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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MP Oxford University is in Member Parliament.
In 1674 Thomas Thynne 1st Viscount Weymouth (age 34) was elected MP Oxford University.
In 1678 John Edisbury (age 32) was elected MP Oxford University.
In 1698 Christopher Musgrave 4th Baronet (age 66) was elected MP Oxford University.
In 1698 William Glynne 2nd Baronet (age 34) was elected MP Oxford University.
In March 1701 William Bromley (age 37) was elected MP Oxford University at a by-election. He continued to hold one of the university's two seats for the rest of his life.
On 2nd February 1737 William Bromley (age 38) was elected MP Oxford University, a seat his father had represented for thirty years. He died suddenly five weeks later.
On 16th December 1762 Walter Wagstaffe Bagot 5th Baronet (age 60) was elected MP Oxford University.
On 3rd February 1768 William Dolben 3rd Baronet (age 41) was elected MP Oxford University which seat he held for just over a month until 11th March 1768.
In 1780 William Dolben 3rd Baronet (age 53) was elected MP Oxford University which seat he held until 1806.
In 1854 William Heathcote 5th Baronet (age 52) was elected MP Oxford University which seat he held until 1868.
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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In 1868 John Gilbert Talbot (age 32) was elected MP Kent West which seat he held until 1878 when he resigned to contend a by-election to be MP Oxford University which he won.
In 1878 John Gilbert Talbot (age 42) was elected MP Oxford University which he held until he stepped down in 1910.