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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Archbishop of York is in Archbishop. See York Minster [Map].
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 625. This year Paulinus was invested bishop of the Northumbrians, by Archbishop Justus, on the twelfth day before the calends of August.
On 19th July 627 Archbishop Paulinus of York was was appointed the first Bishop of York.
In 664 Bishop Wilfrid of York was consecrated Bishop of York.
Bede. Bertwald succeeded Theodore in the archbishopric, being abbot of the monastery called Racuulfe [Map], which stands at the northern mouth of the river Genlade. He was a man learned in the Scriptures, and perfectly instructed in ecclesiastical and monastic teaching, yet in no wise to be compared to his predecessor. He was chosen bishop in the year of our Lord 692, on the first day of July, when Wictred [aged 22] and Suaebhard were kings in Kent; but he was ordained the next year, on Sunday the 29th of June, by Godwin, metropolitan bishop of Gaul, and was enthroned on Sunday the 31st of August. Among the many bishops whom he ordained was Tobias, a man instructed in the Latin, Greek, and Saxon tongues, and otherwise of manifold learning, whom he consecrated in the stead of Gedmund, bishop of the Church of Rochester, who had died.
On 1st July 692 Archbishop Berhtwald was elected Archbishop of York.
On 31st August 693 Archbishop Berhtwald was enthroned Archbishop of York.
In 705 Bishop John of Beverley was consecrated Archbishop of York.
On 24th April 767 Archbishop Æthelbert of York was consecrated Archbishop of York.
In 931 Archbishop Wulfstan was appointed Archbishop of York.
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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In 958 Archbishop Oscytel was elected Archbishop of York.
In 972 Archbishop Oswald was elected Archbishop of York.
In 992 Archbishop Ealdwulf was elected Archbishop of York and Bishop of Worcester.
In 1002 Archbishop Wulfstan was elected Archbishop of York.
In 1041 Bishop Æthelwine was consecrated Archbishop of York. Possibly Bishop.
In 1051 Archbishop Cynesige was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 25th December 1060 Archbishop Ealdred was appointed Archbishop of York.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1070. The same year Thomas, who was chosen Bishop of York, came to Canterbury, to be invested there after the ancient custom. But when Landfranc [aged 65] craved confirmation of his obedience with an oath, he refused; and said, that he ought not to do it. Whereupon Archbishop Landfranc was wroth, and bade the bishops, who were come thither by Archbishop Landfranc's command to do the service, and all the monks to unrobe themselves. And they by his order so did. Thomas, therefore, for the time, departed without consecration. Soon after this, it happened that the Archbishop Landfranc went to Rome, and Thomas with him. When they came thither, and had spoken about other things concerning which they wished to speak, then began Thomas his speech: how he came to Canterbury, and how the archbishop required obedience of him with an oath; but he declined it. Then began the Archbishop Landfranc to show with clear distinction, that what he craved he craved by right; and with strong arguments he confirmed the same before the Pope Alexander, and before all the council that was collected there; and so they went home. After this came Thomas to Canterbury; and all that the archbishop required of him he humbly fulfilled, and afterwards received consecration.
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. 24th June 1070. The feast of St. John the Baptist being near, earl Asbiorn sailed to Denmark with the fleet which had wintered in the Humber; but his brother Sweyn [aged 51] outlawed him, because he had accepted money from king William [aged 42], to the great regret of the Danes. Edric, surnamed the Forester, a man of the most resolute courage, of whom we have spoken before, was reconciled with king William. After this, the king summoned from Normandy Lanfranc [aged 65], abbot of Caen, a Lombard by birth, a man of unbounded learning, master of the liberal arts, and of both sacred and secular literature, and of the greatest prudence in counsel and the administration of worldly affairs; and on the day of the Assumption of St. Mary, appointed him archbishop of Canterbury, causing him to be consecrated at Canterbury on the feast of St. John the Baptist, being Sunday. He was consecrated by Giso, bishop of Wells, and Walter, bishop of Hereford, who were both ordained at Rome by pope Nicholas, when Aldred, archbishop of York, received the pallium,—for he evaded being ordained by Stigand, who then held the archbishopric of Canterbury, knowing him not to have received the pallium canonically. Bishop Heriman, who had already transferred the seat of his bishopric from Sherbourne to Salisbury, also assisted at his consecration, with some others. Afterwards, Lanfranc consecrated Thomas, archbishop of York. The suit of the reverend Wulfstan [aged 62], bishop of Worcester, was again prosecuted, there being now a bishop who could advocate the cause of the church of York; and the affair was, by the aid of God's grace, decided at a council held at a place called Pedred, before the king, archbishop Lanfranc, and the bishops, abbots, earls, and lords of all England. All the groundless assertions by which Thomas and his abettors strove to humble the church of Worcester, and reduce her to subjection and servitude to the church of York, were, by God's just judgement, entirely refuted and negatived by written documents, so that Wulfstan not only recovered the possessions he claimed, but, by God's goodness, and the king's assent, regained for his see all the immunities and privileges freely granted to it by its first founders, the holy king Ethered, Oshere, sub-king of the Hwiccas, and the other kings of Mercia, Cenred, Ethelbald, Offa, Kenulf, Edward the Elder, Athelstan, Edmund, Edred, and Edgar.
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Flowers of History. 8th April 1071. A general council of the kingdom of England was held, to discuss the question of the primacy of the church of Canterbury, as superior to the church of York, on the eighth of April. And at last it was decreed that the archbishop of Canterbury had the preeminence, and that the archbishop of York was subordinate to him in everything.
In 1072 the Accord of Winchester established the primacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury over the Archbishop of York. It was signed by...
King William "Conqueror" I of England [aged 44] and Matilda Flanders Queen Consort England [aged 41].
Archbishop Ealdred who signed "I concede" whereas other signatories signed "I subscribe".
Bishop Wulfstan [aged 64].
Herfast Bishop Chancellor.
In 1100 Archbishop Gerard was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 23rd May 1100 Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux was elected Archbishop of York.
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 August 1114 Archbishop Thurstan [aged 44] was elected Archbishop of York.
Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. 1128. Thurstan [aged 58], the archbishop, consecrated at York [Map], Robert, who had been intruded by Alexander, king of Scots, on the petition of David, his brother and successor, into the see of St. Andrew's. The archbishop had called in Ralph [aged 68], bishop of Durham, and one Ralph, formerly ordained bishop of the Orkney islands, to be his coadjutors in the ceremony. This Ralph having been ordained without the election or consent of the lord of the land, or of the clergy and people, was rejected by all of them, and acknowledged as bishop by no one. Being bishop of no city, he attached himself sometimes to the archbishop of York, sometimes to the bishop of Durham; he was supported by them, and employed by both as coadjutor in the performance of their episcopal functions.2 Robert, being consecrated by these bishops, was not permitted by the Scots, as it is reported, to make any profession of submission or obedience to the church of York or its bishop, although he was a canon of that church.
Note 2. This accounts for this Ralph's being called "bishop of Durham,' by Henry of Huntingdon and Roger of Wendover, who seem to have lost sight of his original and proper designation. The ubiquitous bishop forms a distinguished figure in the group sketched by the former author before the battle of the Standard, A.D. 1138, in which we are informed he was commissioned by the archbishop of York to supply his place. Henry of Huntingdon represents him as standing on a hillock, and addressing the army before the battle in a florid discourse, which the historian has preserved. See pp. 267—269, in the Antiq. Lib.
On 7th December 1147 Archbishop Henry Murdac was consecrated Archbishop of York by the future Pope Eugene III.
In 1191 Archbishop Geoffrey Plantagenet [aged 39] was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 10th November 1215 Archbishop Walter Grey [aged 35] was elected Archbishop of York.
On 15th October 1266 Archbishop Walter Giffard [aged 41] was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 1st November 1266 Archbishop Walter Giffard [aged 41] was enthroned as Archbishop of York.
On 22nd June 1279 Archbishop William de Wickwane was elected Archbishop of York.
On 19th September 1279 Archbishop William de Wickwane was consecrated Archbishop of York at Rome.
On 29th October 1285 Archbishop John le Romeyn [aged 55] was elected Archbishop of York.
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 10th February 1286 Archbishop John le Romeyn [aged 56] was consecrated Archbishop of York by Latino Malabranca Orsini Cardinal in Rome, Italy [Map].
On 9th June 1286 Latino Malabranca Orsini Cardinal was enthroned Archbishop of York.
On 7th May 1296 Archbishop Henry of Newark was elected Archbishop of York.
On 15th June 1298 Archbishop Henry of Newark was consecrated Archbishop of York by Bishop Antony Bek [aged 53] at York Minster [Map].
On 4th December 1304 Archbishop William Greenfield was elected Archbishop of York.
On 30th January 1306 Archbishop William Greenfield was consecrated Archbishop of York at Lyons. The delay having been caused by the death of Pope Benedict XI.
In January 1315 Archbishop William Melton [aged 40] was elected Archbishop of York.
In September 1317 Archbishop William Melton [aged 42] was consecrated Archbishop of York at Avignon [Map].
On 2nd May 1340 Archbishop William Zouche was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 16th August 1352 Cardinal John of Thoresby was appointed Archbishop of York.
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 November 1373 Archbishop Alexander Neville [aged 32] was elected Archbishop of York.
On 14th April 1374 Archbishop Alexander Neville [aged 33] was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 18th December 1374 Archbishop Alexander Neville [aged 33] was consecrated as Archbishop of York at York Minster [Map].
On 3rd April 1388 Archbishop Thomas Fitzalan aka Arundel [aged 35] was appointed Archbishop of York at a time when Richard II was, in effect, suspended from rule.
On 5th October 1396 Archbishop Robert Waldby was appointed Archbishop of York.
Around May 1398 Archbishop Richard Scrope [aged 48] was appointed Archbishop of York.
In 1464 Archbishop William Booth [aged 76] was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 17th June 1465 Archbishop George Neville [aged 33] was translated to Archbishop of York.
On 6th September 1465 Archbishop George Neville [aged 33] was enthroned as Archbishop of York at Cawood Castle, North Yorkshire [Map]. Isabel Neville Duchess Clarence [aged 14], Anne Neville Queen Consort England [aged 9] and King Richard III of England [aged 12] were present.
In 1476 Archbishop Lawrence Booth [aged 56] was translated to Archbishop of York.
In 1480 Archbishop Thomas Rotherham [aged 56] was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 18th January 1501 Archbishop Thomas Savage [aged 52] was appointed Archbishop of York.
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 1531 Archbishop Edward Lee [aged 49] was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 16th January 1545 Archbishop Robert Holgate [aged 63] was translated to Archbishop of York.
In 1555 Archbishop Nicholas Heath [aged 54] was appointed Archbishop of York.
Henry Machyn's Diary. 5th July 1559. The v day of July was deposyd of ther byshopeprykes the archebyshope of Yorke doctur Heth [aged 58], and the bysshope of Ely docthur Thurlbe [aged 53], at my lord treysorer('s) [aged 76] plasse at Frers Augustyne.
Before 12th August 1560 Dean William May died. He had been elected Archbishop of York the same day.
On 27th January 1561 Archbishop Thomas Young [aged 54] was elected Archbishop of York.
In 1570 Archbishop Edmund Grindal [aged 51] was consecrated Archbishop of York.
In 1576 Archbishop Edwin Sandes [aged 57] was consecrated Archbishop of York.
In 1631 Archbishop Richard Neale [aged 68] was elected Archbishop of York.
In 1640 Archbishop John Williams [aged 57] was appointed Archbishop of York.
In 1660 Archbishop Accepted Frewen [aged 71] was elected Archbishop of York.
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 April 1664 Archbishop Richard Sterne [aged 68] was elected Archbishop of York.
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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In 1683 Archbishop John Dolben [aged 58] was appointed Archbishop of York.
John Evelyn's Diary. 19th August 1683. I went to Bromley to visit our Bishop [aged 58], and excellent neighbour, and to congratulate his now being made Archbishop of York. On the 28th, he came to take his leave of us, now preparing for his journey and residence in his province.
In 1688 Archbishop Thomas Lamplugh [aged 73] was translated to Archbishop of York.
In 1691 Archbishop John Sharp [aged 45] was appointed Archbishop of York.
In 1714 Archbishop William Dawes 3rd Baronet [aged 42] was appointed Archbishop of York.
In 1724 Bishop Lancelot Blackburne [aged 65] was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 21st April 1743 Archbishop Thomas Herring [aged 50] was translated to Archbishop of York.
In 1757 Archbishop George Gilbert [aged 63] was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 3rd October 1761 Archbishop Robert Hay-Drummond [aged 49] was elected at Archbishop of York.
In 1776 Bishop Richard Terrick [aged 66] refused the Archbishop of York on the grounds of ill health.
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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In 1777 Archbishop William Markham [aged 58] was appointed Archbishop of York.
On 26th November 1807 Archbishop Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt [aged 50] was elected Archbishop of York.
In 1860 Archbishop Charles Longley [aged 65] was appointed Archbishop of York.
In 1862 Archbishop William Thomson [aged 42] was elected Archbishop of York.
In 1891 Archbishop William Dalrymple Maclagan [aged 64] was translated to Archbishop of York.
On 17th March 1891 Archbishop William Connor Magee [aged 69] was appointed Archbishop of York. He died seven weeks later.
In 1908 Archbishop Cosmo Gordon Lang [aged 43] was elected Archbishop of York.
Bede. HOW CEADDA, ABOVE-MENTIONED, WAS MADE BISHOP OF THE MERCIANS. OF HIS LIFE, DEATH, AND BURIAL.
At that time, the Mercians were governed by King Wulfhere, who, on the death of Jaruman, desired of Theodore to supply him and his people with a bishop; but Theodore would not obtain a new one for them, but requested of King Oswy that Ceadda might be their bishop. He then lived retired at his monastery, which is at Lestingau, Wilfrid filling the bishopric of York, and of all the Northumbrians, and likewise of the Picts, as far as the dominions of King Oswy extended. And, seeing that it was the custom of that most reverend prelate to go about the work of the Gospel to several places rather on foot than on horseback, Theodore commanded him to ride whenever he had a long journey to undertake, and finding him very unwilling to omit his former pious labour, he himself, with his hands, lifted him on the horse; for he thought him a holy man, and therefore obliged him to ride wherever lie had need to go. Ceadda having received the bishopric of the Mercians and Lindisfarne, took care to administer the same with great rectitude of life, according to the example of the ancients. King Wulfhere also gave him land of fifty families, to build a monastery, at the place called Barvc, or "The Wood," in the province of Lindsey, wherein marks of the regular life instituted by him continue to this day.