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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Paternal Family Tree: Douglas
Maternal Family Tree: Margaret Boyd 1420-1453
1568 Mary Queen of Scots escapes from Lochleven Castle, Kinross
1570 James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray Assassinated by Firearm
William Douglas 6th Earl Morton and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton were married. She by marriage Countess Morton. She the daughter of George Leslie 4th Earl Rothes.
William Douglas 6th Earl Morton succeeded 6th Earl Morton.
In 1527 [his father] Robert Douglas [aged 21] and [his mother] Margaret Erskine [aged 11] were married. She the daughter of [his grandfather] John Erskine 17th Earl of Mar [aged 39] and [his grandmother] Margaret Campbell Countess Mar.
In 1540 William Douglas 6th Earl Morton was born to Robert Douglas [aged 34] and Margaret Erskine [aged 24] at Lochleven Castle, Kinross.
On 10th September 1547 an English army commanded by Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset [aged 47] defeated a Scottish army commanded by James Hamilton 2nd Earl Arran [aged 31] and Archibald Douglas 6th Earl Angus [aged 58] at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh at Musselburgh.
The English army included John Dudley 1st Duke Northumberland [aged 43], Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury [aged 47], Miles Partridge and Thomas Wentworth 2nd Baron Wentworth [aged 22]. John Thynne [aged 32] and Edmund Brydges 2nd Baron Chandos [aged 25] were knighted.
William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley [aged 26] accompanied Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset.
Edward Shelley of Worminghurst Park [aged 44] was killed.
John Forbes 6th Lord Forbes [aged 82], Christopher Coningsby [aged 31] and Edward Clere were killed.
John Thynne was knighted after the battle.
George Sandes [aged 29] was killed.
The Scottish army included John Gordon 11th Earl Sutherland [aged 22] who commanded the Rearguard and Gilbert Kennedy 3rd Earl Cassilis [aged 32]. John Stewart, [his father] Robert Douglas [aged 41], John Livingston, Thomas Hamilton of Priestfield and Hugh Montgomerie were killed. John Hay 4th Lord Hay was captured but soon released.
Malcolm Fleming 3rd Lord Fleming [aged 53] was killed. His son James [aged 13] succeeded 4th Lord Fleming. Barbara Hamilton Lady Fleming by marriage Lord Fleming.
Robert Graham Master of Montrose and James Gordon of Lochinvar were killed.
On 7th February 1562 [his illegitimate half-brother] James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray Regent [aged 31] was created 1st Earl Moray and 1st Earl Mar.
On 8th February 1562 [his illegitimate half-brother] James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray Regent [aged 31] and [his sister-in-law] Agnes Keith Countess Moray and Mar [aged 31] were married at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh. She by marriage Countess Moray and Countess Mar. She the daughter of William Keith 4th Earl Marischal [aged 55] and Margaret Keith Countess Marischal. He the illegitmate son of King James V of Scotland and [his mother] Margaret Erskine [aged 46]. They were fourth cousins. He a great grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.
On 2nd May 1568 Mary Queen of Scots [aged 25] escaped from Lochleven Castle, Kinross with the help of [his brother] George Douglas of Helenhill (brother of William Douglas 6th Earl Morton [aged 28], the castle's owner) and Claud Hamilton 1st Lord Paisley [aged 21].
On 13th May 1568 the army of Mary Queen of Scots [aged 25] commanded by Archibald Campbell 5th Earl Argyll [aged 34] was defeated by the army of the Regent her illegitimate half-brother James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray Regent [aged 37].
John Campbell was killed.
William "Younger" Douglas 7th Lord Drumlanrig and Robert Seton 1st Earl Winton [aged 15] fought.
Claud Hamilton 1st Lord Paisley [aged 21] and George Seton 7th Lord Seton [aged 37] fought for the Queen.
John Graham 6th Earl Menteith fought for the Earl of Moray.
In 1569 [his son] James Douglas was born to William Douglas 6th Earl Morton [aged 29] and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton [aged 26]. He married (1) Helen Scott (2) Jean Anstruther (3) Mary Kerr.
Report of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. 1570. Lady [his mother] Margaret Erskine [aged 54] to the Countess of Murray, circ. 1570. Madam. Efter meist hertlie commendatioun. I haue resawit your wreting fra this berer and your excuyss off your lang wreting to me, quhilk I except in gud pairt, be resoun of the ewill wedder, quhilk is als ewill heir as it is with you, and quhair ye wrett that ye and your barnis ar weall and in gud helth I am waray glaid of the same, and I assuyr your Ladysohip ther is ne woman of the erth that I wald war fayunar weill nor ye and your bairnis, and sail call meist ernestlie for the same one God, and quhair ye wrett that ye sail wisie me efter Candilraes ye salbe hartlie welcoum, and I beseik in God that ye sail think your traywell weill waird to se my baim, quha growls weill, and cumis weill fordwart, thankis to God. As for newis heir I haue nene to wratt, bot the Laird and all frindis heir ar weill, and in gud helth thankis to God. And the laird [William Douglas 6th Earl Morton [aged 30]] is in the Loich, and it is all frosyn, quha is at greitt charges be resoun of grett eumpany in his houss daylie for the keiping of my Lord of Northumberland [aged 42]. As for newes of the Court, ye will gett from Bdinbruch, for it is ane waray sleicht court and small obeydience, and I dout nocht bot we sail think tham happye that ar away, and thay that ar wikkit that is behind. Ilk ane of thame sail try thair awain. pairt be tym, howbeit nayn uther will do it. I will cummer you vnth na laugar letter bot quhat that lyis in my power salbe reddye in the auld maner, as knauis God quha conserwe yow cternalie. Of the Newhons the fyft day of Januare be your Mother.
(Signed) Margart Erskyn
On 23rd January 1570 [his illegitimate half-brother] James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray Regent [aged 39] was assassinated at Linlithgow by James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, a supporter of Mary Queen of Scots [aged 27]. His daughter [his illegitimate niece] Elizabeth [aged 4] succeeded 2nd Countess Moray. As he was passing in a cavalcade in the main street below, Hamilton fatally wounded him with a carbine shot from a window of his uncle Archbishop Hamilton's [aged 57] house. He was the first head of government to be assassinated by a firearm.
On 5th May 1572 [his mother] Margaret Erskine [aged 56] died.
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel Volume 1 Chapters 1-60 1307-1342
The True Chronicles of Jean le Bel offer one of the most vivid and immediate accounts of 14th-century Europe, written by a knight who lived through the events he describes, and experienced some of them first hand. Covering the early decades of the Hundred Years’ War, this remarkable chronicle follows the campaigns of Edward III of England, the politics of France and the Low Countries, and the shifting alliances that shaped medieval warfare. Unlike later historians, Jean le Bel writes with a strong sense of eyewitness authenticity, drawing on personal experience and the testimony of fellow soldiers. His narrative captures not only battles and sieges, but also the realities of military life, diplomacy, and the ideals of chivalry that governed noble society. A key source for Jean Froissart, Le Bel’s chronicle stands on its own as a compelling and insightful work, at once historical record and literary achievement. This translation builds on the 1905 edition published in French by Jules Viard, adding extensive translations from other sources Rymer's Fœdera, the Chronicles of Adam Murimuth, William Nangis, Walter of Guisborough, a Bourgeois of Valenciennes, Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke and Richard Lescot to enrich the original text and Viard's notes.
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In 1574 [his daughter] Agnes Douglas Countess Argyll was born to William Douglas 6th Earl Morton [aged 34] and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton [aged 31] at Lochleven Castle, Kinross. She married 24th July 1592 her third cousin Archibald Campbell 7th Earl Argyll, son of Colin Campbell 6th Earl Argyll and Agnes Keith Countess Moray and Mar, and had issue.
In 1574 [his son-in-law] John Wemyss [aged 16] and Margaret Douglas were married. She the daughter of William Douglas 6th Earl Morton [aged 34] and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton [aged 31].
On 18th August 1580 [his brother] Robert Douglas Earl Buchan [aged 40] died. His son [his nephew] James succeeded 5th Earl Buchan.
In March 1585 [his son] Robert Douglas Master of Morton and Laurence Oliphant Master of Oliphant drowned. They had been exiled for his part in the Raid of Ruthven. The ship in which they were travelling was lost at sea.
On 24th July 1592 [his son-in-law] Archibald Campbell 7th Earl Argyll [aged 17] and Agnes Douglas Countess Argyll [aged 18] were married. She the daughter of William Douglas 6th Earl Morton [aged 52] and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton [aged 50]. He the son of Colin Campbell 6th Earl Argyll and Agnes Keith Countess Moray and Mar. They were third cousins.
In or before 1595 [his son-in-law] Walter Ogilvy 1st Lord Ogilvy of Deskford [aged 34] and Mary Douglas were married. She the daughter of William Douglas 6th Earl Morton [aged 54] and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton [aged 52].
In September 1606 William Douglas 6th Earl Morton [aged 66] died. His grandson William [aged 24] succeeded 7th Earl Morton. Anne Keith Countess Morton by marriage Countess Morton.
[his daughter] Mary Douglas was born to William Douglas 6th Earl Morton and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton. She married in or before 1595 Walter Ogilvy 1st Lord Ogilvy of Deskford and had issue.
[his son] George Douglas was born to William Douglas 6th Earl Morton and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton. He married Margaret Forrester.
[his son] Archibald Douglas was born to William Douglas 6th Earl Morton and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton. He married before 1649 Barbara Forbes.
[his daughter] Euphemia Douglas was born to William Douglas 6th Earl Morton and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton.
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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[his daughter] Margaret Douglas was born to William Douglas 6th Earl Morton and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton. She married 1574 John Wemyss.
[his son] Robert Douglas Master of Morton was born to William Douglas 6th Earl Morton and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton. He married his fourth cousin Jean Lyon Countess Angus and Morton and had issue.
[his daughter] Christian Douglas was born to William Douglas 6th Earl Morton and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton. She married her fourth cousin Laurence Oliphant Master of Oliphant.
[his daughter] Jean Douglas was born to William Douglas 6th Earl Morton and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton.
[his daughter] Elizabeth Douglas Countess Erroll was born to William Douglas 6th Earl Morton and Agnes Leslie Countess Morton. She married her fourth cousin Francis Hay 9th Earl Erroll, son of Andrew Hay 8th Earl Erroll and Jean Hay, and had issue.
Kings Wessex: Great x 16 Grand Son of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 12 Grand Son of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 18 Grand Son of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 13 Grand Son of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 11 Grand Son of King John of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 15 Grand Son of King Duncan I of Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 24 Grand Son of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 17 Grand Son of Hugh I King of the Franks
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 21 Grand Son of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Douglas
Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry Douglas of Lochleve
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Countess Mar
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Douglas of Lochleven
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Douglas
GrandFather: Thomas Douglas
Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Countess Balfour Douglas
Father: Robert Douglas
GrandMother: Elizabeth Boyd
William Douglas 6th Earl Morton 11 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Erskine 1st Lord Erskine
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Erskine 2nd Lord Erskine 14th Earl of Mar 6 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Lindsay 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Alexander Erksine 3rd Lord Erskine 15th Earl of Mar 7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Erskine 4th Lord Erskine 16th Earl of Mar 8 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
GrandFather: John Erskine 17th Earl of Mar 9 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Mother: Margaret Erskine 10 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Duncan Campbell 1st Lord Campbell
Great x 3 Grandfather: Archibald Campbell 6 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Margery Stewart
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandfather: Colin Campbell 1st Earl Argyll 7 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Archibald Campbell 2nd Earl Argyll 8 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Stewart 1st Lord Lorn
Great x 3 Grandfather: John Stewart 2nd Lord Lorn
6 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Stewart
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Isabella Stewart Countess Argyll
7 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
GrandMother: Margaret Campbell Countess Mar 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Stewart of Darnley 1st Count Évreux
Great x 3 Grandfather: Alan Stewart of Darnley
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Stewart 1st Earl Lennox
10 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Seton Master of Seton 9 x Great Grand Son of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Seton 9 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Janet Dunbar
8 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Stewart Countess Argyll
11 x Great Grand Daughter of King John of England
Great x 3 Grandfather: Alexander Montgomerie 1st Lord Montgomerie
Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Montgomerie Countess Lennox
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Boyd 5th of Kilmarnock
Great x 3 Grandmother: Margaret Boyd