging and sails.
John Evelyn's Diary. 6th June 1666. Came Sir Daniel Harvey from the General and related the dreadful encounter, on which his Majesty [aged 36] commanded me to dispatch an extraordinary physician and more chirurgeons. It was on the solemn Fast-day when the news came; his Majesty being in the chapel made a sudden stop to hear the relation, which being with much advantage on our side, his Majesty commanded that public thanks should immediately be given as for a victory. The Dean of the chapel going down to give notice of it to the other Dean officiating; and notice was likewise sent to St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey [Map]. But this was no sooner over, than news came that our loss was very great both in ships and men; that the Prince frigate was burnt, and as noble a vessel of ninety brass guns lost; and the taking of Sir George Ayscue [aged 50], and exceeding shattering of both fleets; so as both being obstinate, both parted rather for want of ammunition and tackle than courage; our General retreating like a lion; which exceedingly abated of our former joy. There were, however, orders given for bonfires and bells; but, God knows, it was rather a deliverance than a triumph. So much it pleased God to humble our late overconfidence that nothing could withstand the Duke of Albemarle [aged 57], who, in good truth, made too forward a reckoning of his success now, because he had once beaten the Dutch in another quarrel; and being ambitious to outdo the Earl of Sandwich [aged 40], whom he had prejudicated as deficient in courage.
On 20th June 1667 James Stewart 1st Duke Cambridge [aged 3] died at Richmond Palace [Map]. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Duke Cambridge extinct.
Before 25th July 1667, the date he was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map], William Riley died.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 28th July 1667 Abraham Cowley [aged 49] died in Porch House. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map] where John Sheffield 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby [aged 19] subsequently commissioned a monument.
John Evelyn's Diary. 3rd August 1667. Went to Mr. Cowley's [deceased] funeral, whose corpse lay at Wallingford House, and was thence conveyed to Westminster Abbey [Map] in a hearse with six horses and all funeral decency, near a hundred coaches of noblemen and persons of quality following; among these, all the wits of the town, divers bishops and clergymen. He was interred next Geoffry Chaucer, and near Spenser. A goodly. Monument is since erected to his memory.
In 1669 Bishop Thomas Sprat [aged 34] was appointed Canon Westminster Abbey.
On 10th July 1669 (some say 11th) Robert Staypylton died. On 15th July 1669 he was buried near the vestry door in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 19th October 1669 Edward Fox [aged 6] died. He is buried with his brother John in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey [Map]. The grave is inscribed "Here lie interred two Children of the right Worshipful Sir Stephen Fox [aged 42] of Farley in the County of Wilts Knight, viz. Edward Fox, his fourth Son, aged six years and one month, who died on the nineteenth day of Octob. 1669. and John Fox his sixth son of the age of one year, who deceased upon the seventeenth day of Novemb. in the year of our Lord 1667.
On 20th November 1671 Henry de Vic [aged 72] died. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 11th February 1672. In the afternoon, that famous proselyte, Monsieur Brevall, preached at the Abbey [Map], in English, extremely well and with much eloquence. He had been a Capuchin, but much better learned than most of that order.
On 13th February 1672 Thomas Ingram [aged 57] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 28th May 1672 Philip Carteret [aged 31] and Winston Churchill were killed at Solebay, Southwold [Map].
Edward Montagu 1st Earl Sandwich [aged 46] was killed. His son Edward [aged 24] succeeded 2nd Earl Sandwich.
George Legge 1st Baron Dartmouth [aged 25] fought.
Charles Harbord [aged 32] was killed. The inscription on his. Monument in Westminster Abbey [Map] reads... Sr. Charles Harbord Knt. his Majesties Surveyor General, and First Lieutenant of the Royall James, under the most noble and illustrious captain Edward, Earle of Sandwich, Vice Admirall of England, which after a terrible fight maintained to admiration against a squadron of the Holland fleet for above six houres, neere the Suffolk coast, having put off two fireships, at last being utterly dissabled and few of her men remaining unhurt, was by a third unfortunately set on fire: but he (though he swam well) neglected to save himselfe as some did, and out of the perfect love to that worthy lord (whom for many yeares he had constantly accompanyed in all his honourable imployments, and in all the engagements of the former warr) dyed with him at the age of XXXIII, much bewailed of his father whom he never offended, and much beloved of all for his knowne piety, vertue, loyalty, fortitude and fidelity.
Captain John Cox was killed in action.
Admiral John Holmes [aged 32] fought as commander of Rupert.
The Gloucester took part.
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John Evelyn's Diary. 6th July 1673. This evening I went to the funeral of my dear and excellent friend, that good man and accomplished gentleman, Sir Robert Murray [deceased], Secretary of Scotland. He was buried by order of his Majesty [aged 43] in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 31st December 1673 Michael Biddulph 2nd Baronet [aged 19] and Henrietta Maria Whitley [aged 20] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Before 1675 Charles Cornwallis 3rd Baron Cornwallis [aged 19] and Elizabeth Fox Baroness Cornwallis were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She by marriage Baroness Cornwallis.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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On 4th January 1675 Edward Hyde 1st Earl Clarendon was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 9th August 1675. Dr. Sprat [aged 40], prebend of Westminster, and Chaplain to the Duke of Buckingham [aged 47], preached on the 3d Epistle of Jude, showing what the primitive faith was, how near it and how excellent that of the Church of England, also the danger of departing from it.
On 27th March 1676 John Brownlow 3rd Baronet [aged 16] and Alice Sherard Baroness Brownlow [aged 17] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She by marriage Lady Brownlow of Humby in Lincolnshire. They were half second cousins.
John Evelyn's Diary. 19th July 1676. Went to the funeral of Sir William Sanderson [deceased], husband to the Mother of the Maids [aged 72], and author of two large but mean histories of King James and King Charles I. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 25th December 1676 William Cavendish 1st Duke Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 84] died at Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire [Map]. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son Henry [aged 46] succeeded 2nd Duke Newcastle upon Tyne, 2nd Earl Newcastle upon Tyne, 10th Baron Ogle.Frances Pierrepont Duchess Newcastle upon Tyne [aged 46] by marriage Duchess Newcastle upon Tyne.
In 1677 John Ashburnham 1st Baron Ashburnham [aged 20] and Bridget Vaughan Baroness Ashburnham were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. They were half fifth cousin once removed.
On 19th November 1677 James Fox [aged 12] died of smallpox; some sources say smallpos. He is bured in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey [Map]. His mural monument is inscribed: "Here lies buried, near the ashes of Edward, John, and Stephen, three brothers, the most distinguished young man James Fox, the fifth son of the most honorable Sir Stephen Fox [aged 50], Knight, and Elizabeth his wife, a son most worthy of his parents, and parents worthy of their son. He showed the highest piety, even as a boy, towards God; a unique devotion towards his parents; old-fashioned simplicity among all; a head most dear to Venus and Apollo, a true Adonis and Hyacinth, and by the gifts of his mind and body, a beloved of God now, once of men. O parents, take pity on parents. O children, imitate this son! O descendants, mourn your loss. Cultivated in various kinds of literature, he flourished with an admirable contrast. Under the boy lay hidden another man; in the cradle of life and in death, a Hercules, while snatched away by the treachery of measles, he seemed to have flown from the fire and painful tunic to the heavens. On the 13th day before the Calends of December, in the year of our Lord 1677, aged 12 and a half."
Hic infra situs est, juxta Edwardi, Johannis, & Stephani, trium fratrum cineres, selectissimus Adolescentulus Jacobus Fox, honoratissimi Domini Steph. Fox Equiti Aurati & Elizabethae uxoris, filius natu quintus, parentes filio & filius parentibus quam dignissimus. Summa pietate, vel puer quoad Deum; singulari studio erga parentes, prisca simplicitate inter omnes, percarum Veneri & Apollini caput, indubitatus Adonis & Hyacinthus necnon per dotes animi & corporis, nunc Dei olim hominum amasius. O parentes miseremini parentum. O filii ex illo transcribite filium! O posteri vestrum deflete damnum. Vario literaturae genere excultus admirandi sua floruit Antithesis. Sub puero vir delituit alter in vitae cunabulis & in morte Hercules, dum morbillorum perfidia sublatus, videatur ex igne & tunicâ molestâ evolasse ad coelos. A. D. 13. Cal. Decemb. Anno Dom. 1677. aetatis 12. cum semisse.
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In 1679 Richard Annesley 3rd Baron Altham [aged 24] was appointed Prebendary Westminster Abbey.
On 16th January 1679 John Cotton 2nd Baronet [aged 32] and Elizabeth Sheldon Lady Cotton were married at Westminster Abbey [Map].
In 1680 Mary Wood Duchess Southampton [aged 17] died of smallpox. She was buried with her mother Mary Gardiner (who also died of smallpox) in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 21st February 1680 Denzil Holles 1st Baron Holles [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 28th March 1680 Dorothy Thanet died. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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In January 1681 Frances Seymour Countess Southampton [aged 63] died. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 18th January 1681 Charles "Don Carlo" Fitzcharles 1st Earl Plymouth was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 12th February 1682 Thomas "Tom of Ten Thousand" Thynne [aged 34] was shot and killed while riding in his coach along Pall Mall [Map], by three men, Christopher Vratz, John Stern and Charles George Borosky who were believed to be acting for his wife's lover, or pursuer, Swedish Count Karl Johann von Königsmark [aged 22]. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. The tomb, sculpted by Arnold Quellin, is decorated in part with a representation of the murder of Thynne in 1682.
In February 1685 Edward Villiers [aged 64] and Martha Love were married at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 14th February 1685 King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [deceased] was buried without any manner of pomp at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 23rd April 1685 King James II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 51] was crowned II King England Scotland and Ireland by Archbishop William Sancroft [aged 68]. Mary of Modena Queen Consort England Scotland and Ireland [aged 26] crowned Queen Consort England Scotland and Ireland.
Bishop Francis Turner [aged 47] preached the sermon.
John Ashburnham 1st Baron Ashburnham [aged 29] carried the canopy being one of the Barons of the Cinque Ports at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Henry Fitzroy 1st Duke Grafton [aged 21] was appointed Constable of England.
Before 30th March 1686 Colonel John Strode [aged 58] died. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map] on 30th March 1686.
On 28th October 1687 John Buckworth 1st Baronet [aged 25] and Elizabeth Hall Lady Buckworth were married at Westminster Abbey [Map].
In 1688 Bishop Thomas Sprat [aged 53] read the Declaration of Indulgence to empty benches in Westminster Abbey [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 20th May 1688. I went to Whitehall Chapel, where, after the morning lessons, the Declaration was read by one of the choir who used to read the chapters. I hear it was in the Abbey Church, Westminster [Map], but almost universally forborne throughout all London: the consequences of which a little time will show.
On 11th April 1689 King William III of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 38] and Mary Stewart II Queen England Scotland and Ireland [aged 26] were crowned II King England Scotland and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map].
John Ashburnham 1st Baron Ashburnham [aged 33] carried the canopy being one of the Barons of the Cinque Ports.
George Compton 4th Earl of Northampton [aged 24] bore the King's sceptre and cross at Westminster Abbey [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 11th April 1689. I saw the procession to and from the Abbey Church of Westminster [Map], with the great feast in Westminster Hall [Map], at the coronation of King William and Queen Mary. What was different from former coronations, was some alteration in the coronation oath. Dr. Burnet [aged 45], now made Bishop of Sarum, preached with great applause. The Parliament men had scaffolds and places which took up the one whole side of the Hall [Map]. When the King [aged 38] and Queen [aged 26] had dined, the ceremony of the Champion, and other services by tenure were performed. The Parliament men were feasted in the Exchequer chamber, and had each of them a gold medal given them, worth five-and-forty shillings. On the one side were the effigies of the King and Queen inclining one to the other; on the reverse was Jupiter throwing a bolt at Phäeton the words, "Ne totus absumatur": which was but dull, seeing they might have had out of the poet something as apposite. The sculpture was very mean.
On 2nd July 1689 Edward Villiers [aged 69] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 4th July 1689 Christopher Monck 2nd Duke Albemarle was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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Around September 1689 Henrietta Maria Whitley [aged 36] died. On 15th September 1689 she was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 11th September 1689 Martha Osborne [aged 25] died. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 24th May 1694 Anthony Carey 5th Viscount Falkland [aged 38] died of smallpox. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His second cousin Lucius [aged 6] succeeded 6th Viscount Falkland.
On 28th December 1694 Mary Stewart II Queen England Scotland and Ireland [aged 32] died of smallpox shortly after midnight at Kensington Palace. Her body lay in state at the Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace [Map].
On 5th March 1695 she was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map]. Archbishop Thomas Tenison [aged 58] preached the sermon.
She had reigned for five years. Her husband King William III of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 44] continued to reign for a further eight years.
On 3rd September 1698 Robert Howard [aged 72] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 7th August 1701 John Thorold 4th Baronet [aged 37] and Margaret Warterer were married at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 3rd October 1701 Joseph Williamson [aged 68] died in Cobham, Kent. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map]. He left £6,000 and his library to Queen's College, Oxford.
On 23rd April 1702 Queen Anne of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 37] was crowned I Queen England Scotland and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop Thomas Tenison [aged 65].
On 11th February 1704 Catherine Greville Duchess Buckingham and Normandby was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 3rd November 1705 Gilbert Affleck [aged 21] and Anne Dolben were married at Westminster Abbey [Map].
In 1708 Elizabeth Savile [aged 31] died. She was buried with her parentrrs in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 19th September 1708 Barbara Villiers Viscountess Fitzhardinge [aged 54] died. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 13th November 1708 Prince George of Denmark 1st Duke Cumberland [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 9th March 1709 Ralph Montagu 1st Duke Montagu [aged 70] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son John [aged 19] succeeded 2nd Duke Montagu, 4th Baron Montagu of Boughton in Northamptonshire. Mary Churchill Duchess of Montagu [aged 19] by marriage Duchess Montagu.
On 19th December 1712 John Berkeley 4th Viscount Fitzhardinge [aged 62] died at Windsor, Berkshire [Map]. Viscount Fitzhardinge of Berehaven in Kerry, Baronet Berkeley of Bruton in Somerset extinct. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 20th October 1714 King George I [aged 54] was crowned I King Great Britain and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map] by Archbishop Thomas Tenison [aged 78].
Charles Fitzroy 2nd Duke Grafton [aged 30] was appointed Lord High Steward.
Willam Humphreys 1st Baronet officiated in his capacity of Lord Mayor of London, entertaining the King and his court at Guildhall
Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses
Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.
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In 1717 Mary Duncombe Duchess of Argyll [aged 32] died. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 10th May 1726 Charles Beauclerk 1st Duke St Albans [aged 56] died at Bath, Somerset [Map]. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son Charles [aged 30] succeeded 2nd Duke St Albans, 2nd Earl Burford, 2nd Baron Heddington. Lucy Werden Duchess St Albans [aged 27] by marriage Duchess St Albans.
On 11th October 1727 John Hobart 1st Earl Buckinghamshire [aged 34] was created 1st Baron Hobart at Westminster Abbey [Map] during the Coronation of George II.
On 22nd October 1727 King George II of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 43] was crowned II King Great Britain and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 9th September 1729 John Finch 6th Earl Winchilsea [aged 46] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His second cousin Daniel [aged 82] succeeded 7th Earl Winchilsea, 7th Viscount Maidstone, 8th Baronet Finch of Eastwell in Kent. Anne Hatton Countess Nottingham and Winchelsea by marriage Countess Winchilsea.
On 17th May 1731 Bishop Samuel Bradford [aged 78] died in the Deanery, Westminster Abbey [Map]. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 28th August 1731 Charles Boyle 4th Earl Cork 4th Earl Orrery [aged 57] died at Westminster [Map]. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son John [aged 24] succeeded 5th Earl Cork. Henrietta Hamilton Countess Cork by marriage Countess Cork.
On 7th September 1731 Daniel Pulteney [aged 47] died in Harefield. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 22nd February 1732 Bishop Francis Atterbury [aged 68] died. His body was brought to England, and interred in Westminster Abbey [Map] where he has a simple black slab indicating his name, birth and death dates; he had exxpressed his desire to be buried "as far from kings and politicians as may be."
Before 11th September 1734 Elizabeth "Mad Duchess" Cavendish Duchess Albermarle Duchess of Montagu [aged 80] died. On 11th September 1734 she was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 23rd December 1734 Henry Newport 3rd Earl Bradford [aged 51] died at St James's Palace [Map]. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map] on 20th January 1734. His brother Thomas [aged 38] succeeded 4th Earl Bradford, 4th Viscount Newport of Bradford in Shropshire, 5th Baron Newport of High Ercall in Shropshire.
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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In 1739 Charlotte Rowe [aged 23] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Around 1747. Canaletto [aged 49]. View across the River Thames to Westminster Abbey [Map] and Westminster Hall [Map].
1749. Canaletto [aged 51]. Westminster Abbey [Map] with a procession of Knights of the Bath. St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map] adjacent with the flag.
Around 1750. Canaletto [aged 52]. Westminster from near the Terrace of Somerset House [Map] In the distance the Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace [Map], Westminster Abbey [Map] and Westminster Bridge [Map].
On 24th February 1750 Fitzwilliam Barrington 8th Baronet [aged 41] and Jane Hall Lady Barrington [aged 27] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 15th April 1750 Catherine Conduit died. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 13th April 1751 Frederick Louis Hanover Prince of Wales [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 27th July 1751 Charles Beauclerk 2nd Duke St Albans [aged 55] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son George [aged 21] succeeded 3rd Duke St Albans, 3rd Earl Burford, 3rd Baron Heddington.
On 26th April 1755 John Chardin 1st Baronet [aged 67] died unmarried. Baronet Chardin of inner Temple in London extinct. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map] on 10th May 1755.
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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On 28th July 1755 Henry Oxenden 6th Baronet [aged 33] and Margaret Chudleigh Lady Oxenden [aged 31] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 22nd September 1761 King George III of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 23] was crowned III King Great Britain and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Charles Compton 7th Earl of Northampton [aged 24] was the Bearer of the Ivory Rod with the Dove.
William Talbot 1st Earl Talbot [aged 51] was appointed Lord High Steward.
Francis Hastings 10th Earl Huntingdon [aged 32] was the bearer of the Sword of State although the actual Sword of State couldn't be found and the Lord Mayor's Pearl Sword was substituted.
On 12th January 1763 William Pulteney [aged 32] died in Madrid [Map] of a fever. In March 1763 he was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 12th January 1775 John Thomas [aged 63] and Elizabeth Baldwin were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. There was no issue.
On 9th April 1799 Anastasia Daly Countess Kerry [aged 79] died. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Around 1801. Benjamin West [aged 62]. Milkmaids in St James' Park [Map] with Westminster Abbey [Map] Beyond.
On 4th October 1806 Bishop Joseph Allen [aged 36] was appointed Prebendary Westminster Abbey.
On 21st June 1814 Gilbert Elliot 1st Earl Minto [aged 63] died at his home 4 Prince's Terrace, Kensington. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son Gilbert [aged 31] succeeded 2nd Earl Minto of Minto in Roxburghshire, 5th Baronet Elliot of Minto.
On 4th July 1818 Francis Thomas-Fitzmaurice 3rd Earl Kerry [aged 77] died. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map] in the same tomb as his wife Anastasia Daly Countess Kerry. His first cousin once removed Henry [aged 38] succeeded 4th Earl Kerry.
On 7th June 1821 Elizabeth Stephenson Countess Mexborough [aged 59] died. She was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
Monument in Church of St Oswald, Methley [Map] sculpted by Robert Blore [aged 41].
Elizabeth Stephenson Countess Mexborough: Around 1762 she was born to Henry Stephenson. In 1782 John Savile 2nd Earl Mexborough and she were married. She by marriage Countess Mexborough of Lifford in County Donegal. He the son of John Savile 1st Earl Mexborough and Sarah Delaval Countess Mexborough.
On 19th July 1821 King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland [aged 58] was crowned IV King Great Britain and Ireland.
King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland barred Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England [aged 53] from attending the Coronation. She attempted to attend but was turned away at the doors of Westminster Abbey. Refused entry at both the doors to the East Cloister and the doors to the West Cloister, Caroline attempted to enter via Westminster Hall, where many guests were gathered before the service began. A witness described how the Queen stood at the door fuming as bayonets were held under her chin until the deputy lord chamberlain had the doors slammed in her face. Henry Brougham recorded his distaste.1. She died three weeks later.
William Cavendish 6th Duke Devonshire [aged 31] carried the Orb at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham [aged 53] attended as Deputy Earl Marshal as a result of Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard [aged 54].
See Creevy Papers.
On 8th September 1831 King William IV of the United Kingdom [aged 66] was crowned IV King Great Britain and Ireland at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham [aged 63] attended as Deputy Earl Marshal as a result of Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard being ill.
Thomas William Anson 1st Earl Lichfield [aged 35] was created 1st Earl Lichfield. Louisa Barbara Catherine Phillips Countess Lichfield [aged 31] by marriage Countess Lichfield.
On 19th July 1821 Kenneth Alexander Howard 1st Earl of Effingham [aged 53] attended as Deputy Earl Marshal as a result of Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard [aged 54] being ill at Westminster Abbey [Map] during the Coronation of William IV.
On 12th February 1824 Jane Fleming Countess Harrington [deceased] was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
In 1861 Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert 4th Earl Carnarvon [aged 29] and Evelyn Stanhope Countess Carnarvon [aged 26] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She by marriage Countess Carnarvon. She the daughter of George Stanhope 6th Earl Chesterfield [aged 55] and Anne Weld-Forester Countess Chesterfield [aged 58]. He the son of Henry John George Herbert 3rd Earl Carnarvon and Henrietta Anna Howard-Molyneux-Howard Countess Carnarvon [aged 56]. They were half fourth cousin once removed.
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 27th July 1866 Charlotte Herbert Duchess Northumberland [aged 78] died at Twickenham, Richmond. She was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Adeline Horsey Recollections. One of my friends has often said that to visit Deene [Map] is to step back into the past, for the place bears upon it no impression of modernity, and even the additions made to the house are thoroughly in character with the older parts.
Deene is first mentioned in the Domesday-Book, when the surveyors noted the wood of a mile long belonging to it which joined Rocking- ham Forest. It was the property of the Abbey of Westminster [Map], and was used as a hunting-box by the Abbots. It was called the Grange, and "the monks' well" is still to be seen in the park. A most interesting feature of the house is the Great Hall, 50 feet long and 50 feet high, which is a duplicate in miniature of Westminster Hall [Map], and the carved chestnut roof, the wood of which is impervious to the ravages of insects, has never had an accident since it was first erected in 1086.
On 5th November 1874 Richard Grosvenor 1st Baron Stalbridge [aged 37] and Beatrice Charlotte Elizabeth Vesey were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. He the son of Richard Grosvenor 2nd Marquess Westminster and Elizabeth Mary Leveson-Gower Marchioness Westminster [aged 77].
On 28th February 1878 Lionel Tennyson [aged 23] and Eleanor Locker [aged 24] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 28th July 1881 Bishop Henry Montgomery [aged 33] and Maud Friar [aged 16] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map].
In 1894 Bishop Charles Gore [aged 40] was appointed Canon Westminster Abbey.
On 11th June 1898 Hugh Campbell 4th Earl Cawdor [aged 28] and Joan Emily Thynne Countess Cawdor [aged 25] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. He the son of Frederick Archibald Vaughan Campbell 3rd Earl Cawdor [aged 51] and Edith Georgiana Turnor Countess Cawdor [aged 54]. They were second cousin once removed.
The Times. 21st April 1899. Marriage of Lord Crewe and Lady Peggy Primrose.
The marriage of Lady Margaret (Peggy) Primrose [aged 18], younger daughter of the Earl of Rosebery [aged 51], with the Earl of Crews [aged 41], which took place at Westminster Abbey [Map] yesterday, was remarkable, not only as a brilliant spectacle, bat also on account of the extraordinary degree of public interest which the event evoked, and the testimony thus afforded to the popularity of the late Prime Minister. It was an ideal day for a wedding, the sun shining brilliantly. Parliament Square and the approaches to the Abbey early in the day presented a gay and animated spectacle. An hour or more before the time announced for the opening of the Abbey doors, and a couple of hours before the bridal party were expected, people began to collect in the Abbey precincts, and in a short time great crowds were stretching right away to the railings of the Houses of Parliament. As time wore on and the vast concourse grew into extraordinary dimensions the police on duty had the utmost difficulty in regulating the living mass. Taffic became congested, and the constables in some cases were swept off their feet by the surging and panting multitude, but everywhere the best of good humour seemed to prevail in the streets.
Meanwhile the interior of the Abbey was also the centre of much life and movement. The wedding was fixed for 1:30, aud the doors, at each of which a long queue of ticket-holders and others had long been patiently waiting, were opened three-quarters of an hour earlier. Immediately the throngs, in which the bright costumes of the ladies were conspicuous, wwept into the Abbey. None-ticket holders were admitted by the north door only. This entrance was literally besieged, and a quarter of an hour after it was opened it had to be closed, for in that brief space the northern transept-the porLion of the Abbey allotted to the general public-had become so densely packed that it would not hold another spectator. Those privileged visitors who held permits either for tue nave or the south transept seemed none the less eager to secure advantageous places, for every one came early. Many of the ladies stood upon the seats in their eagerness to obtain a good view. As the guests arrived Sir Frederick Bridge played an appropriate selection of music upon the grand organ.
The rare spectacle of floral decorations in the Abbey attracted general attention. At each end of the alter rails there was a towering palm with a collection of Lilium Harrisii and marguerites grouped at the base, while blooms of Liliam Harrisii also adorned the altar itself. Specimen palms with foliage and flowering plants were placed against the organ screen facing the western entrance, by which the bridal party were shortly to enter.
The arrival of the specially invited guests also proved a source of much interest. These privileged persons, numbering some 500 or 600, friends of the contracting parties and including men distinguished in politics, diplomacy, literature, and art, were escorted to seats in the choir and under the lantern. The Earl of Crewe, with his best man, the Earl of Chesterfield [aged 45], arrived about ten minutes past 1. Each of them wore a marguerite in his buttonhole. They joined the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire under the lantern. The Prince of Wales [aged 4] arrived about 25 minutes past 1. His Royal Highness, attended by the Hon. Seymour Fortescue [aged 43], was received by Lord Rosebery's sons, Lord Dalmeny [aged 17] and the Hon. Neil Primrose [aged 16], by whom he was conducted to the Jerusalem Chamber. The Duke of Cambridge [aged 80], who quickly followed, attended by Colonel FitzgGeorge, was met at the same door by the Hon. Neil Primrose, under whose escort he joined the Prince of Wales, after which their Royal Highnesses went to the choir and took the seats which had been specially reserved for then.
Among the others present were: The Duchess of Buckingham and Chandos, the Marquis and Marchioness of Breadalbane, the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch. Mr. Balfour M.P., the Duke [aged 52] and Duchess [aged 46] of Somerset, the Marquis of Lansdowne [aged 54], Mr. Asquith, M.P., and Mrs. Asquith, the Austrian Ambassador, the Earl and Countess of Harewood, the Duchess of Cleveland. the Earl of Kirnberley and Lady Constance Wodehouse, Lady Jeune and Miles Stanley, the Marquis of Dufferin, Sir R. Campbell-Bannerman, M.P., and Lady Campbell-Bauneiman, Mr. Bryce, M.P., and Mrs. Biyce, Mr. J. B Balfour, H.P., and Mrs. Balfour, Mir. H Gladstone, the Earl aud Countess of Corck, the Lord Chief Justice (Lord Russell of Killoren) and the Hon. Mliss Russell, Sir H. Fowler, f.P., and Lady Fowler, Earl and Countess De Grey, Mr. Munro-Fergrsca, M.P., and Lady Helen Munro-Ferguison, Sir Henry Irving, ir. Morley, M.P., S,r John and lady Puleston, the Marquig and Marehioness of Ripon, Lord and Lady Recay, Lord and Lady Rothschild, and all the Londoa representatives of the Rothschild family, Sir Charles aild Lady Tennant, Lord Wandsworth. Lord and Baroness Wenlock, Lord Leconfdeld, the Earl of Verulamn, Mr. aud Mrs. George Alexander idiss Mundella, Sir E. Sassoon, H.P., General and Mrs. Wauchope, Sir E. Lawson, Mr. Harmswortl, Sir Lewis Morris. Lord James of Hereford and Miss James the Hon. P. Stanhope, H.P., and Countess Tolstoy, the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen, Mr. Shaw Lefevre, Sir Charles Dalry,uiple MP. Mr. Sydney Buxton, M.P.,hr. George Russell, Tr. G. E. Buckle, Georgina, Countess A! Dudley, Sir Humphrey and Lady De Trafford, Sir Edgar and Lady Helen Vincent, Sir John Lubbock, hLP., and Lady Lubbock, Lord Hamilton of Dalzell' Sir Henry Primrose, Lord and Lady St. Oswald, Eara and Countess Stanbope, Mr. Rochfort Maguire. M.P., and Mrs. Maguire, Lady Emily Peel, Loid E. Pitzmaurice. HI.P., Earl and Countess Carrington, Lord and Lady Bnrgheiere, Loud and Lady Battersea, Lord and Lady Henry Bentnek, Lord and Lady Poltimure, the Earl of Essex, and Viscount Curzon,.p., and Viscountess Ctu-zon.
Note B. the time that the whole of the company bad assembled the transepts and choir were densely packed. The attendants had the greatest difficulty in keeping many of the spectators within the specified bounds, and owing to the crushing and crowding several ladies fainted. At half-past 1 Lord Rosebery arrived with the bride at the western entrance, having had a very heartv reception as they passed through the streets. This cordial greeting was repeated again and again as Lord wRosebery handed his daughter out of the carriage. She appeared relf-possessed and smiled upon those around her. Lady Peggy Primirose was attired in a dress of white satin of the new shape, with a very long train (not separate from the dress as in the old style). It was profusely embroidered with clusters of diamonds designed as primroses. The front of the skirt opened over a petticoat of exquisite point d'Alençon laco, which was formerly tn the possession of Marie Antoinette, and was a present from the bride's aunt, Miss Lucy Cohen. The bodice was embroidered and trimmed with similar lace aud its sleeves were of transparent mausselijt I soic. The veil was of tulle, and in nlace of the nsual coronet of orange blossom the bride wore a smart Louis XVI bow of real orange flowers. Jewelry was scarcely at all employed. Lady Peggy carried a magnificent bouquet composed mainly of orchids, white roses, lilies, and marguerites.
The bride was received at the door of the Abbey by her ten bridesmaids. They were Lady Sybil Primrose [aged 20], elder sister of the bride; the Ladies Annabel [aged 18], Celia [aged 15], and Cynthia [aged 14] (Crewe-Milnes, daughters of the bridegroom; the Hon. Maud and the Hon. Margaret Wyndham, daughters of Lord Leaconfield; the Hon. Evelina Rothschild, daughter of Lord Rothschild; Miss Louise Wirsch; Lady Juliet Lowther [aged 18], daughter of the late Earl of Lonsdale and Countess de Grey; and Miss Muriel White, daughter of Mr. Blenry White, of the United States Embassy. They were all dressed alike, in white embroidered moseline de rois over white silk. The skirts were made with shaped flounces with cream lace insertion, and upon the bodices were fichns edged with lace. The sashes were of primrose chiffon, and the hats of primrose tulle with white ostrich feathers, one side being turned up with Lady de Rothschild roses. The bouquets were of the same roses, tied with long tLreamers of the primrose chiffon. Each of the bridesmaids wore a gold curb bracelet with the initials of the bride and bridegroom in enamel, the gifts of the bridegroom.
The formation of the bridal proession was a very picturesque feature of the ceremonial. Schubert's "Grand March" was played, and the,vast congregation rose to their feet as the choir advanced, followed along the nave by the clergy, after whom caine the bride leaning upon the arm of her father, who wore a bunch of primroses in his coat, and attended by her bridesmaids. All eyes were naturally turned to the bride, but she did not lose her composare during the long and trying walk up the nave to the choir.
The procession approached the choir, Lord Crewe who with his best man had been standing a few yards from the Prince of Wales advanced to meet the bride, and the party ha1ted at a point between the choir and the lantern, where the first part of the wedding service was taken, in full view of the choir stalls, where the principal guests were seated. The hymn "O perfect Love" having been sung, the marriage service began. The officiating clergy were the Rev. Dr. Butler (Master of Tririty), the Dean of Westminster Abbey, Canon Blackburne, vicar of Crewe-green, Crewe, Canon Armitage Robinson, and the Precentor of Westminster. Dr. Butler, who took the principal part of the service, read the words in a very impressive manner. The bride made the responses in a perfectly audible voice. Upon the conclusion of the first part of the ceremony the procession of the clergy and the bride and bridegroom, followed by the bridesmaids, moved towards the east. They passed, while the psalm was sung to a chant by Beethoven, through the sacrarrum to the altar, where the concluding portion of the service was said by the Dean and other clergy. Next came the hymn "Now thank we all otr God," after which the blessing was pronounced and the service was brought to a close, to the actompaniment of a merry peal from the bells of St. Margaret's Church. As the procession moved down the Abbey to the Jerusalem Chamber to sign the register Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" was played, and the great majority of the congreation prepared to take their departure. 'ihs Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge were among those who accompanied the bridal party and their relatives to the Jerusalem Chamber and appended their names to the register. Lord and Baroness Crewe, with their friends, left the Abbey amid a renewal of those enthusiastic demonstrations which had marked Lady Peggy Primrose's arrival as a bride. A reception and luncheon was given at Lord Rosebery's town house attended by the Prince of Wales; the Duke of Cambridge, and about 600 other guests, most of whom had attended the ceremony in theAbbey. Later in the day the Earl and Countess of Crewe left town for Welbeek Abbey,'placed at their disposal by the Duke and Duchess of Portland for the early part of the honeymoon. The bride wore a travelling dress of green cloth, the skirt being stitched with gold, the bodice and sleeves being embroidered in natural colour silk and gold with primroses She vwore a large wzhite hat w,ith feathers to match. THE WEDDING PRES IU& After the departure of the bride and bride-groom the numerous wedding presents displayed at Lord Rosebery's house were inspected with much interest by those of the guests who had not previously seen them.
Soon after 7 o'clock last evening the train conveying Lord and Baroness Crewe arrived at Worksop Station. The platform was thronged with people, who gave a most cordial, though quiet, reception to the newly-married pair. On their arrival at Welbeck Abbey [Map] the visitors were received with every honour, and a bouquet was presented to Baroness Crewe. The employes on the estate of Dalmeny dined together last night in celebration of the marriage of Lady Peggy Primrose. Mr. Drysdale, the chamberlain, presided over a company of about 300. After dinner there was a dance, and a display of fireworks was given in the grounds. The burgh of Queensferry, which adjoins Lord Rosebery's Dalmeny estate, was decorated yesterday in honour of the wedding. A banquet was held in the council chambers, at which the health of the bride and bridegroom was honoured, and a congratulatory telegram forwarded to Baroness Crewe.
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On 9th August 1902 King Edward VII of the United Kingdom [aged 60] was crowned VII King of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Alexandra of Denmark Queen Consort England [aged 57] was crowned Queen Consort by Archbishop William Dalrymple Maclagan [aged 76].
Winifred, Duchess of Portland [aged 38], wearing the Portland Diamond Tiara, commissioned esppecially for the event, served as a canopy bearer to Queen Alexandra.
On 5th January 1907 Angela Burdett-Coutts 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts was buried near the West Door of Westminster Abbey [Map]. Nearly 30,000 people had filed past her coffin before her burial. Baron Burdett-Coutts of Highgate and Brookfield in Middlesex extinct.
On 27th February 1919 Alexander Ramsay [aged 37] and Victoria Patricia "Patsy" Windsor [aged 32] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She the daughter of Prince Arthur Windsor 1st Duke Connaught and Strathearn [aged 68] and Luise Margarete Hohenzollern Duchess Connaught.
On 28th February 1922 Henry Lascelles 6th Earl Harewood [aged 39] and Princess Mary Windsor Countess Harewood [aged 24] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His best-man was Major Victor Mackenzie 3rd Baronet [aged 39]. Her bridesmaids included Doris Hilda Gordon-Lennox [aged 25], Mary Cambridge Duchess Beaufort [aged 24], Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon [aged 21], Princess Maud Duff Countess Southesk [aged 28], Rachel Cavendish [aged 20], Helen Diana Bridgeman [aged 14], Mary Beatrice Thynne Baroness Nunburnholme [aged 18] and Princess May of Teck [aged 16]. The wedding was attending by her father and mother King George V of the United Kingdom [aged 56] and Victoria Mary Teck Queen Consort England [aged 54]. She the daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Victoria Mary Teck Queen Consort England. He the son of Henry Ulrick Lascelles 5th Earl Harewood [aged 75] and Florence Katharine Bridgeman Countess Harewood [aged 63].
On 26th April 1923 King George VI of the United Kingdom [aged 27] and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Queen Consort England [aged 22] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She the daughter of Claude Bowes-Lyon 14th Earl Strathmore and Kinghorne [aged 68] and Cecilia Nina Cavendish-Bentinck Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne [aged 60]. He the son of King George V of the United Kingdom [aged 57] and Victoria Mary Teck Queen Consort England [aged 55].
Mary Elphinstone [aged 12] and Cecilia Bowes-Lyon [aged 11] were bridesmaids.
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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On 16th July 1932 Herbert Plumer 1st Viscount Plumer [aged 75] died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son Thomas [aged 42] succeeded 2nd Viscount Plumer, 2nd Baron Plumer of Messines and Bilton in Yorkshire.
On 29th November 1934 Prince George Windsor 1st Duke Kent [aged 31] and Princess Marina Glücksburg Duchess Kent [aged 27] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She by marriage Duchess Kent. The wedding was followed by a Greek ceremony in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace [Map]. She had eight bridesmaids: her first cousins Princess Irene Glücksburg [aged 30], He the son of King George V of the United Kingdom [aged 69] and Victoria Mary Teck Queen Consort England [aged 67]. They were second cousins. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland.
On 12th May 1937 King George VI of the United Kingdom [aged 41] was crowned VI King of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 20th November 1947 Philip Mountbatten Duke Edinburgh [aged 26] and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom [aged 21] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She the daughter of King George VI of the United Kingdom [aged 51] and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Queen Consort England [aged 47]. They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 2 grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
On 2nd June 1953 Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom [aged 27] was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom by Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher [aged 66] at Westminster Abbey [Map].
Her ladies in waiting were:
Mistress of the Robes: Mary Alice Gascoyne-Cecil Duchess Devonshire [aged 57]
Maids of Honour:
Mary Baillie-Hamilton [aged 19]
Jane Antonia Frances Vane-Tempest-Stewart [aged 20]
Nancy Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby [aged 18]
Anne Veronica Coke Baroness Glenconner [aged 20]
Moyra Kathleen Hamilton [aged 23]
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On 1st June 1954 John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer [aged 30] and Frances Ruth Roche Countess Spencer [aged 18] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. He the son of Albert Edward John Spencer 7th Earl Spencer [aged 62] and Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton Countess Spencer [aged 57].
On 6th May 1960 Antony Armstrong-Jones 1st Earl of Snowdon [aged 30] and Princess Margaret [aged 29] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. The ceremony was the first royal wedding to be broadcast on television. She the daughter of King George VI of the United Kingdom and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Queen Consort England [aged 59].
Colin Tennant 3rd Baron Glenconner [aged 33] and Anne Veronica Coke Baroness Glenconner [aged 27], whose wedding the couple had attended four years before, offered them a piece of land on their privately owned island, Mustique, and agreed to build a house for the couple on the land. It was designed in 1971 by uncle to Lord Snowdon, Oliver Messel, and named "Les Jolies Eaux" aka "The Pretty Waters"
On 21st October 1964 Sheriden Frederick Terence Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood 5th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava [aged 26] and Serena Belinda Rosemary Guinness Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava [aged 23] were married at Westminster Abbey [Map]. She by marriage Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava. He the son of Basil Sheridan Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood 4th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava and Maureen Constance Guinness Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava [aged 57]. They were half fourth cousins.
Gervaise Blois Abbot of Westminster was appointed Abbot of Westminster.
Parliament Rolls Richard II. 5. The following are assigned to be triers of petitions from England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland:
The duke of Guyenne and duke of Lancaster.
William Thirning.
William Rickhill.
John Wadham.
to act all together, or at least six of the aforesaid prelates and lords; consulting with the chancellor, treasurer, steward, and chamberlain, and also the king's serjeants when necessary. And they shall hold their session in the chamberlain's room near the Painted Chamber [Map].
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On 3rd May 1257 Katherine Plantagenet [aged 3] died at Swallowfield, Berkshire. She was buried in the Ambulatory, Chancel, Westminster Abbey.
In 1715 William Pulteney died. He was buried in the Chapel of Abbot Islip, Westminster Abbey [Map] with. Monument by Joseph Wilton.
On 19th November 1481 Anne Mowbray 8th Countess Norfolk [aged 8] died at Greenwich, Kent [Map]. She was buried at Chapel of St Erasmus of Formiae, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Earl Norfolk extinct. Baron Mowbray and Baron Segrave abeyant.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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In October 1420 William de Colchester Abbot of Westminster died. He was buried in the Chapel of St John the Baptist, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 4th February 1523 Bishop Thomas Ruthall [aged 51] died. He was buried in the Chapel of St John the Baptist, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 3rd March 1551 Thomas Wentworth 1st Baron Wentworth [aged 50] died. He was buried at Chapel of St John the Baptist, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son Thomas [aged 26] succeeded 2nd Baron Wentworth. His son Thomas de jure 7th Baron Despencer. Mary Wentworth Baroness Wentworth [aged 26] by marriage Baroness Wentworth.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 7th March 1551. The vij day of Marche was bered my lord Wentworth [deceased], the lord Chamburlayn of the kynges howse, in Westminster abbay, in the sam chapell [Map] that the old abbatt was be [red; there] was iiij of the cheyffe harolds ther, M. Garter, M. Clar [enceux,] M. Yorke, M. Chester, beyryng the cote armur, the elmett, t[arget], then cam the standard, and then mornars alle in blake ... and a C. chylderyn and prestes and clarkes in ther surpl[ices; then] the cors with iiij baners rolles, and the qwyre was hangyd [with black] and the raylles and armes. Mylles Coverdalle [aged 63] dyd pryche, and ther [was a grett] dolle, and a grett compeny of lordes and knyghtes and genty[lmen] morners.
Note. Funeral of lord Wentworth. "March 3. The lord Wentworth lord chambarlaine died about tenne of the cloke at night, leaving behind him 16 children." (King Edward's Diary.)" Thomas lord Wentworth, lord chamberlan of the kinges majesties most honerable houshold, dyed in the kinges majesties paleys at Westmynster on tewsday the 3. of Marche in the 5 yere of E. the 6. and from thence broughte to his house at Westmynster and was buryed in the mynster there on Saterday the 7. of Marche folowing." (MS. Harl. 897, f. 7S^.) A longer account of his funeral is preserved in the College of Arms, I. 11, f. 115. He was buried in the chapel of St. John the Evangelist (Dart ii. 60), but has no monument. There is a portrait of him among Chamberlain's Holbein Heads.
On 3rd May 1568 Edward Rogers [aged 70] died. He was buried in the Chapel of St John the Baptist, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 8th February 1623 Thomas Cecil 1st Earl Exeter [aged 80] died. He was buried at Chapel of St John the Baptist, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son William [aged 57] succeeded 2nd Earl Exeter, 3rd Baron Burghley. Elizabeth Drury Countess Exeter [aged 45] by marriage Countess Exeter.
Before 26th October 1685 Colonel Thomas Panton died. On 26 Oct 1685 he was buried in Chapel of St John the Baptist, Westminster Abbey [Map].
Before 15th April 1725 Dorothy Stacy died. On 15th April 1725 she was buried in Chapel of St John the Baptist, Westminster Abbey [Map].
Effigy of William of Colchester. In 1414 Abbot Colchester was one of the King's ambassadors to the Council of Constance. Towards the latter period of his life we may suppose him to be much engaged in rebuilding the west part of the Abbey, towards which undertaking Henry the Fifth gave yearly 1,000 marks. He died in October 1420, having held the office of Abbot thirty-four years: a longer period than any of his predecessors. He was buried in the chapel of St. John the Baptist [Map], in his church; in the tomb on which his effigies are sculptured, without other inscription than the letters W. C. on the pillow under his head. Details.
Plate I. 1. Front of the Abbot's mitre. (The Abbey of Westminster was privileged with the pontifical ornaments; in other words, a mitred abbey.) 2. Jewelled border of the cape of the chasuble. Plate II. Profile. Border of the chasuble.
On 9th March 1589 Frances Sidney Countess Sussex [aged 58] died. On 15th April 1589 she was buried in Chapel of St Paul, Westminster Abbey [Map].
Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.
In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.
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On 17th May 1808 John Delaval 1st Baron Delaval [aged 80] died without surviving male issue. Baron Delaval of Redford in County Wicklow and Baron Delaval of Seaton Delaval in Northumberland extinct. He was buried at Chapel of St Paul, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Edward Hussey Delaval [aged 79] inherited Doddington Hall [Map].
1811. Frederick Mackenzie [aged 23]. South Ambulatory, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 15th July 1561 William Bill [aged 56] died. He was buried in the Chapel of St Benedict, Westminster Abbey [Map].
Henry Machyn's Diary. 20th July 1561. The xx day of July was bered in Westmynster abbay [Map] master Bylle [deceased] dene of Westmynster abbay and master of Etton and master (of sant John's) college in Cambryge, and cheyffe amner [almoner] to the quen('s) [aged 27] grace.
Note. P. 264. Burial of [William] Bill, dean of Westminster. His sepulchral brass remains in the abbey, and has been engraved, as also a portrait derived from it, for the series of portraits of the deans of Westminster which accompany their lives in Neale and Brayley's History of Westminster Abbey. See also an engraving in Dart, i. 101.
The Chapel of St. Edmund [Map] forms an hexagonal projection upon the passage leading from Palace Yard to Poets' Corner. It is dedicated to Archbishop Edmund Rich [aged 65] who died on 16th November 1240 and on which date his anniversary was celebrated. An ancient wooden screen separates this chapel from the aisle.
On 13th June 1296 William de Valence 1st Earl Pembroke died or was killed at Bayonne [Map]. He was buried at the west side of the door to Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map] where there is an altar-tomb of stone, surmounted by a broken sarcophagus, on which is a recumbent effigy of the earl. The figure is of wood, and was originally covered with copper-gilt, as was the chest on which it lies. An indulgence of one hundred days was granted to all devout people who should offer up prayers for his soul.
On 30th September 1336 John of Eltham 1st Earl Cornwall [aged 20] died at Perth [Map]. Earl Cornwall extinct. He was buried at the east side of the doorway to the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His monument comprises a head of the statue encircled by a coronet of large and small leaves, remarkable for being the earliest specimen of the kind. The details of plate-armour, surcoat, gorget, coroneted helmet, with other accessories, give great antiquarian interest to this work. It was formerly surmounted by a canopy, of which, however, no traces are now visible.
In 1340 Blanche of the Tower was born to King Edward III of England [aged 27] and Philippa of Hainaut Queen Consort England [aged 29] at the Tower of London [Map]. she died the same year and was buried at the east side of the door to the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 3.00%.
In 1348 William of Windsor was born to King Edward III of England [aged 35] and Philippa of Hainaut Queen Consort England [aged 37]. In 1348 he died. He was buried at the east side of the door to the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Coefficient of inbreeding 3.00%.
On 20th September 1395 Bernard Brocas [aged 65] died. He was buried at the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map] in Westminster Abbey.
On 29th December 1397 Archbishop Robert Waldby died. He was buried at the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 3rd October 1399 Eleanor Bohun Duchess Gloucester [aged 33] died. She was buried at the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map]. She has a monumental brass, representing the deceased in her conventual dress, as a nun of Barking Abbey [Map].
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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After 14th April 1471 Humphrey Bourchier [deceased] was buried at the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map].
After 14th April 1471 Humphrey Bourchier 1st Baron Cromwell [deceased] was buried at Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 5th December 1559 Frances Brandon Duchess of Suffolk [deceased] was buried in St Edmund's Chapel in Westminster Abbey [Map] at a ceremony conducted by Bishop John Jewel [aged 37]. Her daughter Catherine Grey Countess Hertford [aged 19] was Chief Mourner. Mary Grey [aged 14] was present. Her effigy, possibly designed by Cornelius Cure, was paid for by her husband Adrian Stokes [aged 40]: recumbent effigy dressed in Ermine robes signifying she was a duchess with a pendant around her neck. She lies on mattress with a lion at her feet and her coronet has been repaired and gilded.
The inscription on her grave reads in Latin:
Nor grace, nor splendor, nor a royal name,
Nor widespread fame can aught avail;
All, all have vanished here.
True worth alone Survives the funeral pyre and silent tomb.
And...
Dirge for the most noble Lady Frances, onetime Duchess of Suffolk: naught avails glory or splendour, naught avail titles of kings; naught profits a magnificent abode, resplendent with wealth. All, all are passed away: the glory of virtue alone remained, impervious to the funeral pyres of Tartarus [part of Hades or the Underworld]. She was married first to the Duke, and after was wife to Mr Stock, Esq. Now, in death, may you fare well, united to God.
And continues...
Here lieth the ladie Francis, Duches of Southfolke, daughter to Charles Brandon, Duke of Southfolke, and Marie the Frenche Quene: first wife to Henrie Duke of Southfolke and after to Adrian Stock Esquier.
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Henry Machyn's Diary. 5th December 1559. The v day (of) Dessember was bered in Westmynster abbay [Map] my lade Frances [deceased] the wyff of Hare duke of Suffolke, with a gret baner of armes and viij banar-rolles, and a hersse and a viij dosen penselles, and a viij dosen skockyons, and ij haroldes of armes, master Garter [aged 49] and master Clarenshux [aged 49], and mony morners.
Note. P. 217. Funeral of Frances duchess of Suffolk. Daughter of Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk, and Mary queen dowager of France, daughter of king Henry VII. She was first married to Henry Grey, marquess of Dorset, who was created duke of Suffolk in 1551 (see p. 10); by whom she was mother of queen Jane: and afterwards accepted the hand of Adrian Stokes [aged 40] esquire, who erected her monument in Westminster abbey. Their portraits together are engraved by Vertue. Her style by our Diarist as "my lady Frances" did not arise either from ignorance or accident. The title "lady" was then equivalent to the modern title "princess;" and the duchess usually bore it, as her daughter "the lady Jane" had done, as distinctive of her being a member of the Blood Royal.—The heralds' account of her funeral is preserved in the College of Arms, I. 9, f. 153–4, and I. 14, f. 154–157.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 26th March 1561. The sam day of Marche at after-none at Westmynster [was brought] from the quen('s) armere [almondry] my lade Jane Semer, with [all the quire] of the abbay, with ijC. of (the) quen('s) cowrt, the wyche she was [one] of the quen('s) mayd(s) and in grett faver, and a iiijxx morners of [men and] women, of lordes and lades, and gentylmen and gentyllwomen, all in blake, be-syd odur [other] of the quen('s) preve chambur, and she [had] a grett baner of armes bornne, and master Clarenshux [aged 51] was the harold, and master Skameler [aged 41] the nuw byshope of Peterborow dyd pryche. [She was] bered in the sam chapell [Map] wher my lade of Suffoke was.
Note. P. 254. Funeral of lady Jane Seymour. Daughter of Edward duke of Somerset, and supposed to have been destined by him to become the consort of his nephew king Edward. A Latin letter written by her (of course under the dictation of her tutor) to the Reformers Bucer and Fagius, dated at Syon, June 12, 1549, is published in the Third Series of Zurich Letters, printed for the Parker Society. She was one of queen Elizabeth's maids of honour, and shortly before her death she had taken an active part in promoting the clandestine marriage of her brother the earl of Hertford with her companion the lady Katharine Grey, a line of conduct which would certainly have brought upon her the anger of her royal mistress, had she lived until it was discovered. (See Ellis's Orig. Letters, Second Series, vol. ii. p. 272.) Her age was only nineteen. See an engraving of her monumental tablet, with the inscription, erected by "her deare brother" the earl, in Dart's Westminster Abbey, vol. i. pl. 12. In the accounts of St. Margaret's parish, Westminster, is an entry of 10s. received at her funeral.
In April 1570 Catherine Carey was buried at Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map].
In 1622 Francis Holles [aged 18] died. He was buried at the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 20th December 1661 Bishop Nicholas Monck [deceased] was buried at the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 28th May 1672 Freschville Holles [aged 29] died at the Battle of Solebay at which he was in command of the Cambridge. He was buried at the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map] in an unmarked grave.
On 9th December 1678 Edward Herbert 3rd Baron Herbert Chirbury [aged 45] died. He was buried at Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His brother Henry [aged 38] succeeded 4th Baron Herbert Chirbury. Catherine Newport Baroness Herbert Chirbury by marriage Baroness Herbert Chirbury.
On 13th January 1694 Mary Stafford Countess Stafford [aged 74] died. She was buried at the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Her son Henry [aged 46] succeeded 2nd Baron Stafford.
After 1762 John Paul Stafford-Howard 4th Earl Stafford [aged 61] was buried at the east side of the door to the Chapel of St Edmund, Westminster Abbey [Map]. He has for a monument a slab of stained marble on which there is an inscription: "In this chapel lies interred all that was mortal of the most illustrious and most benevolent John Paul Howard, Earl of Stafford, who, in 1738, married Elizabeth, daughter of A. Ewens, of the county of Somerset, Esq. His heart was as truly great and noble as his high descent; faithful to his God; a lover of his country; a relation to relations; a detester of detraction; a friend to mankind. Naturally generous and compassionate, his liberality and his charity to the poor were without bounds. Being snatched away suddenly by death, which he had long meditated and expected with constancy, he went to a better life the 1st of April, 1762, having lived sixtyone years, nine months, and six days."
On 17th July 1431 Philippa Mohun Duchess York [aged 64] died at Carisbrooke Castle [Map]. She was buried at Chapel of St Nicholas, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Her nephew Richard [aged 49] succeeded 3rd Baron Mohun of Dunster as a result of her death bring the title out of abeyance.
On 5th June 1588 Anne Cecil Countess of Oxford [aged 31] died. She was buried at the Chapel of St Nicholas, Westminster Abbey [Map]. She shares a monument with her mother Mildred Cooke Baroness Burghley [aged 62]. The monument rises to twenty-four feet, and is constructed of various coloured marbles, after a design of the Corinthian order. The Latin inscriptions, which are very long, were written by Lord Burleigh [aged 67] himself, and set forth the varied accomplishments and the virtues of the two ladies who are represented in effigy in the lower part of the monument. The figure of Lord Burleigh, in his robes, and in a kneeling attitude, appears in the upper part of the monument.
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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On 4th April 1589 or 5th April 1589 Mildred Cooke Baroness Burghley [aged 63] died. She was buried at the Chapel of St Nicholas, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 4th January 1606 George Villiers of Brokesby [aged 62] died. He was buried at the Chapel of St Nicholas, Westminster Abbey [Map].
Before 19th November 1618 Elizabeth Spencer [aged 28] died. She was buried at Chapel of St Nicholas, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 19th April 1632 Mary Beaumont 1st Countess Buckingham [aged 62] died. She was buried at the Chapel of St Nicholas, Westminster Abbey [Map] with her husband. Their monument comprises an altar-tomb surmounted with effigies. Earl Buckingham extinct.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 23rd February 1669. Up: and to the Office, where all the morning, and then home, and put a mouthfull of victuals in my mouth; and by a Hackney-coach followed my wife and the girls [Barbara Pepys and Elizabeth Pepys], who are gone by eleven o'clock, thinking to have seen a new play at the Duke of York's [aged 35] house. But I do find them staying at my tailor's, the play not being to-day, and therefore I now took them to Westminster Abbey, and there did show them all the tombs very finely, having one with us alone, there being other company this day to see the tombs, it being Shrove Tuesday; and here we did see, by particular favour, the body of Queen Katherine of Valois; and I had the upper part of her body in my hands, and I did kiss her mouth, reflecting upon it that I did kiss a Queen1, and that this was my birth-day, thirty-six years old, that I did first kiss a Queen. But here this man, who seems to understand well, tells me that the saying is not true that says she was never buried, for she was buried; only, when Henry the Seventh built his chapel, it was taken up and laid in this wooden coffin; but I did there see that, in it, the body was buried in a leaden one, which remains under the body to this day.
Note 1. Pepys's attachment to the fair sex extended even to a dead Queen. The record of this royal salute on his natal day is very characteristic. The story told him in Westminster Abbey appears to have been correct; for Neale informs us ("History of Westminster Abbey", vol. ii., p. 88) that near the south side of Henry V.'s tomb there was formerly a wooden chest, or coffin, wherein part of the skeleton and parched body of Katherine de Valois, his Queen (from the waist upwards), was to be seen. She was interred in January, 1457, in the Chapel of Our Lady, at the east end of this church; but when that building was pulled down by her grandson, Henry VII, her coffin was found to be decayed, and her body was taken up, and placed in a chest, near her first husband's tomb. "There", says Dart, "it hath ever since continued to be seen, the bones being firmly united, and thinly clothed with flesh, like scrapings of tanned leather". This awful spectacle of frail mortality was at length removed from the public gaze into St. Nicholas's Chapel [Map], and finally deposited under the monument of Sir George Villiers, when the vault was made for the remains of Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, in December, 1776. B.
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On 20th May 1713 Bishop Thomas Sprat [aged 78] died of apoplexy at the Bishop's Palace, Bromley. He was buried in the south side of the Chapel of St Nicholas, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 29th March 1719 Anne Hamilton died. She was buried in the vault of Sir Goerge Villiers in the Chapel of St Nicholas, Westminster Abbey [Map] on the 4th April 1719.
On 3rd December 1877 Henry Hugh Manvers Percy [aged 60] died unmarried at his home 40 Eaton Square, Belgravia, unmarried. He was buried on 7th December 1877 in the Percy faily vault in the Chapel of St Nicholas, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 17th December 1290 Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England [deceased] was buried at the Chapel of St Edward the Confessor, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 15th August 1369 Philippa of Hainaut Queen Consort England [aged 59] died at Windsor Castle [Map]. Her husband King Edward III of England [aged 56] and youngest son Thomas of Woodstock 1st Duke of Gloucester [aged 14] were present. She was given a state funeral six months later on 9th January 1370 at which she was interred at on the northeast side of the Chapel of St Edward the Confessor, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Her alabaster effigy was executed by sculptor Jean de Liège.
On 21st June 1377 King Edward III of England [aged 64] died of a stroke at Sheen Palace [Map]. He was buried in the Chapel of St Edward the Confessor, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His grandson Richard [aged 10] succeeded II King of England.
On 3rd August 1394 Anne of Bohemia Queen Consort England was buried at Chapel of St Edward the Confessor, Westminster Abbey [Map] with Archbishop Thomas Fitzalan aka Arundel [aged 41] presiding. King Richard II of England [aged 27] attended. Richard Fitzalan 9th Earl of Surrey 4th or 11th Earl of Arundel [aged 48], brother of the presiding Archbishop, and his wife Philippa Mortimer Countess Pembroke, Arundel and Surrey [aged 18], arrived late causing Richard, in a rage, to snatch a wand and strike FitzAlan in the face drawing blood.
In 1413 King Richard II of England was reburied at Chapel of St Edward the Confessor, Westminster Abbey [Map] in the same tomb as his wife Anne of Bohemia Queen Consort England.
The tomb was made in 1396-1399 by London masons Henry Yevele and Stephen Lote, and copper smiths Nicholas Broker and Godfrey Prest cast the gilt bronze effigies. The total cost was £933, 6 shillings and 8 pence. Richard and Anne were originally depicted holding hands (as Richard had specified), but they have been broken off.
The Latin inscription around the ledge of the tomb can be translated: Sage and elegant, lawfully Richard II, conquered by fate he lies here depicted beneath this marble. He was truthful in discourse and full of reason: Tall in body, he was prudent in his mind as Homer. He showed favour to the Church, he overthrew the proud and threw down anybody who violated the royal prerogative. He crushed heretics and laid low their friends. O merciful Christ, to whom he was devoted, may you save [Richard], through the prayers of the Baptist, whom he esteemed.
Anne's part of the inscription can be translated as: Beneath a broad stone now Anna lies entombed; when she lived in the world she was the bride of Richard the Second. She was devoted to Christ and well known for her deeds; she was ever inclined to give her gifts to the poor; she calmed quarrels and relieve the pregnant. She was beauteous in body and her face was gentle and pretty. She provided solace to widows, and medicine to the sick. In 1394 on a pleasant seventh day of the month of June, she passed over. Amen
Vesta Monumenta. 1724. Plate 1.16. Engraving of the Shrine of Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Thirteenth-century shrine base and feretory canopy of St Edward at Westminster Abbey. Engraving by George Vertue [aged 40] after John Talman [aged 46]. 445 x 336 mm (bifolium).
1857. George Price Boyce [aged 30]. "Edward the Confessor's Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map], with Tombs of Henry V. and Edward I".
Before 1864. David Roberts [aged 67]. The Tomb of Edward III, Westminster Abbey [Map].
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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Before July 1460 Thomas Scales 7th Baron Scales [aged 63] and Robert Hungerford 3rd Baron Hungerford 1st Baron Moleyns [aged 29] were commissioned to hold London for the Lancastrians. They retreated to the Tower of London [Map] where they set the guns of the Tower towards the City; it isn't known whether they were fired or not. They eventually surrendered for lack of food. He was sent to Sanctuary, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 20th July 1460 Thomas Scales 7th Baron Scales [aged 63] was murdered by boatmen whilst travelling from the Tower of London [Map] to Sanctuary, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His daughter Elizabeth succeeded 8th Baroness Scales. She was, or had been married to, Henry Bourchier (the year of his death may been 1458). She was in 1466 married to Anthony Woodville 2nd Earl Rivers [aged 20], brother of King Edward IV's [aged 18] wife Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England [aged 23]; an example of the Woodville family marrying rich heiresses.
Before 3rd February 1470 Robert Welles 8th Baron Willoughby 8th Baron Welles attacked Gainsborough Old Hall, Lincolnshire [Map] home of Thomas Burgh 1st Baron Burgh of Gainsborough [aged 39], a senior Yorkist, Edward IV's [aged 27] Master of the Horse. It isn't known whether this attack was a consequence of local or national issues. King Edward IV of England summoned Robert's father Richard Welles 7th Baron Welles, Baron Willoughby [aged 42] and uncle-in-law Thomas Dymoke [aged 42] (married to Margaret Welles [aged 38] sister of Robert Welles 8th Baron Willoughby 8th Baron Welles) to London. Both initially went into Sanctuary, Westminster Abbey [Map] but were pardoned on 3rd March 1470.
On 2nd November 1470 the future Edward V was born to Edward IV [aged 28] and Elizabeth Woodville [aged 33] in Sanctuary, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His father was abroad in Flanders. His Godparents included the Abbot and Prior of Westminster, and Elizabeth St John Baroness Scrope Bolton Baroness Zouche Harringworth.
Around 3rd May 1483 Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England [aged 46] took Sanctuary, Westminster Abbey [Map] with Richard of Shrewsbury 1st Duke of York [aged 9] and Thomas Grey 1st Marquess Dorset [aged 28]. Her brother Bishop Lionel Woodville [aged 36] was with her.
Croyland Chronicle 1483. Around 3rd May 1483 . These reports having reached London on the following night, queen Elizabeth [aged 46] betook herself, with all her children, to the sanctuary at Westminster [Map]. In the morning you might have seen there the adherents of both parties, some sincerely, others treacherously, on account of the uncertainty of events, siding with the one party or the other. For some collected their forces at Westminster in the queen's name, others at London under the shadow of the lord Hastings, and took up their position there.
On 16th June 1483 Cardinal Thomas Bourchier [aged 65] removed Edward IV's youngest son Richard of Shrewsbury 1st Duke of York [aged 9] from Sanctuary in Westminster Abbey [Map] to the Tower of London [Map] so that he could join his brother in preparation for his Coronation. Henry Stafford 2nd Duke of Buckingham [aged 28] was present.
In March 1484 King Richard III of England [aged 31] attempted to persuade Elizabeth Woodville Queen Consort England [aged 47] to leave Sanctuary in Westminster Abbey [Map] by promising to secure suitable marriages for her daughters.
The History of King Richard the Third by Thomas More. But as soon as the tidings of this matter came hastily to the Queen, a little before the midnight following, and that in the sorest way, that the King her son was taken; her brother, her son, and her other friends arrested, and sent to no man knew where, to be done with God knows what. With such tidings, the Queen, in great fright and heaviness, bewailing her child's ruin, her friends' mischance, and her own misfortune, damning the time that ever she spoke in opposition to the gathering of power about the King, got herself in all haste possible, with her younger son and her daughters, out of the Palace of Westminster in which she then lay, and into the Sanctuary [Map], lodging herself and her company there in the Abbot's place.
On 29th November 1682 Prince Rupert Palatinate Simmern 1st Duke Cumberland [aged 62] died without legitimate issue at Westminster [Map]. Duke Cumberland and Earl Holderness extinct. He was buried in the Crypt, Westminster Abbey.
On 8th August 1667 Frances Aylesbury Countess Clarendon [aged 50] died. She was buried in the Hyde Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey.
On 7th February 1750 Algernon Seymour 7th Duke of Somerset [aged 65] died. He was buried at Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey. Earl Hertford, Baron Beauchamp of Hatch Beauchamp in Somerset and Baron Seymour of Trowbridge extinct. His half fifth cousin once removed Edward [aged 55] succeeded 8th Duke Somerset. Mary Webb Duchess Somerset [aged 53] by marriage Duchess Somerset. His daughter Elizabeth [aged 33] succeeded 2nd Baroness Percy. His nephew Charles [aged 39] succeeded 2nd Earl Egremont.
In 1779 Elizabeth Percy [aged 2] died. She was buried at Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey.
In 1796 Louisa Margaret Percy died. She was buried at Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey.
In 1805 Algernon James Percy [aged 2] died. He was buried at Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey.
In 1809 Henry Algernon Pitt Percy [aged 3] died. He was buried at Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey.
In 1810 Margaret Percy [aged 5] died. She was buried at Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey.
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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On 24th January 1812 Isabella Susan Burrell Countess Beverley [aged 61] died. She was buried in the Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey.
On 28th April 1820 Frances Julia Burrell Duchess Northumberland [aged 67] died at Syon House [Map]. She was buried in the Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey.
On 17th January 1837 Elizabeth Anne Burrell Duchess Hamilton Duchess Brandon [aged 79] died. She was buried in the Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey.
On 23rd February 1847 Hugh Percy 3rd Duke Northumberland [deceased] was buried at Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey.
On 2nd January 1899 Algernon George Percy 6th Duke Northumberland [aged 88] died. He was buried at Northumberland Vault, Crypt, Westminster Abbey. His son Henry [aged 52] succeeded 7th Duke Northumberland, 4th Earl Beverley, 10th Baronet Smithson of Stanwick in Yorkshire. Edith Campbell Duchess Northumberland [aged 49] by marriage Duchess Northumberland.
On 29th June 1509 Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond [aged 66] died in the Deanery, Westminster Abbey [Map]. She had lived to see the Coronation of her son King Henry VII of England and Ireland and her grandson King Henry VIII of England and Ireland [aged 18].
She was buried at the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Her tomb was created by Pietro Torrigiano [aged 36]. The gilded bronze sculpture on the tomb depicts Margaret with her head resting on pillows and her hands raised in prayer, wearing garments characteristic of widowhood; the face was probably sculpted from a death mask. The black marble tomb is embellished with heraldic bronze insignia, including a Yale, her heraldic badge, at her feet.
The inscription written by the humanist scholar Erasmus reads "Margaret, Countess of Richmond, mother of Henry VII, grandmother of Henry VIII, who donated funds for three monks of this abbey, a grammar school in Wimborne, a preacher in the whole of England, two lecturers in Scripture, one at Oxford, the other at Cambridge, where she also founded two colleges, one dedicated to Christ [Map], and the other to St John, the evangelist [Map]".
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On 17th May 1731 Bishop Samuel Bradford [aged 78] died in the Deanery, Westminster Abbey [Map]. He was buried in Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 20th March 1413 King Henry IV of England [aged 45] died in the Jerusalem Chamber, Cheyneygates, Westminster Abbey [Map] in Westminster Abbey confirming a prophesy that he would die in Jerusalem. His son Henry [aged 26] succeeded V King of England. His sons King Henry V of England and Humphrey Lancaster 1st Duke Gloucester [aged 22] were present. He was buried in the Chancel of Canterbury Cathedral [Map].
On 28th March 1727 Isaac Newton [deceased] was buried in Scientist's Corner, Westminster Abbey [Map]; the first scientist to be buried there. The service was performed by the Bishop of Rochester [aged 74].
Before the funeral his body lay in state in the Jerusalem Chamber, Cheyneygates, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His coffin was followed by most of the Fellows of the Royal Society.
The Pall Bearers were the Lord Chancellor Peter King 1st Baron King [aged 58], James Graham 1st Duke Montrose [aged 44], Robert Ker 2nd Duke Roxburghe [aged 18], Thomas Herbert 8th Earl Pembroke 5th Earl Montgomery [aged 71], Talbot Yelverton 1st Earl of Sussex [aged 36] and Thomas Parker 1st Earl Macclesfield [aged 60].
The Chief Mourner was Michael Newton 4th Baronet [aged 32]; his third cousin.
Voltaire observed, "He was buried like a king who had done well by his subjects.".
The inscription on his John Michael Rysbrack [aged 32] monument reads "Here is buried Isaac Newton, Knight, who by a strength of mind almost divine, and mathematical principles peculiarly his own, explored the course and figures of the planets, the paths of comets, the tides of the sea, the dissimilarities in rays of light, and, what no other scholar has previously imagined, the properties of the colours thus produced. Diligent, sagacious and faithful, in his expositions of nature, antiquity and the holy Scriptures, he vindicated by his philosophy the majesty of God mighty and good, and expressed the simplicity of the Gospel in his manners. Mortals rejoice that there has existed such and so great an ornament of the human race! He was born on 25th December 1642, and died on 20th March 1726."
In 1503 Bishop Hugh Oldham [aged 51] was present at the placing of the foundation stone of the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map].
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 11th February 1503. This yeare, in Februarie, died Queene Elizabeth [aged 37] at the Towre of London [Map], lyeinge in childebedd of a daughter named Katherine (the 8th day after her birth), and was buried at Westminster [Map];c
Note c. Elizabeth, the eldest child of Edward IV by Elizabeth Woodville his wife, was heiress of the house of York. She was born at Westminster [Map] on the 11th February, 1466, and died on her thirty-seventh birthday in the Tower of London [Map], having been delivered of a daughter on the second of the same month, who died soon after its mother.
On 23rd February 1503 Elizabeth York Queen Consort England [deceased] was buried in the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Her sister Catherine York Countess Devon [aged 23] waschief mourner.
Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1509. April 1509. Will of Henry VII [aged 52]:
At his manor of Richmond, Surrey [Map] March 24 Henry VII., the King makes his last will, commending his soul to the Redeemer with the words he has used since his first "years of discretion," Domine Jesu Christe, qui me ex nichilo creasti, fecisti, redemisti et predestinasti ad hoc quod sum, Tu scis quid de me facere vis, fac de me secundum voluntatem Tuam cum misericordia, trusting in the grace of His Blessed Mother in whom, after Him, has been all his (testator's) trust, by whom in all his adversities he has had special comfort, and to whom he now makes his prayer (recited), as also to all the company of Heaven and especially his "accustumed avoures" St. Michael, St. John Baptist, St. John Evangelist, St. George, St. Anthony, St. Edward, St. Vincent, St. Anne, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Barbara, to defend him at the hour of death and be intercessors for the remission of his sins and salvation of his soul.
Desires to be buried at Westminster [Map], where he was crowned, where lie buried many of his progenitors, especially his granddame Catharine wife to Henry V and daughter to Charles of France, and whereto he means shortly to translate the remains of Henry IV in the chapel [Map] which he has begun to build (giving full directions for the placing and making of his tomb and finishing of the said chapel according to the plan which he has "in picture delivered" to the prior of St. Bartholomew's beside Smithfield, master of the works for the same); and he has delivered beforehand to the abbot, &c., of Westminster, £5,000, by indenture dated Richmond, 13 April 23 Hen VII, towards the cost.
His executors shall cause 10,000 masses in honor of the Trinity, the Five Wounds, the Five Joys of Our Lady, the Nine Orders of Angels, the Patriarchs, the Twelve Apostles and All Saints (numbers to each object specified) to be said within one month after his decease, at 6d. each, making in all £250 and shall distribute 2,£000 in alms; and to ensure payment he has left 2,£250 with the abbot, &c., of West-minster, by indenture dated (blank) day of (blank) in the (blank) year of his reign.
His debts are then to be paid and reparation for wrongs made by his executors at the discretion of the following persons, by whom all complaints shall be tenderly weighed, viz, the abp of Canterbury [aged 59], Richard bp of Winchester [aged 61], the bps of London and Rochester [aged 39], Thomas Earl of Surrey [aged 66], Treasurer General, George Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 41], Steward of the House, Sir Charles Somerset Lord Herbert [aged 49], Chamberlain, the two Chief Justices, Mr. John Yong [aged 44], Master of the Rolls, Sir Thomas Lovell, Treasurer of the House, Mr. Thomas Routhall, secretary, Sir Ric Emson [aged 59], Chancellor of the Duchy, Edm. Dudley [aged 47], the King's attorney at the time of his decease, and his confessor, the Provincial of the Friars Observants, and Mr. William Atwater, dean of the Chapel, or at least six of them and three of his executors.
His executors shall see that the officers of the Household and Wardrobe discharge any debts which may be due for charges of the same.
Lands to the yearly value of above 1,000 mks have been "amortised" for fulfilment of certain covenants (described) with the abbey of Westminster.
For the completion of the hospital which he has begun to build at the Savoie place beside Charingcrosse, and towards which 10,000 mks in ready money has been delivered to the dean and chapter of St. Paul's, by indenture dated (blank), his executors shall deliver any more money which may be necessary; and they shall also make (if he has not done it in his lifetime) two similar hospitals in the suburbs of York and Coventry.
Certain cathedrals, abbeys, &c., named in a schedule hereto annexed [not annexed now] have undertaken to make for him orisons, prayers and suffrages "while the world shall endure," in return for which he has made them large confirmations, licences and other grants; and he now wishes 6s. 8d. each to be delivered soon after his decease to the rulers of such cathedrals, &c., 3s. 4d. to every canon and monk, being priest, within the same and 20d. to every canon, monk, vicar and minister not being priest. His executors shall bestow 2,£000 upon the repair of the highways and bridges from Windsor to Richmond manor and thence to St. George's church beside Southwark [Map], and thence to Greenwich manor, and thence to Canterbury.
To divers lords, as well of his blood as other, and also to knights, squires and other subjects, he has, for their good service, made grants of lands, offices and annuities, which he straitly charges his son, the Prince [aged 17], and other heirs to respect; as also the enfeoffments of the Duchy of Lancaster made by Parliaments of 7 and 19 Henry VII. for the fulfilment of his will.
Bequests for finishing of the church of the New College in Cambridge and the church of Westminster, for the houses of Friars Observants, for the altar within the King's grate (i.e. of his tomb), for the high altar within the King's chapel, for the image of the King to be made and set upon St. Edward's shrine, for the College of Windsor, for the monastery of Westminster, for the image of the King to be set at St. Thomas's shrine at Canterbury, and for chalices and pixes of a certain fashion to be given to all the houses of Friars and every parish church not suitably provided with such.
Bequest of a dote of 50,£000 for the marriage of Lady Mary [aged 13] the King's daughter with Charles Prince of Spain [aged 9], as contracted at Richmond (blank) Dec. 24 Henry VIII., or (if that fail) her marriage with any prince out of the realm by "consent of our said son the Prince, his Council and our said executors.".
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On 11th May 1509 King Henry VII of England and Ireland [deceased] was buried in the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Henry Willoughby [aged 58] and Anthony Wingfield [aged 22] attended. The ladies given mantelets and kerchiefs were as follows:
Household of Mary Tudor:
Mary Tudor Queen Consort France [aged 13].
Catherine York Countess Devon [aged 29].
Elizabeth Stafford Countess Sussex [aged 30]. Possibly Margaret Whetehill.
Anne Percy [aged 65] or Anne Percy Countess Arundel [aged 23].
Elizabeth Hussey Countess Kent.
Eleanor Pole [aged 47].
Elizabeth Empson.
Mary Scrope [aged 33].
Jane Popincourt.
Household of the Princess of Wales Catherine of Aragon:
Catherine of Aragon [aged 23].
Agnes or Inez Vanegas.
Maria de Salinas Baroness Willoughby [aged 19].
Household of Margaret Beaufort the King's Mother:
Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond [aged 65].
Joan Vaux "Mother Guildford" [aged 46].
Mary Hussey Baroness Willoughby of Eresby [aged 25].
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On 29th June 1509 Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond [aged 66] died in the Deanery, Westminster Abbey [Map]. She had lived to see the Coronation of her son King Henry VII of England and Ireland and her grandson King Henry VIII of England and Ireland [aged 18].
She was buried at the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map]. Her tomb was created by Pietro Torrigiano [aged 36]. The gilded bronze sculpture on the tomb depicts Margaret with her head resting on pillows and her hands raised in prayer, wearing garments characteristic of widowhood; the face was probably sculpted from a death mask. The black marble tomb is embellished with heraldic bronze insignia, including a Yale, her heraldic badge, at her feet.
The inscription written by the humanist scholar Erasmus reads "Margaret, Countess of Richmond, mother of Henry VII, grandmother of Henry VIII, who donated funds for three monks of this abbey, a grammar school in Wimborne, a preacher in the whole of England, two lecturers in Scripture, one at Oxford, the other at Cambridge, where she also founded two colleges, one dedicated to Christ [Map], and the other to St John, the evangelist [Map]".
Image Source: .
On 8th August 1553 King Edward VI of England and Ireland [deceased] was buried at King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map].
Henry Machyn's Diary. 29th June 1554. The xxix day of Juin, the wyche was sant Peter and Powlles day, was a fayre at Westmynster abbay; and ther was a goodly pressessyon, and after masse; and ther the prynse of Pymon [aged 25] and dyvers Spaneards, and hard messe [heard mass] in kyng Henry the vij chapelle [Map].
Henry Machyn's Diary. 14th December 1558. The xiiij day of Desember [was] the quen('s) [deceased] masse; and [all the lords] and lades, knyghtes and gentyll women, dyd offer. [And there was] a man of armes and horse offered; and her cotarmur, and sword, and targett, and baner of armes, and iij [standards]; and all the haroldes abowt her; and ther my lord bysshope of Wynchester [aged 48] mad the sermon; and ther was offered cloth of gold and welvet, holle pesses, and odur thynges. [After the] masse all done, her grace was cared up [to the chapel [Map]] the kyng Henry the vij byldyd, with bysshopes [mitred;] and all the offesers whent to the grayffe [grave], and after [they] brake ther stayffes, and cast them in-to the grayffe; in the mayn tyme the pepull pluckt [down] the cloth, evere man a pesse that cold caycth [catch] [it,] rond a-bowt the cherche, and the armes. And after[wards,] my lord bysshope of Yorke [aged 57], after her grace was [buried,] he declaryd an colasyon [collation], and as sone as he had made an end, all the trumpetes bluw a blast, and so the cheyff morners and the lords and knyghtes, and the bysshopes, with [the] abbott [aged 43], whent in-to the abbay to dener, and all the offesers of the quen('s) cott [court].
Henry Machyn's Diary. 16th April 1561. The xvj day of Aprell wher all the alters in Westmynster taken downe, [in] the chapell [Map] wher the kyng Henry the vijth was bered, and wher kyng Edward the vjth, and the stones cared wher quen Mare was bered.
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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On 4th March 1605 Maximilian Colt [aged 30] signed an agreement with the lord treasurer, Sir Robert Cecil [aged 41], to carve a monument above the grave of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland in the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map] for 600l. The work was completed at the end of 1606.
On 23rd September 1607 Princess Mary Stewart [deceased] was buried in the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey [Map] opposite her sister Sophia's tomb in a private ceremony. Her effigy, created by Maximilian Colt [aged 32], represented a young girl, clad in a mature dress, with the traditional ruff, carved in ivory.
On 13th May 1619 Anne of Denmark Queen Consort Scotland England and Ireland was buried in the north eastern area Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey [Map].
The principal mourner was Alethea Talbot Countess Arundel, Surrey and Norfolk [aged 34].
Anne Carey [aged 27] and Mary Woodhouse walked in the procession.
As Keeper of the Wardrobe Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex [aged 44] supervised the spending of £20,000 on the funeral.
Richard Young 1st Baronet [aged 39] carried the banner roll.
Her grave has the inscription: "ANNE OF DENMARK QUEEN OF KING JAMES 1st 1619". her coffin has the inscription: "Here lies buried the Most Serene Queen Anne, consort of James, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, daughter of Frederick II, King of Denmark and Norway and of the Vandals and Goths, sister of Christian IV and mother of many Princes. She died at Hampton Court, in the year of salvation 1618, on the 4th March, aged 43 years, 4 months and 18 days."
In 1628 Edward Boscawen was born to Hugh Boscawen [aged 50] and Margaret Rolle [aged 28] in the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map]. He married in or before 1675 Jael Godolphin and had issue.
On 10th August 1658 Elizabeth Cromwell [deceased] was buried in the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map].
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15th July 1660. Lay long in bed to recover my rest. Going forth met with Mr. Sheply, and went and drank my morning draft with him at Wilkinson's, and my brother Spicer. After that to Westminster Abbey, and in Henry the Seventh's Chappell [Map] heard part of a sermon, the first that ever I heard there. To my Lord's and dined all alone at the table with him. After dinner he and I alone fell to discourse, and I find him plainly to be a sceptic in all things of religion, and to make no great matter of anything therein, but to be a perfect Stoic. In the afternoon to Henry the Seventh's Chappell, where I heard service and a sermon there, and after that meeting W. Bowyer there, he and I to the Park, and walked a good while till night. So to Harper's and drank together, and Captain Stokes came to us and so I fell into discourse of buying paper at the first hand in my office, and the Captain promised me to buy it for me in France. After that to my Lord's lodgings, where I wrote some business and so home. my wife at home all the day, she having no clothes out, all being packed up yesterday. For this month I have wholly neglected anything of news, and so have beyond belief been ignorant how things go, but now by my patent my mind is in some quiet, which God keep. I was not at my father's [aged 59] to-day, I being afraid to go for fear he should still solicit me to speak to my Lord for a place in the Wardrobe, which I dare not do, because of my own business yet. my wife and I mightily pleased with our new house that we hope to have. My patent has cost me a great deal of money, about £40, which is the only thing at present which do trouble me much. In the afternoon to Henry the Seventh's chapel, where I heard a sermon and spent (God forgive me) most of my time in looking upon Mrs. Butler. After that with W. Bowyer to walk in the Park. Afterwards to my Lord's lodgings, and so home to bed, having not been at my father's to-day.
John Evelyn's Diary. 4th September 1660. I was invited to an ordination by the Bishop of Bangor [aged 75], in Henry VII.'s chapel [Map], Westminster, and afterward saw the audience of an Envoyée from the Duke of Anjou, sent to compliment his Majesty's [aged 30] return.
On 21st September 1660 Henry Stewart 1st Duke Gloucester [deceased] was buried at south side of the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map].
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 4th October 1660. This morning I was busy looking over papers at the office all alone, and being visited by Lieut. Lambert [aged 41] of the Charles (to whom I was formerly much beholden), I took him along with me to a little alehouse hard by our office, whither my cozen Thomas Pepys the turner had sent for me to show me two gentlemen that had a great desire to be known to me, one his name is Pepys, of our family, but one that I never heard of before, and the other a younger son of Sir Tho. Bendishes, and so we all called cozens. After sitting awhile and drinking, my two new cozens, myself, and Lieut. Lambert went by water to Whitehall, and from thence I and Lieut. Lambert to Westminster Abbey, where we saw Dr. Frewen [aged 72] translated to the Archbishoprick of York. Here I saw the Bishops of Winchester [aged 71], Bangor [aged 75], Rochester [aged 79], Bath and Wells [aged 80], and Salisbury [aged 68], all in their habits, in King Henry Seventh's chappell [Map]. But, Lord! at their going out, how people did most of them look upon them as strange creatures, and few with any kind of love or respect.
On 28th October 1660 Bishop George Griffith [aged 59] was consecrated Bishop of St Asaph at the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map] by Bishop Brian Duppa [aged 71]. It was the first consecration of bishops after the Restoration.
On 24th December 1660 Mary Stewart Princess Orange [aged 29] died of smallpox. Her brother Henry Stewart 1st Duke Gloucester had also died of smallpox a few weeks before; she was buried in the same vault in the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map] on 2nd January 1661.
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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John Evelyn's Diary. 11th November 1677. I was all this week composing matters between old Mrs. Howard [aged 51] and Sir Gabriel Sylvius, upon his long and earnest addresses to Mrs. Anne [aged 24], her second daughter, maid of honor to the Queen [aged 38]. My friend, Mrs. Godolphin [aged 25] (who exceedingly loved the young lady) was most industrious in it, out of pity to the languishing knight; so as though there were great differences in their years, it was at last effected, and they were married the 13th, in Henry VII.'s Chapel [Map], by the Bishop of Rochester [aged 52], there being besides my wife [aged 42] and Mrs. Graham [aged 26], her sister, Mrs. Godolphin, and very few more. We dined at the old lady's, and supped at Mr. Graham's [aged 28] at St. James's.
On 13th November 1677 Gabriel Sylvius and Ann Howard Maid of Honour [aged 24] were married in the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map].
John Evelyn's Diary. 10th February 1681. I was at the wedding of my nephew, John Evelyn of Wotton [aged 28], married by the Bishop of Rochester [aged 56] at Westminster, in Henry VII's chapel [Map], to the daughter and heir of Mr. Eversfield, of Sussex, her portion £8,000. The solemnity was kept with a few friends only at Lady Beckford's, the lady's mother.
Note. John Evelyn of Wotton and Catherine Eversfield were married.
On 23rd November 1684 William Cavendish 3rd Earl Devonshire [aged 67] died at his house in Roehampton, Surrey. He was buried in the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son William [aged 44] succeeded 4th Earl Devonshire, 4th Baron Cavendish Hardwick. Mary Butler Duchess Devonshire [aged 38] by marriage Countess Devonshire.
John Evelyn's Diary. 14th February 1685. The King [deceased] was this, night very obscurely buried in a vault under Hen. 7th's Chapell at Westminster [Map], without any manner of pomp, and soone forgotten after all this vanity, and the face of the whole Court was exceedingly chang'd into a more solemn and moral behaviour; the new King [aged 51] affecting neither prophanenesse nor buffoonery. All the greate Officers broke their staves over the grave, according to form.
On 2nd June 1687 George Villiers 2nd Duke of Buckingham was buried in the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 5th April 1695 George Savile 1st Marquess Halifax [aged 61] died apparently as a consequence of eating undercooked chicken. He was buried in the north aisle of the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son William [aged 30] succeeded 2nd Marquess Halifax, 2nd Earl Halifax, 2nd Viscount Halifax, 2nd Baron Savile of Elland, 5th Baronet Savile of Thornhill. Mary Finch Duchess Roxburghe [aged 18] by marriage Marchioness Halifax.
On 24th September 1714, in the evening, Queen Anne of England Scotland and Ireland was buried at south side of the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map] next to her husband in the same vault as Charles II, Mary II, William III, and Prince George of Denmark.
On the 23rd her coffin, draped in purple velvet, was brought from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey in a funeral chariot drawn by eight horses in purple hoods. A vigil was held in the Prince's Chamber at the Palace of Westminster, where the Duchess of Somerset was designated Chief Mourner (Her husband was one of her supporters). Also present were the Queen's ladies-in-waiting, and fourteen countesses in black crepe veils. 100 Yeoman of the Guard were on duty. The service was conducted by Francis Atterbury [aged 51], Bishop of Rochester and Dean of Westminster. Thirty Children of the Chapel Royal sang the anthems for the service, and several menial servants were in attendance (including Samuel Stubbs, the Queen's Rat-Catcher). Her coffin was carried to the service by fourteen carpenters and six honorific pallbearers. The funeral began in the Painted Chamber at the Palace of Westminster. They processed through the Prince's Chamber and into the Palace Yard. A gun was fired from the tower every minute until the Queen was interred.
Those in the procession as detailed in the image below are as follows:
Bishops, Marquises younger Sons, Earls eldest Sons, Viscounts of Ireland, Viscounts of Great Britain, Dukes younger Sons, Marquises eldest Sons, Earls of Ireland, Earls of Great Britain, Earl Poulet Lord Steward of the Household, Earl of Suffolk as exercising the office of Earl Marshal of England, Dukes oldest Sons, Marquises, Lord Great Chamberlain Marquis of Lindsey, Dukes, Two Heralds of Arms, Lord Privy Seal, Lord President of the Council, Lord Archbishop of York, (No Train born), Lord Chancellor bearing royal Purse (no Train born nor Mace carried), Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, (no Train born), A Gentleman Usher, Norroy King of Arms carrying the Crown on a purple velvet cushion, A Gentleman Usher, Lord Chamberlain of Queens Household with his White Staff.
The canopy born by Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, Supporters of the Pall. The Royal body carried by ten or twelve Yeomen of the Guard covered with a large Pall of purple velvet and lined with purple silk, with a fine Holland [linen fabric] sheet adorned with ten large Escutcheons [shields] of the Imperial Arms painted on satin under a canopy of purple velvet A Gentleman Usher, Garter Principal King of Arms or in his absence Clarenceux King of Arms, Gentleman Usher, the Black Rod Supporter to royal Chief Mourner, a Duke, … The Chief Mourner Supported by two Dukes, her Train born by the Queen's Vice-Chamberlain.
Document setting out the order of the royal funeral procession for Queen Anne, 16 August, 1714, (Catalogue ref: PC 1/2/256/f8)
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On 1st October 1727 Gertrude Pierrepont Marchioness Halifax died. She was buried with her husband George Savile 1st Marquess Halifax in the North Aisle of the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 31st October 1765 William Augustus Hanover 1st Duke Cumberland [aged 44] died unmarried. Duke Cumberland extinct. He was buried at King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [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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On 30th April 1881 Francis Greville 5th Earl Warwick 5th Earl Brooke [aged 28] and Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Maynard Countess Warwick [aged 19] were married at the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map]. See her autobiography Life's Ebb and Flow Page 38. He the son of George Greville 4th Earl Warwick 4th Earl Brooke [aged 63] and Anne Charteris Countess Warwick [aged 52]. They were fourth cousin once removed.
1896. John Benjamin Stone [aged 57]. Photograph of the monument of Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond at the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map]
On 17th December 1912 Alfred Browning Stanley Tennyson [aged 34] and Margaret Cicely Drummond [aged 32] were married at the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 29th September 1927 Peverill Hayes Turnbull [aged 38] and Jane Grey [aged 28] were married in the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map]. She the daughter of William Grey 9th Earl Stamford 5th Earl Warrington and Penelope Theobald Countess Stamford and Warrington.
On 30th July 1680 Thomas Butler 6th Earl Ossory [aged 46] died. He was buried in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey the next day.
On 21st July 1684 Elizabeth Preston Duchess Ormonde [aged 68] died. On 24th July 1684 she was buried in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey.
Before 12th December 1688 Emilia Nassau Beverweert Countess Ossory [aged 53] died. She was buried 12th December 1688 in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey.
In 1709 Henry Fitzroy [aged 7] died. He was buried in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey.
In 1710 Mary Butler Duchess Devonshire [aged 64] died. She was buried in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey with her parents.
In 1717 Elizabeth Butler Countess Derby [aged 57] died. She was buried in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey.
On 31st July 1723 Charles Fitzroy [aged 25] died. He was buried in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey.
On 4th July 1726 Henry Bentinck 1st Duke Portland [aged 44] died in Spanish Town Jamaica. His body was returned to England. On 03 Nov 1726 he was buried in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey. His son William [aged 17] succeeded 2nd Duke Portland, 3rd Earl of Portland.
On 9th September 1730 Charles Fitzroy 1st Duke Southampton 2nd Duke Cleveland [aged 68] died. He was buried in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey. His son William [aged 32] succeeded 3rd Duke Cleveland, 2nd Duke Southampton, 3rd Earl of Southampton, 2nd Earl Chichester, 3rd Baron Nonsuch and 2nd Baron Newbury.
On 19th November 1733 Mary Somerset Duchess Ormonde [aged 69] died. On 25th November 1733 she was buried in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey.
On 16th November 1745 James Butler 2nd Duke Ormonde [aged 80] died. His coffin-plate says 5th November 1645. He was buried in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey. His brother Charles [aged 74] de jure 3rd Duke Ormonde (he didn't claim the title since his brother the second duke had been attainted for supporting the Jacobite rebellion), 3rd Marquess Ormonde, 14th Earl Ormonde, 7th Earl Ossory.
On 20th February 1746 Anne Pulteney Duchess Southampton Duchess of Cleveland [aged 82] died. She was buried in the Duke of Ormonde Vault, King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey.
The Lady Chapel Westminster Abbey was at the east end of the abbey. It was demolished in 1502 and replaced with the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map].
Chronicle of Gregory. 4th February 1437. Ande the ix day of Feverer Quene Kateryn [deceased] aforesaid was broughte to Powlys [Map] yn London, and there sche hadde a solempne deryge ande a masse on the morne. And thenne she was hadde unto Westemyster. And the iij day aftyr she was worth ely enteryde and buryde in Oure Lady chapylle at Westemyster in the Abby; of whos soule God have mercy.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 14th July 1809 Charles Agar 1st Earl Normanton [aged 72] died. He was buried at North Transept Westminster Abbey [Map]. His son Welbore [aged 31] succeeded 2nd Earl Normanton.
In 1826 Jane Benson Countess Northampton died. She was buried next to her husband Charles Agar 1st Earl Normanton at the North Transept Westminster Abbey [Map].
Henry Machyn's Diary. 7th March 1551. The vij day of Marche was bered my lord Wentworth [deceased], the lord Chamburlayn of the kynges howse, in Westminster abbay, in the sam chapell [Map] that the old abbatt was be [red; there] was iiij of the cheyffe harolds ther, M. Garter, M. Clar [enceux,] M. Yorke, M. Chester, beyryng the cote armur, the elmett, t[arget], then cam the standard, and then mornars alle in blake ... and a C. chylderyn and prestes and clarkes in ther surpl[ices; then] the cors with iiij baners rolles, and the qwyre was hangyd [with black] and the raylles and armes. Mylles Coverdalle [aged 63] dyd pryche, and ther [was a grett] dolle, and a grett compeny of lordes and knyghtes and genty[lmen] morners.
Note. Funeral of lord Wentworth. "March 3. The lord Wentworth lord chambarlaine died about tenne of the cloke at night, leaving behind him 16 children." (King Edward's Diary.)" Thomas lord Wentworth, lord chamberlan of the kinges majesties most honerable houshold, dyed in the kinges majesties paleys at Westmynster on tewsday the 3. of Marche in the 5 yere of E. the 6. and from thence broughte to his house at Westmynster and was buryed in the mynster there on Saterday the 7. of Marche folowing." (MS. Harl. 897, f. 7S^.) A longer account of his funeral is preserved in the College of Arms, I. 11, f. 115. He was buried in the chapel of St. John the Evangelist (Dart ii. 60), but has no monument. There is a portrait of him among Chamberlain's Holbein Heads.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 7th November 1559. The vij day of November was bered in Westmynster abbay [Map] master Recherd Knevett [deceased] sqwyre, with a dosen skochyons.
Note. P. 217. Funeral of Richard Knevett esquire. One of the gentlemen pensioners to the queen, died Nov. 1, 1559. Buried in the chapel of St. John the Evangelist, Westminster abbey. Dart, ii. 60.
On 24th February 1645 Grace Maulever [aged 23] died. She has a wall memorial in the Chapel of St John the Evangelist, Westminster Abbey.
Around 1346 William Trussell [aged 66] died. He was buried in the Chapel of St Michael, Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 25th October 1400 Geoffrey Chaucer [aged 57] died. He was buried at Poets Corner Westminster Abbey [Map].
On 28th March 1727 Isaac Newton [deceased] was buried in Scientist's Corner, Westminster Abbey [Map]; the first scientist to be buried there. The service was performed by the Bishop of Rochester [aged 74].
Before the funeral his body lay in state in the Jerusalem Chamber, Cheyneygates, Westminster Abbey [Map]. His coffin was followed by most of the Fellows of the Royal Society.
The Pall Bearers were the Lord Chancellor Peter King 1st Baron King [aged 58], James Graham 1st Duke Montrose [aged 44], Robert Ker 2nd Duke Roxburghe [aged 18], Thomas Herbert 8th Earl Pembroke 5th Earl Montgomery [aged 71], Talbot Yelverton 1st Earl of Sussex [aged 36] and Thomas Parker 1st Earl Macclesfield [aged 60].
The Chief Mourner was Michael Newton 4th Baronet [aged 32]; his third cousin.
Voltaire observed, "He was buried like a king who had done well by his subjects.".
The inscription on his John Michael Rysbrack [aged 32] monument reads "Here is buried Isaac Newton, Knight, who by a strength of mind almost divine, and mathematical principles peculiarly his own, explored the course and figures of the planets, the paths of comets, the tides of the sea, the dissimilarities in rays of light, and, what no other scholar has previously imagined, the properties of the colours thus produced. Diligent, sagacious and faithful, in his expositions of nature, antiquity and the holy Scriptures, he vindicated by his philosophy the majesty of God mighty and good, and expressed the simplicity of the Gospel in his manners. Mortals rejoice that there has existed such and so great an ornament of the human race! He was born on 25th December 1642, and died on 20th March 1726."
In 1694 Esther de la Tour de Gouvernet [aged 28] died. She was buried with her mother and grandmother, all three Esther, in the Triforium Westminster Abbey [Map].
On or before 7th December 1697 Esther Vinart died. On 7th December 1697 she was buried in the Triforium Westminster Abbey [Map].