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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Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley was born to [her father] John Baker Holroyd 1st Earl Sheffield and [her mother] Abigail Way Countess Sheffield.
In 1783 [her father] John Baker Holroyd 1st Earl Sheffield (age 47) was elected Fellow of the Royal Society.
In 1783 [her father] John Baker Holroyd 1st Earl Sheffield (age 47) was created 1st Baron Sheffield of Roscommon in Roscommon.
Before 1793 [her father] John Baker Holroyd 1st Earl Sheffield (age 57) and [her mother] Abigail Way Countess Sheffield were married. She by marriage Countess Sheffield of Dunamore in Meath.
In 1793 [her mother] Abigail Way Countess Sheffield died.
In 1796 John Stanley 1st Baron Stanley Alderley (age 29) and Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley were married. She the daughter of John Baker Holroyd 1st Earl Sheffield (age 60) and Abigail Way Countess Sheffield.
On 20th January 1798 [her father] John Baker Holroyd 1st Earl Sheffield (age 62) and Anne North Countess Sheffield (age 37) were married. She by marriage Countess Sheffield of Dunamore in Meath. The difference in their ages was 24 years. She the daughter of Frederick North 2nd Earl Guildford and Anne Speke Countess Guilford.
In 1801 [her daughter] Isabella Louisa Stanley was born to [her husband] John Stanley 1st Baron Stanley Alderley (age 34) and Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley.
In 1802 [her father] John Baker Holroyd 1st Earl Sheffield (age 66) was created 1st Baron Sheffield of Sheffield in Yorkshire.
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 13th November 1802 [her son] William Owen Stanley was born to [her husband] John Stanley 1st Baron Stanley Alderley (age 35) and Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley. He married 1832 Ellin Williams.
On 13th November 1802 [her son] Edward John Stanley 2nd Baron Stanley and 1st Baron Eddisbury was born to [her husband] John Stanley 1st Baron Stanley Alderley (age 35) and Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley. He married 7th October 1826 Henrietta Maria Dillon Baroness Stanley Alderley and Eddisbury, daughter of Henry Augustus Dillon Lee 13th Viscount Dillon, and had issue.
In 1806 [her daughter] Matilda Abigail Stanley was born to [her husband] John Stanley 1st Baron Stanley Alderley (age 39) and Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley. She married before 30th November 1831 Henry John Adeane and had issue.
In 1816 [her father] John Baker Holroyd 1st Earl Sheffield (age 80) was created 1st Earl Sheffield of Dunamore in Meath and 1st Viscount Pevensey.
On 30th May 1821 [her father] John Baker Holroyd 1st Earl Sheffield (age 85) died. He was buried at Sheffield Family Mausoleum Church of St Mary and St Andrew, Fletching. His son [her half-brother] George (age 19) succeeded 2nd Earl Sheffield of Dunamore in Meath, 2nd Viscount Pevensey, 2nd Baron Sheffield of Dunamore in Meath, 2nd Baron Sheffield of Roscommon in Roscommon, 2nd Baron Sheffield of Sheffield in Yorkshire.
On 7th October 1826 [her son] Edward John Stanley 2nd Baron Stanley and 1st Baron Eddisbury (age 23) and [her daughter-in-law] Henrietta Maria Dillon Baroness Stanley Alderley and Eddisbury (age 18) were married.
On 1st June 1827 Arthur Charles Legge (age 26) and Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley were married. She the daughter of John Baker Holroyd 1st Earl Sheffield and Abigail Way Countess Sheffield. He the son of George Legge 3rd Earl Dartmouth and Frances Finch Countess Dartmouth (age 66).
On 29th November 1827 [her father-in-law] John Thomas Stanley 6th Baronet (age 92) died. His son [her husband] John (age 61) succeeded 7th Baronet Stanley of Alderley in Cheshire. Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley by marriage Lady Stanley of Alderley in Cheshire.
On 25th October 1828 [her brother-in-law] William Legge 4th Earl Dartmouth (age 43) and Frances Barrington Countess Dartmouth were married. She by marriage Countess Dartmouth. He the son of George Legge 3rd Earl Dartmouth and [her mother-in-law] Frances Finch Countess Dartmouth (age 67).
Before 30th November 1831 [her son-in-law] Henry John Adeane (age 42) and [her daughter] Matilda Abigail Stanley (age 25) were married.
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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In 1832 [her son] William Owen Stanley (age 29) and [her daughter-in-law] Ellin Williams were married.
Before 18th January 1832 [her half-brother] George Augustus Frederick Charles Holroyd 2nd Earl Sheffield (age 29) and [her sister-in-law] Harriet Lascelles Countess Sheffield (age 30) were married. She by marriage Countess Sheffield of Dunamore in Meath. She the daughter of Henry Lascelles 2nd Earl Harewood (age 64) and Henrietta Sebright Countess Harewood. He the son of [her father] John Baker Holroyd 1st Earl Sheffield and Anne North Countess Sheffield (age 71).
In 1837 [her brother-in-law] Bishop Edward Stanley (age 57) was appointed Bishop of Norwich.
In 1839 [her daughter] Isabella Louisa Stanley (age 38) died.
In 1839 [her husband] John Stanley 1st Baron Stanley Alderley (age 72) was created 1st Baron Stanley Alderley. Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley by marriage Baroness Stanley Alderley.
On 6th September 1849 [her brother-in-law] Bishop Edward Stanley (age 70) died.
On 28th July 1850 [her daughter] Matilda Abigail Stanley (age 44) died.
On 23rd October 1850 [her husband] John Stanley 1st Baron Stanley Alderley (age 83) died. His son [her son] Edward (age 47) succeeded 2nd Baron Stanley Alderley, 8th Baronet Stanley of Alderley in Cheshire. [her daughter-in-law] Henrietta Maria Dillon Baroness Stanley Alderley and Eddisbury (age 42) by marriage Baroness Stanley Alderley.
On 22nd November 1853 [her brother-in-law] William Legge 4th Earl Dartmouth (age 68) died. In 1853 His son William (age 30) succeeded 5th Earl Dartmouth, 6th Baron Dartmouth. Augusta Finch Countess Dartmouth (age 31) by marriage Countess Dartmouth.
In 1863 Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley died.
On 18th May 1890 [her former husband] Arthur Charles Legge (age 89) died.
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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[her daughter] Lucy Anne Stanley was born to John Stanley 1st Baron Stanley Alderley and Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley.
Maria Josepha Holroyd Baroness Stanley Alderley
GrandFather: Lewis Way
Mother: Abigail Way Countess Sheffield