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Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans

Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Biography of Paul van Somer 1577-1621

1616. Paul van Somer. Portrait of Thomas Keightley (age 35).

Thomas Keightley: On 28th March 1580 he was born. On 4th March 1616 he and Rose Evelyn were married at St Mary's Church, Long Ditton [Map].

1616. Paul van Somer. Portrait of Rose Evelyn (age 19).

Rose Evelyn: On or before 12th September 1596, the date she was baptised at St Mary's Church, Long Ditton [Map], she was born to George Evelyn of Long Ditton and Joan Stint. John Evelyn's Diary. 8th March 1681. Visited and dined at the Earl of Essex's, with whom I spent most of the afternoon alone. Thence to my (yet living) godmother and kinswoman, Mrs. Keightley, sister to Sir Thomas Evelyn and niece to my father, being now eighty-six years of age, sprightly, and in perfect health, her eyes serving her as well as ever, and of a comely countenance, that one would not suppose her above fifty. In 1683 Rose Evelyn died.