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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Duke St Albans is in Dukedoms of England Alphabetically, Dukedoms of England Chronologically, Extant Dukedoms of England.
Summary
5th January 1684. Charles Beauclerk 1st Duke St Albans [aged 13] created.
10th May 1726. Son Charles Beauclerk 2nd Duke St Albans [aged 30] succeeded.
27th July 1751. Son George Beauclerk 3rd Duke St Albans [aged 21] succeeded.
1st February 1786. First Cousin Once Removed George Beauclerk 4th Duke St Albans [aged 27] succeeded.
10th February 1787. First Cousin Once Removed Aubrey Beauclerk 5th Duke St Albans [aged 46] succeeded.
9th February 1802. Son Aubrey Beauclerk 6th Duke St Albans [aged 36] succeeded.
12th August 1815. Son Aubrey Beauclerk 7th Duke St Albans succeeded.
19th February 1816. Uncle William Beauclerk 8th Duke St Albans [aged 49] succeeded.
17th July 1825. Son William Beauclerk 9th Duke St Albans [aged 24] succeeded.
27th May 1849. Son William Amelius Aubrey Beauclerk 10th Duke St Albans [aged 9] succeeded.
10th May 1898. Son Charles De Vere Beauclerk 11th Duke St Albans [aged 28] succeeded.
19th September 1934. Half Brother Osborne De Vere Beauclerk 12th Duke St Albans [aged 59] succeeded.
2nd March 1964. Second Cousin Charles Beauclerk 13th Duke St Albans [aged 48] succeeded.
8th October 1988. Son Murray Beauclerk 14th Duke St Albans [aged 49] succeeded.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 22nd August 1667. Returning to the office, did ask whether we might visit Commissioner Pett [aged 57], to which, I confess, I have no great mind; and it was answered that he was close prisoner, and we could not; but the Lieutenant of the Tower would send for him to his lodgings, if we would: so we put it off to another time. Returned to the office, where we sat all the morning, and at noon to Captain Cocke's [aged 50] to dinner; where Lord Bruncker [aged 47] and his Lady, Matt. Wren [aged 38], and Bulteale, and Sir Allen Apsly [aged 51]; the last of whom did make good sport, he being already fallen under the retrenchments of the new Committee, as he is Master Falconer1 which makes him mad, and swears that we are doing that the Parliament would have done-that is, that we are now endeavouring to destroy one another. But it was well observed by some at the table, that they do not think this retrenching of the King's charge will be so acceptable to the Parliament, they having given the King [aged 37] a revenue of so many £100,000's a-year more than his predecessors had, that he might live in pomp, like a king.
Note 1. The post of Master Falconer was afterwards granted to Charles's son by Nell Gwyn [aged 17], and it is still held by the Duke of St. Albans, as an hereditary office. B.
On 5th January 1684 Charles Beauclerk 1st Duke St Albans [aged 13] was created 1st Duke St Albans by King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland [aged 53].
On 17th April 1694 Charles Beauclerk 1st Duke St Albans [aged 23] and Diana Vere Duchess St Albans [aged 15] were married. She by marriage Duchess St Albans. She the daughter of Aubrey de Vere 20th Earl of Oxford [aged 67] and Diana Kirke Countess of Oxford. He the illegitmate son of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland and Nell Gwyn.
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 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 1st February 1786 George Beauclerk 3rd Duke St Albans [aged 55] died at Brussels [Map]. His first cousin once removed George [aged 27] succeeded 4th Duke St Albans, 4th Earl Burford, 4th Baron Heddington.
On 10th February 1787 George Beauclerk 4th Duke St Albans [aged 28] died unmarried and without issue. His first cousin once removed Aubrey [aged 46] succeeded 5th Duke St Albans, 5th Earl Burford, 5th Baron Heddington. Catherine Ponsonby Duchess St Albans [aged 44] by marriage Duchess St Albans.
On 9th February 1802 Aubrey Beauclerk 5th Duke St Albans [aged 61] died. He was buried at Hanworth. His son Aubrey [aged 36] succeeded 6th Duke St Albans, 6th Earl Burford, 6th Baron Heddington, 3rd Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex.
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 15th August 1802 Aubrey Beauclerk 6th Duke St Albans [aged 36] and Louisa Grace Manners Duchess St Albans [aged 25] were married. She by marriage Duchess St Albans. She the daughter of John Manners and Louisa Tollemache 7th Countess Dysart [aged 57]. He the son of Aubrey Beauclerk 5th Duke St Albans and Catherine Ponsonby Duchess St Albans. They were half third cousins. He a great x 2 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 12th August 1815 Aubrey Beauclerk 6th Duke St Albans [aged 49] died. His son Aubrey succeeded 7th Duke St Albans, 7th Earl Burford, 7th Baron Heddington, 4th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex. He was four months old.
On 19th February 1816 Louisa Grace Manners Duchess St Albans [aged 39] died. The same day her son Aubrey Beauclerk 7th Duke St Albans died. His uncle William [aged 49] succeeded 8th Duke St Albans, 8th Earl Burford, 8th Baron Heddington, 5th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex. Maria Janetta Nelthorpe Duchess St Albans by marriage Duchess St Albans. Both at the home of her sister Laura Manners Countess Stair and her husband John Dalrymple 7th Earl of Stair [aged 31] at Portman Square Marylebone.
On 17th July 1825 William Beauclerk 8th Duke St Albans [aged 58] died. His son William [aged 24] succeeded 9th Duke St Albans, 9th Earl Burford, 9th Baron Heddington, 6th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex.
On 16th June 1827 William Beauclerk 9th Duke St Albans [aged 26] and Harriet Mellon Duchess St Albans [aged 49] were married. She by marriage Duchess St Albans. The difference in their ages was 23 years; she, unusually, being older than him. He the son of William Beauclerk 8th Duke St Albans and Maria Janetta Nelthorpe Duchess St Albans.
On 29th May 1839 William Beauclerk 9th Duke St Albans [aged 38] and Elizabeth Catherine Gubbins Duchess St Albans [aged 21] were married at Church of St Mary the Virgin Harby, Leicestershire. She by marriage Duchess St Albans. William Beauclerk 9th Duke St Albans donated a new clock, a bible, a prayer book, and £30 with the rector to be invested for the poor. He the son of William Beauclerk 8th Duke St Albans and Maria Janetta Nelthorpe Duchess St Albans.
On 27th May 1849 William Beauclerk 9th Duke St Albans [aged 48] died. His son William [aged 9] succeeded 10th Duke St Albans, 10th Earl Burford, 10th Baron Heddington, 7th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex.
On 20th June 1867 William Amelius Aubrey Beauclerk 10th Duke St Albans [aged 27] and Sybil Mary Grey Duchess St Albans [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Duchess St Albans. He the son of William Beauclerk 9th Duke St Albans and Elizabeth Catherine Gubbins Duchess St Albans [aged 49]. They were fourth cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.
On 3rd January 1874 William Amelius Aubrey Beauclerk 10th Duke St Albans [aged 33] and Grace Bernal Duchess St Albans [aged 26] were married at Newtown Anner, County Tipperary. She by marriage Duchess St Albans. He the son of William Beauclerk 9th Duke St Albans and Elizabeth Catherine Gubbins Duchess St Albans [aged 56].
On 10th May 1898 William Amelius Aubrey Beauclerk 10th Duke St Albans [aged 58] died. On His son Charles [aged 28] succeeded 11th Duke St Albans, 11th Earl Burford, 11th Baron Heddington, 8th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex.
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 19th September 1934 Charles De Vere Beauclerk 11th Duke St Albans [aged 64] died. His half brother Osborne [aged 59] succeeded 12th Duke St Albans, 12th Earl Burford, 12th Baron Heddington, 9th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex. Beatrix Petty-Fitzmaurice Duchess St Albans [aged 57] by marriage Duchess St Albans.
On 2nd March 1964 Osborne De Vere Beauclerk 12th Duke St Albans [aged 89] died. His second cousin Charles [aged 48] succeeded 13th Duke St Albans, 13th Earl Burford, 13th Baron Heddington, 10th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex. Suzanne Marie Fesq Duchess St Albans [aged 42] by marriage Duchess St Albans.
On 8th October 1988 Charles Beauclerk 13th Duke St Albans [aged 73] died. His son Murray [aged 49] succeeded 14th Duke St Albans, 14th Earl Burford, 14th Baron Heddington, 11th Baron Vere of Hanworth in Middlesex.