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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
St Marcella's Church, Denbigh is in Denbighshire.
St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map] is dedicated to a saint from the 7th century, which according to tradition was supposed to have a hermitage with a holy well in this place. It was such an important place for the local population that even though it was a kilometer away from the town center, it was always a parish church for Denbigh. The current church was established by Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln at the turn of the C13/C14; the church is first mentioned in the Norwich Taxation of 1291. The present building is largely the result of a late Perpendicular remodelling of c1500 and includes a tall, contemporary (or perhaps marginally later) W tower. The church is also known as the White Church aka Whitchurch.
1563. St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map]. A Copy of an Act for the Translating of the Bible and the Divine Service into Welsh promoted through Parliament by Humphrey Lhuyd (age 36) in 1563.
On 31st December 1565 Jane Dryhurst (age 40) died. Brass memorial at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map].
On 31st August 1568 Humphrey Llwyd aka Lluyd (age 41) died. He was buried at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map]. Victorian Monument to Humphrey Llwyd 1527-1568. Prie-Dieu.
On 8th February 1575 Richard Myddelton (age 66) died. Brass memorial at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map].
Richard Myddelton: Before 1509 he was born to Fulke Myddelton of Llansannan. In 1541 Richard Myddelton and Jane Dryhurst were married. They had nine sons and seven daughters. In 1542 Richard Myddelton was elected MP Denbigh Boroughs. In 1563 Humphrey Llwyd aka Lluyd lived at Denbigh Castle by permission of Sir John Salusbury [Note. Some sources say Richard Myddelton] who was then the Lord of the Manor of Denbigh.
In 1578 John Salusbury (age 59) died. He was buried at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map].
St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map]. Monument to John Salusbury and Jane Myddelton (age 88) erected by his wife in 1588. Dress Folds at Feet. Richard and Gabriel Royley of Burton-upon-Trent. Bongrace.
John Salusbury: In 1519 he was born to Roger Salusbury. Before 1578 John Salusbury and Jane Myddelton were married. In 1578 John Salusbury died. He was buried at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map].
Jane Myddelton: In 1500 she was born to David Myddelton. In 1588 Jane Myddelton died.
After 1693 St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map]. Memorial to Mary Drihurst, daughter of Hugh Drihurst of Denbigh, who married John Roberts of Denbigh.
On 12th June 1705 or 15th June 1705 Thomas Davies of Denbigh (age 51) died. He was buried at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map].
Thomas Davies of Denbigh: Around 1654 he was born. Before 12th June 1705 Thomas Davies of Denbigh and
On 7th October 1710 Hester Salusbury (age 73) died. She was buried at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map].
Hester Salusbury: In 1637 she was born to Thomas Salusbury 2nd Baronet and Hester Tyrrell Lady Salusbury. Around 1666 Robert Cotton 1st Baronet and she were married. They had five sons and eleven daughters and over one hundred grandchildren. On 23rd May 1684 John Salusbury 4th Baronet died. Baronet Salusbury of Lleweni in Denbighshire extinct. His sister Hester Salusbury and her husband Robert Cotton 1st Baronet inherited his estates. Combermere Papers. After 23rd September 1685. By an act of kindness unusual on the part of James II Sir Robert was allowed the society of one of his family within the Tower He chose his fourth son Thomas a boy of eleven years old and beguiled the tedium of captivity by teaching him to read. Lady Cotton not being allowed to share her husband's imprisonment used to walk every day at a certain hour on Tower Hill till she learnt by an agreed signal hung out from a window that her husband was well. After a short delay Sir Robert was released the charge made against him having been found to be groundless. That there were however letters although perhaps not treasonable from the Electress Sophia we learn from Mrs Piozzi who when a child saw some of this correspondence. She was too young to recollect anything about the contents but was afterwards told that they were full of Latin quotations. In accordance with what seems to have been a family mania for the destruction of papers Lord Combermere's father burnt the letters in question
Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 12th January 1713 Robert Cotton 1st Baronet was buried at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map] next to his wife Hester Salusbury.
After 1717. St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map]. Monument to the Shaw family.
On 16th August 1744 Anne m Thomas Davies (age 84) died. She was buried at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map].
In 1774 Robert Salusbury (age 51) died. Memorial at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map].
Robert Salusbury: Around 1723 he was born to Norfolk Salusbury. Before 10th September 1756 Robert Salusbury and Gwenilian Davis were married.
After 1784. St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map]. Monument to the Clough family.
In 1789 Gwenilian Davis died. Memorial at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map].
Gwenilian Davis: she was born to Ellis Davis of Nantyrerwheidd in Merionethshire.
In 1791 John Salusbury (age 33) died. Memorial at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map].
John Salusbury: Around 1758 he was born to Robert Salusbury and Gwenilian Davis.
After 1791. St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map]. Monument to the Heaton family.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
After 1793. St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map]. Grave slab of the Pannell family.
After 1802. St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map]. Grave slab of Margaret Edwards.
After April 1810. St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map]. Grave of poet Thomas Edwards aka Twm o'r Nant.
After 1st July 1836. St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map]. Grave of Reverend Edward Jones. Headmaster of Ruthin Grammar School for 23 Years.
On 3rd September 1913 Jeanette Octavia Cliff (age 55) died. She was buried at, and/or has a memorial, at St Marcella's Church, Denbigh [Map] sculpted by Albert Toft (age 51).
Jeanette Octavia Cliff: On 17th February 1858 she was born to William Cliff. On 20th July 1892 Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Ward and she were married. On 28th October 1902 Lieutenant-Colonel John Foster Manifold and Amy Mary Cliff were married at the Mother Church at Hawarden, Flintshire. Her sister Jeanette Octavia Cliff was a witness, as well as Walter Andrew Urquart and Augustus (Augusta?) Hodges.
