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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Death of Prince Arthur is in 1500-1509 Death of Prince Arthur and Henry VII.
On 2nd April 1502 Prince Arthur Tudor [aged 15] died at Ludlow Castle [Map]. Earl Chester extinct. The cause of death unknown other than being reported as "a malign vapour which proceeded from the air". Catherine of Aragon [aged 16] had recovered.
On 23rd April 1502 Prince Arthur's [deceased] funeral was held at St Laurence's Church, Ludlow [Map] presided over by Bishop William Smyth [aged 42]. George Grey 2nd Earl Kent [aged 48], George Talbot 4th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 34], Richard Grey 3rd Earl Kent [aged 21], John Grey 2nd Baron Grey of Powis [aged 17] and Richard Pole [aged 40] attended. Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk [aged 59] was Chief Mourner. Edward Howard [aged 26] and Robert Radclyffe 1st Earl of Sussex [aged 19] carried The Canopy.
Richard Pole: In 1462 he was born to Geoffrey Pole and Edith St John at Isleworth. Around 1491 Richard Pole and Margaret York aka Pole Countess of Salisbury were married. She the daughter of George York 1st Duke of Clarence and Isabel Neville Duchess Clarence. On 15th January 1504 Richard Pole died.
Before 25th April 1502 Prince Arthur's [deceased] body was transported from Ludlow, Shropshire [Map] to Worcester Cathedral [Map] via the River Servern in a special wagon upholstered in black and drawn by six horses, also caparisoned in black.
Wriothesley's Chronicle [1508-1562]. 2nd April 1502. And in Easter weeke followinge the saide Prince Arthure [aged 15] deceased at Ludlowe [Map], in Wales, and was buried at Worcester [Map].b
Note b. Prince Arthur died on the Saturday following Easter Sunday in 1503, being April 2nd, and was buried in Worcester cathedral on the 27th April.
On 25th April 1502 Prince Arthur Tudor [deceased] was buried in the Chantry Chapel of Prince Arthur in Worcester Cathedral [Map].
Bishop William Smyth [aged 42], Bishop of Lincoln and Lord President of the Council of Wales and the Marches, presided.
George Grey 2nd Earl Kent [aged 48] and George Talbot 4th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 34] received Arthur's Coat of Arms, Richard Grey 3rd Earl Kent [aged 21] received Arthur's shield, John Grey 2nd Baron Grey of Powis [aged 17] received Arthur's sword, pommel forwards. Gruffydd ap Rhys ap Thomas Deheubarth [aged 24] carried Prince Arthur's banner.
Gerald Fitzgerald 9th Earl of Kildare [aged 15] rode Arthur's courser as the Man at Arms, in Arthur's full armour, carrying Arthur's poleaxe, pointed down, through the Nave to the Altar where he was stripped of Arthur's clothes.
The Chapel is to the right of the High Altar in the Chancel. It is decorated with heraldic carvings symbolising the houses of York, Lancaster, Beaufort and Catherine of Aragon's Pomegranate. His Purbeck marble tomb chest is decorated with the arms of England. He is buried beneath the cathedral's floor several feet away from the tomb that visitors can see.
