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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Anthony Van Dyck is in Painters.
1613-14. Anthony Van Dyck [aged 13]. Self-portrait.
Around 1621 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 21]. Portrait of Thomas Howard 14th or 21st Earl of Arundel 4th Earl of Surrey 1st Earl Norfolk [aged 35].
In 1623 Adriaen Hanneman [aged 20] travelled to England where he lived for sixteen years where he met and was influenced by Anthony Van Dyck [aged 23], Daniel Mijtens [aged 33] and Cornelius Janssens aka Johnson [aged 29].
In 1624 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 24]. Portrait of Emanuel Filibert of Savoy [aged 35].
Emanuel Filibert of Savoy: On 16th April 1588 he was born to Charles Emmanuel Savoy I Duke Savoy and Catherine Habsburg Spain Duchess Savoy. Coefficient of inbreeding 6.67%. On 4th August 1624 Emanuel Filibert of Savoy died of plague.
Around 1624 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 24]. Portrait of Sofonisba Anguissola [aged 92] aged ninety-two.
Around 1625 Cornelius Janssens aka Johnson [aged 31] had a studio in Blackfriars. As did Anthony Van Dyck [aged 25]. Blackfriars was within the boundaries of the City of London, but was a liberty and so avoided the monopoly in the City of members of the London painters' Guild.
1627-28. Peter Paul Rubens [aged 49]. Portrait of Anthony Van Dyck [aged 27].
Around 1628 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 28]. Portrait of Anne Wake.
Around 1628 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 28]. Portrait of Katherine Manners Duchess Buckingham [aged 25].
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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Around 1632 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 32]. Portrait of Thomas Wharton [aged 16].
Thomas Wharton: On 16th February 1615 he was born to Thomas Wharton and Philadelphia Carey. In or before 1647 Thomas Wharton and Mary Carey were married. She the daughter of Henry Carey 1st Earl Dover and Judith Pelham Countess Dover. They were second cousins. On 8th November 1684 Thomas Wharton died.
Around 1632 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 32]. Portrait of King James I of England and Ireland and VI of Scotland.
In 1632 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 32] was knighted.
In 1633 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 33]. Portrait of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 32] known as Charles I with M.De St Antoine.
Around 1633 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 33]. Portrait of William Feilding 1st Earl Denbigh [aged 46].
1633 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 33]. Self-portrait with a Sunflower.
In 1633 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 33]. Portrait of Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Strafford [aged 39].
Around 1633 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 33]. Portrait of Venetia Stanley [aged 33].
Venetia Stanley: In 1600 she was born to Edward Stanley and Lucy Percy at Tong Castle, Shropshire [Map]. In 1625 Kenelm Digby and she were married. On 30th April 1633 Venetia Stanley died.
Around 1633 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 33]. Portrait of Robert Rich 2nd Earl Warwick [aged 45].
Around 1633 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 33]. Portrait of Lucy Percy Countess Carlisle [aged 33].
Lucy Percy Countess Carlisle: In 1600 she was born to Henry "Wizard Earl" Percy 9th Earl of Northumberland and Dorothy Devereux Countess Northumberland. She was named for her mother's friend Lucy Harrington Countess Bedford. On 6th November 1617 James Hay 1st Earl Carlisle and she were married. See Diary of Anne Clifford. The difference in their ages was 20 years. She the daughter of Henry "Wizard Earl" Percy 9th Earl of Northumberland and Dorothy Devereux Countess Northumberland. In 1622 James Hay 1st Earl Carlisle was created 1st Earl Carlisle. She by marriage Countess Carlisle. On 5th November 1660 Lucy Percy Countess Carlisle died.
Around 1633 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 33]. Portrait of Dorothy North Baroness Dacre of Gilsland [aged 28].
Dorothy North Baroness Dacre of Gilsland: In 1605 she was born to Dudley North 3rd Baron North and Frances Brocket. On 4th January 1625 Richard Lennard 13th Baron Dacre Gilsland and she were married. She by marriage Baroness Dacre Gilsland. Before 14th April 1659 Chaloner Chute of The Vyne and she were married. On 21st April 1698 Dorothy North Baroness Dacre of Gilsland died.
Around 1633 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 33]. Portrait of James Stewart 4th Duke Lennox.
Around 1634 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 34]. Portrait of Frederick Henry Orange Nassau II Prince Orange [aged 49].
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
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Around 1634 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 34]. Portrait of James Stewart 4th Duke Lennox wearing his Leg Garter and Garter Collar.
Around 1634 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 34]. Portrait of Algernon Percy 10th Earl of Northumberland [aged 31] and Anne Cecil.
Anne Cecil: she was born to William Cecil 2nd Earl Salisbury and Catherine Howard Countess Salisbury. In 1629 Algernon Percy 10th Earl of Northumberland and she were married. She the daughter of William Cecil 2nd Earl Salisbury and Catherine Howard Countess Salisbury. He the son of Henry "Wizard Earl" Percy 9th Earl of Northumberland and Dorothy Devereux Countess Northumberland. They were fourth cousin once removed. In 1637 Anne Cecil died.
Around 1634 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 34]. Portrait of Philip Herbert 4th Earl Pembroke 1st Earl Montgomery [aged 49].
Around 1635 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 35]. Portrait of Katherine Wotton Countess Chesterfield [aged 26].
Around 1635 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 35]. Portrait of Olivia Boteler.
Olivia Boteler: she was born to John Boteler 1st Baron Boteler and Elizabeth Villiers Baroness Boteler Brantfield. she was appointed Lady in Waiting to Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England. Around 1607 Endymion Porter and she were married. On 13th December 1663 Olivia Boteler died.
Around 1635 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 35]. Portrait of James Stanley 7th Earl of Derby [aged 27] and Charlotte Thouars Countess Derby [aged 35] and their daughter.
In 1635 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 35]. Portrait of Christian Bruce Countess Devonshire.
Around 1635 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 35]. Portrait of Thomas Killigrew [aged 22].
Around 1635 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 35]. Portrait of Henry "Wizard Earl" Percy 9th Earl of Northumberland.
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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Around 1635 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 35]. Portrait of Anne Carr Countess of Bedford [aged 19].
Around 1636 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 36]. Portrait of Mary Villiers Duchess Lennox.
Around 1636 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 36]. Portrait of Archbishop William Laud [aged 62]. Wearing a black Chimere over his white Rochet.
Around 1636 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 36]. Portrait of James Stewart 4th Duke Lennox.
Around 1636 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 36]. Portrait of Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl Strafford [aged 42].
Around 1637 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 37]. Portrait of Mary Villiers Duchess Lennox.
Around 1637 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 37]. Portrait of Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 40].
Around 1637 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 37]. Portrait of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland [aged 36].
Around 1637 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 37]. Portrait of George Digby 2nd Earl Bristol [aged 24] and William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 20].
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Around 1637 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 37]. Portrait of Thomas Howard 21st Earl Arundel and Alethea Talbot Countess Arundel.
Around 1637 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 37]. Portrait of Mary Ruthven Countess Atholl.
Around 1637 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 37]. Portrait of Mary Villiers Duchess Lennox.
In 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Thomas Killigrew [aged 25] and (probably) William Crofts 1st Baron Crofts [aged 27].
Around 1638. Follower of Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Anne Boteler Countess Newport and Portland [aged 38].
1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Diana Cecil Countess of Oxford and Elgin [aged 42].
Around 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of James Hay 2nd Earl Carlisle [aged 26].
In 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Elizabeth Brydges Countess Castlehaven [aged 19].
Elizabeth Brydges Countess Castlehaven: In 1619 she was born to Grey Brydges 5th Baron Chandos and Anne Stanley Countess Castlehaven. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. In or before 1678 James Tuchet 3rd Earl Castlehaven and she were married. She by marriage Countess Castlehaven. She the daughter of Grey Brydges 5th Baron Chandos and Anne Stanley Countess Castlehaven. He the son of Mervyn Tuchet 2nd Earl Castlehaven and Elizabeth Barnham Countess Castlehaven. In 1678 Elizabeth Brydges Countess Castlehaven died.
Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough
A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'
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In 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Diana Cecil Countess Oxford.
Around 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Catherine Howard Countess Newburgh.
Catherine Howard Countess Newburgh: she was born to Theophilus Howard 2nd Earl Suffolk and Elizabeth Home Countess Suffolk. In May 1638 George Stewart 9th Seigneur D'Aubigny and she were married. They married in secret against the wishes of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland. She the daughter of Theophilus Howard 2nd Earl Suffolk and Elizabeth Home Countess Suffolk. He the son of Esmé Stewart 3rd Duke Lennox and Katherine Clifton Duchess Lennox. They were half fifth cousin once removed. Around September 1648 James Livingston 1st Earl Newburgh and she were married. She the daughter of Theophilus Howard 2nd Earl Suffolk and Elizabeth Home Countess Suffolk. In 1650 Catherine Howard Countess Newburgh died.
Around 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Rachel Massue Countess Southampton [aged 35].
Rachel Massue Countess Southampton: In 1603 she was born to Daniel de Massue Seigneur de Rouvigny. In or before 1636 Thomas Wriothesley 4th Earl of Southampton 2nd Earl Chichester and she were married. She by marriage Countess of Southampton. He the son of Henry Wriothesley 3rd Earl of Southampton and Elizabeth Vernon Countess Southampton. On 16th February 1640 she died.
Around 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of George Digby 2nd Earl Bristol [aged 25].
Around 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Catherine Hastings Countess Chesterfield and Lucy Davies Countess Huntingdon [aged 25].
Around 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Thomas Hanmer 2nd Baronet [aged 26].
Around 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Mary Hill [aged 23].
Mary Hill: William Killigrew and she were married. Around 1615 she was born. In 1690 she died.
Around 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of William Russell 1st Duke Bedford [aged 21].
Around 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of William Killigrew [aged 32].
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Around 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Anne Boteler 1st Countess Newport.
Around 1638 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 38]. Portrait of Isabella Edmondes Baroness De La Warr [aged 31].
Isabella Edmondes Baroness De La Warr: Around 1607 she was born to Thomas Edmondes. Before 1626 Henry West 4th Baron De La Warr and she were married. She by marriage Baroness De La Warr. Around 1677 she died.
1639. Follower of Anthony Van Dyck [aged 39]. Portrait of Henry Rich 1st Earl Holland [aged 48].
Around 1639 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 39]. Portrait of Henry Danvers 1st Earl Danby [aged 65] in his Garter Robes.
Around 1639 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 39]. Portrait of Thomas Wharton.
Thomas Wharton: Around 1588 he was born to Philip Wharton 3rd Baron Wharton and Frances Clifford Baroness Wharton. On 11th April 1611 Thomas Wharton and Philadelphia Carey were married. She the daughter of Robert Carey 1st Earl Monmouth and Elizabeth Trevannion Countess Monmouth. They were fourth cousins. On 17th April 1622 Thomas Wharton died.
Around 1640 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 40]. Portrait of Elizabeth Villiers Countess Morton [aged 31].
Around 1640 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 40]. Portrait of Mountjoy Blount 1st Earl Newport [aged 43].
Around 1640 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 40]. Portrait of Kenelm Digby [aged 37].
Around 1640 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 40]. Portrait of Charles Seton 2nd Earl Dunfermline [aged 24].
Charles Seton 2nd Earl Dunfermline: Charles Seton 2nd Earl Dunfermline and Mary Douglas Countess Dunfermline were married. She by marriage Countess Dunfermline. She the daughter of William Douglas 7th Earl Morton and Anne Keith Countess Morton. He the son of Alexander Seton 1st Earl Dunfermline and Margaret Hay Countess Dunfermline. They were fourth cousins. In November 1615 he was born to Alexander Seton 1st Earl Dunfermline and Margaret Hay Countess Dunfermline. On 16th June 1622 Alexander Seton 1st Earl Dunfermline died. His son Charles succeeded 2nd Earl Dunfermline. On 11th May 1672 Charles Seton 2nd Earl Dunfermline died. His son Alexander succeeded 3rd Earl Dunfermline.
Around 1640 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 40]. Portrait of sisters Essex Cheeke Countess Manchester and Anne Cheeke Countess Warwick [aged 20].
Essex Cheeke Countess Manchester: she was born to Thomas Cheeke and Essex Rich. On 20th December 1642 Edward Montagu 2nd Earl Manchester and she were married. She by marriage Countess Manchester. He the son of Henry Montagu 1st Earl Manchester and Catherine Spencer.
Anne Cheeke Countess Warwick: In 1620 she was born to Thomas Cheeke and Essex Rich. After 1638 Robert Rich 3rd Earl Warwick and she were married. She by marriage Countess Warwick. He the son of Robert Rich 2nd Earl Warwick and Frances Hatton Countess Warwick. They were first cousins. In 1652 Anne Cheeke Countess Warwick died.
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.
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Around 1640 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 40]. Portrait of Alice Bankes.
1640 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 40]. Portrait of the artist's wife James Hamilton 1st Duke Hamilton [aged 33].
1640 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 40]. Portrait of the artist's wife Mary Ruthven [aged 20].
On 27th February 1640 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 40] and Mary Ruthven [aged 20] were married at Queen Henrietta Maria's private Catholic Chapel, Somerset House. On that day, Patrick Ruthven, 'of St Martin's in the Fields', assigned £120 of his pension to Mary, perhaps in lieu of the dowry that he could not afford. Mary Ruthven had a small dowry all the same; it was provided, not by her father, but by King Charles himself. The difference in their ages was 20 years.
Before 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 41]. Portrait of Gaspar de Crayer [aged 56].
On 1st December 1641 [his daughter] Justina Van Dyck was born to Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42] and [his wife] Mary Ruthven [aged 21]. Her father died eight days after her birth. She was baptised on the same day as her father's death, 9th December 1641 at St Ann Blackfriars Church. She married 1653 John Stepney 4th Baronet and had issue.
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Algernon Percy 10th Earl of Northumberland [aged 39].
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Henry Percy 8th Earl of Northumberland.
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Elizabeth Clifford Countess Burlington [aged 28].
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Dorothy Devereux Countess Northumberland.
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Henry Percy [aged 37] and the dwarf Jeffrey Hudson.
Henry Percy: In 1604 he was born to Henry "Wizard Earl" Percy 9th Earl of Northumberland and Dorothy Devereux Countess Northumberland. In April 1659 Henry Percy died unmarried in Paris [Map]. John Evelyn's Diary. 6th September 1680. I dined with Sir Stephen Fox, now one of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. This gentleman came first a poor boy from the choir of Salisbury, then he was taken notice of by Bishop Duppa, and afterward waited on my Lord Percy (brother to Algernon, Earl of Northumberland), who procured for him an inferior place among the clerks of the kitchen and Greencloth side, where he was found so humble, diligent, industrious, and prudent in his behavior, that his Majesty being in exile, and Mr. Fox waiting, both the King and Lords about him frequently employed him about their affairs, and trusted him both with receiving and paying the little money they had. Returning with his Majesty to England, after great want and great sufferings, his Majesty found him so honest and industrious, and withal so capable and ready, that, being advanced from clerk of the kitchen to that of the Greencloth, he procured to be paymaster of the whole army, and by his dexterity and punctual dealing he obtained such credit among the bankers, that he was in a short time able to borrow vast sums of them upon any exigence. The continual turning thus of money, and the soldiers' moderate allowance to him for keeping touch with them, did so enrich him, that he is believed to be worth at least £200,000, honestly got and unenvied; which is next to a miracle. With all this he continues as humble and ready to do a courtesy as ever he was.
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England [aged 32] and the dwarf Jeffrey Hudson.
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England [aged 32] and her son Charles James Stewart.
Charles James Stewart: On 13th May 1629 he was born to King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland and Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England. He died the same day.
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
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Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Henrietta Maria Bourbon Queen Consort England [aged 32].
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Frances Devereux Duchess of Somerset [aged 42].
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Beatrice Van Hemmema Countess of Oxford [aged 61].
Beatrice Van Hemmema Countess of Oxford: In 1580 she was born. In 1626 Robert de Vere 19th Earl of Oxford and she were married. She by marriage Countess of Oxford. In 1653 she died.
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Richard Boyle 2nd Earl Cork 1st Earl Burlington [aged 29].
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Dorothy Sidney Countess Sunderland [aged 24].
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Anne Sophia Herbert Countess Carnarvon.
Before 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of John Mennes [aged 42].
Before 9th December 1641. After Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42]. Portrait of Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset [aged 19].
On 9th December 1641 Anthony Van Dyck [aged 42] died. His eight days old daughter Justina Van Dyck became the co-heiress with her mother Mary Ruthven [aged 21] of Sir Anthony's very substantial fortune, and in due course, she would also become the heiress of the Ruthvens, Earls of Gowrie.
In July or August 1642 Richard Price of Gogerddan and Mary Ruthven [aged 22] were married. She brought considerable wealtth to th emarriage being the former wife of painter Anthony Van Dyck.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Between 1643 and 1647. Follower of Anthony Van Dyck. Portrait of John Craven 1st Baron Craven [aged 32].
In 1645 [his former wife] Mary Ruthven [aged 25] died. Her ophaned daughter Justina Van Dyck [aged 3] was left in the care of her stepfather, miles behind Royalist lines, while most of the fortune to which she was now sole heiress was still in her father's house in Parliamentarian London.
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th February 1649. The painter, La Neve has an Andromeda, but I think it a copy after Vandyke from Titian, for the original is in France. Webb, at the Exchange, has some rare things in miniature, of Breughel's, also Putti, in twelve squares, that were plundered from Sir James Palmer [aged 64].
In 1653 [his son-in-law] John Stepney 4th Baronet [aged 21] and Justina Van Dyck [aged 11] were married. An illustrious match for him since she was the wealthy orphaned daughter of Anthony Van Dyck and Mary Ruthven although much of her fortune had, by this time, been appropriated by others. She the daughter of Anthony Van Dyck and Mary Ruthven.
John Evelyn's Diary. 8th May 1654. I went to Hackney, to see Lady Brook's garden, which was one of the neatest and most celebrated in England, the house well furnished, but a despicable building. Returning, visited one Mr. Tomb's garden; it has large and noble walks, some modern statues, a vineyard, planted in strawberry borders, staked at ten feet distances, the banqueting-house of cedar, where the couch and seats were carved à l'antique; some good pictures in the house, especially one of Vandyke's, being a man in his shirt; also some of Stenwyck. I also called at Mr. Ducie's, who has indeed a rare collection of the best masters, and one of the largest stories of H. Holbein. I also saw Sir Thomas Fowler's aviary, which is a poor business.
John Evelyn's Diary. 9th June 1658. I went to see the Earl of Northumberland's [aged 55] pictures, whereof that of the Venetian Senators was one of the best of Titian's and another of Andrea del Sarto, viz, a Madonna, Christ, St. John, and an Old Woman; a St. Catherine of Da Vinci, with divers portraits of Vandyck; a Nativity of Georgioni; the last of our blessed Kings (Charles I.), and the Duke of York, by Lely [aged 39], a Rosary by the famous Jesuits of Brussels, and several more. This was in Suffolk House, Suffolk Street: the new front toward the gardens is tolerable, were it not drowned by a too massy and clumsy pair of stairs of stone, without any neat invention.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 15th May 1663. The Portugalls have choused us1, it seems, in the Island of Bombay, in the East Indys; for after a great charge of our fleets being sent thither with full commission from the King [aged 32] of Portugall to receive it, the Governour by some pretence or other will not deliver it to Sir Abraham Shipman, sent from the King, nor to my Lord of Marlborough [aged 45]; which the King takes highly ill, and I fear our Queen [aged 24] will fare the worse for it. The Dutch decay there exceedingly, it being believed that their people will revolt from them there, and they forced to give over their trade. This is talked of among us, but how true I understand not. Sir Thomas showed me his picture and Sir Anthony Vandike's, in crayon in little, done exceedingly well.
Note 1. The word chouse appears to have been introduced into the language at the beginning of the seventeenth century. In 1609, a Chiaus sent by Sir Robert Shirley, from Constantinople to London, had chiaused (or choused) the Turkish and Persian merchants out of £4,000, before the arrival of his employer, and had decamped. The affair was quite recent in 1610, when Jonson's "Alchemist" appeared, in which it is alluded to.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 13th September 1665. After dinner we officers of the Navy stepped aside to read some letters and consider some business, and so in again. I was only pleased at a very fine picture of the Queene-Mother [aged 55], when she was young, by Van-Dike; a very good picture, and a lovely sweet face.
Samuel Pepys' Diary. 26th April 1667. Thence I to St. James's, to meet Sir G. Carteret [aged 57], and did, and Lord Berkely [aged 65], to get them (as we would have done the Duke of Albemarle [aged 58]) to the meeting of the Lords of Appeale in the business of one of our prizes. With them to the meeting of the Guinny company, and there staid, and went with Lord Berkely. While I was waiting for him in the Matted Gallery, a young man was most finely working in Indian inke the great picture of the King [aged 36] and Queen [aged 28] sitting, [Charles I and Henrietta Maria.] by Van Dyke; and did it very finely.
Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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John Evelyn's Diary. 16th November 1676. My son [aged 21] and I dining at my Lord Chamberlain's [aged 58], he showed us among others that incomparable piece of Raphael's, being a Minister of State dictating to Guicciardini, the earnestness of whose face looking up in expectation of what he was next to write, is so to the life, and so natural, as I esteem it one of the choicest pieces of that admirable artist. There was a woman's head of Leonardo da Vinci; a Madonna of old Palma, and two of Vandyke's, of which one was his own picture at length, when young, in a leaning posture; the other, an eunuch, singing. Rare pieces indeed!
John Evelyn's Diary. 15th January 1679. I went with my Lady Sunderland [aged 33] to Chelsea, and dined with the Countess of Bristol [aged 59] [her mother] in the great house, formerly the Duke of Buckingham's, a spacious and excellent place for the extent of ground and situation in a good air. The house is large but ill-contrived, though my Lord of Bristol, who purchased it after he sold Wimbledon to my Lord Treasurer [aged 46], expended much money on it. There were divers pictures of Titian and Vandyke, and some of Bassano, very excellent, especially an Adonis and Venus, a Duke of Venice, a butcher in his shambles selling meat to a Swiss; and of Vandyke, my Lord of Bristol's picture, with the Earl of Bedford's at length, in the same table. There was in the garden a rare collection of orange trees, of which she was pleased to bestow some upon me.
Before 1684. Circle of Anthony Van Dyck. Portrait of Bishop Peter Gunning [aged 69].
John Evelyn's Diary. 24th January 1685. I din'd at Lord Newport's [aged 64], who has some excellent pictures, especialy that of Sr Tho. Hanmer, by Van Dyke, one of the best he ever painted; another of our English Dobson's painting; but above all, Christ in the Virgin's lap by Poussin, an admirable piece, with some thing of most other famous hands.
John Evelyn's Diary. 27th January 1685. I din'd at Lord Sunderland's [aged 43], being invited to heare that celebrated voice of Mr. Pordage, newly come from Rome; his singing was after the Venetian recitative, as masterly as could be, and with an excellent voice both treble and basse; Dr. Walgrave accompanied it with his theorba lute, on which he perform'd beyond imagination, and is doubtlesse orie of the greatest masters in Europe on that charming in strument. Pordage is a priest, as Mr. Bernard Howard [aged 44] told me in private. There was in the roome where we din'd, and in his bed-chamber, those incomparable pieces of Columbus, a Flagellation, the Grammar-schoole, the Venus and Adonis of Titian; and of Vandyke's that picture of the late E. of Digby (father of the Countess of Sunderland [aged 39]), and Earle of Bedford [aged 68], Sr Kenelm Digby, and two Ladys of incomparable performance; besides that of Moses and the burning bush of Bassano, and several other pieces of ye best masters. A marble head of M. Brutus, &c.
John Evelyn's Diary. 24th March 1688. There are many good pictures, especially of Vandyke's, in both these houses, and some few statues and small busts in the latter.
John Evelyn's Diary. 21st June 1693. I saw a great auction of pictures in the Banqueting house, Whitehall [Map]. They had been my Lord Melford's [aged 42], now Ambassador from King James [aged 59] at Rome, and engaged to his creditors here. Lord Mulgrave [aged 45] and Sir Edward Seymour [aged 60] came to my house, and desired me to go with them to the sale. Divers more of the great lords, etc., were there, and bought pictures dear enough. There were some very excellent of Vandyke, Rubens, and Bassan. Lord Godolphin [aged 48] bought the picture of the Boys, by Murillo the Spaniard, for 80 guineas, dear enough; my nephew Glanville, the old Earl of Arundel's head by Rubens, for £20. Growing late, I did not stay till all were sold.
Letters of Horace Walpole. 5th August 1752. From Sevenoaks [Map] we went to Knowle. The park is sweet, with much old beech, and an immense sycamore before the great gate, that makes me more in love than ever with sycamores. The house is not near so extensive as I expected:330 the outward court has a beautiful decent simplicity that charms one. The apartments are many, but not large. The furniture throughout, ancient magnificence; loads of portraits, not good nor curious; ebony cabinets, embossed silver in vases, dishes, etc. embroidered beds, stiff chairs, and sweet bags lying on velvet tables, richly worked in silk and gold. There are two galleries, one very small; an old hall, and a spacious great drawing-room. There is never a good staircase. The first little room you enter has sundry portraits of the times; but they seem to have been bespoke by the yard, and drawn all by the same painter; One should be happy if they were authentic; for among them there is Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, Gardiner of Winchester, the Earl of Surry, the poet, when a boy, and a Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, but I don't know which. The only fine picture is of Lord Goring and Endymion Porter by Vandyke. There is a good head of the Queen of Bohemia, a whole-length of Duc d'Espernon, and another good head of the Clifford, Countess of Dorset, who wrote that admirable haughty letter to Secretary Williamson, when he recommended a person to her for member for Appleby: "I have been bullied by an usurper, I have been neglected by a court, but I won't be dictated to by a subject: your man shan't stand. Ann Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery." In the chapel is a piece of ancient tapestry: Saint Luke in his first profession is holding an urinal. Below stairs is a chamber of poets and players, which is proper enough in that house; for the first Earl wrote a play331, and the last Earl was a poet332, and I think married a player333 Major Mohun and Betterton are curious among the latter, Cartwright and Flatman among the former. The arcade is newly enclosed, painted in fresco, and with modern glass of all the family matches. In the gallery is a whole-length of the unfortunate Earl of Surry, with his device, a broken column, and the motto Sat superest. My father had one of them, but larger, and with more emblems, which the Duke of Norfolk bought at my brother's sale. There is one good head of henry VIII, and divers of Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, the citizen who came to be lord treasurer, and was very near coming to be hanged.334 His Countess, a bouncing kind of lady-mayoress, looks pure awkward amongst so much good company. A visto cut through the wood has a delightful effect from the front: but there are some trumpery fragments of gardens that spoil the view from the state apartments.
Note 329. Only son of Dr. Richard Bentley, the celebrated Divine and classical scholar. He was educated at Trinity College, under his father. Cumberland, who was his nephew, describes him as a man of various and considerable accomplishments; possessing a fine genius, great wit, and a brilliant imagination; "but there was," he adds, "a certain eccentricity and want of prudence in his character, that involved him in distresses, and reduced him to situations uncongenial with his feelings, and unpropitious to the cultivation and encouragement of his talents."-E.
Note 330. Evelyn in his Diary for July 25, 1673, says, "In my way I visited my Lord of Dorset's house at Knowle, near Sevenoaks, a greate old-fashion'd house."-E.
Note 331. Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, while a student in the Temple, wrote his tragedy of Gordobuc, which was played before Queen Elizabeth, at Whitehall, in 1561. He was created Earl of Dorset by James the First, in 1604.-E.
Note 332. Charles Sackville, sixth Earl of Dorset. On the day previous to the naval engagement with the Dutch, in 1665, he is said to have composed his celebrated song, "to all you Ladies now on Land."-E.
Note 333. On the contrary, he married the Lady Frances, daughter of the Earl of Middlesex, who survived him.-E. [Note. This appears to be a mistake insofar as Richard Sackville 5th Earl Dorset married Frances Cranfield Countess Dorset who was the daughter of Lionel Cranfield 1st Earl Middlesex. Charles Sackville 6th Earl Dorset 1st Earl Middlesex married firstly Mary Bagot Countess Falmouth and Dorset and secondly Mary Compton Countess Dorset and Middlesex. There, however, references to his marrying an actress Alice Lee with whom he appear to have had a daughter Mary Sackville Countess Orrery.]
Note 334. Lionel Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex, married two wives: the first was the daughter of a London citizen; the second, the daughter of James Brett, Esq. and half-sister of Mary Beaumont, created Countess of Buckingham. To this last alliance, Lord Middlesex owed his extraordinary advancement.-E.
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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.
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Adeline Horsey Recollections. I believe my husband replaced a great deal of the original furniture at Deene [Map] with more modern examples, but many valuable old pieces still remain. The pictures are very beautiful, including a priceless Vandyke representing Queen Henrietta Maria, in the happy days of her early married life, as a regal, gracious figure arrayed in shimmering satin. There is a lovely portrait of Louise de Keroualle and her son, the Duke of Richmond, who married a Brudenell, and there are many examples of Lely, Sir Joshua Reynolds and other eighteenth- and nineteenth-century artists. One painting by Sant represents the Prince Consort and the Royal children listening to the account of the Charge of the Light Brigade by Lord Cardigan, and there are also some interesting pictures of hunting-field incidents, depicting Cardigan and his friends on their favourite mounts.