On 9th February 1838 John Benjamin Stone was born.
On 5th June 1867 John Benjamin Stone [aged 29] and Jane Parker [aged 18] were married.
Inb 1895 John Benjamin Stone [aged 56] was elected MP Birmingham East which seat he held until 1909.
In 1896 John Benjamin Stone [aged 57] was appointed the first Mayor of Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire when he new Municipal Corporation was created. he was in office for four years.
1896. John Benjamin Stone [aged 57]. Photograph of the font at St Cassian's Church, Chaddesley Corbet [Map].
1896. John Benjamin Stone [aged 57]. Photograph of Stonehenge.
1896. John Benjamin Stone [aged 57]. Photograph of the Place of Execution on Tower Hill [Map] adjacent to the Tower of London.
1896. John Benjamin Stone [aged 57]. Photograph of the "Nightingale Monument" at Westminster Abbey to Elizabeth Shirley and her husband Joseph Gascoigne who adopted the surname Nightingale following the death of his kinsman Robert Nightingale. Elizabeth and Joseph are buried in a vault in the north ambulatory nearby. The monument is by the sculptor Louis Francois Roubiliac.
Elizabeth Shirley: In 1704 she was born to Washington Shirley 2nd Earl Ferrers and Mary Levinge Countess Ferrers. On 24th June 1725 Joseph Gascoigne aka Nightingale and she were married. She the daughter of Washington Shirley 2nd Earl Ferrers and Mary Levinge Countess Ferrers. On 17th August 1734 Elizabeth Shirley died in childbirth following the premature birth of her daughter Elizabeth as a result of the shock caused by a violent flash of lightning.
Joseph Gascoigne aka Nightingale: In 1695 he was born to Joseph Gascoigne. In 1727 Joseph Gascoigne aka Nightingale was elected MP Stafford. On 16th July 1752 he died.
1896. John Benjamin Stone [aged 57]. Photograph of the monument of William "The Elder" Pitt 1st Earl Chatham at Westminster Abbey.
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.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
1896. John Benjamin Stone [aged 57]. Photograph of the monument of Margaret Beaufort Countess Richmond at the King Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey [Map]
1896. John Benjamin Stone [aged 57]. Photograph of the tympanum at St Leonard's Church, Ribbesford [Map].
1896. John Benjamin Stone [aged 57]. Photograph of the Silbury Hill [Map] at Avebury.
1896. John Benjamin Stone [aged 57]. Photograph of Avebury North Circle Cove [Map].
1898. John Benjamin Stone [aged 59]. Photograph of the Bloody Tower [Map], Wakefield Tower [Map], Traitor's Gate [Map] and St Thomas's Tower [Map] at the Tower of London.
1898. John Benjamin Stone [aged 59]. Photograph of the font at Church of the Holy Cross, Ilam [Map].
1898. John Benjamin Stone [aged 59]. Photograph of the Salt Tower, Tower of London [Map].
1898. John Benjamin Stone [aged 59]. Photograph of the Byward Tower, Tower of London [Map].
1898. John Benjamin Stone [aged 59]. Photograph of the Devereux Tower, Tower of London [Map].
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
1899. John Benjamin Stone [aged 60]. Photograph of the monument to Dorothy Vernon at All Saint's Church, Bakewell, Derbyshire [Map].
Dorothy Vernon: In 1531 she was born to George Vernon "King of the Peak" and Margaret Tailboys. Before 22nd March 1572 John Manners and she were married. He the son of Thomas Manners 1st Earl of Rutland and Eleanor Paston Countess Rutland. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
1899. John Benjamin Stone [aged 60]. Photograph of the ancient font at All Saint's Church, Bakewell, Derbyshire [Map].
1900. John Benjamin Stone [aged 61]. Photograph of the tympanums at St James' Church, Alveston [Map].
1902. John Benjamin Stone [aged 63]. Photograph of the Allington Castle [Map].
1903. John Benjamin Stone [aged 64]. Photograph of the town walls at Hedingham Castle [Map].
1904. John Benjamin Stone [aged 65]. Photograph of the town walls at Southampton, Hampshire [Map].
1904. John Benjamin Stone [aged 65]. Photograph of the Bargate, Southampton [Map].
1904. John Benjamin Stone [aged 65]. Photograph of the crypt at Hereford Cathedral [Map].
1904. John Benjamin Stone [aged 65]. Photograph of the Church of St Mary and St David, Kilpeck [Map].
1904. John Benjamin Stone [aged 65]. Photograph of the Audley End House, Saffron Walden [Map].
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.
1906. John Benjamin Stone [aged 67]. Photograph of Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire [Map].
1907. John Benjamin Stone [aged 68]. Photograph of Colchester Castle, Essex.
1908. John Benjamin Stone [aged 69]. Photograph of St Mary's Abbey, York [Map].
1908. John Benjamin Stone [aged 69]. Photograph of The Strid, West Yorkshire.
1908. John Benjamin Stone [aged 69]. Photograph of Monk Bar, York [Map] from without.
1908. John Benjamin Stone [aged 69]. Photograph of St Mary's Abbey, York [Map].
August 1908. John Benjamin Stone [aged 70]. Photograph of Bootham Bar, York from without.
August 1908. John Benjamin Stone [aged 70]. Photograph of the inner side of Bootham Bar, York.
August 1908. John Benjamin Stone [aged 70]. Photograph of the outer side of Micklegate Bar, York [Map].
August 1908. John Benjamin Stone [aged 70]. Photograph of the inner side of Micklegate Bar, York [Map].
Adam Murimuth's Continuation and Robert of Avesbury’s 'The Wonderful Deeds of King Edward III'
This volume brings together two of the most important contemporary chronicles for the reign of Edward III and the opening phases of the Hundred Years’ War. Written in Latin by English clerical observers, these texts provide a vivid and authoritative window into the political, diplomatic, and military history of fourteenth-century England and its continental ambitions. Adam Murimuth Continuatio's Chronicarum continues an earlier chronicle into the mid-fourteenth century, offering concise but valuable notices on royal policy, foreign relations, and ecclesiastical affairs. Its annalistic structure makes it especially useful for establishing chronology and tracing the development of events year by year. Complementing it, Robert of Avesbury’s De gestis mirabilibus regis Edwardi tertii is a rich documentary chronicle preserving letters, treaties, and official records alongside narrative passages. It is an indispensable source for understanding Edward III’s claim to the French crown, the conduct of war, and the mechanisms of medieval diplomacy. Together, these works offer scholars, students, and enthusiasts a reliable and unembellished account of a transformative period in English and European history. Essential for anyone interested in medieval chronicles, the Hundred Years’ War, or the reign of Edward III.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
1909. John Benjamin Stone [aged 70]. Photograph of the Monnow Bridge, Monmouth [Map].
On 2nd July 1914 John Benjamin Stone [aged 76] died at his home, The Grange, Erdington. His wife Jane Parker [aged 65] died three days later on 5th July 1914. They were buried together on 7th July 1914 at Holy Trinity Church, Sutton Coldfield [Map].
