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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Paternal Family Tree: Norman
Maternal Family Tree: Emmeline Riddlesford 1223-1276
In 1413 [his father] James "White Earl" Butler 4th Earl Ormonde [aged 19] and [his mother] Joan Beauchamp Countess Ormonde were married. She by marriage Countess Ormonde. He the son of [his grandfather] James Butler 3rd Earl Ormonde and [his grandmother] Anne Welles Countess Ormonde. They were third cousins. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
Before 1422 John Butler 6th Earl Ormonde was born to [his father] James "White Earl" Butler 4th Earl Ormonde [aged 28] and [his mother] Joan Beauchamp Countess Ormonde in Kilkenny, Ireland [Map]. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England.
On 18th July 1432 [his father] James "White Earl" Butler 4th Earl Ormonde [aged 39] and [his step-mother] Joan or Elizabeth Fitzgerald Countess Ormonde were married. She by marriage Countess Ormonde. She the daughter of Gerald Fitzgerald 5th Earl of Kildare and Margaret Rocheford Countess Kildare. He the son of [his grandfather] James Butler 3rd Earl Ormonde and [his grandmother] Anne Welles Countess Ormonde. They were half second cousins. He a great x 3 grandson of King Edward I of England.
Before 1445 [his brother-in-law] John Talbot 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 27] and [his sister] Elizabeth Butler Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of [his father] James "White Earl" Butler 4th Earl Ormonde [aged 51] and [his mother] Joan Beauchamp Countess Ormonde. He the son of John "Old Talbot" Talbot 1st Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 61] and Maud Neville 6th Baroness Furnivall. They were third cousins. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
In 1445 [his brother] Thomas Butler 7th Earl Ormonde [aged 19] and [his sister-in-law] Anne Hankford Countess Ormonde [aged 14] were married. She the daughter of Richard Hankford and Anne Montagu Duchess Exeter [aged 44]. He the son of [his father] James "White Earl" Butler 4th Earl Ormonde [aged 51] and [his mother] Joan Beauchamp Countess Ormonde. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward I of England.
In 1450 [his illegitimate son] Edward Ormond was born illegitimately to John Butler 6th Earl Ormonde [aged 28] and Reynalda Obrien.
On 23rd August 1452 [his father] James "White Earl" Butler 4th Earl Ormonde [aged 59] died at Dublin [Map]. He was buried at St Mary's Abbey, Dublin. His son [his brother] James [aged 31] succeeded 5th Earl Ormonde.
Before 3rd June 1457 [his brother] James Butler 1st Earl Wiltshire 5th Earl Ormonde [aged 36] and [his sister-in-law] Avice Stafford Countess Ormonde [aged 33] were married. She by marriage Countess Ormonde. He the son of [his father] James "White Earl" Butler 4th Earl Ormonde and [his mother] Joan Beauchamp Countess Ormonde.
Around April 1458 [his brother] James Butler 1st Earl Wiltshire 5th Earl Ormonde [aged 37] and [his sister-in-law] Eleanor Beaufort Countess Ormonde [aged 26] were married. She by marriage Countess Ormonde. She the daughter of Edmund Beaufort 1st or 2nd Duke of Somerset and Eleanor Beauchamp Duchess Somerset [aged 49]. He the son of [his father] James "White Earl" Butler 4th Earl Ormonde and [his mother] Joan Beauchamp Countess Ormonde. They were second cousin once removed. He a great x 4 grandson of King Edward I of England. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
On 30th December 1460 the Lancastrian army took their revenge for the defeats of the First Battle of St Albans and the Battle of Northampton at the Battle of Wakefield near Sandal Castle [Map]. The Lancastrian army was commanded by Henry Holland 3rd Duke Exeter [aged 30], Henry Beaufort 2nd or 3rd Duke of Somerset [aged 24] and Henry Percy 3rd Earl of Northumberland [aged 39], and included John Courtenay 7th or 15th Earl Devon [aged 25] and William Gascoigne XIII [aged 30], both knighted, and [his brother] James Butler 1st Earl Wiltshire 5th Earl Ormonde [aged 40], John "Butcher" Clifford 9th Baron Clifford [aged 25], John Neville 1st Baron Neville of Raby [aged 50], Thomas Ros 9th Baron Ros Helmsley [aged 33], Henry Roos and Thomas St Leger [aged 20].
The Yorkist army was heavily defeated.
Richard Plantagenet 3rd Duke of York [aged 49] was killed. His son Edward [aged 18] succeeded 4th Duke York, 7th Earl March, 9th Earl of Ulster, 3rd Earl Cambridge, 9th Baron Mortimer of Wigmore.
Thomas Neville [aged 30], and Edward Bourchier were killed.
Father and son Thomas Harrington [aged 60] and John Harrington [aged 36] were killed, the former dying of his wounds the day after.
William Bonville 6th Baron Harington [aged 18] was killed. His daughter Cecily succeeded 7th Baroness Harington.
Thomas Parr [aged 53] fought in the Yorkist army.
Following the battle Richard Neville Earl Salisbury [aged 60] was beheaded by Thomas "Bastard of Exeter" Holland. William Bonville [aged 40] was executed.
Edmund York 1st Earl of Rutland [aged 17] was killed on Wakefield Bridge [Map] by John "Butcher" Clifford. Earl of Rutland extinct.
On 29th March 1461 the Battle of Towton was a decisive victory for King Edward IV of England [aged 18] bringing to an end the first war of the Wars of the Roses. Said to be the bloodiest battle on English soil 28000 were killed mainly during the rout that followed the battle.
The Yorkist army was commanded by King Edward IV of England with John Mowbray 3rd Duke of Norfolk [aged 45], William Neville 1st Earl Kent [aged 56], William Hastings 1st Baron Hastings [aged 30] (knighted), Walter Blount 1st Baron Mountjoy [aged 45], Henry Bourchier 2nd Count of Eu 1st Earl Essex [aged 57], John Scrope 5th Baron Scrope of Bolton [aged 23] and John Wenlock 1st Baron Wenlock [aged 61].
The Lancastrian army suffered significant casualties including Richard Percy [aged 35], Ralph Bigod Lord Morley [aged 50], John Bigod [aged 28], Robert Cromwell [aged 71], Ralph Eure [aged 49], John Neville 1st Baron Neville of Raby [aged 51], John Beaumont [aged 33], Thomas Dethick [aged 61], Everard Simon Digby, William Plumpton [aged 25] and William Welles [aged 51] who were killed.
Henry Percy 3rd Earl of Northumberland [aged 39] was killed. Earl of Northumberland, Baron Percy of Alnwick, Baron Percy of Topcliffe forfeit.
Ralph Dacre 1st Baron Dacre Gilsland [aged 49] was killed. He was buried at the nearby Saxton church where his chest tomb is extant. Baron Dacre Gilsland extinct.
Lionel Welles 6th Baron Welles [aged 55] was killed. His son Richard [aged 33] succeeded 7th Baron Welles.
The Lancastrian army was commanded by Henry Beaufort 2nd or 3rd Duke of Somerset [aged 25], Henry Holland 3rd Duke Exeter [aged 30], Henry Percy 3rd Earl of Northumberland and Andrew Trollope.
Henry Holland 3rd Duke Exeter was attainted after the battle; Duke Exeter, Earl Huntingdon forfeit.
Those who fought for the Lancaster included William Tailboys 7th Baron Kyme [aged 46], William Plumpton, John Sutton 1st Baron Dudley [aged 60], William Norreys [aged 20], Thomas Grey 1st Baron Grey of Richemont [aged 43], Robert Hungerford 3rd Baron Hungerford 1st Baron Moleyns [aged 30], [his nephew] John Talbot 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 12], Richard Welles 7th Baron Welles, Baron Willoughby, Richard Woodville 1st Earl Rivers [aged 56], [his brother] James Butler 1st Earl Wiltshire 5th Earl Ormonde [aged 40], John Butler 6th Earl Ormonde [aged 39], William Beaumont 2nd Viscount Beaumont [aged 22], Henry Roos and Thomas Tresham [aged 41]. Cardinal John Morton [aged 41] were captured.
John Heron of Ford Castle Northumberland [aged 45], Robert Dethick [aged 86], Andrew Trollope and his son David Trollope were killed.
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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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On 1st May 1461 James Butler 1st Earl Wiltshire 5th Earl Ormonde [aged 40] was beheaded at Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland [Map] having been captured at, or after, the Battle of Towton. His brother John [aged 39] succeeded 6th Earl Ormonde. Earl Wiltshire forfeit.
Around 1462 [his illegitimate son] John Ormond was born illegitimately to John Butler 6th Earl Ormonde [aged 40] and Reynalda Obrien at Alfreton, Derbyshire [Map].
Around July 1462 the Yorkist army of Thomas Fitzgerald 7th Earl Desmond defeated the Lancastrian army of John Butler 6th Earl Ormonde [aged 40] at Piltown, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny. The Lancastrian army suffered around 1000 killed.
On 8th September 1473 [his sister] Elizabeth Butler Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford [aged 49] died at Shrewsbury, Shropshire [Map].
On 14th December 1476 John Butler 6th Earl Ormonde [aged 54] died. His brother Thomas [aged 50] succeeded 7th Earl Ormonde. Anne Hankford Countess Ormonde [aged 45] by marriage Countess Ormonde.
Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1519. 4th April 1519. 160. For [his niece] Anne Seyntleger [aged 64] [St Leger], widow.
Licence to found a perpetual chantry for one chaplain in the chapel of St. Mary, called "Hangfordis Chapell," in the church of St. George, Monklee, Devon, to pray for the King and Queen, and for the said Anne, Sir George Seyntleger [aged 35], Thomas Seyntleger, clk., and Margaret Boleyn [aged 65], widow, and for the souls of Sir Thomas Ormond, late earl of Ormond, and lady Anne his wife (father and mother of the said Anne Seyntleger), James and John, brothers of the said earl, William Hangford, Richard-Hangford his son, Sir Richard Hangford, son of the said Richard, and James Seyntleger and Ambrose Griseacre, husbands of the said Anne Seyntleger, and James Seyntleger, her son. Also licence to alienate possessions to the annual value of £10 for the said chaplain. Greenwich, 12 March 10 Hen. VIII. Del. Westm., 4 April.
Pat. 10 Hen. VIII. p. 2, m. 32.
[his illegitimate son] James Ormond was born illegitimately to John Butler 6th Earl Ormonde and Reynalda Obrien at Alfreton, Derbyshire [Map].
Kings Wessex: Great x 12 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 8 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 14 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 9 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 4 Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 11 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 18 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 12 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 16 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Theobald Butler 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Butler 1st Earl Carrick
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Fitzjohn
Great x 2 Grandfather: James Butler 1st Earl Ormonde
Great x 1 Grandfather: James Butler 2nd Earl Ormonde Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 3rd Earl Hereford 2nd Earl Essex 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Fiennes Countess Essex and Hereford 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Bohun Countess Ormonde Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Edward I of England 
Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Countess Essex, Hereford and Holland Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
GrandFather: James Butler 3rd Earl Ormonde 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Norman Darcy 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Roger Darcy
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Darcy 1st Baron Darcy of Knayth
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Aton
Great x 3 Grandmother: Isabel Aton
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Darcy Countess Ormonde
Great x 4 Grandfather: Walter Burgh 1st Earl of Ulster 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Richard "Red Earl" Burgh 2nd Earl of Ulster
Great x 2 Grandmother: Joan Burgh Countess Kildare
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Burgh
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Burgh Countess Ulster
Father: James "White Earl" Butler 4th Earl Ormonde 3 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Adam Welles 1st Baron Welles 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Adam Welles 3rd Baron Welles
Great x 1 Grandfather: John Welles 4th Baron Welles
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh Bardolf 1st Baron Bardolf 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Bardolf 2nd Baron Bardolf
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Bardolf Baroness Welles
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Grandison 1st Baron Grandison
Great x 3 Grandmother: Agnes Grandison Baroness Bardolf
Great x 4 Grandmother: Sibylla Tregoz Baroness Grandison
GrandMother: Anne Welles Countess Ormonde 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Ros 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Ros 1st Baron Ros Helmsley
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel de Albini
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Ros 2nd Baron Ros Helmsley
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Vaux 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud Vaux Baroness Ros
Great x 1 Grandmother: Maud Ros Baroness Welles 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gunselin Badlesmere 
Great x 3 Grandfather: Bartholomew Badlesmere 1st Baron Badlesmere
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Fitzbernard
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margery Badlesmere Baroness Ros of Helmsley 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas de Clare 
4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Clare Baroness Badlesmere 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Juliana Fitzgerald 
2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
John Butler 6th Earl Ormonde 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Beauchamp 
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Beauchamp 9th Earl Warwick
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Maudit
Great x 2 Grandfather: Guy Beauchamp 10th Earl Warwick
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Fitzgeoffrey
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud Fitzjohn Countess Warwick
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabel Bigod 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Beauchamp 11th Earl Warwick 6 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Tosny 
3 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph Tosny 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Bohun
Great x 2 Grandmother: Alice Tosny Countess Warwick 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
GrandFather: William Beauchamp 1st Baron Abergavenny 5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Mortimer 1st Baron Mortimer of Wigmore 
Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Mortimer 2nd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore 2 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud de Braose 
Great x 2 Grandfather: Roger Mortimer 1st Earl March 3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Fiennes
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Fiennes 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Blanche Beaumont 
3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Katherine Mortimer Countess Warwick 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Geoffrey Geneville 1st Baron Geneville
Great x 3 Grandfather: Piers Geneville
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Lacy Baroness Geneville 
Great x 2 Grandmother: Joan Geneville Baroness Mortimer 2nd Baroness Geneville 7 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh XII of Lusignan VII Count of La Marche III Count Angoulême 
5 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Jeanne Lusignan 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Jeanne Fougères Countess Lusignan Countess La Marche and Angoulême
Mother: Joan Beauchamp Countess Ormonde 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Fitzalan 1st or 8th Earl of Arundel 
3 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Fitzalan 2nd or 9th Earl of Arundel 4 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Saluzzo Countess Arundel 
6 x Great Grand Daughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Fitzalan 3rd or 10th Earl of Arundel 8th Earl of Surrey 5 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Warenne
Great x 3 Grandmother: Alice Warenne Countess Arundel
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Vere 
Great x 1 Grandfather: Richard Fitzalan 9th Earl of Surrey 4th or 11th Earl of Arundel 2 x Great Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Edmund "Crouchback" Plantagenet 1st Earl of Leicester 1st Earl Lancaster Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Plantagenet 3rd Earl of Leicester 3rd Earl Lancaster Grand Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Blanche Capet Queen Navarre 
2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Plantagenet Countess Arundel and Surrey 
Great Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Patrick Chaworth 
Great x 3 Grandmother: Maud Chaworth
Great x 4 Grandmother: Isabella Beauchamp
GrandMother: Joan Fitzalan Baroness Bergavenny 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 3rd Earl Hereford 2nd Earl Essex
Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey Bohun 4th Earl Hereford 3rd Earl Essex
Great x 4 Grandmother: Maud Fiennes Countess Essex and Hereford
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Bohun 1st Earl of Northampton Grand Son of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: King Edward I of England Son of King Henry III of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan Countess Essex, Hereford and Holland Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Eleanor of Castile Queen Consort England 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Bohun Countess Arundel and Surrey Great Grand Daughter of King Edward I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Gunselin Badlesmere
Great x 3 Grandfather: Bartholomew Badlesmere 1st Baron Badlesmere
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Fitzbernard
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Badlesmere Countess Northampton 4 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas de Clare 4 x Great Grand Son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Clare Baroness Badlesmere 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Juliana Fitzgerald 2 x Great Grand Daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England