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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On 18th June 1826 Archbishop William Dalrymple Maclagan was born.
In 1860 Archbishop William Dalrymple Maclagan (age 33) and Sarah Kate Clapham (age 24) were married.
In 1864 [his wife] Sarah Kate Clapham (age 28) died.
On 24th June 1878 Archbishop William Dalrymple Maclagan (age 52) was consecrated Bishop of Lichfield by Archbishop Campbell Tait at St Paul's Cathedral [Map].
On 12th November 1878 Archbishop William Dalrymple Maclagan (age 52) and Augusta Anne Barrington (age 42) were married.
In 1891 Archbishop William Dalrymple Maclagan (age 64) was translated to Archbishop of York.
On 7th June 1897 Princess Mary Windsor Countess Harewood was baptised by Archbishop William Dalrymple Maclagan (age 70) at St Mary Magdalene's Church, Sandringham.
On 9th August 1902 King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (age 60) was crowned VII King of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Alexandra of Denmark Queen Consort England (age 57) was crowned Queen Consort by Archbishop William Dalrymple Maclagan (age 76).
Winifred, Duchess of Portland (age 38), wearing the Portland Diamond Tiara, commissioned esppecially for the event, served as a canopy bearer to Queen Alexandra.
On 19th September 1910 Archbishop William Dalrymple Maclagan (age 84) died.
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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In 1915 [his former wife] Augusta Anne Barrington (age 79) died.