Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet
Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.
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Master of the Rolls is in Master.
In May 1286 Bishop John Langton was appointed Master of the Rolls.
On 20th January 1334 Michael de Wath was appointed Master of the Rolls.
In 1462 Bishop John Alcock [aged 32] was appointed Master of the Rolls.
In March 1472 Cardinal John Morton [aged 52] was appointed Master of the Rolls.
On 4th January 1479 Bishop Robert Morton [aged 44] was appointed Master of the Rolls.
On 13th November 1485 Bishop Robert Morton [aged 50] was appointed Master of the Rolls.
From 5th May 1492 to 13th February 1494 Bishop John Blythe [aged 32] was appointed Master of the Rolls.
Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1509. 11th June 1509. 44. John Yonge [aged 44], Ll.D. Confirmation of grant, 22 Jan., 23 Henry VII., of the office of keeper or master of rolls, books and records of Chancery, with the house of the Converts to dwell in, a tun of Gascon wine annually, &c. Del. Westm., 11 June, 1 Henry VIII. S.B. (countersigned: Will'mus Cantuar., T. Surrey, Oxynford, C. Somerset., Thomas Rowthale.) Pat. 1 Henry VIII, p. 2, m. 5. [165.]
On 12th May 1516 Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall [aged 42] was appointed Master of the Rolls.
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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On 16th January 1542 Robert Southwell [aged 36] was appointed Master of the Rolls which position he held until 1550.
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 16th January 1542. This yeare, the 16th daye of Januarye, 1541 [1542], beganne the Parliament at Westminster, and that daye was masse of the Holy Ghost, the Kinge rydinge from his pallace at Westminster in his Parliament robes, with all his lordes spirituall and temporall in theyr robes, and so rode to the church of St. Petersc; and that daye the Kinge made knightes in the Parliament Chamber, Mr. Robert Southwell, Mr of the Rolles, and Mr. Pollard [aged 37], the King's Rememberancer.
Note c. Westminster Abbey.
In 1553 Nicholas Hare [aged 69] was appointed Master of the Rolls.
In 1603 Edward Bruce 1st Lord Kinloss [aged 55] was appointed Master of the Rolls.
In 1611 Edward Phelips [aged 54] was appointed Master of the Rolls which office he held until his death in 1614.